a prophetic voice-

This morning, during my quiet time, my time of reading and reflecting, of thinking and writing, I found myself suddenly thinking about how a congregation- my congregation or yours- views the sermon...and about how I, as the one preaching, view what it is I am doing- and why. Perhaps I am unique in the fact that this is not something to which I have given a great deal of thought and consideration. I don't mean that I don't give thought to what I'm preaching or to how it will be received. But I'm not sure if I have ever put into words what a sermon really is for me- and what I hope it is for the congregation. But this morning, words came flooding unbidden, and so I share them with you, from the bottom of my heart: For me, the sermon is not to point the finger. I t is rather an invitation to the members of the congregation to enter into dialogue, to walk along with, to uplift and encourage the pastor even as s/he lifts up and encourages them. It is a f...

Windows open wide...a grand and glorious gift. The air blowing through the house, sweeping in its path all that is stale and dull and hidden...bringing with it a sense of energy, of newness, which has felt dormant during the long, closed-in days of this summer's heat. And filled with that energy today,I changed my bed linens, did laundry, cooked homemade applesauce, all the while rejoicing in the lovely, cool temperatures with which the day gifted me, gifted us all in this part of Carolina. And now, tonight, I will crawl between fresh, clean sheets- one of my favorite sensations, a sense memory which harkens back to  childhood evenings after Mother had changed the sheets- which in her house happened every week but in mine happens only about every month. For me, there is something so comforting, so nurturing, about crawling into bed to the welcome of cool, clean sheets, which- in those days- smelled of the outdoors and carried the awareness of my mother's loving...

Today, I had the honor of preaching the eulogy at the memorial Service of a member of my parish who had, over the years, become a dear friend. So many people asked me afterward for a copy of that sermon that I am posting it here- for them and for those of you who could not attend the service and for those of you who never knew Sara but may come to know her through my words.         +         +        +         +         +        +         + Even though we are gathered here this afternoon to grieve a death, I must tell you that I continue to think of Sara in the present tense. For even in her dying months and weeks, she was one of the most vibrantly- alive people I have ever met and had the remarkable privi...

I am not good at being sick…or perhaps I should more accurately say, at admitting weakness in my body. There has always been a kind of shame (as bizarre as that sounds) connected with lack of wellness for me, a sense that I am not living up to what is expected of me. Perhaps it comes from my German background and upbringing, this inability, unwillingness to acknowledge frailty of any kind, but I am gradually, ever-so-gradually coming to acknowledge that this is a very dangerous and self-defeating kind of hubris. Gritting one’s teeth and soldiering on through whatever it is may be fine on a battlefield (though even there it has its limitations, I’m sure), but in everyday life, this philosophy can be not only a failure to acknowledge one’s own limitations but may also be detrimental to one’s health and well-being. All of this being a lengthy preamble to what has been going on with me lately. For the past couple of weeks, I have been noticing that I tire much more ea...

Haven't written in a while...must confess, time has a way of getting away from me far too often. It seems like I turn my head or close my eyes for a moment and a week has passed...or two...or a month. That's kind of been the story of my summer. Seems like it was just June 1st and now it is the 15th of August. But because the hot weather and I just don't see eye-to-eye, and because it has been a  very hot summer in this part of Carolina, I have done a lot of reading...a LOT of reading. I finished all the books in the Tom Thorne series by Mark Bellingham (loved them... he's a British writer and Thorne is a detective. Need I say more?). And I read several great children's books including "My Teacher is A Monster", "Coraline", "The Pout-Pout Fish", and "Little Owl's Night". I also completed the second  book in Greg Iles' Penn Cage trilogy and am eagerly awaiting the third one. Then there was Falling in Love ...

Sometimes, when I put pen to paper, nothing comes. But at other times, I am pleasantly surprised and the words just flow from my heart... like this morning. Eyes wide shut... Sitting on the blue loveseat in my living room listening to classical music coming from the radio in the next room lulled and cooled by the gently-oscillating fan, I am suddenly overcome by weariness, my eyelids growing heavy, as I am drawn toward sleep, my body weighted down with the torpor caused by too many sleep-disturbed nights. I had intended to read a bit and write, to attend and pray, but all my good intentions are coming to naught as I succumb, and my eyes close. change of life... My daughter has been in deep despair, her spirit grieving over her daughter's move to the other side of the country. This separation feels complete to her, a rending of the cord which has linked them fully for these many years. Now the link has shifted to a husband, a partner ...

I have been walking through the valley with Sara for months now... or perhaps, I should say that I have been having the privilege of accompanying her on this final journey which we will all make at some time. And it is indeed a privilege, as together we walk toward a sunrise which only she will see, a new dawn for which I will have to wait a while longer. Together we talk and laugh and share silences in which the only agenda is to welcome the Holy Presence. Together we move slowly, slowly, inexorably slowly toward that final inevitable farewell...though we both hope and trust that it will be "till we meet again" rather than "goodbye". Lest you think this is all heaviness, this journey we are making together, I hasten to assure you that there has been and continues to be lots of laughter as we share our left-wing political views and dissect together the various candidates on the political stage. And I confess to more than a little sacrilegious...