“What is it you want me to do for you?”
Jesus has for the third time, told his disciples that he will be arrested, put to death, and then on the third day rise from the dead. Each time he has told this to his disciples, he has added more and more details of what is to come. And in Mark 10:32 we hear that […]
Redemption in the Rubble: A sermon preached by Ms. Lee Cheek, Licensed Lay Preacher at the Diocese of Western Massachusetts: Festival of Preaching September 26, 2015
Isaiah 52:3-10, Mark 9:30-50 (Proper 21B) When Dr. Martin Luther King was about to wrap up what was to be a four minute speech at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, he heard the voice of Mahalia Jackson behind him, urging him to tell the crowd about “the dream.” Though the schedule […]
Getting the picture : A sermon preached by Ms. Lee Cheek, Licensed Lay Preacher on September 20, 2015
When I was growing up in a small farming community in northeast Arkansas, about 50 miles north of Memphis, Tennessee, our home was situated near a right angle turn on Highway 61, which some of you may know as the Blues Highway in the segment that goes from Memphis to Vicksburg, Mississippi. There was a […]
Yoked together
We started out as classmates, people who shared space in a classroom learning about history and theology and worship planning, Greek and Hebrew. But as the days and weeks passed we each in our own way were growing tired and burdened. The work was demanding and the reading seemed insurmountable. And then one of us […]
Whoever is not against us is for us
We have been watching this man from a distance, listening to his brave and inspirational words and watching his acts of heart-opening compassion. And now he is here among us, in this country, and thousands have turned out just to watch his tiny Fiat drive by or catch a glimpse of him as he moves […]
Follow me!
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by the writer and theologian C.S. Lewis, four adventurous children discover a door in a wardrobe and step through into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter—but never Christmas—cursed by the power of the White Witch. Only Aslan, the Great Lion, can reverse her […]
Be opened!
Righteous Anger is All the Rage read an editorial. A tone of anger seems to be our “go to” mode these days when we engage with each other—most often in our public square. Unless we are talking with someone who agrees with our views on sports or politics or religion, most engagements begin at the […]
It’s What Comes From Your Heart That Matters
First let me begin by saying that it is important that you wash your hands regularly. In our country where safe water is plentiful and usually available simply by turning on a tap in multiple places in our house, most of us can access safe water 24 hours a day, seven days a week to […]
Truly Grateful
Two men were once walking through a field when they saw an angry bull. Instantly they made for the nearest fence with the bull in hot pursuit. It soon became evident to them that they were not going to make it, so one man shouted to the other, “We’ve had it! Nothing can save us. […]
Food for the Day–a sermon preached by The Rev. Libby Wade
A whole industry has grown up in recent years around wilderness adventures. The reality TV phenomenon began with the show “Survivor” that pitted teams against each other trying to survive in some remote location. It captured large audiences, so various versions of that plot have emerged in other shows. There’s the man who goes out […]