On Monday I began to pre-record the worship service for a neighboring church. I set up my camera indoors with daylight not too bright, not too shadowy. I cleared clutter so my background did not distract from the prayers. I adjusted the height, angle and frame of the camera lens. I plugged in my microphone […]
Mighty and merciful God, our hearts are full of gratitude. We are grateful for good health and for recovery from illness. We are grateful to be safe in this moment, right here and right now. We are grateful for food to eat today. Some of us are grateful for work to do and others are […]
“What will you do if there is a fire in your house?” Miss Brady asked her class of third graders. We learned that hiding under the bed was the wrong answer. She taught us all about fire safety and assigned the homework of drawing a map of our house with a family plan about how […]
St. Anne’s church was packed with people on Wednesday evening. The funeral home invited them; all the families who had suffered a death this year. There was a priest and an AME Zion church pastor and me, all leading worship together. I told the story about Emma’s gift. There is a part of the story […]
I preached at Hadwen Park Congregational Church on the first Sunday in April at Rev. Sarah Sund-Lussier’s ordination. She requested her favorite scripture, Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd loses 1 out of 100, but searches until he finds the single lost lamb and rejoices when it is back in his arms, just […]
Among all the bugs dancing, the very best one was the centipede. Whenever the music started up, he began to boogie. Until one day, the ant asked him, “Charlie, you have over 100 legs, how do you know which one to lift first?” Just then, the music started up, but Charlie hesitated. He looked to […]
It was a long flight and I dozed. The crackling of an announcement woke me with a start. “If any doctor is on board, please come forward.” We were over the Atlantic ocean, returning from vacation. Passengers wore comfy stretchy pants while watching tiny tv screens on the reclined seat backs of their neighbors. No […]
The cancer had lingered so long. We had prayed for healing, but the cancer recurred. We prayed for healing. Hospice was called in. We prayed for God to be present and for healing. Family members said these words: I love you and Good-bye. We prayed for healing. And light filled the room, the struggling breath […]
A recent article in The New Yorker reports on scientific studies of psychedelic drugs. In “The Trip Treatment,” Michael Pollan interviews both psychologists and subjects to learn how hallucinogenics could be used to treat terminal cancer patients by easing their anxiety with drug-induced dreams of life beyond death. The sense of well-being they experience while “tripping” on […]
I sat on a hard white pew the evening of Maundy Thursday, large shutters of the clear glass windows closed against the street lights. We huddled together in a dim, candlelit sanctuary; choir, congregation, scripture readers, and the pastor who led us through the story drawn from all four Gospels about the crucifixion of Jesus […]