When Jesus saw them, he had compassion
4 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; * and his faithfulness endures from age to age. When I was in seminary, I took a class from an amazing teacher and prophet, The Rev. Dr. Michael Battle. He taught a class called “Teaching Grace and Bearing Burdens: Reconciliation as God’s Love in Action.” This was […]
Invited to Wonder
O Lord our Governor, * how exalted is your Name in all the world! Like many of you, I studied poetry in school. I memorized lines of poetry verses, studied the different forms– the imagery, the rhymes and patterns, and tried to glean some meaning. But for much of my childhood and youth, poetry remained just that, […]
Aren’t all these speaking Christians?
O God take our minds and think through them, take our lips and speak through them, take our hands and work through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire. Amen I spent all of my growing up years in Texas. My mother came from the Piney Woods of East Texas and the […]
Jesus Prays for Us
9 You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; * you refreshed the land when it was weary. 10 Your people found their home in it; * in your goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor. 33 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; * sing praises to the […]
All things in common
Surely God’s goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Last week, Pope Francis appeared at the TED International Conference. The topic of the conference was “The Future is You.” The Pope said that he was delighted to be speaking on […]
Easter Love, or How Love Is: A sermon preached by Lee Cheek, Lay Preacher
Love came down at Christmas,love all lovely, Love divine; love was born at Christmas, star and angels gave the sign. I’ve always loved this poem by Christina Rosetti because I wanted it to be true. The Church has always said that it is only through the lens of Easter that we can really know that God’s […]
Jesus Came and Stood Among Them
I have set the Lord always before me; * because he is at my right hand I shall not fall. My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; * my body also shall rest in hope. For you will not abandon me to the grave, * nor let your holy one see the Pit. You will […]
God Loves Us With an Everlasting Love
On this day the Lord has acted; * we will rejoice and be glad in it. Today is the day that we celebrate when God raised Jesus from a violent and unjust death to life eternal. Jesus was not extinguished by the forces of unrestrained power nor contained by a grave. Instead just as he told his […]
I was blind, but now I see.
“Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, […]
You must be born from above
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; * from where is my help to come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, * the maker of heaven and earth. Last Thursday, Kathy Clausen and I attending a training at the Congregational Church in Lee on building a sanctuary community. The training was offered by Berkshire Interfaith Organizing and […]