a prophetic voice-

This sermon began with a posting on Facebook by one of my pastor friends, calling my attention to how timely this passage from Galatians 3 is this week, in light of the news about Paula Deen…racial slurs is what her remarks have been called in the news…the use of the “N” word…and as I followed the story, eagerly reported by all every news outlet, all I could think of was a wall…built brick by brick, stone by stone, of words and thoughts and acts of prejudice and injustice and separation…all of which deny the oneness of which St. Paul so eloquently speaks in this letter to the contentious church at Galatia.     There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,     th ere is no longer male and female;    for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.   These were startling words in Paul’s day and time, for in declaring that these generally-accepted delineations were inadequate, no, were no longer even present in the realm of God, Paul was stating, unequivocally,

A thumbnail sliver of moon  in the western sky, heralding its waxing for the summer solstice... Emboldening daylight stretches the horizons of each day... Darkening night is short, intense, holding its breath in anticipation of expanding its domain once again... But for now...today...this glorious, shining June day, sunlight reigns, bathing the waiting, wailing, warring world with the benediction of Light.

Memories…my mind is flooded with memories…swirling, flowing, swept along by the current, tossed here and there…first this one rising to the surface, then that one…this one bright with reds and purples, that one shaded with varying tones of green…each one precious, individual, reminding me of the three glorious weeks of travel which graced my life this May, 2013, reminding me of the wonderful people who populated those weeks, creating a rich and varied pallet of faces and personalities. It is the people who stay with me most. Oh, the places were amazing…beautiful and varied and incredibly rich in textures and images. But the people! When I close my eyes, it is the faces I see, the voices I hear…and they fill me with joy. Faces…youthful and elderly…of so many different shades…with expressions both strong and soft, both courageous and vulnerable, both joy-filled and touched by tragedy. Faces…when I close my eyes I see them all… Simon…a dear Rwandan friend, just turned thirty…a gen