Many people think of the United Church of Christ as a progressive Protestant denomination. Since it is a congregational tradition, it is important to note that this tradition features congregations and members with views all across the theological continuum. Individual congregations that claim progressive as a core part of their identity should be intentional in communicating that message. Recently I encountered an exemplary example of how to tell the progressive story well on Read More …
Discipleship
A Unique Lenten Discipline (#1374)
Last year I shared the story of an unusual Lenten discipline: Shawnthea Monroe, senior minister of Plymouth Church, chose to wear a collar for Lent. This year, I encountered an even more unique Lenten discipline: wearing orange prison jumpsuit. Kent McKeever, a Baptist youth minister at Seventh and James Baptist Church and an attorney who represents indigent clients through Mission Waco, is wearing the orange jumpsuit throughout Lent "to draw attention to Read More …
The Wisdom of the Labyrinth (#1372)
Naples United Church of Christ, one of the congregations I serve, recently added a public labyrinth to its campus. This new labyrinth will be formally dedicated at a public ceremony this Saturday, April 5 at 4:00 p.m. Prior to that event, Lauren Artress will lead a 6-hour workshop: The Wisdom of the Labyrinth. Registration ($60 today or $75 thereafter) can be completed online. To learn more about the workshop and labyrinth, check out Kelly Farrell's recent Naples Daily Read More …
Sermon: A Holy Invitation (#1371)
Sermon Texts: Genesis 12:1-9 and John 3:1-13, 16-17 Sermon Excerpt Learning has always come easily for me. I breezed through high school, excelled in the final years of college, and earned my graduate and doctoral degrees with distinction. In sharing my academic story I intentionally omitted the less than pretty part that came early in my college experience when I encountered Professor Berrier. When I registered for Old Testament Survey I looked forward to learning more about Read More …
Pope Francis Goes to Confession (#1370)
Popes going to Confession is nothing new, and the current Pope going to confession isn't newsworthy. Pope Francis decision, however, to go off script yet again in a penance service is. Rather than heading for the confessional to which he was being escorted in order to hear confessions, Pope Francis chose to make his way to another confessional where he "spent about three minutes kneeling before the priest’s open confessional and received absolution." Only after doing so did he hear Read More …
Extravagant Welcome Reality Check (#1369)
The United Church of Christ is known for providing an extravagant welcome to all people. Individual congregations expend considerable energy striving to live this out every Sunday morning when they gather for worship. Recently J. Bennett Guess, executive minister of the UCC's Local Church Ministries, shared an experience of the denomination's national offices falling short of providing an extravagant welcome. The Troubling Situation Every year half a million people Read More …
Sermon: Seeing is Believing (#1364)
Sermon Text: John 9:1-141 Sermon Excerpt This morning is all about blindness – the lifelong physical blindness of one man born blind and a bad case of temporary spiritual blindness in a group of religious folks. Perhaps we should begin with what appears the easier form of blindness: the physical lack of sight. The man born blind has lived his entire life without being able to see his surroundings. If he had hopes that he might someday see, those had likely died off years Read More …
The Opposite of Love (#1363)
Gene Robinson, the first openly gay Anglican bishop and author of Why God Believes in Love, is the newest columnist at the Daily Beast. In his initial piece he suggests that his perspective will be one of a critical insider. Robinson writes: Love is the central theme of the Bible, and yet we find it so hard to live lives of love. The enemy of love is not hate, but fear. When confronted by those who seem filled with hate, I try to ask “What are they afraid of?” with Read More …
I Love Jesus Because (#1356)
Heidi Weaver, founder and president of LOVEboldly, recently shared her list of 16 reasons why the real historical Jesus is worthy of our love, including: because he is wild and passionate, zealous and out of line, unpredictable, defender of the defenseless, lover of the unlovable, friend of the most unlikely folks to receive anyone’s friendship; because he defied the meaningless and empty customs of his day in exchange for redemptive relationship, boundless mercy, and hospitality to Read More …
Sermon: Harder Than It Looks (#1350)
Sermon Text: Matthew 4:1-11 Sermon Excerpt Change is a given. It is also something most of us dislike – perhaps more than we are willing to admit. Who among us wanted the time to change last night? Why did we have to lose an hour of life, especially an hour of sleep? Why does something so small tend to become something we hold on to and complain about for days or even weeks? Who among us wanted church to shift from ordinary time to Lent? Why did we go from the liturgy we knew and Read More …