Our language, sacred as well as secular, is saturated with the imagery of war, weaponry, and, particularly in common parlance, the gun. Read More
Saturday Prayer, July 3, 2021
Prayer of the Chukar God, my grand-feathered onescame from Turkey,but home nests soon were nativein Idaho, some in Hawai’i. I was born in a box of chickssent to a gun range in New England,and I ran away (that’s what we do, run,for we cannot fly very fast.)We are easy for new shooters. I am grateful… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
As we awake to news of children dying due to gun violence, the pandemic of racism, evil immigration policies, an administration that puts profits before people—leading to the violence of hunger and poverty and health desparities… …I was drawn back to this psalm I wrote for Words of Her Mouth: Psalms for the Struggle edited by… Read More
Wednesday Prayer
Earthquakes Firestorms Missile strikes Plane crashes City-wide gun violence Is this how we are starting 2020, God? Help us to stop. Now! Stop our pillaging of the earth for our comfort Stop our polluting the air with our poison Stop our scapegoating and warmongering Stop our putting profit before people Stop our othering Stop our… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: More Than Thoughts and Prayers
The Pastoral is Political: More Than Thoughts and Prayers. Is your heart sore? Is your carpal tunnel kicking in from writing to people trying to instigate action? Are you tired of having the same conversations—the ones resulting in no change? Are you losing sleep trying to figure out what else you can do and/or how… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: #BeatingGuns
The grief that visited that church on the west side of Cleveland in Holy Week, rippling out in concentric circles from the gravesides of the lost, had already found its own transformation into activism, intervention, wrestling a new life out of the death that interrupted families and upended the lives of countless others. Read More
The Pastoral is Political: How brave are we?
Yesterday, I sat in a pew at worship, in that strange position that I occupy these days as a mostly non-preaching preacher. My wife had scrapped her planned stewardship kick-off sermon to reflect the events of the week, naming how hard it can be to welcome the stranger and be a neighbor to all while… Read More
Saturday Prayer – Don’t Be Afraid
Holy One, You’re always telling those you meet not to be afraid. Meet us today. Another shooting, this one targeting a synagogue, a house of worship. Open our hearts, so they do not close in cynicism or despair. Give our prayers wings, fly love and strength and healing to our sisters and brothers in faith.… Read More
The Pastoral is Political: Teach Your Parents Well
My college aged son and I attended the “Enough is Enough” Walk Out rally last Monday, organized by high school aged youth to mark the one month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the one month anniversary of our continued inaction to the public health crisis of gun violence… Read More
Pastoral is Political: No Lifeguard on Duty
In the United States, we’ve had yet another mass shooting in a church. This one was in a Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, TX, not far from San Antonio. It appears that 7% of the entire town was killed today in church. About the same percentage was injured. Christe eleison. My first thoughts, prayers, and energy… Read More
