Jeremiah 1:4-10 Ordained ministry is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling vocations imaginable. As a pastor, I am given to share with others both the ache and the awe of human experience—to sit with others in their darkest hour, to share with them in their greatest joys, and to walk with them through all those seemingly ordinary moments in between. It is a gift. Along that journey, it’s my calling to utter the good news of Jesus Christ—that God is nearer than you may know; that God is … [Read more...]
Without Let or Hindrance — A Sermon on Homosexuality and the Christian Faith
Acts 8:26-40 Later this afternoon, United Methodist clergy and laypersons from our Annual Conference will meet in Pasadena with our Bishop, Minerva Carcano, for what is called a time of “Holy Conferencing on Biblical Obedience.” Both Rev. Martha and I will attend, along with several hundred others, as we seek to respond to the growing conflict between our denomination’s policy on homosexuality and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Book of Discipline, which constitutes the official law and … [Read more...]
Share Your Bread
While digging through some old files recently, I unearthed a file folder containing a handful of typewritten letters from the late theologian, Robert McAfee Brown, who died in 2001. As a senior in college I had stumbled across a few of Brown’s books, which challenged my assumptions and stretched my worldview. Brown had been a civil rights leader, an advocate for peace, and a liberation theologian. He wasn’t the most prolific theologian of his day, but he was one of the most practical. Brown … [Read more...]
What About Them?
Two events over the last few weeks remind us that we live in a deeply divided world where age-old boundaries continue to be reinforced in light of the “spirit of the times.” When Anders Breivik went on a shooting and bombing rampage in Norway late last month, killing 77 people, he claimed that his “atrocious and necessary actions” were in response to an increasingly multicultural society that was overly-hospitable to Muslims and which thereby threatened the ethnically and religiously homogenous … [Read more...]
What About the Weeds?
A couple of weeks ago I travelled with eighteen high school students to South Central Los Angeles for an extraordinary week of service and learning. Throughout the week, we dispersed in teams to various parts of the city with hammers and paintbrushes and ladders, building, painting, and roofing at several different work sites. My team of six was, perhaps, more talented and motivated than the rest. We completed our tasks at our first work site far sooner than the others, and for that, we were … [Read more...]
