The topic of violence between Jews and Samaritans came up in a recent discussion, which inspired me to do a little digging into what I thought I had been taught about it. It occurred to me to capture my notes here for future reference.
But Even after the Deadest Winter, the Grass Still Springs Green
Sermon for Advent 2 – Isaiah 40:1-11 & Mark 1:1-8
How are you preparing the way of the Lord? This is a core question that comes to us in our season of Advent, but truthfully it feels pretty accusational, doesn’t it? I confess that it fills me with guilt. I immediately obsess over everything I haven’t done but think I should. But, what does it really mean? And, what if it’s not really our job in the first place?
Continue readingNo Mountains Quaked, No Nations Trembled, and Barely Anyone Noticed at All
Sermon for Advent 1 – Isaiah 64:1-9 & Mark 13:24-37
This week begins a new church year with the season of Advent. Advent means “coming.” Which means we’re all waiting. Waiting for something we need. Something we’re desperate for. What are you waiting for right now? Is it hard to wait? We pray. We try to remember Jesus’ promise to come again and set everything right. But it’s been 2000 years and where is he? Have you ever prayed for a sign to keep going? I have. Patience has its limits. Who hasn’t had that desperate moment when we finally lose it and ask God “why won’t you do something?”
Continue readingResources for Learning about Institutional Racism
As white folks, when we learn about racism, we often focus on what I call “personal racism”, where we explore questions like:
- How do stereotypes influence my own words, thoughts, and actions?
- What messages did I learn from childhood, though my family of origin, community, or schooling?
- What are my biases?
- What are some strategies that I can use to treat people of color with fairness and respect?
- What is white privilege, and how can I use my privilege in order to benefit people of color?
- What are microaggressions and how do I become more aware of them?
Granted, these are just a few of the questions and challenges that we face as white folks who grow up and spend our lives in a society that continues to echo the legacy of slavery and to perpetuate the idea of whiteness. Throughout our lives, we continue to repent and to wrestle with all this.
However, there is another massive dimension of racism which demands just as much attention – “institutional racism.” Here, we refer to the ways that our laws, institutions, and social services somehow favor white folks over people of color. This is a controversial topic, because as white folks, we carry a deep-seated belief that folks are treated fairly regardless of color or ethnicity. However, the daily experiences of our black and brown neighbors demonstrate that this is not true.
A good example is the issue of voter IDs. On the surface, it seems reasonable to require that folks produce an certified photo ID in order to vote, especially when I can get a photo ID without much inconvenience. But, is this really everyone’s experience?
The Light That Will Never Go Out
Sermon for 23rd Sunday after Pentecost – Matthew 25:1-13
Have you ever run out of gas? So, I used to have a trunk, and while I was driving, I ran out of gas. Now, you see those Hoosier Helper trunks driving around the city, and luckily one pulled up behind me after a short bit. I’m convinced they’re sent from God. Anyway, how I got into trouble was that the gas gauge wasn’t working. If you know about these, they’re a lot of work to replace. You have to change the whole gas tank, and it’s expensive. So, naturally I made do by just learning to track my odometer really closely. Which worked great for a while, until it didn’t. And funny how that’s always the least opportune time to run out of gas. How many times do we run out of gas in our lives?
Continue readingIt’s Not About Being Better People, It’s About Being Together People
Sermon for All Saints Day – Matthew 5:1-12
Anyone ready for this election to be over already? In two days we won’t have to see any more political ads or rallies, right? So, it bugs me how we hear a lot of conflicting messages from all sides. I know my own leanings, but at the same time I find myself wanting to dig deeper to find out what’s actually true. Because you can always interpret things in radically different ways. Maybe helpful. Maybe not so helpful. Like with today’s gospel reading – the beatitudes. Which just means “blessings” or sometimes “happiness”. A lot of folks call these the “Be Attitudes”. Their gist is that this is Jesus telling his disciples how to be better people. Like accept your helplessness to trust God more. Or work on your pride so that you can be pure in heart. A whole laundry list of spiritual disciplines. Not that I’m anti-discipline or anything. But what’s so great about being reviled and persecuted? I could just act like a jerk and check that one off my list real quick. So maybe there’s a better way to hear this.
Continue readingPandemics, Politics, and Privilege – Worship Video
Here I am in full splendor!
When We’re More Worried about Personal Rights Than Our Neighbors’ Lives, Jesus Will Repent Us
Sermon for 17th Sunday after Pentecost – Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32
Who watches the news a LOT more than you used to? I do. When the pandemic first hit, I started leaving the news on all the time, because I wanted to know more. In a lot of ways, it’s good. I feel a lot more informed, and I guess knowledge is power. But at the same time, it’s exhausting. There’s not a lot of good news out there. So many problems that we don’t understand. So many arguments. People I’ve known for ages saying things that I never would have expected and it makes me feel like I don’t know them the way I thought. Do you ever wonder how we got to this point?
Continue readingPandemics, Privilege, Politics, and How to Speak Truth to Power
Sermon for 14th Sunday after Pentecost – Ezekiel 33:7-11
Some of you know that in my weekday job, I manage a team of software engineers. If you don’t know what that’s like, maybe you’ve seen Big Bang Theory on TV. Better yet, I commend the Dilbert cartoons to you. A lot of truth there. Which probably means I’m more like the pointy-haired boss than I want to admit. Especially right about now. Because it’s time for year-end assessments. Where I have the joy, or dread, of talking with folks about what went well, and not so well. Not nearly as fun as sharing highs and lows with our confirmands! Now, these folks are high-achievers, so some conflict isn’t unusual. That’s the hard part. I’m not good with conflict. But it doesn’t help that we’re all facing a laundry list of conflicts. Politics, protests, pandemics. Folks are on edge. It’s overwhelming. But maybe it helps to know we’re not the only ones who have lived through such as these.
Continue readingThe Difference between Yes-Men and Real Prophets – Why We’re in Exile
Sermon for 4th Sunday after Pentecost – Jeremiah 28:5-9
These days, it seems like everything’s up for grabs. We’ve overwhelmed with explosive issues of justice and righteousness. Stories keep coming to light about police brutality. We argue whether the entire policing system is utterly broken, or whether we just have a few bad actors that need to be brought to justice, though a few folks insist there’s nothing wrong at all. Or there’s all these confederate monuments aound the country, whether we tear them down because of the oppression they perpetuate, or whether we preserve them as painful reminders of our legacy of injustice. Or there’s the folks demanding to remove product branding like Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben as racist tropes, and those who resent everything familiar being taken away from them. Everything’s up for grabs. You and I have our dead-set convictions. But in theory we all want the same thing. We want peace. So, who’s right?
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