The circle is a very fundamental symbol in our human experience. It displays both our outer and inner worlds. No wonder it shows up so frequently in religious forms, such as the Celtic cross. In this sermon we explore together some of the depths of...
Last Sunday we celebrated a baptism, an ancient ritual in the Christian tradition. In the past, the ritual was often used to "divide out" the insiders and outsiders, those going to heaven and those not. At Christ Church it is now a very inclusive affirmation...
"Where Are We Headed?" Do the Christian tellings of beginnings and endings give us a historical explanation or do they inform us and call us to the deeper aspects of our existence in the here and now? Is our consciousness, both individual and cultural, spiraling...
"Does God Cuss?" Is the Bible just children's stories about heroes and virtuous women? People who say that they believe "every word of the Bible," may not be aware of some of the more notorious words and stories contained therein. What does it mean to take...
The title to my sermon last Sunday was "Does My Body Have a Soul?" Is there something to our existence that is not bound by time, body, or space? Can such consciousness survive death? Or is the better question, can our consciousness survive birth? Are...
My sermon on Monday, August 10, was titled "What Should I Renounce?" What does renunciation of various things have to do with the spiritual life? Is there a deeper way of letting go and self-emptying that is not a denial of our embodiment and in-earthment?...
I've been building a shed, trying to get it dried-in in the middle of all this rain. So, I've been thinking about shelter and refuge in the midst of life's storms. Where or what do we go to for refuge? Sometimes the refuges we choose...
Sometimes I tie my children's sermon, a short conversation with the children, to my main sermon. I often joke that the children's sermon is just as much for the adults as the children. Last Sunday I spoke about being big and being little. I have...
In my sermon "When Does Evil Begin?" I discuss how an evolutionary worldview reshapes how we think about evil in the human experience. How do we reconcile our propensity for evil with our aspiration for the good, and when does evil end? [caption id="attachment_12347" align="aligncenter" width="450"]...
On the heels of July Fourth, last Sunday at Christ Church we discussed the relationship of faith and national identity. While religion so often divides us, faith is always a call to a broader view of inclusion, respect, and compassion. [caption id="attachment_12347" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Pastor...
