Listen to the sermon here: We Are Groot Or, watch and listen to the sermon on Facebook When I was initially working on this sermon, as evidenced by the description of the worship service from January, I thought the focus should be more on our first principle, the inherent worth and dignity of every person. … [Read more…]
Listen to the homily here: Ten Days of Returning Or, watch and listen to the homily on Facebook I spent this summer working as a chaplain at Vanderbilt. And one of the most heartbreaking encounters I had was with a person I’ll call Alex. Alex had been admitted for observation, as they had a lot … [Read more…]
Listen to the sermon here: Jeanne D’Arc Or, watch and listen to the sermon on Facebook Joan of Arc. The name has passed into legend around the world, the Maid lifted up into sainthood. Her story has been re-imagined, retold, and adapted over and over again, from Mark Twain’s novelization of the historical records in … [Read more…]
Watch and listen to the sermon on Facebook The Book of Revelation. It’s a letter written by a person who called themselves John, meant for seven communities in Asia that had gathered around a belief in Jesus Christ. Unlike today, when Christian identity is linked with power and empire, Christian communities (even before they were … [Read more…]
Listen to the sermon here: We Ask the Church Or, watch and listen to the sermon on Facebook I used to be a screenwriter. Almost ten years ago, the Writers Guild of America went on strike, right when my career was about to take off. I’d sold a project to a big studio AND it … [Read more…]
These prayers were written to go with the verses of hymn #100 in Singing the Living Tradition, “I’ve Got Peace Like a River”. The choir sang each verse in response to the spoken prayer. In this sanctuary and beyond its walls are people working for peace in many different ways” peace within in themselves, their … [Read more…]
On July 10th, 2016, in response to a devastating week in the news cycle, the shared leadership of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville decided to change the worship service the day before it happened. Watch and listen to Jason’s sermon interspersed with the readings he asked me to do.
This is the text of a sermon given at First UU Nashville on May 8th, 2016. Listen to the sermon: Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain The Wizard of Oz started out as a harmless showman in our world, one who entertained people with tricks and illusions. Then he crashed, literally and … [Read more…]
This is the Call to Worship I wrote for our Frozen-themed, multigenerational Flower Communion at First UU Nashville on April 10th, 2016. We gather this morning in worship, one congregation made from many lives, holding each other in joys and in sorrows. We gather to celebrate our differences, to learn from each other, to live … [Read more…]
This the text of a homily given at Riverbend Maximum Security Prison on March 25th, 2016. The supreme irony of the whole crucifixion scene is this: He who was everything had everything taken away from Him. He who was perfect was totally misjudged as “sin” itself (Romans 8:3-4). The crucified Jesus forever tells power and … [Read more…]