Walter Brueggemann: The God of the Second Wind
In his latest piece for Church Anew, Walter Brueggemann writes that we have become all too familiar with the desperate plea, from Eric Garner to George Floyd, “I can’t breathe.” At the same time, and even more so in the midst of their cries, we recognize “breath” is the gift of the creator God that allows us to be fully creaturely in the world. In biblical testimony, human life begins with the gift of breath...
Michael J. Chan: Return to Normalcy and Other Fleshpots
In his Church Anew piece, Dr. Michael Chan says in the current political environment many Americans are hoping for a “return to normalcy.” Such a pitch plucks at the heartstrings of many who are ready to vomit after too many sharp turns on the 2020 roller coaster.
Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder - Ella Baker: A Name We All Should Know
Ella Baker seized the opportunity and made a decision that would turn the tide of history. She chose to do what far exceeded herself. Although SNCC is no longer a viable entity, and Baked died in 1986, her name, her work, and her spirit thrive.
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Joseph and His Brothers (Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28)
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. Here is this week's reading from Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28...
Benjamin Pratt: As I Lay Dying . . . in this pandemic
Who will stand beside us as we die? In the midst of a pandemic, this question has arisen in countless families in America and around the world. Who will hold our hand? Offer a prayer? Until this year, the answer was a reassuring memory of generations of loved ones who have died. We all have stories we can share....
David Lillejord: Why Is It So Hard to Live as One Body?
In this Church Anew article, Pastor David Lillejord asks--and answers--a difficult question: Why Is It So Hard to Live as One Body?
Walter Brueggemann: God’s Songs of Protest: We Shall Overcome
“We sing what we cannot say.” We sing such words and make such claims in our singing because lyrical poetic discourse that can tease, contradict, and exaggerate, is porous and elusive. It is not bound by the strict rules that govern and contain our prosaic speech. In what follows I will reflect on my recent learning that we sing what we dare not say.
Matthew Ian Fleming: Toxic Masculinity: A Sin As Old As Adam
Matthew Fleming writes, Until each of us take responsibility for our own actions and reactions, we cannot begin to imagine challenging this culture of toxic masculinity that is as old as Adam.
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: "Gospel as Comedy" (Matthew 14:13-21)
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. Here is this week's reading from Matthew 14:13-21...
Valerie Bridgeman: A Eulogy for John Robert Lewis, “The Boy from Troy”
In her Church Anew article, Valerie Bridgeman writes: I was six years old when the late Congressman John Robert Lewis was beaten to near death on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on what became known as Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965.
Margaret Marcuson: Three ways to handle a money crisis
What is the approach to giving churches should take through this time? Do you worry that yours could be one of these churches that close? Or, is your church doing well financially through the pandemic?
Walter Brueggemann: Who Will Lead Us Out of this Wilderness?
When the enslaved Hebrews departed Egypt, they all went. They all danced at the border as they were emancipated. They all came into the wilderness. They all ate quail that showed up inscrutably. They all ate the “bread of heaven” and were filled and satisfied. They all drank water from a rock. They all lived according to the new emergence of God’s abundance in the wilderness. When the time came to enter the land of promise, however, the community of the emancipated was sharply divided.
Susan Sparks: Little House on the Pandemic
COVID-19 is not our only new world. We are in the midst of a new world of racial reckoning. We are on the cusp of a new world of globalization, environmental deterioration, political altercations, and personal aggravation. We are the new pioneers. And we must find our way by embracing the ways of those pioneers who have gone before.
Paul Raushenbush: Dwelling in the Cathedral of John Lewis' Spirit
I’m imagining Rep. John Lewis’ spirit today, just a few days after his bodily life ended. I want to take time here, taking my hat off, entering with humility and hope, removing my shoes, gazing with wonder at the spirit’s great cathedral filled with multi-colored light streaming in through illuminating windows, each reflecting another story in his life.
Susan Weaver: Back to School “or Not”?
Do you remember the “Would you rather” game? It was a good back-of-the-bus activity on field trips. Or slumber party fun for a group of pre-teens. Players have to choose between two less than desirable alternatives - to choose the least bad from the most bad. Like, would you rather step barefoot in dog-doo or have a bird poop on your head? You’d like to choose neither, but that’s not an option. That’s how this “what to do with school in the fall” decision feels.
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: God's Love (Romans 8:26-39)
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. Here is this week's reading from Romans 8:26-39...
Bishop Michael Curry: How Love Shows Us the Way During Difficult Times
Bishop Michael Curry asks "what would love do" in a world upended by racial protests and the coronavirus.
Walter Brueggemann: There’s No Excuse for Food Insecurity
I am “food secure!” I eat out frequently in the lovely venues in my town: Red Ginger, Poppycock, Harrington’s by the Bay, or West End Tavern. I would not have known to use that phrase for myself except that I hear much talk in our town of disproportionate wealth about the “food insecure.”
Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder: When Home Is Not Home
In her article for Church Anew, Dr. Stephanie Buckhanon Crowder says there is a safety, security of home at least for most of us. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to pause and consider our relationship with the place and people associated with our homes. Sudden shifts to working remotely and ad nauseam Zoom meetings have exposed parts of our lives which had been selectively disclosed.
Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Jacob (Genesis 28:10-17)
In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost. Here is this week's reading from Genesis 28:10-17....