Oh God of time and space we confess we are running out of both. Church is good at lament, and knows that it needs to be voiced as a community, a nation. In fact, one of the tasks of the prophet, according to biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, is to help… Read More »Prayer of Confession and Lament for Creation
The journey leads us to an empty tomb Easter brings surprise Easter brings a shout and a sob Easter brings questions This song is written both from the perspective of the women at Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning, and from our perspective as well. Sometimes the lines between the two… Read More »Easter Anthem
This responsive reading was originally written for an Interfaith Service of Prayer and Healing following the 2020 election. It was a Zoom event planned and led by my home church (Washington Park UCC, Denver), and First Congregational UCC and Temple Beth Shalom, both of Ocala, Florida. It was inspired, in… Read More »Imagine! A Prayer for Community
I have a pair of earrings carved from the found antlers of a moose in Alaska. Thinking about these delicate pieces of jewelry inspired this poem. And, as always, it seems my thoughts turn back to community, and the need to carve out hope together. And that we all have… Read More »Carve Out Hope
Wide open to the world, your love overflows. I’ll admit it, I’m really, really partial to dogs (I am starting to like cats a lot, though, but I am basically a dog person). Labs, shelties, goldens, chihuahuas, dachshunds – you name it. Days before the 2020 presidential election, Peter and… Read More »Angel Unaware
Church has always had such powerful images for connectedness – Body of Christ, people of the table, covenant, communion of saints, for example. They transcend both time and space. They’re who we are. This reading celebrates and affirms our connectedness to all creation, and offers another image for our reflection… Read More »For Comfort and Calling
This Call to Worship explains just why we gather as a community of faith. It talks about work, and healing, and community, and what we are to be about. Together. We are part of something so much greater than ourselves, but we each have gifts and roles to play in… Read More »Called Together
Did you ever notice that, in the Bible, it seems like anytime angels make themselves known to a human, the first words they say are, “Fear not.” That doesn’t strike me as a very realistic expectation. A little fear in the face of this strange and divine presence is not… Read More »The Qualifier Angel
During National Poetry Month’s 2020 “Poem a Day” challenge, the prompt for one day was to write a Haiku variant that consisted of three lines – with one, two, three words. “Vigil” was the result – something stark and simple, like standing outside the courthouse or detention center or state… Read More »Vigil
On Easter weekend, I got to do a baptism for a friend’s young daughter. I wanted to celebrate the value and worth of this adorable and lively child, in a world that would try to deny her value over and over as a person of color and a female. I… Read More »Baptismal Vows for Parents/Godparents