Sermons

June 16, 2024

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

In this sermon I want to continue the conversation about anti-Semitism that has emerged at Seekers in recent months.  A lot of what I have to say begins with my father, and of course this is Father’s Day.  Let me say first, then, that you’re going to hear things about this man that are highly critical, but he also had many endearing qualities – kindness, humor, a reverence for education – and I always loved him.

June 9, 2024

Third Sunday after Pentecost

BEGINNING

Easy Entry. Nice Flight. Great lunch!

Chile and cold slaw, and muffins and strawberry shortcake!!

My seat mate, Solit a Jewish young man from Turkey began to talk with me about the search to find himself in the Philippines with tiny children who live in a cemetery. He climbs in and out of. these graves with these children and his older brother. They are both heading for Washington DC to learn better English to help transcend the failure in their future they foresee.

June 2, 2024

Second Sunday after Pentecost

Introduction

Good morning!

It is really exciting to be here; it’s my first time & my family’s first time; I’ve been going to 8th Day for the last 10 years or so, and so it feels nice to be among extended family. However, today, I join you all not only as a representative of the Church of the Saviour, but also as a representative of L’Arche, alongside Nicorria, Crisely, and Fritz.

Originally, Jeanne and I weren’t sure about the date when we would come, and we actually set the date June 2 before we knew about Emmy Lu’s death. Given the last two days celebrating Emmy Lu, it seems especially sacred to be able to share how today’s gospel intersects with our communal life in L’Arche…and to say thank you for your friendship as a community over these many years.

Our L’Arche community was founded in 1983. Our first L’Arche home on Ontario Road in Adams Morgan was sold to us for one cent from the Church of the Savior. It was then that our community took shape & people with and without disabilities began to share their lives together in a community.

May 26, 2024

Trinity

My mission this morning is to convey to you something from my experience in the Solomon Islands, and to draw on the scripture in today’s liturgy in doing so.  

I was appointed as peacebuilding advisor by the United Nations for a 6 month term, November to April. The Solomon Islands has a history of political violence often triggered around elections.  From 1998 to 2003 the entire country was paralyzed as a result.  During that time and twice since then, protesters looted and torched shops in the Chinatown District of Honiara, the capital city.    

May 19, 2024

Pentecost

Collected Stories

From the Book Study Class on

This Is Why I Came by Mary Rakow

Introduction

Serendipitously, our reflection for Pentecost says, “We are the vessels of God’s voice, her words blowing through us, bidding us to tell the tales that only we can speak.” Jan L. Richardson, In Wisdom’s Path

That is exactly what we are offering this morning.

Last term in the School of Christian Growth I lead a book study on Mary Rakow’s book entitled This is Why I Came. This is a novel about an older woman who has not been to church, to confession or received the sacrements in over 30 years. We do not know what caused the rift but what we do have is a collection of stories that she wrote trying to make sense of her faith, of God and the biblicial stories.