Sermons

In her primer on feminist theologycalled “Esther, Ruth, and Rahab” –which is explicit,so be warned if you look it up –Christian drag queen Flamy Grantsings in the refrain“Castaways who outlasted and outplayedAn immigrant ancestor to the incarnate divineEveryone has a star that lights their wayWe see our paths by someone else’s shineEsther, Ruth, and Rahab, […]

This is the email I didn’t send this week.It’s the one I wrote but didn’t sendto keep from adding anxiety to the system.It’s the one that a veteran who survived a period of homelessnessby living in his car in a church parking lotsaid was a sermon in a letterin the traditionof most of the New

I wonder if sometimes we forget,and I alluded to this last week,that we have good news to share.I wonder if some of thatcomes from inverting, subverting, or converting our rolesshifting the creator and the createdwho has and exercises agency.I mean that I think some timeswe may be quick to blame Godand quick to look to

Just a few thoughts about our texts today since we’re learning quite a lot in other ways!

“According to Lesser Feasts and Fasts,Francis, the son of a prosperous merchant of Assisi,was born in 1182.His early youthwas spent in harmless revelryand fruitless attemptsto win military glory.Various encounters with beggars and lepersPricked the young man’s conscience, however,and he decided to embrace a life devoted to Lady Poverty.” This is an embodiment, a reason that

Jesus, you keep giving us these tough Gospels. Forgiveness, now that’s a tough one. Sure, it’s supposed to be part of our religious commitment and way of life, but within reason, right? I’m willing to forgive the people I like when they are contrite and ask for forgiveness, but, ooh, I think Jesus is asking

How many of you are native Washingtonians? Native Seattleites? How would someone know that you are from Seattle? What would you tell them? In the nine plus years that my husband, Henry, and I have been here, we have made our own observations, but I also looked at some lists that were compiled and have

Bearing something that is unbearable. I hope you don’t have to experience that but some of us will. As a chaplain, my entire career has been about being with suffering people in crisis. Many of them will tell me that they are bearing something unbearable. Here are some snippets from my past week at work.