In the past six weeks, I have preached at some RADICALLY different types of churches. My latest traveling marathon began with the invitation to be the official Imagine No Malaria spokesperson at a 5k event in Lakewood, Ohio. As part of the festivities, I preached at the Cove and Lakewood United Methodist Churches. Cove and…
Kenotic Words
worship, sermons, lectionary
The Institution of Marriage
**uploading some older sermons as I sort through files. This one in particular was a joy to write and I was blessed by the opportunity to share this day with my dear friends.** Friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate an institution. Now, that may seem like a boring and cold thing to say……
Prayers from the kitchen sink
We must — at some point along our Lenten journey — be candid about death. Lent begins with the reminder of our mortality, with the ashes from which we are knit together, and the season reaches its climax in the crucifixion of Jesus… Even Jesus, praying at Gethsemane before his death, asked his friends to…
Prayers from under a blanket
Today’s prompt begins with verse 6 of the familiar Psalm 139 (NRSV): “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.” Look up today. Let the high places catch your eye and your imagination. Be full of wonder as you pick up your pen to pray. Holy God,…
Prayers from the ego
Jesus and the devil have a contest of wills in the desert (Luke 4:1-13). At one point, “the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority.’” (4:5-6, NRSV) … the…
Prayers from a child's love
Holy One, You often turn my understanding upside-down. Just as I catch a glimpse of you in the chaos, you become a calm breeze. When I am just getting to know you in the dirt and the garden, I am stretched to meet you in the hospital or the city street. Yesterday, you surprised me…
Prayers from the silence
Psalm 62:1 & 5 (NRSV): “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.” After waiting on God, write a prayer that arises from the silence. God, I’m trying to wait for you. I’m trying to focus…
Prayers from the wreckage
I’ve been following the Lenten prayer prompts from Faith and Water for these forty days. I’m a bit late and doing some catch-up, but the spirit is there. Isaiah 10:21 (NRSV): “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” Life breaks us into pieces. To those seasons of our lives, Isaiah…