These are not ordinary times. We stand on the edge of an abyss. We feel the pull of anxiety, despair, division. Yet there are forces pulling us back from the edge – hope, community, solidarity, peace. The love of God, of neighbor, of all Creation. The love we receive and… Read More »Advent for Creation at the Edge
We see Christ crucified in acts of violence throughout God’s Creation, against God’s children of all nationalities, religions, species and types. The cry of Christ, the words of Christ’s anguish, explode out of Creation’s pain. Here. Now. In these shadows of Holy Week, in this interplay of light and darkness,… Read More »A Holy Week Service of Lament and Hope for Creation
Welcome to Lent! So it begins! You might ask yourself, what are we giving up for Lent this year? When I served churches as a pastor, I usually gave up sleep for Lent! But we are here together on this Lenten journey not to give something up (except, perhaps, sleep),… Read More »Lent: a Season of Lament and Hope for Creation
I want to celebrate with you that I’ve published a devotional guide for progressive congregations and individuals! I’ve written this book because I believe words matter. The words we use reflect how we view the world and our place in it. The words we use determine how we act in… Read More »My new book – “We’re All in This Together: Not Ordinary Devotions”
Advent has been a story of ordinary people in overwhelming times. Powerless people in a “power-over” world. Characters caught up in a story of destruction and oppression. And they each said “Yes!” to God’s call to change the world, to trust the vision of a new Creation, to love strongly,… Read More »Christmas Eve for Ordinary People in Not Ordinary Times
The Bible is full of ordinary folks. In fact, that’s who mostly makes up our extraordinary holy scripture. Ordinary people trying simply to live, and to figure it all out, in the midst of marginalization, fear, oppression, and uncertainty…of Empire. But also in the midst of hope and wonder and… Read More »Advent for Ordinary People in Not Ordinary Times
Some time ago, I posted the Tenebrae for Creation service here on the website. In the spring of 2023, a few of us in my congregation gathered in our sanctuary and conducted an informal version of this Tenebrae. We recorded the service, and with the exception of a couple of… Read More »Tenebrae for Creation video
Blessing of the animals – we extend our hands, and in our magnanimity, we offer our blessing because that is, of course, what all our animals and the wild things really want, after all. And we bless, and we bless. And then we go home. Uh, no. Blessing of the… Read More »Blessing of the Animals: A Celebration in Two Parts
O beautiful and wounded Creation, we confess we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed… O God of love and unity, we lament the many ways we find ourselves separated from others, from ourselves, and from you. We’ve allowed our beliefs, our politics, our biases, and our fears… Read More »Lent: A Journey from Separation to Connection, for the Love of Creation
A Journey from Separation to Community Lent is a journey.Lent is a journey from separation to connection and life.The steps are reflection and lament, confession and celebration. There’s letting go and taking in.This is the journey we have to take for the sake of our world, God’s good Creation.We take… Read More »Ash Wednesday – For the Love of Creation