Some students in a nearby town showed up at a school board meeting to defend their right to hear stories of families that have single parents and queer parents. They stood up for teacher's bulletin boards with rainbows. They stood up for books and learning. And after their testimony, no one voted for the proposal that would have limited those rights. People showed up. Resistance for Old People Many churches today are filled with old people. Heck, by some definitions I am old, although I don't...
1 day ago • 3 min read
I get hopeful. And then defeated. And then hopeful, and then defeated. But my constant source of support is my local congregation. They know me, just as I am. The Church in a time of Crisis What do people in your church say about your church? When thinking about what is happening around us we rightfully look for ways to intervene. Because the harm is in the political arena we think of protests and votes and contacting political leadership. All of these are part of the work of church. We...
4 days ago • 4 min read
I am getting ready for the Alumni weekend for my seminary, Episcopal Divinity School. They are trying to create a new way forward for seminary education. I'll know more when the weekend is over! The Church We Knew Is Over Some of us remember church. It was a all the rage at one time, a popular thing. People, largely women, made it happen. For some of us it was a beautiful thing. And it is over. The church that we knew is over. It is sad that it is over, because sometimes it was a wonderful,...
8 days ago • 3 min read
I love the post Easter stories of Jesus. The confusion as to whether he can walk through walls, and thus is ghostlike, or can eat fish, and this has a material body. The way he is sometimes recognized, and sometimes not. The way he cares for the disciples and fills them with the holy spirit. All the stories feel like a call to action, and also a promise that whatever happens, God will redeem it. The Other Side of the Boat Sometimes, what you are doing is not working. You keep fishing and...
11 days ago • 3 min read
Too often, we see what happens in the voting booth as separate from what happens in church. When we do that we are missing the tow opportunities: one, the chance to talk together with like-minded congregational members about the issues that are represented by this election. And two, we miss the opportunity to present arguments as a group, as a group of Christians. Progressive and mainline Christianity has been too quiet in the public square. We can model the good news we know, which is...
15 days ago • 3 min read
My congregations have Easter worship at the outdoor Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, NH. I was so excited that Easter is so late, imagining a beautiful, warm, spring day. We had sun! And 47ºF!!! Gloves, and hats, long johns? Christ is Risen Indeed! Praise God with Music Christ has risen. Risen Indeed! Alleluia. We read Psalm 150 on the second Sunday of Easter, all that praising of God with all the different instruments. All the singing! With the good news that Christ has risen comes the hard...
18 days ago • 1 min read
There are so many things I love about what First Church in Sterling is doing these days. It was their community conversation that caught my eye. But probably half of what I love is that they invited those that come to "bring snacks to share." Often we want to be in the position of "host" which communicates graciousness, welcome, but also that we want to be charge of what is happening. The note to bring snacks insists that we are all creating this conversation, even those who have never been...
22 days ago • 3 min read
We head into Holy Week at a difficult time. I didn't grow up with a Holy Saturday tradition. My church didn't do an vigil, for me it felt mostly like "the weekend". We had Maundy Thursday services that I found meaningful mostly because they were informal, often in the church basement. Friday was only notable because the Catholic students left school early for services. When I was new to ministry I was invited to be one of the preachers at a Friday service of Jesus Seven Last Words. Wikipedia...
25 days ago • 3 min read
Since the tariffs arrived, and left, and arrived, and left, the focus has been on the stock market. But at the same time students on proper visas are being arrested in schools that the administration is targeting. And the arrests of other immigrants -- with and without paperwork -- continues. We can't stop all these arrests. Can we find the right stand to take in defense of the love our God has for immigrants? When ICE Comes Knocking What will you do if ICE shows up at your church? You have...
29 days ago • 4 min read
Ski season is over for me, and the rains will be in my area for several days. With Easter so late this year, I am excited for the promise that Palm Sunday and Easter each will bring flowers and the start of the gardening season. Walk Through the Gate In the Palm Sunday story, Jesus makes a choice. Jerusalem is a walled city; entering the city requires walking through the entrance gate. It is also a busy city; it was quite ordinary to walk through the gate. No one would notice. Jesus of course...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read