Luke 7:36-8:3 It’s a beautiful dinner party. Simon is known for these. Everything always comes off perfectly. The table settings sparkle. The flowers are fresh. The cocktails are classy. The food is presented in beautiful courses with garnishes. The guest list is small and select: all people who are model citizens—well-respected leaders—scandal-free. And it’s all…
Tag: Luke
Walking Forward in Freedom
Here’s a narrative sermon from 2010–the last time Luke 7:36-8:3 came up in the lectionary. I knew exactly how she felt—this woman at Jesus’ feet. She felt free—free to love and be loved; free to care and be cared for. She felt the same way we all did—all we women disciples of Jesus. Women did…
Alive–For What? (A Sermon for Easter, 2013)
This week I watched a video where a well-known young-adult novelist, John Green, made the case that most of us—most people—live our lives in a kind of functional nihilism. Now, I’ll admit, I had to go look up nihilism to be sure I understood what he was talking about—my philosopher husband wasn’t home to consult….
Vulnerable Love (or, Loving Reality), A Sermon for Palm Sunday, 2013
Barrett and I are beginning to make friends with a couple who are considering moving to Central NY. They’ve been to visit a lot. “Frank” is a musician who comes through the area and plays locally on a pretty regular basis. They know there is a lot they like, and a lot of people they…
Unconditional Love
We’re going to do things a little differently this morning. All through Lent, we’re looking at ways that Jesus teaches us about love, and this parable is huge, and deep, and all about love. It’s about love so big and so tenacious that it’s hard to fathom. So, rather than me standing up here and…
Love Waits One More Year
I ran across a quotation this week that is worth sharing. I found this in a book by Brene Brown, but the quotation comes from Lynn Twist, who is a fundraiser for global non-profit organizations, and in this paragraph she is describing a mindset of scarcity, which she calls “the great lie.” “For me, and…
Love Rejected (Keeps on Loving)
“Jesus, you should leave Galilee, because Herod wants to kill you.” Were the Pharisees who brought this warning to Jesus trying to protect him, or threaten him? I wonder if it was any clearer to him than it is to us? Regardless of their intentions, Jesus’s response dismisses both the warning and the threat. “I’ve…
Love that Chooses Vulnerability (Lent 1–Feb. 17, 2013)
It was right after the baptism in the Jordan. John lifted him, still dripping, from the water, and something shifted. He felt full—full of something powerful and good—full of love—so loved. He belonged. He was beloved by God. Filled to the brim with this awareness of God’s Spirit with him. And it was that…
Clouds of Glory–Transfiguration sermon for Feb. 10, 2013
A cloud of glory. That was always the sign of God’s presence. When Moses led the people of God through the wilderness, they knew God was with them because of the pillar of cloud moving ahead of them. When Moses met with God on Mt. Sinai, he was enveloped by a cloud, and spent…
Statement of Purpose (Part 2) February 3rd sermon
A few years ago I heard a recording of Martin Luther King, Jr. recalling some of the challenges he faced in the early days of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. There were a lot of details of his story that stood out to me. Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. was fresh out of…
Statement of Purpose (Part 1), January 27th Sermon
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul. Aren’t there sometimes words or songs that are so familiar, so comfortable, that you can sink down in them, like a warm blanket? Have you had that…
Repent and Be Purified
Texts: Luke 3:3-14 and Malachi 3:1-4 One of Barrett’s and my favorite movies is called “Little Miss Sunshine.” It’s an odd movie, and it is not one for the kids—it is rated R for language, and some substance abuse–but it is a movie that offers some wonderful images of grace. It’s the story of a…
the beautiful changes... 