Sermon: "The Great Scoutmaster", Jeremiah 23:23-29/Luke 12:49-56 (August 14, 2016)

8/14/16

Sermon video here.

“Good News”. For a phrase that we use so often around here, you’d think we’d talk a little bit more about what it actually means. We know what each of those words means individually, of course, but when we talk about Good News in a faith context, it means something more specific, doesn’t it? From a Christian theological standpoint, “The Good News” is shorthand for the coming of God’s kingdom through Jesus Christ. That’s it in a nutshell.

In preaching classes, students are often told that the goal is to find the “Good News” in scripture and proclaim it. It doesn’t matter if the day’s lesson is from the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament, the Psalms or the Epistles: the thing that makes Scripture holy is that the Good News spills from every page.

And yet, preaching is rarely an easy job. Not because the Good News isn’t there, but because it often doesn’t appear the way we expect it to. Where, for example, is the Good News in genocide? In war? Famine? Where’s the Good News in being told that we’re wrong? Or that we need to change?

Reflections on a Flame

Small and focused,
Still and tall;
Dispels the darkness
Without a sound.

How to Experience Grace through Blisters...

"When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' Moses said, 'I’m here.' Then the Lord said, 'Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.'”

--Exodus 3:4-5 (CEB)

This past week, nearly 5,000 adults and youth (but mostly youth) came together at Purdue University in Indiana for the 13th Presbyterian Youth Triennium. This was my fourth time attending--I went in 2001 and 2004 as a youth participant, 2013 as an adult delegation leader, and 2016 (this year) as a small group leader. Youth from all over the country (and indeed, many parts of the world) came together to hear God's Word, to play, and to worship as beloved children of God. After this past week, I'm more convinced than ever that this is an event of monumental importance to the Presbyterian Church (not just its youth), and that it changes lives.

Thoughts at the Closing of GA 222

I have something I want to say.

I learned it from the Episcopalians, but I never really internalized it until now.

Sermon: "Help Yourself", Psalm 69:1-3/1 Kings 21:1-10, 15-21 (June 12, 2016)

6/12/16

Sermon video here.

The “how-tos” of being a Christian are a tricky thing. As much as we want to believe that we understand the basics, they can be surprisingly tough to pin down. Even the Ten Commandments are a bit murky if you stop to think about it: what does it mean, exactly, to take the Lord’s name in vain? What does keeping the Sabbath holy really entail? Are we instructed not to murder, or not to kill at all? And what’s the difference? We may think that we’ve got it all figured out, but what we generally assume as givens are really closer to educated guesses based on context, scholarship, and a healthy dose of personal theology.

Sermon: "God Sings the Body Electric", Song of Solomon 4:1-7/Acts 1:6-11 (May 8, 2016)

5/8/16

Sermon video here.

Every good sermon starts with a flashback to English class, right? Well, this one does, anyway: in 1855, poet Walt Whitman published “I Sing the Body Electric”, his ode to the human form. This poem celebrates the body’s magnificence in both its function and beauty. It’s an incredibly detailed work, including entire sections that are nothing more than lists of body parts—albeit, lists that manage to convey the poet’s sense of awe: “Mouth, tongue, lips, teeth, roof of the mouth, jaws, and the jaw-hinges…/Wrist and wrist-joints, hand, palm, knuckles, thumb, forefinger, finger-joints, finger-nails …” Over the course of its nine sections, Whitman describes the human form in exquisite detail and proclaims ALL bodies—male, female, black, white, young, old—as awe-inspiring and worthy of honor.

Claiming our New Name

This past week, I was back on the East Coast (yippee!) for some continuing education. There was a lot of good stuff that happened at Stony Point Center (reconnecting with old friends, walking with one another through the challenges of ministry, HILARIOUS card games) one of the worship services that we did really stood out to me. I remember thinking, "I'll definitely need to write some reflections on my blog about this!"

So here we are.