Doing What Brings Peace
The Apostle Paul has some advice for all of us: not about what to believe, but about what to do, to have peace.
Story and Allegory
The Parable of the Tenants in the Gospel of Matthew is strongly allegorical. The version found in the Gospel of Thomas is quite different.
Come and See
Hello, Merry Mystics!
I’ve been working as a pastor, and part of that work is writing and delivering a new sermon every week. But there’s a paradox at the heart of all such work, and all religious teaching: the very thing we most want to communicate is a thing that can’t be put into words. Sometimes, as Philip said to Nathanael in that story at the start of the Gospel of John, you just have to come and see.
Here’s a (typically wordy) song about that: Come and See.
Come and See
Last week, we heard the story of how Jonah tried to run away from God’s call. Not all call stories are so conflicted, of course. There are some much simpler ones from the first chapter of the Gospel of John: the callings of Andrew, and Peter, and Philip, and Nathanael. I have song to go with them: come and see!
Welcome, Jonah!
The book of Jonah is a comic masterpiece, and Jonah himself is both a warning and a comfort to all of us. This sermon includes a dramatic interpretation of a part of the book of Jonah, and ends with the hymn, “Welcome, Thomas, Doubts and All,” which has a verse about Jonah. The hymn-sing is led by Ron McCutchan. (Sheet music for “Welcome, Thomas, Doubts and All” is available in our Free Stuff area.)
Cherishing the Harmony, Part Two
The concluding part of “Cherishing the Harmony,” delivered at the Pilgrim Park church camp on the occasion of the Open Prairie UCC’s twentieth anniversary.
Cherishing the Harmony, Part One
In this reflection, we hear a beautiful psalm about the harmony of the natural world—and then we hear some competing voices of scripture, with other ideas about the nature of nature.
Quaker Simplicity
As a student at the Earlham School of Religion, I learned some great lessons from the Quaker tradition. Here’s one of my favorites: simplicity.
Nourishment
Here’s a reading (the story of the feeding of the five thousand), a sermon, and communion, all together. Viewer participation is welcome!
Stenazo
Check your shopping list: does the food you buy have high levels of stenazo?