I was asked by the clerk of a committee I am on to guide worship the other day. He wanted me not to prepare a sermon but rather help prepare our hearts and minds for doing work around discernment. The point for us as a group was to hold that tension between programmed and unprogrammed,Continue reading “Queries for Discernment and Seeking”
Monthly Archives: January 2011
Prayer as Song
I’ve been thinking about prayer today, and the many ways we pray that are not simply meal-time prayers (God thank you for the food). I came across Psalm 104:33 in my reading this morning which makes this point clearly: I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise toContinue reading “Prayer as Song”
Preparatory Materials for Quaker Heritage Day (Part 1)
Heralding The New Creation: Mission as Participation in the Quaker Tradition Quaker Heritage Day: Berkeley Friends Church February 12, 2011 Here are some quotes, Scripture, and Queries for personal preparation for our gathering together at Quaker Heritage Day. I may add more to this (thus the part 1) but I may not. I don’t want toContinue reading “Preparatory Materials for Quaker Heritage Day (Part 1)”
Peace Through Equality: Lucretia Mott, Paul and MLK (Galatians 3:26-29)
This was the message I gave this morning based on Galatians 3:26-29. First we discussed some of these queries: What do you think the connections between peace and equality are in the passages above? In what ways have I experienced inequality in my own life or around me? What inequalities stir us most? What disturbsContinue reading “Peace Through Equality: Lucretia Mott, Paul and MLK (Galatians 3:26-29)”
Heralds of Peace (Luke 10)
This morning the big word, the word of the day for all you Pee-Wees Playhouse fans in the congregation, is participation. It is a word that signals collective activity, collaboration, co-operation, co-mmunity, co-laboring. A mutual working together in small ways that add up over time. It might conjure up the image of a mustard seed,Continue reading “Heralds of Peace (Luke 10)”
Christmas Sermon: We Have Observed His Star (Matthew 2)
Posted a few weeks late, here’s my Christmas Sermon. The Birth Announcement And suddenly, out of nowhere, the Magi see a star in the sky. Magi – magicians, astrologers, wise-learned men and women, non-Jews from east of Palestine (maybe Arabia, Persia, Babylon?) – these are the people (it doesnt say anything about three of themContinue reading “Christmas Sermon: We Have Observed His Star (Matthew 2)”
Queries for Grounding Our Work in Place
I have been thinking a lot more about place, context and community that has been usual for me. I have blogged about this already a couple times (escapism and goals). But there are some queries I have been thinking about for awhile and that I have stuck to my computer screen that I thought worthContinue reading “Queries for Grounding Our Work in Place”
Thinking About Goals for 2011
I’ve been thinking about what my goals are for this coming year. I don’t know if these would constitute “resolutions,” I’ve never been big on those, but here is what I have so far. I want to: Accomplish less. This past year was crammed jammed full of more things for me to do and keepContinue reading “Thinking About Goals for 2011”
All My Favorite People Are Grieving
This morning we did a worship and prayer service around making “peace with loss.” Through prayers, songs, silence and the lighting of candles we remembered the many who have lost loved ones in the past year, and considered those who have suffered loss in other ways as well. In some of our planning, we realizedContinue reading “All My Favorite People Are Grieving”
My Favorite Albums From 2010
In the past I’ve done more of a write up on the albums I really enjoyed from the previous year, but as I went through my catalog I realized that I didn’t have a lot of new albums that I was in love with. What I noticed was that I got into some older albumsContinue reading “My Favorite Albums From 2010”
Gathering in Light 