In the beginning… Most years when we get to the season of Advent, we dive deep into the gospel texts. We want to hear about the shepherds and angels, about Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, the magi and the star. Yet, as Heidi Haverkamp will share with us in this week’s reflections in…
Livin’ on the Edge
This morning, we are hanging out in liminal space… That’s a funny word isn’t it… liminal…. Say it with me… liminal. It comes from Latin and means “threshold.” It is the space in between. It is transitional. Our country is in that liminal space between an election and the swearing in of a new…
Never Go Hungry
We are gathered here tonight, as one community of faith, to give thanks. Throughout this month, I’ve been preaching about gratitude and giving thanks and one of the things that we have highlighted is that God wants us to give thanks for the differences among us. It is only by being grateful for someone you…
Transferred into the Kingdom
Over the last two weeks in worship, we have talked extensively about how we should give thanks for one another… Because of our differences, we give thanks. We gave thanks as we broke bread together. We gave thanks around the waters of baptism. We should give thanks always and everywhere for the people of…
Practice These Things…
Last week, we broke bread in spite of our differences. We shared at the table of the Lord with people who would vote differently than us and with some who would not or could not vote at all. And we touched [will touch] the waters of baptism and remember our baptism in Christ and that…
The Electoral College… a view from 17 year old me.
My husband and I were talking about the electoral college and our shared frustrations about it. I’ve felt this way for a very very long time. The following is a letter I sent to Senator Grassley in the spring of 1999… and I still had a copy of it saved on my computer! That summer I…
From Everywhere to Everywhere
My sermon from the Thanksgiving Ingathering on November 5 This quadrennium, I have the honor of serving on our General Board of Global Ministries: Tell about opening worship – reading the names of the missionaries who have died. Very white, anglo sounding names. But that evening, I met missionaries who reminded me that the focus…
Claiming Our Inheritance
When I came home from our United Methodist General Conference in May, I shared with you these words: Over these last two weeks, we very nearly split our denomination into pieces. Our differences are stark. Our life together is marred by conflict as much as collaboration. And I’m going to be honest… I’m not quite…