Relating, Creating, Transforming
Luke 5:1-11 As human beings, do we remember that we are part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space? We often forget. Instead, we often experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness. And this delusion […]
Read MoreLuke 3:15-17, 21-22 Water is essential for life. Without water, we die. Without water, there is no life. Period. Look around the world right now and you’ll notice that there are far too many people who struggle to survive…because they don’t have access to drinking water. 844 million people don’t have clean water. (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring […]
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Ezekiel 37:1-10 NRSV Have you ever felt like you were in a place of desolation? In other words, when have you felt hopeless, stranded, parched from thirst, empty? Part of our humanity is in recognizing that we do have these low moments—periods of time when we just don’t know if we can continue living. We […]
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John 3:9-17 Identity is theme of the 40 days of Lent. Who am I? Who is Jesus? Who are my neighbors? These identity questions should stay with Christians throughout this season, and lead to growth, connection, and cooperation. The Gospel stories of the New Testament give us an opportunity to ask these questions, and then […]
Read MoreJohn 4:5-26 What are some specific places or activities that cause you to feel the presence of G-d? Where or when is God especially absent from you? Where do we think that God or the Divine or the Great Spirit or the Eternal Consciousness is? Here? [Sikh Gurdwara] Or here? [Hindu deities] Or here? […]
Read MoreJohn 3:1-9 Last week, I participated in the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia’s Interfaith Encounters Alternative Spring Break program for college students. I journeyed with students, faculty, and college staff professionals to encounter seven different religious traditions, including: Reconstructionist Jewish; Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian; Sikh; Quaker; Won Buddhist; Hindu; Black Muslim and Sunni Muslim. There […]
Read MoreJohn 1:29-42 We form memories in our heads of events and people—long after the moment passed or the person passed. These memories, uniquely ours and certainly not entirely accurate—become the reality we place on that event or person. I can tell you plenty of stories about my childhood and adolescence—even a story from a few […]
Read MoreMatthew 3:13-17 Baptism stories are always fun to tell because if you think about it, what is stranger, funnier, or more awkward than dressing up someone in white clothes, sprinkling water on his/her head and rubbing it into his/her hair while people stare? Or, if you come from another tradition, what is odder than dunking […]
Read MoreJohn 20:19-31 Some of you know that from March 16-23 I decided to participate in a program of the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia and the University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire’s Better Together initiative. The program was called Interfaith Encounters Alternative Spring Break. There were 44 students from the school from around the world, hailing […]
Read MoreIsaiah 58:3–12 Fast Actions In 2011 and 2012, more than 10,000 people participated in the Ecumenical Lenten Carbon Fast, sponsored by the Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. Each day, participants [including me] received an email with one concrete suggestion for the day, an action that would lessen their carbon footprint. Leadership of […]
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