In college, I went to listen to a Holocaust survivor speak on campus about her life. During her talk, someone asked her about her religious beliefs. She responded by stating she had no belief in God. A student in the crowd stood up and pressed her on her lack of faith. I remember feeling deeply …
Author: Jennifer
I Deny the Resurrection
I used this video of a talk by Peter Rollins in my sermon yesterday. We all experience faithful doubt. This video calls us out of our tendency to worry too much about our own ability to believe. Peter asks us to look at denying the resurrection in a whole new way.You can read his blog …
Easter Sermon
Sermon for April 8, 2012Text: Mark 16:1-8Let us pray: Risen Lord, place your Easter miracle in our hearts today and everyday. Amen. It feels like Easter today.Spring has come early, so early that the trees growing greener everyday even though it’s only the beginning of April. We almost DARE to put away our snow blowers. It’s …
Dear God
God,I think Holy Week started one week too early. I thought I was going to walk the way of the cross next week, and I’ve been planning for it for a very long time. I have all the people in place, the liturgies written, and the hymns picked out. The choir has been rehearsing and …
Risky Business
Faith and risk go hand-in-hand. Some may say faith is in danger when doubt creeps in, or when the attendance at churches drops, or when immorality runs rampant. I say faith is most at risk when we get too comfortable. Once we find ourselves settling into life, feeling content and warm like lazy cats stretched …
Jesus and the Mommy Wars
I had no idea when I had my first child that I had entered into a new subculture full of unspoken expectations, judgment and searing competition—this thing called parenthood. I remember being a little uncomfortable when a nurse came into our prenatal classes to talk about breastfeeding in a way that made me squirm in …
The Body of Christ
I’ve been remembering what it was like to be a teenager, mostly because I’ve been thinking about my Confirmation students and what they are dealing with on a day to day basis. Certain memories have been returning to me. One that keeps filling my mind is when my gym class went swimming at the high …
Grumpy
It’s January 10, and I just saw a man walk past my office window walking his dog while wearing a pair of plaid shorts. There is no reason why I should have the January doldrums, and yet I do. This is an odd time of the year for a church worker; after the race of …
Interruptions
I am working on my Christmas Eve sermon today. There is always a flurry of preparation for this sermon as I look forward to preaching to a different group of people. Christmas is challenging for a preacher; we know there is lots of competition. We compete with squirmy children, distracted people who are thinking about …
God of the Everywhere
I’ve been in a lot of peoples’ homes recently. It is easy for me to get caught up in the office and administrative work of the church. There is always more to do, more to plan, more to organize, more emails to send. Much of the administrative work feels like it can’t wait, so other …
Narrating Grace 