You are a Pumpkin/Being Emptied Out by Anna Woofenden

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. Psalm 30:11 When I hear these familiar lines, I’m drawn to the second-half of the equation. Let’s talk about the dancing and this joy-filled clothing. You brought me up from the grave, you spared me from going down into the […]

The Lord is my Shepherd by Rev. Julie Conaron

If we look back on our lives we are often able to see the way the Lord has lead us: often like a shepherd leads his sheep. And sheep are not easy creatures to look after. As one shepherd described it: “sheep are high-maintenance creatures,” which is certainly what we often are as human beings! […]

Tearing Down the Walls by Rev. Sarah Buteux

“The walls of Jericho” meant the falsities that defended evils. Secrets of Heaven (AC) 8815 I’d like you all to relax, open your minds, and imagine something with me for a moment. Now, this may be a stretch, but I want us to imagine that we are all part of a small, no scratch that, […]

One Wild and Precious Life: An ordination address by Emily Jane Lemole

The poet Mary Oliver asks, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” The stand-out word for me here is do. What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?  For our brief moment on beautiful planet earth—what will we do? This […]

Faith, Trust, Belief by Rev. Kathy Speas

Have you been to the top floor of MOMA?  It is all glass, completely clear.  Even though you KNOW it is perfectly safe,  you still feel queasy stepping out on it.   And there’s a Skywalk over the Grand Canyon where you can stand out there and look down 4,000 feet into the Colorado River.  […]

A Day in Heaven by Shada Sullivan

   The form of heaven is utterly fluid and not at all resistant. Secrets of Heaven 7068   Sometimes we have certain ideas about the way heaven is.  These ideas can inform how we think about the efficacy of love, and about the necessity of resistance and rigidity.  But what if our concepts of order […]

How did I end up in Theological School? by Theresa McQueen-Uber

How did I end up in theological school? I was called. Early too. I remember talking to the Lord when I was about seven years old. I said “Lord, don’t give me a regular life.” I remember feeling like the Lord gave me a big hug. I was filled with the sense that if I […]

Being Broken Open by Anna Woofenden

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” Psalm 51:17 “Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” –Rumi It was a warm August evening, […]

An Unlikely Love Song by Rev. Leah Goodwin

Maybe Isaiah got the words wrong. After all, this is not how love songs are supposed to go. Love songs are supposed to make us feel warm and beautiful and blessed, and sometimes teary. They are supposed to remind us of life’s goodness. Whether remembering the past or hoping for the future or just reflecting […]