Gathering In Light

Blog Entries

The Present Work of Atonement

Came across this quote today by one of my favorite theologians and it sums up in a really nice way some of what I talked about on Easter morning: “That Jesus died by crucifixion in first-century Palestine is as well established as any fact in his disputed life history. That

Easter

Jesus, the Risen One (Jn 20)

This is the message I gave on Easter morning. This morning we celebrate and remember Jesus’ raising from the dead. It is not uncommon on Easter Sunday for those in the church to focus in on the “fact” of the Resurrection.  For some, this is the perfect Sunday to bring

Blog Entries

Art and Protest: BP and Tate Modern

Saw this today and thought it was awesome (ht: GOOD). This art protest is from the liberate tate group. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4-vGbsBLKM&feature=player_embedded&w=572&h=497] YouTube – Human Cost – Tate Britain Performance, charcoal and sunflower oil.

Blog Entries

Who is Raised?

I’m enjoying preparing for worship this coming Easter Sunday. What a great day to celebrate and reflect on. I came across this quote from William Stringfellow (from Sojourners in 1976) and love it. It made me think, who is it that we think was raised to life that Sunday

Church in Mission

Connecting with Poverty in Our Community

A week or so ago the Oregonian published an article about poverty in our neck of the woods. The article profiles the “subtle shifts” of poverty taking place in Clark County, the county of which our meeting is a part. The city of Vancouver has worked to push poverty out

Blog Entries

(Untitled)

One of the blog I really like to read, Special Communion, just posted an upcoming event that I’d like to bring to your attention. Eda Uca-Dorn (You really need to listen to her recent interview here)  and others from People’s Seminary (www.hopesem.org) will be doing an

Elizabeth Woolman

Prayers: Elizabeth Woolman

I’ve recently re-read John Woolman’s Journal and have found it to be very challenging and nurturing once again. If you haven’t read it yet I can’t recommend it enough (here is a free ebook version. It is also available via independent bookstores like Powells (see below)

Featured

Jesus, the Prophet of Mud

This is the text from a recent sermon of mine taken from John 9 where Jesus heals the blind beggar. (We used the Message version of this story which seem to capture what was going on more clearly than the more literal translations). Intro: Our text in John 9 is

Blog Entries

Waiting for Spring

DSCN7306, a photo by C. Wess Daniels on Flickr. This was a picture I took a little more than a month ago, but when I saw it today it struck me. We have been waiting for spring to break here in the Northwest. It’s not that it’s running

Featured

Christ the Gathering Point (John 4)

This is some of the text I used on Sunday. I ended up preaching a message that was pretty different in a lot of ways from what I originally prepared, but I thought I’d still post this because I wanted to share the general idea. If you’re interested

Featured

Love Was the First Motion (John 1)

At our church for Lent we’re reflection on two interrelated questions “Who is Christ?” and “What Canst Thou Say (about this Christ)?” So there’s an inner tension in these two questions: what has been said about who Christ is? Who does he claim to be? Who do we

Blog Entries

Travelogue from Quaker Heritage Day (Audio)

This is probably the last of my Quaker Heritage Day reports, but a few Sundays back I shared during worship about our trip. If you’re interested you can listen to the Camas Friends Church podcast from that day: Travelogue from Quaker Heritage Day

Quotations

Ancient Paths

Read this today and found it inspiring: It is of the new things that men tire – of fashions and proposals and improvements and change. It is the old things that startle and intoxicate. It is the old things that are young. There is no skeptic who does not feel that

Featured

Remix Culture and the Church

During Quaker Heritage Day one of the key themes I discussed was the idea of remix culture recently written about by Lawrence Lessig in his book with the same title. ((You can download Remix for free from here)) Remix culture has a long history that began back with the advent

Blog Entries

Listening to God

Being open to the ‘truth’ within the various branches of Quakerism is one way we exemplify the virtue of “listening to God.” When we listen to others, we also allow ourselves to be made subject to them, and in this form of humility we have the hope of hearing God

Featured

A History That Doesn’t Aid Us

In reviewing some of my writing on philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre in preparation for my exams I am reminded of the importance of writing (and re-writing) history. Much of our moral disagreements in today’s society stem from an inability to recognize where things “went wrong” historically. The tools of analysis,

Blog Entries

On Grief (John Wilhelm Rowntree)

This seems appropriate given the events of today involving a friend and Fuller prof. of mine. Quaker John Wilhelm Rowntree wrote in 1905: Every [one] knows in [their] heart that there is no greater thing in the world than pure unselfish love. Death cannot conquer, nay he teaches ever that

Featured

Follow-Up Materials From Quaker Heritage Day

For now, I’d like to share the materials that were requested by those there at the Quaker Heritage Day event in Berkeley, CA this past weekend. A number of folks hoped I’d share the slides, and other documents. You can find those things below. Hopefully these things can

Blog Entries

I Heard the Words of Fire

I heard the words of fire spring forth from a child (of God); words that sparked an inferno and swallowed the whole world. It was an unintended outcome, but the devastation surprised no one. Simple words carry with them, the power to pick up, and the power to tear down.

Featured

Births (a poem)

I was reminded of a poem I love today while working on my Quaker Heritage Day talks. It’s written by a Canadian Quaker (and friend of mine) named Julie Robinson. The poem is found in her pamphlet called: Openings: A Poet’s Encounter with Elizabeth Fry (Woodbrooke Journal 2008

Featured

To Bless and Not to Curse (Openings and Closures): Romans 12:14

Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14 Queries :: 1. What does it really mean to bless/curse another person with language? 2. In what ways have I been a recipient of both blessings or curses? How have these things impacted my life? 3. What

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Queries for Discernment and Seeking

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

Blog Entries

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

Featured

Preparatory Materials for Quaker Heritage Day (Part 1)

Heralding The New Creation: Mission as Participation in the Quaker TraditionQuaker Heritage Day: Berkeley Friends ChurchFebruary 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.

The Pastorate

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: 1. What do you think the connections between peace and equality are in the passages above? 2. In what ways have I experienced inequality in my own life or around