sermons – Page 2 – Reviving Creation

sermons

Photo © Robert A. Jonas

Creation Season 2021

I give thanks that just a few days ago, for the very first time, three of the world’s top Christian leaders – Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Pope Francis, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew – issued a joint statement on cl

Healing the climate crisis

let’s follow the guidance of the Gospel and bring into Jesus’ healing presence the places around the world that need healing from the effects of climate change. Let’s lift up to Jesus the American West and Southwest, which are now in the grip of an historic mega-drought – an extraordinarily persistent, unbroken drought that is draining reservoirs, withering crops, and…

Earth Sunday: “I am the good shepherd”

In a world of so much injustice, violence, and uncertainty, where a mass shooting can take place in your local grocery store and a beloved landscape can go up in flames, where do we turn for solace and strength?  We turn to the Good Shepherd of our souls.  How does his presence speak to you this morning? What I notice…

Earth Sunday: “You are witnesses of these things”

A witness is not just a bystander or a spectator, a neutral observer who watches from the sidelines.  Scripture tells us that bearing witness to Christ means being an active participant, someone who testifies, who speaks out, who even risks everything to convey the good news that God in Christ is with us in our suffering and our joy, in…

I put my trust in you

Who knows how many messages God delivers daily to the countless faithful of every religion, and of none?  Trust the good, wherever you find it.  Trust the truth.  Trust love.  Trust yourself.  Let my life be born in you.  Who knows what power will be released in us when we dare to believe those unseen encounters that offer a word…

Invited to love’s banquet

deep at the center of our being is an unquenchable thirst for union with the divine.  Deep in our guts, our bones, our very DNA, is an irrepressible yearning to move toward the Source of life, the All, the Ultimate, the Holy One.  Call it what you will – human beings the world over, whatever their religion, share a desire…

Faith for the Earth: What will sustain us in the struggles ahead?

What will sustain us in the struggles ahead? The love of God, the power of community, and the resolve to join together to heal and serve and reconcile. In whatever ways we step out to join the dance of life, we will take risks we never imagined we would take. We will connect with people we never imagined we would…

Faith for the Earth: What are we longing for?

Knowing and claiming our heart’s desire is like having a compass in our pocket.  It is like having the North Star overhead, to guide our way.  When we know our heart’s desire, in every moment we have a dependable indicator that helps point the way to wise action and loving speech.  Moment to moment, in everything we do, in every…

Faith for the Earth: Who do we think we are?

Do you ever wonder who you are, who you really are, deep down?  Today’s Gospel story gives the answer. Without doing a thing to earn it or deserve it, you are the son, you are the daughter, you are the beloved of God – you are the one with whom God is well pleased.  Of course, every day we can…

Faith for the Earth: What is breaking our hearts?

What kinds of prayer restore your connection with God?  These days many people across the country are praying in the streets, propelled by love and a fierce need for public mourning and public lament.  Some people are praying alone in their rooms and in silence, listening to the inner voice of love that is always sounding in our hearts, listening…