When I was a teenager and in youth group, my, very scripture-heavy tradition, we would go and compete, sometimes twice a year in what was called a “Bible Bowl.” Now some of y’all probably did something very similar, a Sword Drill, or other names it is known by, but for us, it was a veryContinue reading “Fools Looking for the Light”
Category Archives: Sermons
Sanctified and Called to be Saints
There are things that I have gathered throughout my life that hold special significance. The heavy and effective depression-era quilt that my grandmother sowed with scraps of fabric that would not be valuable to anyone else other than my family. But I love that quilt, and used it everyday until the threads began toContinue reading “Sanctified and Called to be Saints”
The Darkness Will Not Overcome the Light
Anytime I hear the words of John 1:1 read aloud, I am instantly taken back to the Sunday School classroom where a group of pre-teens were working on memorizing our weekly Bible verses. Like many perfectionist children, I loved being good at things, and John 1:1 was probably the one memory verses I got downContinue reading “The Darkness Will Not Overcome the Light”
Waiting in the Dark
When I was a teacher, some of my favorite stories to read to a group of five-year-old’s were stories that flipped common narratives on their head. Stories which could be told backward and forward, but when you added a different perspective, things changed quite a bit. Our gospel lesson today, while you have probably heardContinue reading “Waiting in the Dark”
The Task of Advent
Long before I became an Episcopalian or had thoughts of being a priest who might be tasked with preaching, I was a preschool teacher. And while there are many surprising things that overlap between being in ministry and the daily care and education of four and five-year-olds, one of the surprising overlaps is the wayContinue reading “The Task of Advent”
Warning! The Beginning is Near!
We stood side by side in silence at the bottom of the massive steps. It was at the end of a long journey: only a few days on the calendar, but months in planning and years in prayer. My friend, Whit, who co-led our Diocese Pilgrimage to Montgomery and Selma with me last month,Continue reading “Warning! The Beginning is Near!”
Messy, Imperfect, Abundant Love
When I lived in Abilene, Texas, I was deeply involved in the local interfaith group. Which, in northwest Texas, as you may imagine, was largely just many different varieties of Christian traditions and a handful of other religions. At the time, I was in seminary, but was a new Episcopalian the plan was forContinue reading “Messy, Imperfect, Abundant Love”
Prism of Hope and Mercy
By now, many of you know that before I went to seminary to become a priest, I was a preschool teacher, and I will never stop being surprised at the ways in which the skills from that work have enriched my vocation as a priest. Everything from storytelling to getting the attention of aContinue reading “Prism of Hope and Mercy”
God’s Care and Provision
It happened with such regularity that by the 3rd or 4th grade, both my parents and I planned on it. I was such an anxious and shy child that every first day of school, from kindergarten to my first day of classes in college, I went home, my body and mind so tangled with anxious,Continue reading “God’s Care and Provision”
Do Good and Share What You Have
This week as I prepared to get my hair cut for the first time since moving to Lexington, I braced for the task that many introverts fear: the haircut small talk. But in my forty-something years of life, I’ve chosen to lean into what makes me me, and I don’t tend to spend much timeContinue reading “Do Good and Share What You Have”
Becca Kello 