Matthew 22:1-14 As many of you know, my little sister is getting married this week. You probably also know that I’ve been a guest at a lot of weddings over the past couple of years. Ben and I are in our late 20s, so it is just that season of life for us, and weContinue reading “Disrupting the Lie”
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What God is Like
Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 At some point, likely a very difficult point in your life, you might have heard someone say that “it’s all a part of God’s plan” or “Everything happens for a reason.” You might have even said these things yourself, in a truly well-meaning and kind-hearted way. You would not be alone. There areContinue reading “What God is Like”
Funeral Homily for Edward Meeks Hopkins, Ed.D
One thing that I am sure of, beyond any reasonable doubt, is that I am just one of many of Dr. Ed Hopkins’ students. Ed Hopkins never stopped being an educator, and from what I understand from his twin brother he started teaching in imaginary classrooms from a very young age, with Bill as hisContinue reading “Funeral Homily for Edward Meeks Hopkins, Ed.D”
God’s Harvest in God’s Timing
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 This past early spring, when we were still waking up to frost on the ground and the rains had not come, I started sowing seeds. In tiny starter pots, I planted tomatoes, and bell peppers, basil and dill and chamomile and zinnias and sunflowers. In each little pot, I planted more seeds thanContinue reading “God’s Harvest in God’s Timing”
God Loves an Underdog
Genesis 25:19-34 One of the great gifts of studying the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel is the lesson that nothing is ever what it seems on the surface. The covenant between God and Abraham is not simply a supposed morally upright man being rewarded for good behavior. The relationship between Isaac and Rebekah is notContinue reading “God Loves an Underdog”
Telling Rebekah’s Story
Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Today in our lessons we take a pause from tests of loyalty and the divisiveness that the way of the cross brings. We have this momentary breath of fresh air, a part of the Hebrew Bible we often breeze right by because it is not particularly contentious or gory or scandalous.Continue reading “Telling Rebekah’s Story”
Look Up
Genesis 22:1-14 I am indebted to a large list of resources for this sermon- Dr. Ellen Davis’s sermon at Duke Chapel, the Rev. Ben Madison’s article for Mockingbird (CW: foster care), My Jewish Learning’s article The Binding of Isaac, My Jewish Learning’s article Seeing the Ram, this week’s Pulpit Fiction podcast episode, and conversations withContinue reading “Look Up”
Sent
The data referenced here can be found in more detail from Church Pension Group sources referenced by this ENS article, this Pew Research article, this PRRI article, this Pew Trust Magazine article, this ENS article, the 2020 Clergy Compensation Report, and this CPG Trends in Ministry presentation. Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) “The harvest is plentiful but theContinue reading “Sent”
Jesus our Teacher
John 3:1-17 Our Gospel passage today is one that is so frequently quoted that it has essentially developed a brand all of its own. John 3:16, the second to last verse in this passage, is printed on shopping bags, billboards, the backs of eighteen wheelers and even tattooed on the bodies of countless Christians. ForContinue reading “Jesus our Teacher”
Holy Dust
This sermon is focused on the occasion of Ash Wednesday and the liturgy of the day, which can be found in the Book of Common Prayer beginning on page 264 or online here Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. In a culture that is both pervaded by death and obsessedContinue reading “Holy Dust”
Mother A Writes 