Down by the riverside I laid my burdens down and I'm travelin' light
Posted in Sermon Notes on Dec 6th, 2014
The Story of God: Confrontation 2 Samuel 12: 1-9, 13, NRSV Matthew 4:17, NRSV Reflections Comprehensible, sensible sin is one of the unexpected gifts I’ve found in the monastic tradition. The fourth-century monks began to answer a question for me that the human potential movement of the late twentieth century never seemed to address: if […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Dec 6th, 2014
The Story of God: Simplicity Joshua 24:1-3; 14-15, NRSV Matthew 4:8-10, NRSV Reflections When you agree to live simply, you put yourself outside of others’ ability to buy you off, reward you falsely, or control you by money, status, salary, punishment, and loss or gain of anything. When you agree to live simply, you have […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Nov 17th, 2014
The Story of God: Go Genesis 12:1-9, NRSV Reflections Barrenness is the way of human history. It is an effective metaphor for hopelessness. There is no foreseeable future. There is no human power to invent a future. But barrenness is not only the condition of hopeless humanity. The marvel of biblical faith is that barrenness […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Nov 17th, 2014
The Story of God: Blessing Genesis 1:1-2; 26-28, NRSV Matthew 3:13-17, NRSV John 1:1-5, 14, NRSV Reflections Science does an excellent job of telling me why I don’t have a tail, but it can’t explain why I find that interesting. Science shines when dealing with parts and pieces, but it doesn’t do all that well […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Oct 29th, 2014
Series: The Ten CommandmentsThe Tenth Commandment: Thou Shall Not Covet: Pursuing False Union Exodus 20:17, NRSV Philippians 4:10-13, NRSV Reflections Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all — Joseph Epsteinfrom his essay “The Green-Eyed Monster” Happiness is Love — and $75,000 Having enough, but hungry for more What does it […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Oct 27th, 2014
Series: The Ten CommandmentsThe Ninth Commandment: False Witness Exodus 20:16, NRSV James 3:1-12, NRSV Reflections There can be no love without truth. Without clear vision, love is a business of projection and fantasy. And there can be no truth without love. Without trust and tenderness and courtesy, truth will vanish behind the walls of fear […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Oct 23rd, 2014
Series: The Ten CommandmentsThe Eighth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Steal Exodus 20:15, NRSV Ephesians 4:28, NRSV Reflections If 10 percent of the bid rigging, if 10 percent of the fraud, if 10 percent of the price gouging, if 10 percent of the wasted time by employees, if 10 percent of the breaking in, or if […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Aug 8th, 2014
Series: The Ten CommandmentsThe Seventh Commandment: Freedom and Sex Exodus 20:14, NRSV Matthew 5:27-30, NRSV Reflections I am not advocating a return to the days of hiding… sexuality, but I am noting that the power and charge of sex are maintained when there is some sacredness to it, when it is not on tap all […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Aug 6th, 2014
Series: The Ten CommandmentsThe Fifth Commandment: Honoring Father and Mother Exodus 20:12, NRSV Ephesians 6:1-4, NRSV Reflections In one sense the modern world began as Freud’s attempt to kill his father ended in the killing of God. Freud taught us to believe that we ought to hate the ones who produced us, to render ourselves […]
Posted in Sermon Notes on Jul 30th, 2014
Series: The Ten CommandmentsThe Sixth Commandment: Sacred Life, Sacred Love Exodus 20:13, NRSV Matthew 5:21-24, NRSV Romans 13:8-10, NRSV Reflections An ambassador is the official representative of her government; in a sense she bears the image of her nation. Now imagine that a foreign government seizes the ambassador and kills her. That wouldn’t simply be […]
Traveling Light Relay
Down by the riverside I laid my burdens down and I'm travelin' light