The camera pans across a beautifully decorated church, flowers and candles are in abundance, beautiful people stand in front of a minister, who is inexplicably wearing the liturgical colors for a penitential season; yet as the couple gazes into each other’s eyes we hear the familiar, “Love is patient, love is kind, love is notContinue reading “Hard Won Love”
Author Archives: Becca Kello
Becca Kello is an Episcopal priest serving the Diocese of Lexington as Canon Missioner, and is passionate about discipleship, community, and justice.
Baptized for the Boring
Like many of my stories, this one is set in a hospital in West Texas, it was a day before I hit a snag in my ordination process, and a patient, not three years older than me at the time had suffered a serious decline; inexplicably, a mosquito bite led to the development of theContinue reading “Baptized for the Boring”
Tell Me the Story
Growing up in a tradition that sang four-part harmony with no instrumental accompaniment, I learned to love signing quickly. Hymns are some of the fastest ways to learn something; singing about something is a sure-fire way to begin to internalize some of the great truths of this world. Christmas songs might be the greatest exampleContinue reading “Tell Me the Story”
Fear and Joy
Traveling the sparse distance between Boulder and Denver, we were in Colorado to visit friends and see the city; younger and much more suited to cross-country road trips, we pulled over in the middle of the night amidst that long stretch of road. The whole of our group climbed out of the car to wanderContinue reading “Fear and Joy”
Repentance and Freedom
Outside, it was blazing hot, the bright sun shined without relent as it does in the intensity of the Texas summer. Inside, though, it was dark; inside that hospital room, in the aftermath of his death, it was dark. His death was unexpected and heavy; it was an accident, and no one was prepared. PerhapsContinue reading “Repentance and Freedom”
Reflections
We sat at that same small square table covered in a vinyl tablecloth morning after morning and evening after evening. In the morning we would talk about the delicious breads that were for breakfast and how we slept; in the evening I would try to recount my day in what little Portuguese I knew. IContinue reading “Reflections”
The Hope of the End Times
Every generation has its markers; every generation has things that are so quintessential to those critical years during which you become aware of the world around you. They can be big things like watching Neil Armstrong walk on the moon for the first time or watching the Twin Towers fall during Economics class. Or theyContinue reading “The Hope of the End Times”
Visibility, Relationship, and Conversation
Sermon delivered on October 28, 2018. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. I have prayed this prayer time and time again, and with it also what is known as the ‘Jesus Prayer’ as I prayed with my prayer beads: Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. LordContinue reading “Visibility, Relationship, and Conversation”
Together We Are Able
Proper 24B – Christ Episcopal Church I say this with more experience and confidence than I wish I had, but there is nothing greater than seeing the people of Christ Church after recovering from surgery. Three times this year I’ve gotten to experience this, and three times this year I’ve gotten to experience the wonderfulContinue reading “Together We Are Able”
The Difficult Isn’t Forever
I laid crying, screaming in pain surrounded by people, some who knew me, some who didn’t, but all were concerned. My leg extended out behind me and my ankle and foot were contorted in unnatural and disturbing ways. Before the pain caught up to my brain, I knew something had happened, and my first thoughtContinue reading “The Difficult Isn’t Forever”
Becca Kello 