Category Archives: Sermons

It sounds like the start of a good church joke: What happens when the rector invites a Unitarian to preach on Trinity Sunday? I tried to come up with some punchlines: I couldn’t come up with any good one-liners, so … Continue reading →

This passage from John (13:31-35) may be my favorite thing Jesus said. Here he gives us the core of what we need to continue his ministry. The Sermon on the Mount, with its many blessings, is a precursor to it. … Continue reading →

If you’re a lucky dog “parent,” you get one in your life. The one. The one to which all other dogs will be compared. You’ll probably guard your heart a little once you’ve lost the one, imagining you’ll never love … Continue reading →

This story of the Road to Emmaus has become one of my favorite lectionary texts. It wasn’t always so. Even though we read the Bible daily growing up, I didn’t remember this remarkable story until I first had to preach … Continue reading →

Delivered at All Souls Church, Okinawa, Japan “And lo, a not-so-young man from the Northern lands of the Americas was riding his new electric bike by the island of Okinawa’s western sea wall. And finding a dirt path to the … Continue reading →

I. Even though I grew up Christian, I didn’t even know the meaning of the word Epiphany until seminary, so like 20 years ago. It wasn’t something our denomination celebrated. I knew the story of the Wise Men from the … Continue reading →

All our readings this morning deal with what it means to be a missionary in the world: To be God’s people going forth to create the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth for all His people. From the Psalmist we hear: … Continue reading →

We all have our 911 stories, where we were when it happened. These stories are often minute by minute accounts, and not only where we were, but who we were with, how long we stayed watching. I’m not going to … Continue reading →

When I think of forgiveness I often wind my way back to that moment in this text (Luke 23: 33-43) when Jesus is on the cross and says in his moment of most intense agony, “forgive them Lord for they … Continue reading →

Delivered May 16, 2021 at Community Congregational Church In our contemporary reading this morning, the Rev Forrest church describes something that has become, for me, central to my theology.  He describes what he calls the cathedral of the world, where … Continue reading →

As a Gen-Xer, I fondly remember growing up with a series of books, written by Edward Packard, called Choose Your Own Adventure. They were unlike any books I had read before. I could read one a dozen times and each … Continue reading →

The first time I saw the lights I was in high school, out on the band practice field. At the start of rehearsal it was just a glow around the periphery of my vision, but within an hour it was … Continue reading →

Deep in the ridges and hollows of Central Appalachia is a group of Baptist Universalists known as the “No Hellers.” They reject the notion of an angry God bent on punishment and retribution and instead embrace a benevolent deity who … Continue reading →

Who doesn’t like simple? There seems to be a kind of obsession with simplicity today. In fact, a whole industry has grown up around it. Look at all the magazines: Real Simple. Simple Living. A Simple Life. Living Simply. A … Continue reading →

Two weeks ago I was invited to participate in a young man’s coming-of-age ritual, something his father had put together for him. It took place at a retreat center up in the Hill Country, and most of the invited men … Continue reading →

What was a pastor to do?  It was just so, puzzling. It was a gift–a gift certificate for a concealed handgun course. The accompanying letter read: “Dear Pastor. We’re so excited about opening our new location of Lone Star Handguns … Continue reading →

We all have our places where we recharge our spiritual batteries, or at least I hope so. I invite you to take a moment, right now, and think about one or two of those places or activities in your life. … Continue reading →

Scene One: You’re driving through Eastern Texas, and somewhere between Austin and Houston you see your first Cowboy Church. You think it an oddity, then there’s another and then a third. You suspect a trend. The churches are humble places, … Continue reading →

I have come to love Texas over these past couple of years, but I do miss Chicago’s trains. Soot stained EL trains suspended on century-old platforms crawling rikety clack through urban canyons of downtown. Or sleek modern commuter trains whisking … Continue reading →

I, perhaps like you, stand here today wondering how to respond to last Sunday’s vicious attack on the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist church. My sermon topic this morning was to be “The Year Ahead,” a fitting first sermon for the … Continue reading →

I entered the Buddhist zendo, my inner introvert fully engaged. First of all, I didn’t know what to wear. Some zendos are casual, come-as-you-are, like the one I had just left before my move to Texas. The only color you … Continue reading →

Delivered before the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, Boston Practice. Just think about all the things we practice in our lives, or have practiced, or have admired someone for practicing. When I think about all the meaningful activities in my life, I … Continue reading →

A sermon delivered the 2005 General Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas Winner of the annual Borden Prize for Excellence in Preaching -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This morning’s sermon is not only about the power of music, but also how music  — especially as we … Continue reading →

Opening Words Holy and beautiful is the occasion which brings us together today in the presence of Love. We gather to dedicate this child, Margot Jandilee Ramos-Richards, into this faith we hold so dear, and to the ideals of truth, … Continue reading →

I. Welcome Holy and beautiful is the custom that brings us together today in the presence of love.  Here in this circle of affection and rejoicing, we hallow a place and a moment for this young couple to speak what … Continue reading →

Memorial Service for Bob “Mac” McClureMac was my mother’s second husband who came into her life shortly after my own father died in 1998. I only met Mac on a few occasions in the few years he was with my mother, but … Continue reading →