Public Witness
Here are links to sermons that I've preached at Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, DC:
- Intervention: Risk, Folly, and Inner Healing - When should we step in to help - and what kind of help can we give?
- Fed by Wilderness - Wilderness is a place in the heart, not just a remote location where a GPS comes in handy. The wilderness wanderings of the Israelites provide a number of lessons for the searching uncertainty in our own hearts.
- Chanting a Curse - In the Psalms, sweet scenes of green pastures and running brooks alternate with dreadful images of anger and vengeance. Yet, for Jews and Christians, all are part of the sacred canon, the curses as well as the praises, with the capacity to stir our deepest fears and longings and become our own songs directed toward God.
- Surrender Naturally - Surrender doesn't need to mean defeat at the hands of the divine will. It can be a process as natural as gravity, something we struggle against but which ultimately makes us stronger.
- Remarks for Ash Wednesday 2009
- Ritual 101: Dry Bones - What we say and do can build a container to hold the unbearable, the unspeakable, and the unknowable as we explore together the mystery of life.
- An Inner Garden - The special places that you have visited and cherished can form the foundation of an inner space for refuge, repose, and creativity.
- Recoloration - Part of our work as spiritual people is to understand the meaning that religious and other symbols have, not just for ourselves but for others.
- Holy Hospitality - The active practice of hospitality as a spiritual discipline can bring healing and richness to both guest and host.
- The Yeast Factor - To learn where you might have your greatest effect on the world, begin where you are right now.
- The Path to Joy - Celebrating the simple, ordinary things in life may not always come naturally to us, but it can make us strong and give us joy.
Letters to the editor published in the Washington Post:
- A Renewable Pride - America's optimistic spirit is rooted not a false abundance of unlimited resources, but the reality of boundless inventiveness, curiosity and drive.
- The Registration Challenge - Why does it take a 33-page form to tell Spanish-speaking citizens how to register to vote?
