11th Hour Preacher Party: Year’s End

Sunday comes again, this time the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. How will you celebrate? As you work on your sermon this week, how can we help? What does your congregation need from you? What is the word you are being called to offer?  As we finish the year, will you follow the Revised… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: What Do You Want Me to Do?

In the RCL reading, Jesus asks Bartimaeus, “what do you want me to do?” Today I ask, what do you want us to do? As you work on your sermon this week, how can we help? What does your congregation need from you? What is the word you are being called to offer?  During this… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: Hard Questions

In this northern hemisphere, it seems that all the schools have finally started and the weather is beginning to turn (high in the 90s instead of the 100s here in Southern California). The program year may be starting up, different from last year, but also different from all the years before. What are the questions… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: To Whom Can We Go?

Here in California, summer lingers even as school has started and fall products are beginning to appear. How do we keep going? What will we say in these times? What do your people need to hear? During this long stretch or Ordinary Time or the Sundays after Pentecost, will you follow the Revised Common Lectionary?… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: Mid July Scramble

The season carries on and so does worship. What are you preaching these days? What do your people need to hear? Depending on our hemisphere, we are in the midst of summer or winter this week. U.S.-ans and Canadians have made our way through our national holidays, and we continue on in Ordinary Time as… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: Sleeping in the Boat

  I wonder if we’ve ever felt like we needed a leader, but that person was asleep in the boat? What about when we are the leader? In these times of constant change, can we ask, “why are you afraid?” This is a question I’ve had to ask myself in the last few weeks as… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: Holy Spirit Edition

I love Pentecost. I love the bright colors, the ways we celebrate, the use of multiple languages, the story, the Spirit. I like having a church feast day celebration that doesn’t have the pressure of Christmas or Easter. This year we are still virtual for Pentecost, but I think some churches are gathering again for… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: Good Shepherds

Here we are mid-Eastertide. How will you shepherd your people this week? Where are you going with your sermon? How can we help? The Narrative Lectionary offers Philip baptizing the Ethiopian Eunuch. The discussion from earlier this week is here. Since it’s the 4th Sunday of Easter, it’s Good Shepherd Sunday in the Revised Common… Read More

11th Hour Preacher Party: Still Lent

I don’t know about the rest of you, but as we try to plan details for Easter this year–and pivot every few days as we get more information–it feels almost as challenging (though maybe more hopeful) as a year ago when we were first beginning to figure out how to do on-line worship as we… Read More

Thursday Prayer: God is good at loving

Dear God, I want to write lofty prayers,aspirations of laying down and picking up(worry/trust; judgment/compassionoverfunctioning/boundaries.) I want to be fullof the spirit of the season. I want to be creativeand prayerfuland have meaningful things to say. I want to be good at it.At Lent.At liturgy.At loving. But this is the season of fasting.Of letting go… Read More