Nov 27, 2022 |
Wake Up to the Opportunity of Love
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWake Up to the Opportunity of Love
Maybe some of you have relationships that are troubling if we're ever going to encounter them. It can be over the holidays. Maybe Some of us have situations in that we're just stuck. We just don't know where to go. And I think in those situations we can become something akin to sleepwalking. We just go through it. We just show up, but we're not awake. Sometimes we need to recognize our own sleepfulness to wake up to the opportunity to love...
I found myself reflecting on how the term woke is frequently heard in political and cultural discourse. Today I found myself looking it up, in the dictionary. Webster had a full page of definitions online because it is used in different ways. Sometimes it's a positive descriptor of someone aware of and seeking to respond to injustice in our culture. Sometimes it's used as a challenging descriptor of someone who expresses woke views but does not follow through with them with action.
Sometimes woke is used with harsh judgment against individuals and systems who challenge old systems and values. Yet being awake is inherent in our baptismal vows, it is inherent. Shortly, we will be asked, will you see and serve Christ in all persons loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being and we will respond, I will with God's help.
We couldn't do it otherwise, but we can with God's help
I found myself reflecting on how the term woke is frequently heard in political and cultural discourse. Today I found myself looking it up, in the dictionary. Webster had a full page of definitions online because it is used in different ways. Sometimes it's a positive descriptor of someone aware of and seeking to respond to injustice in our culture. Sometimes it's used as a challenging descriptor of someone who expresses woke views but does not follow through with them with action.
Sometimes woke is used with harsh judgment against individuals and systems who challenge old systems and values. Yet being awake is inherent in our baptismal vows, it is inherent. Shortly, we will be asked, will you see and serve Christ in all persons loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being and we will respond, I will with God's help.
We couldn't do it otherwise, but we can with God's help
Nov 20, 2022 |
Forgive and Remember
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulForgive and Remember
Are we capable of forgetting the things that have harmed us? Honestly, if we're being real? No. So then we actually just go, well, forgiveness is this thing I'd like to be able to do, but it's not going to happen. And then Jesus, instead of being a person, we're meant to follow down the way of love. Jesus just becomes some religious superhero that can do things we couldn't possibly imagine, like forgive people. Except that we are meant to forgive people. Even when forgetting is not part of the picture, we are meant to forgive. What then is forgiveness if it's not about forgetting?
The reason I'm harping on this for us is it damages our relationship with God if we think that God needs to forget everything we've done in order to forgive us. Think about that for a moment. God can only love me if God forgets all of the things I've done wrong. Or God loves me so much that God just forgets all of the ways I've harmed God and my neighbor and my world.
If we think like that, then that's how we will live in our relationship to forgiveness with others. I don't know how to forgive them because I can't forget it completely. They will never be able to love me fully unless they can forget the terrible, stupid things I've done to them.
What an impossible place we've placed ourselves.
The reason I'm harping on this for us is it damages our relationship with God if we think that God needs to forget everything we've done in order to forgive us. Think about that for a moment. God can only love me if God forgets all of the things I've done wrong. Or God loves me so much that God just forgets all of the ways I've harmed God and my neighbor and my world.
If we think like that, then that's how we will live in our relationship to forgiveness with others. I don't know how to forgive them because I can't forget it completely. They will never be able to love me fully unless they can forget the terrible, stupid things I've done to them.
What an impossible place we've placed ourselves.
Nov 06, 2022 |
Saints Right Now
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulSaints Right Now
That's the most interesting thing to so many people about
children, the promise of what will be. I hear people who think they're well
intentioned say, oh, the children are the future of the church. No, they're the
present of the church. They're not the future. They're here right now. They're
not our future. They're the present. But we have this tendency to look at
everything as what could be, or might be, or will be, when right here and now these
people are blessing us. The people that we love who have died that we now call
Saints. Did they walk around on Earth acting like what we would consider Saints
acting like then?
Be honest, we love them in their death. When they were alive, were they perfect? That's not how sainthood works. It's not about perfection. It's about responding to the love that God has placed within you and sharing that love with the world around you, however imperfectly you can. However imperfect you are, we recognize our sainthood.
Every single one of us. We proclaim it. Not as saying we're all good, but as saying, we are all, every single one of us loved. Snd we are set apart in this world to share and spread that love to help it grow, to participate with God in the reconciliation of this world.
What would it look like if we saw these ones around us as not as what they will be, but what as they are right now, how they bless us currently?
Read Transcript Here
Be honest, we love them in their death. When they were alive, were they perfect? That's not how sainthood works. It's not about perfection. It's about responding to the love that God has placed within you and sharing that love with the world around you, however imperfectly you can. However imperfect you are, we recognize our sainthood.
Every single one of us. We proclaim it. Not as saying we're all good, but as saying, we are all, every single one of us loved. Snd we are set apart in this world to share and spread that love to help it grow, to participate with God in the reconciliation of this world.
What would it look like if we saw these ones around us as not as what they will be, but what as they are right now, how they bless us currently?
Read Transcript Here
Oct 30, 2022 |
Through the Eyes of Jesus' Love
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinThrough the Eyes of Jesus' Love
Our narrow views limit us, imprison us. When we allow ourselves
open to God's view, we can see each other's humanity. We can respond in love
and open to the possibility of God's healing grace, for all. Undoubtedly, many
of us have strong feelings about what's going on in our world today.
At this time nearing elections, political rhetoric is fierce. Words that are calling out hatred, that are calling for violence, that are disrespecting and wanting to take away the freedoms of people are said loudly. And this is not to condone any of those words. It's not to condone them. They are not respectful of human dignities, individual rights.
Those expressions of hatred and cause to violence clearly run counter to Jesus's teaching to a baptismal covenant. But it is to say that the views we hold may also be very limited views of fellow human beings. Labeling individuals and groups, treating them as outcasts, are also directly counter to Jesus's teaching....
These very folks who we want to label sinners may very much be the lost Jesus seeks to save.
At this time nearing elections, political rhetoric is fierce. Words that are calling out hatred, that are calling for violence, that are disrespecting and wanting to take away the freedoms of people are said loudly. And this is not to condone any of those words. It's not to condone them. They are not respectful of human dignities, individual rights.
Those expressions of hatred and cause to violence clearly run counter to Jesus's teaching to a baptismal covenant. But it is to say that the views we hold may also be very limited views of fellow human beings. Labeling individuals and groups, treating them as outcasts, are also directly counter to Jesus's teaching....
These very folks who we want to label sinners may very much be the lost Jesus seeks to save.
Oct 23, 2022 |
Contempt
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulContempt
Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. I'd
always thought of this story as how we approach. Do we stand before God proud
of ourselves? Or do we stand before God humbly asking for mercy? And that is
part of the story, but I'm reminded today when I hear it that Jesus felt the
need to tell this story because he saw so many of his siblings, so many people for
whom he cared so deeply, holding others in contempt. And I realize how capable
I am of somehow thinking that my relationship with God is one thing and my
relationship with everybody else is another thing entirely. That I can have a fantastic relationship with God regardless
of what my relationship with you is like.
What Jesus reminds us of over and over again, but especially today is that the way we love one another is the way we love God. The way we treat one another is the way we treat God. It's become another cliche in our time to talk about what a divisive time we live in. And like many cliches, it's true.
I have noticed in myself, in my own deep conviction of what I believe to be true and right in this world, that as I am feeling this strong sense of conviction about what justice looks like, about what is right, about how to treat one another, what rises up alongside that clear understanding of what is right, is a bunch of contempt. A bunch of hatred, not just anger, anger is something else, but contempt. How could other people be like this? Don't they know better? Jesus is speaking directly to me today and reminding me that the way that I love others is how I love God.
What Jesus reminds us of over and over again, but especially today is that the way we love one another is the way we love God. The way we treat one another is the way we treat God. It's become another cliche in our time to talk about what a divisive time we live in. And like many cliches, it's true.
I have noticed in myself, in my own deep conviction of what I believe to be true and right in this world, that as I am feeling this strong sense of conviction about what justice looks like, about what is right, about how to treat one another, what rises up alongside that clear understanding of what is right, is a bunch of contempt. A bunch of hatred, not just anger, anger is something else, but contempt. How could other people be like this? Don't they know better? Jesus is speaking directly to me today and reminding me that the way that I love others is how I love God.
Oct 16, 2022 |
Will We Pray
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneWill We Pray
Food, as it turns out, is one of those things that often
elicits prayer between strangers and friends. And aside from praying some short prescriptive
verses over meals at dinner parties, I can't think of many times when my friend
and I prayed together and realized that we were praying.
But several years into our friendship when they came to stay for the weekend... Since they're Lutheran and we're Episcopalian, we picked something we thought the kids might all know, something Jesus taught us. Our mother who art in heaven, hallow would be thy name. All the kids joined in, thy kingdom come. That will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Here comes the food part. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, sins, debts, and all that bad stuff as we forgive those who trespass against us. They were really on a roll by this point and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from emails.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, amen. Marjorie and I looked at each other and giggled a bit and silently decided not to correct them. Emails after all had recently become the bane of my existence, and with their words, the mundane had become sacred. The reality of life had become a prayer.
As I look back over the many years of our friendship, I realize we've actually been praying together all along for companionship, for sleep between feedings. For kindness, for non-judgment, for guidance for strength, and for liberation, for breaking the mold on what it means to be a mom.
Looking to Jesus' parable today, I'm struck by the reality that if we are to pray always as Jesus asks, then we need to allow everything to become a prayer.
But several years into our friendship when they came to stay for the weekend... Since they're Lutheran and we're Episcopalian, we picked something we thought the kids might all know, something Jesus taught us. Our mother who art in heaven, hallow would be thy name. All the kids joined in, thy kingdom come. That will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Here comes the food part. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, sins, debts, and all that bad stuff as we forgive those who trespass against us. They were really on a roll by this point and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from emails.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, amen. Marjorie and I looked at each other and giggled a bit and silently decided not to correct them. Emails after all had recently become the bane of my existence, and with their words, the mundane had become sacred. The reality of life had become a prayer.
As I look back over the many years of our friendship, I realize we've actually been praying together all along for companionship, for sleep between feedings. For kindness, for non-judgment, for guidance for strength, and for liberation, for breaking the mold on what it means to be a mom.
Looking to Jesus' parable today, I'm struck by the reality that if we are to pray always as Jesus asks, then we need to allow everything to become a prayer.
Oct 09, 2022 |
Go As You Are
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulGo As You Are
Phil got roped into being a line judge This was very funny
until I saw the picture of myself and said, Is that how I look? Can someone
please delete this picture? And you all, I don't mind saying that to you
because I don't know a person I've ever met who is happy with every picture of
themselves. And by the way, the pictures that we don't like of ourselves, it's
very often not because they don't look like us, it's because they look like us.
Could you have shown a picture that looks less like me to people? That way I would feel better about me, but I guess that's me looking like that. Meanwhile, my friends are laughing because they love me. And because they think it's obviously ridiculous that I've gotten roped into this job I didn't intend to have, and we're all having a laugh and I'm taken out of the experience of communal enjoyment because I'm thinking, is that what I look like?
And this is how we do; this is how we are as people. Am I, as I am, someone anyone should be looking at or being in relationship with? This is a thing that people do to ourselves. Am I enough as I am? Can you imagine a God loving me just like I am? And even if we don't want to admit it we're drawn to this reality; we're attracted to this idea that there's a certain way you've got to be if you're going to present yourself before your God. And if you're going to share real life with people you love, what do you have to be? What do you have to become?
Could you have shown a picture that looks less like me to people? That way I would feel better about me, but I guess that's me looking like that. Meanwhile, my friends are laughing because they love me. And because they think it's obviously ridiculous that I've gotten roped into this job I didn't intend to have, and we're all having a laugh and I'm taken out of the experience of communal enjoyment because I'm thinking, is that what I look like?
And this is how we do; this is how we are as people. Am I, as I am, someone anyone should be looking at or being in relationship with? This is a thing that people do to ourselves. Am I enough as I am? Can you imagine a God loving me just like I am? And even if we don't want to admit it we're drawn to this reality; we're attracted to this idea that there's a certain way you've got to be if you're going to present yourself before your God. And if you're going to share real life with people you love, what do you have to be? What do you have to become?
Oct 02, 2022 |
We Want More
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWe Want More
Can any of us not relate to that idea of wanting more? I think our culture is almost built on this idea of more, we want more skill, we want more knowledge, we want more experience.
We want more time. We want more to be more prepared. There's that more, again. Phil talked a bit last week about our desire for more security, more accomplishment, more earnings. We want more, it's almost built into the Western culture. And in this wanting of more, we're also confronted with all the noise around us.
I remember a couple of years ago when I returned to town to face toilet paper shortages. I'd never thought of wanting more toilet paper, but I was in line and showing up at the beginning of stores being open. Back in my marketing days, we were always coming up with the latest promotion. Buy one, get one free.
You know, buy one the second one is at half price. I find myself as a shopper still succumbing to that. There is only me and my dog in my household, and yet there I am. Buy one, get one free. I am right there in line. We want more. And my trip this past summer to see my family in Salt Lake City, we needed to make a stop at Walgreens. My granddaughter, who does have a bit of a sweet tooth, saw this giant box of Junior Mints. She wanted it.
We want more time. We want more to be more prepared. There's that more, again. Phil talked a bit last week about our desire for more security, more accomplishment, more earnings. We want more, it's almost built into the Western culture. And in this wanting of more, we're also confronted with all the noise around us.
I remember a couple of years ago when I returned to town to face toilet paper shortages. I'd never thought of wanting more toilet paper, but I was in line and showing up at the beginning of stores being open. Back in my marketing days, we were always coming up with the latest promotion. Buy one, get one free.
You know, buy one the second one is at half price. I find myself as a shopper still succumbing to that. There is only me and my dog in my household, and yet there I am. Buy one, get one free. I am right there in line. We want more. And my trip this past summer to see my family in Salt Lake City, we needed to make a stop at Walgreens. My granddaughter, who does have a bit of a sweet tooth, saw this giant box of Junior Mints. She wanted it.
Sep 25, 2022 |
Wealthy Now
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulWealthy Now
We want to be okay. We want to know that we are taken care
of. We want to enjoy life, but also our pursuit of that can sometimes make us
forget about the people around us. And if we make the pursuit of wealth and the
pursuit of power and the pursuit of luxury, if we make that the center of our
lives, then its Hades and torment coming our way, plain and simple.
This is powerful on a number of levels for us. On one level it's very powerful because by the way, when Jesus talks about heaven and hell, he's not talking about people believing the right things or acting the right way or going to synagogue, or going to church. He's literally talking about how we treat each other in this life.
And he's not just talking about being kind to one another or being understanding and tolerant of one another. He is literally talking about the fact that we live in a space of deep inequity, and we are completely complicit in it. And this is Jesus talking 2000 years ago. This isn't just an America problem or a Cincinnati problem. This is a human problem.
This is powerful on a number of levels for us. On one level it's very powerful because by the way, when Jesus talks about heaven and hell, he's not talking about people believing the right things or acting the right way or going to synagogue, or going to church. He's literally talking about how we treat each other in this life.
And he's not just talking about being kind to one another or being understanding and tolerant of one another. He is literally talking about the fact that we live in a space of deep inequity, and we are completely complicit in it. And this is Jesus talking 2000 years ago. This isn't just an America problem or a Cincinnati problem. This is a human problem.
Sep 18, 2022 |
The Robinhood Parable
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneThe Robinhood Parable
One of the films though actually turned out to be a lot like our Gospel lesson for today. Spoiler alert, it wasn't the one where the woman loses her voice and needs to kiss a prince to get it back. The story I'm thinking of is the story of a shrewd little fox who befriends the poor, the orphan, and the widows, while their coins are collected for taxes, as they search for food and safety and security.
This Foxy protagonist of the film, who I had a crush on as a kid, hangs out with misfits and crippled old men, rambunctious kids, and friars, like Francis. He sleeps in the trees of the forest owns only one outfit as far as I can tell. And he's always on the move. Any guesses to which Disney hero I'm thinking of? Yes, Robin hood! Many of you remember the famous tagline of this infamous hero, he stole from the rich to give to the poor, or maybe just possibly, was he a shrewd manager who gave back to the people, what was rightfully their own?
Sep 11, 2022 |
Holy Credit Score
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulHoly Credit Score
We think of our relationship with God in an arbitrary way. We say, God is mysterious and yes, God is mysterious. But we act like the whole thing is completely up for grabs and we think, I just hope that I have done enough good. That when God sees me, my credit score will allow me into heaven, and hopefully, I haven't accrued so much bad behavior, so much debt...
...We are not defined by some scale of good or evil. We are defined by the God who has become one with us in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the answer to the question, Am I worth it? Because Jesus is God joining us in this life, sharing our life, sharing our pain and our fear and our sorrow and our anger. Sharing in our joy and our laughter, our affection and our care. Jesus is God living for us and with us, dying for us and with us. And then raising us all up into the truth of our utter and unconditional belonging to God.
It is not that Jesus gives you the right credit score and if you believe in him, your number will go up. It is that Jesus explodes that idea of value altogether and reminds you of your primary identity as beloved. This is the work of Jesus Christ.
...We are not defined by some scale of good or evil. We are defined by the God who has become one with us in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the answer to the question, Am I worth it? Because Jesus is God joining us in this life, sharing our life, sharing our pain and our fear and our sorrow and our anger. Sharing in our joy and our laughter, our affection and our care. Jesus is God living for us and with us, dying for us and with us. And then raising us all up into the truth of our utter and unconditional belonging to God.
It is not that Jesus gives you the right credit score and if you believe in him, your number will go up. It is that Jesus explodes that idea of value altogether and reminds you of your primary identity as beloved. This is the work of Jesus Christ.
Sep 04, 2022 |
The Costs We Incur
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinThe Costs We Incur
...Our minds start processing cost. We start processing costs
in our decisions, and we're recognizing at times when the cost may be rising or
already too high. But lots of times we need to make cost assessments in order
to move forward.
We all face choices throughout our daily lives. And even the most positive choices have a cost to them. We may decide to pursue a new career opportunity, but the cost may be forsaking the familiarity and the competence we have developed over years. We may be losing the companionship of colleagues who we treasure.
We may be facing longer hours in a steeper learning curve. We may choose to move to a new home, but the cost may be the expense of a move and a higher mortgage. Or if downsizing the decisions as to what we are prepared to let go of. And in either case possibly the loss of dear neighbors who will become part of our lives, even those things that pull us forward, have a cost to them.
We may be confronted with painful choices for ourselves, or loved ones. Decisions about best treatment approaches for an illness. Or even when to cease treatment. Best care arrangements for a family member needing more support, we can look at the pluses and minuses of each option. Whatever our choice is, there is a consciousness that there is a cost, a cost of the path not chosen.
We all face choices throughout our daily lives. And even the most positive choices have a cost to them. We may decide to pursue a new career opportunity, but the cost may be forsaking the familiarity and the competence we have developed over years. We may be losing the companionship of colleagues who we treasure.
We may be facing longer hours in a steeper learning curve. We may choose to move to a new home, but the cost may be the expense of a move and a higher mortgage. Or if downsizing the decisions as to what we are prepared to let go of. And in either case possibly the loss of dear neighbors who will become part of our lives, even those things that pull us forward, have a cost to them.
We may be confronted with painful choices for ourselves, or loved ones. Decisions about best treatment approaches for an illness. Or even when to cease treatment. Best care arrangements for a family member needing more support, we can look at the pluses and minuses of each option. Whatever our choice is, there is a consciousness that there is a cost, a cost of the path not chosen.
Aug 28, 2022 |
This Heavenly Banquet
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneThis Heavenly Banquet
In our gospel lesson for today, Jesus invites us to a dinner party that probably looked sort of similar to that. Spices piled high, colors and rosewater tea, spiced meats and heaping piles of baklava. We're invited to imagine ourselves there. In the first part of the lesson, as a guest. And in the second half, as the host. In each instance Jesus giving us direction by parable of how we ought to behave at a wedding feast, at a dinner party. If you're just catching on, wedding feast is gospel code for the heavenly banquet. As guests in the parable, we are told to take a seat at the lowest place. If you've been to big family gatherings at Thanksgiving, this spot is marked: Kids Table. That's the spot for you. Where it's loud and messy. And you're likely to have something thrown at you or spilled all over you. We are not, as Jesus says, to take our place and the head of the table. This is the spot right next to the mashed potatoes and gravy. That's not our spot, Jesus says. Unless we are invited to sit there. It would be pretty bad if you went and sat at the head of the table and then were asked to go over and sit by that weird Jello pudding thing that Aunt Mildred brought. Because then you feel ashamed and disgraced. In the first part of this parable, we are there as the guests. And Jesus says to us, know your place. And assume when you arrive that you are seated below the salt, as they say.
Aug 21, 2022 |
In Defense of the Hypocrites
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulIn Defense of the Hypocrites
I think one of the real true disservices most Christians
have done to the faith is not taken the Sabbath day seriously. We use these verses like this, ‘well, people
used to not have to do anything on the Sabbath, but then Jesus showed up and
did some healing on the Sabbath and now I can take my kids to soccer and do
laundry and get the shopping done.’ It's a really big stretch there, isn't it?
From Jesus healing on the Sabbath to us just being like, ‘who needs a day off from anything?’ But Jesus is doing something powerful here, he's healing someone. This is a big deal, especially to her, how many of us have experienced chronic conditions and pain and things we wish would just go away? And then Jesus just shows up and takes care of it. If you're that person, who cares what day it is? If anything, it makes the Sabbath thing more Holy to you? And this is what Jesus is getting on about. Jesus is recognizing that the call of keeping the Sabbath Holy is not just about worshiping, right? It's about how we participate with God, how we share in the healing that God brings into this world.
But he does this in a way that is very upsetting. He does it in a way that interrupts and changes and upends and subverts the way people experience their worship. I'm one of those people who find myself wishing Jesus was a little gentler. That he wasn't putting them to shame but was a consensus builder and trying to get everybody on the same page. It's not how he rolls though; I haven't read that story yet.
From Jesus healing on the Sabbath to us just being like, ‘who needs a day off from anything?’ But Jesus is doing something powerful here, he's healing someone. This is a big deal, especially to her, how many of us have experienced chronic conditions and pain and things we wish would just go away? And then Jesus just shows up and takes care of it. If you're that person, who cares what day it is? If anything, it makes the Sabbath thing more Holy to you? And this is what Jesus is getting on about. Jesus is recognizing that the call of keeping the Sabbath Holy is not just about worshiping, right? It's about how we participate with God, how we share in the healing that God brings into this world.
But he does this in a way that is very upsetting. He does it in a way that interrupts and changes and upends and subverts the way people experience their worship. I'm one of those people who find myself wishing Jesus was a little gentler. That he wasn't putting them to shame but was a consensus builder and trying to get everybody on the same page. It's not how he rolls though; I haven't read that story yet.
Aug 14, 2022 |
Hinges of our Heart
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneHinges of our Heart
The little curb led me up to the giant front doors. They had
huge iron handles that signified to me, strength. I reached for them. I was
begging to be let in, but the doors of the church were locked. I tugged harder,
but they wouldn't budge in complete defeat I collapsed to the ground feeling
beneath me, what I felt inside that day, dust. Where are you, Jesus? Why aren’t
you here for me? Why can't I get in there? Why is this door locked when I need
you? Why this dividing wall between us?
I sat there in the dirt for quite some time, and I noticed things about the place that I hadn't before. An old bench that hid in some tall grass near that sign that posted the worship times. A swarm of bees had made a nest in a nearby Oak tree. And someone had left a little cross in the fresh concrete many years ago on the edge of the slab that was under my body.
I sat there alone in silence and looked around and my sister pulled in. I could see the look of relief on her face. There you are, it said. She didn't say anything though, just opened the door to her car and sat down beside me and took my hand in her hand. It's locked, I said, the church is locked. With clarity and wisdom, she looked at me and said, no, it's not, I'm right here.
A new door opened before me, in her words. That's the thing about doors. They can divide things, or they can bring things together. Doors mark a distinction, in and out, system and belonging, comfort and challenge, peace and violence, hostility and home, being broken apart and being knit back together... I want you to think of how we might remove the hinges from our hearts and tell to friend and stranger that all are welcome in our hearts in this place. In the kingdom of God.
I sat there in the dirt for quite some time, and I noticed things about the place that I hadn't before. An old bench that hid in some tall grass near that sign that posted the worship times. A swarm of bees had made a nest in a nearby Oak tree. And someone had left a little cross in the fresh concrete many years ago on the edge of the slab that was under my body.
I sat there alone in silence and looked around and my sister pulled in. I could see the look of relief on her face. There you are, it said. She didn't say anything though, just opened the door to her car and sat down beside me and took my hand in her hand. It's locked, I said, the church is locked. With clarity and wisdom, she looked at me and said, no, it's not, I'm right here.
A new door opened before me, in her words. That's the thing about doors. They can divide things, or they can bring things together. Doors mark a distinction, in and out, system and belonging, comfort and challenge, peace and violence, hostility and home, being broken apart and being knit back together... I want you to think of how we might remove the hinges from our hearts and tell to friend and stranger that all are welcome in our hearts in this place. In the kingdom of God.
Aug 07, 2022 |
Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWhere Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be
I had no rug in the living room and I finally found one that I thought was beautiful and I justified it because I was thinking, I'll give this to my granddaughter when I die. You know, she'll love this rug, right? She'll probably put it in a garage sale, but anyway, that was my justification.
That rug was in my living room less than a week when my brother came to visit. It was a big deal, his coming to visit, because he hadn't been well. And he walked into my home, and he sat down in my living room, and he forgot that he had an open can of Diet Coke in his pants pocket, his back pants pocket. And you can imagine this Diet Coke pouring out all over my treasured little rug.
That was the first initiation that rug received. The second one was my dog Sweet Pea during one of her anxiety attacks. I could go on and on. Beautiful rug, beloved two-legged and four-legged creatures. You know, we have to lean towards the beloved creatures. We can be attached to stuff or having funds to purchase stuff, yet they are just possessions. Things that can disappear in a fire, they can be washed away in a flood, they can be decimated in a storm, they can be stolen by thieves and then stuff ultimately will be given away. It will belong to someone else. Or it will be put out in the garage sale, or maybe just directly to the trash.
If stuff, if our possessions are treated as our treasure. Then our hearts may feel constricted indeed. for where your treasure is there your heart will be. Moments confront us that challenge us to see things differently.
That rug was in my living room less than a week when my brother came to visit. It was a big deal, his coming to visit, because he hadn't been well. And he walked into my home, and he sat down in my living room, and he forgot that he had an open can of Diet Coke in his pants pocket, his back pants pocket. And you can imagine this Diet Coke pouring out all over my treasured little rug.
That was the first initiation that rug received. The second one was my dog Sweet Pea during one of her anxiety attacks. I could go on and on. Beautiful rug, beloved two-legged and four-legged creatures. You know, we have to lean towards the beloved creatures. We can be attached to stuff or having funds to purchase stuff, yet they are just possessions. Things that can disappear in a fire, they can be washed away in a flood, they can be decimated in a storm, they can be stolen by thieves and then stuff ultimately will be given away. It will belong to someone else. Or it will be put out in the garage sale, or maybe just directly to the trash.
If stuff, if our possessions are treated as our treasure. Then our hearts may feel constricted indeed. for where your treasure is there your heart will be. Moments confront us that challenge us to see things differently.
Jul 31, 2022 |
Rich Toward God
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulRich Toward God
You've heard me talk about this before, I 100% do play the
lottery and I 100% think that the lottery is a total disaster. And it's not
healthy. It's not a moral system. And, I completely play it. And the whole time
I'm thinking about all the good that I will do. There will be enough money left
over for a little remodel of the house, but I've got a lot of plans to do good
for the world, of course. But this time as I was mulling over the 480 million,
that was unquestionably going to become my coming my way, one of the things
that I was really thinking about is why do I do this to myself? Why do I care? And why do I play this? What
is this? And I mean, obviously part of me is like, why wouldn't you, right? I
mean, give it a shot. ...for myself, I think what is this thing? Why am I
caring? And I realized, as I was
thinking about all this money that I thought I could do such great things with,
one of the things I was really realizing I wanted was this idea that overnight,
just like that, a switch could be flipped, and I wouldn't have to worry.
I thought I wouldn't have to worry about anything when it comes to financial issues for my family, for me, for my brothers, for my parents, for my kids, for any of it, probably their grandkids and great grandkids. I'd have it. We'd be all set. And that is so attractive. Oh, my goodness. What an amazing possibility that I wouldn't have to worry anymore. Snap, one day, one thing happens and I'm fine. And I could say to my soul, soul all is well, relax, eat, drink, and be merry we're finally ok. And you all can laugh with me at this because you know what it's like, whether it's the lottery or not, you know what it's like to have that desire.
I thought I wouldn't have to worry about anything when it comes to financial issues for my family, for me, for my brothers, for my parents, for my kids, for any of it, probably their grandkids and great grandkids. I'd have it. We'd be all set. And that is so attractive. Oh, my goodness. What an amazing possibility that I wouldn't have to worry anymore. Snap, one day, one thing happens and I'm fine. And I could say to my soul, soul all is well, relax, eat, drink, and be merry we're finally ok. And you all can laugh with me at this because you know what it's like, whether it's the lottery or not, you know what it's like to have that desire.
Jul 24, 2022 |
Unexpectedly in Prayer
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinUnexpectedly in Prayer
We were walking past one of the glorious churches in New
York City and on impulse, I wanted to go in and offer a prayer for my friend's
grandmother. So, we stopped, and I did, and I can still remember the dim
lighting, the coolness of the space, and the comfort and kneeling in prayer.
Very soon after that, we learned that something had gone terribly wrong and my
friend's grandmother had died, died very suddenly and unexpectedly.
It was a total shock to everyone and there was deep grieving. And while my rational mind knew that none of this had any connection with my simple prayer. It was a very long time before I prayed again. Maybe you've encountered unexpected moments in your life that seemed to challenge your faith in new ways, challenge your sense of God's love, your worthiness, and your relationships. If not, perhaps you've seen someone else in this struggle. I didn't consciously think of prayer as being scary or anything, I just didn't think about it.
Years later, I was pregnant with my son and there were questions and concerns about the pregnancy. And I found myself lying in bed in the dark one night. Trying to stitch together, some humble prayer starting with, I don't know God if you're there, but wanting so desperately for my child to live. Prayer’s tumbling out in the dark and silence of night can sometimes overcome our daytime resistance. Maybe you found yourself in the midst of a sleepless night, found yourself unexpectedly in prayer.
It was a total shock to everyone and there was deep grieving. And while my rational mind knew that none of this had any connection with my simple prayer. It was a very long time before I prayed again. Maybe you've encountered unexpected moments in your life that seemed to challenge your faith in new ways, challenge your sense of God's love, your worthiness, and your relationships. If not, perhaps you've seen someone else in this struggle. I didn't consciously think of prayer as being scary or anything, I just didn't think about it.
Years later, I was pregnant with my son and there were questions and concerns about the pregnancy. And I found myself lying in bed in the dark one night. Trying to stitch together, some humble prayer starting with, I don't know God if you're there, but wanting so desperately for my child to live. Prayer’s tumbling out in the dark and silence of night can sometimes overcome our daytime resistance. Maybe you found yourself in the midst of a sleepless night, found yourself unexpectedly in prayer.
Jul 10, 2022 |
Who is the Good Samaritan?
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWho is the Good Samaritan?
Substitute Samaritan with another identity that gives us a
better sense of how these words might have sounded to those who heard them in
the earliest years. If we substitute that, we also have the chance to
substitute who it is that's been injured. Is it a stranger? Is it someone who
we'd never encountered before?
Or might we be the one who was injured and suffering? Would we care what the identity was of the one who came to help? No, I think we would just thank God that someone that stopped had cared. So, who is our neighbor? Who are we called to extend mercy to? To potentially receive mercy from? It has nothing to do with identifiers that separate us from one another.
It has to do with mercy, with kindness and compassion and love. These may not seem like big things, but they can change everything. And perhaps they are everything. When I think of love of neighbor and mercy and kindness, there are names and faces in this congregation that come immediately to mind. People who just always seem to be checking in checking the pulse of individuals, checking the pulse of this community. To look out for people who might have needs. To be in response to those needs, whether it's within this community or in the broader Cincinnati community.
Or might we be the one who was injured and suffering? Would we care what the identity was of the one who came to help? No, I think we would just thank God that someone that stopped had cared. So, who is our neighbor? Who are we called to extend mercy to? To potentially receive mercy from? It has nothing to do with identifiers that separate us from one another.
It has to do with mercy, with kindness and compassion and love. These may not seem like big things, but they can change everything. And perhaps they are everything. When I think of love of neighbor and mercy and kindness, there are names and faces in this congregation that come immediately to mind. People who just always seem to be checking in checking the pulse of individuals, checking the pulse of this community. To look out for people who might have needs. To be in response to those needs, whether it's within this community or in the broader Cincinnati community.
Jul 03, 2022 |
God like Math
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneGod like Math
In case it's been a little while, since you were in math
class, remember that geometry is the study of shapes and forms. Some simple and
some very complex, some flat and some multidimensional. And calculus on the
other side is the study of the rate of change made complicated by instantaneous
rates that lead to integral movements toward an infinite answer.
I wish someone would have told me a long, long time ago that math is actually just a lot like God. Maybe then I would have liked it a little bit better or understood it a little bit better. Maybe if you love math, you're thinking, now I understand God.
We observe God like math in many forms, many shapes from many angles while the world around us is constantly changing. And as Christians, we are constantly making instantaneous decisions about how to observe and perpetuate God's divine nature in the world. Our decisive actions say something true about her integral, whole self. Geometry, the study of shapes and calculus the study of change, are actually a lot like God. Algebra then is the human side of the equation, because algebra deals deeply in generalizations and assumptions about how it all adds up. That's why we usually start with algebra. that's why we usually start with prejudice and fear, safety, and security. We usually start with the less complicated side of God, just like we start with the least complicated side of math.
I wish someone would have told me a long, long time ago that math is actually just a lot like God. Maybe then I would have liked it a little bit better or understood it a little bit better. Maybe if you love math, you're thinking, now I understand God.
We observe God like math in many forms, many shapes from many angles while the world around us is constantly changing. And as Christians, we are constantly making instantaneous decisions about how to observe and perpetuate God's divine nature in the world. Our decisive actions say something true about her integral, whole self. Geometry, the study of shapes and calculus the study of change, are actually a lot like God. Algebra then is the human side of the equation, because algebra deals deeply in generalizations and assumptions about how it all adds up. That's why we usually start with algebra. that's why we usually start with prejudice and fear, safety, and security. We usually start with the less complicated side of God, just like we start with the least complicated side of math.