Sermons

Advent 3

December 12, 2021

We’re in the midst of a pandemic virus with seemingly no end to its mutations. At the same time, we are experiencing epidemics of addiction and deaths from opioids and from firearm violence. Our political partisanship has risen to levels dangerous to our representative democracy. Our nation continues to experience racial injustice and violence against racial, ethnic, and religious minorities but may not have the will to examine our history to see what brought us to this state and what we can do about it. And threatening us over everything else is the dangerous impact of climate change. We want, we need, we pray to be delivered from all this, to be saved from all this.

Are you feeling joyous this Advent? Advent was originally a 40-day fast beginning on November 12, much like the 40-day fast of Lent. It was a time of penitence in preparation for Christmas. Fortunately, in the ninth century Advent was reduced to four weeks. That reduction of penitential time alone should make us joyous! Today, the third Sunday of Advent, is Gaudete Sunday in Roman Catholicism, the Anglican church, and the Protestant churches. Many churches light a rose-colored candle in their Advent wreath on Gaudete Sunday. In Latin, Gaudete means “rejoice,” which is the first word of the introit in the Mass for today, coming from the Philippians text we heard.

Advent 2

December 5, 2021

Holy One, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart express my love for you and be pleasing to you, and those in this community whose ears and hearts receive them.

I offer a rendering of Philippians 1:3-11, which captured my imagination, and called me in many directions.

“I thank the Holy One every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the day that you came to believe until now. I am confident of this, that those who began good works among you will bring it to completion by the time of your taking leave of the corporal world, through your faith in the teachings of Jesus. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart. All of you share in God’s grace, in living with any afflictions that beset you, and in confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I love all of you with the compassion of Jesus, who becomes Christ in the story yet to come. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be at peace in your heart, having produced the harvest of living true to your inner being, the gifts of Wisdom, and through Jesus Christ, who paves the road to love of the Holy One.”

You may have noticed that this is not exactly the text offered in any version of the Bible you’ve read. In my usual audacious manner, I have rewritten the Word, hopefully keeping the spirit of the message that it has delivered for millennia, yet attempting to bring it closer to the Word that helps me to grow and understand it. I hope that I have not offended or alienated anyone, and maybe even offered the possibility of doing the same in your own receiving of the Word.

Advent 1

November 28, 2021

Luke tells us in the scripture today that “ On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world” and it is true – all around us we see fear denial, anger, destruction.  It is very scary. I worry about my children and their lives. I live with a constant knot of tension in my stomach.

 I feel caught in the trap that Luke warns of us – weighed down by the anxieties of life, worrying about whether I am keeping up with my work and whether I am doing well enough; worrying about  trying to be a “good” friend and family member,  and sometimes, lifting my head above all of that, I worry that I am not doing all I should and could be doing to save the world: to fight racism, to combat climate change, to save the environment.

November 21, 2021

When I was asked to preach for “climate in the pulpit Sunday” a national event sponsored by Interfaith Power & Light, I faithfully took a look at the lectionary scriptures for this Sunday to see whether there was any relevance a faithful response to climate change and I concluded there was not a strong thread I could hang onto. So I’m going “off the rails” this Sunday and am encouraged that this is not outside of Seekers tradition.  Instead I will focus on Seeking Good News in a Time of Great Unraveling and tie it in with the two themes before us – this liturgical season on The Home of God is Among Us along with today’s conclusion of that season, the Reign of Christ Sunday.  I confess that last week’s gospel had more to do with today’s climate focus with its references to disastrous upheaval: “There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” (Mark 13:8) Indeed it seems as though we are amidst the labor pains of something struggling to be born and we may find ourselves asking how long Lord, how long with this labor last?

I’m convinced that a lot of people are feeling a deep despair and angst about our future, which is understandable. During the Active Hope class I taught 2 months ago, some of us shared these feelings vulnerably in community. And so I invited the class to write Lamentations – and here’s the one that Sharon Lloyd wrote which I feel is so expressive of our doubts, fears and deep caring:

November 14, 2021

Larry related a memory from his own childhood and then showed a video called “Ex Slaves talk about Slavery in the USA” before concluding that although there is much evil in the world, most people are good. Please see the video that he shared, which was recorded in the 1940s, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZfcc21c6Uo. The text of Larry’s sermon is unavailable at this time.