Sermons – Page 11 – Becca Kello

Suffering and the Reign of Christ

It doesn’t take much to invite a spiel from me about how much I love Dolly Parton. Growing up in Tennessee, she was always a constant in our lives; from Dollywood to the presence of her songs to the early days of her charity, the Imagination Library, which at the time was only inContinue reading “Suffering and the Reign of Christ”

Pervasive Love

There seems to be people out there who take naturally to learning another language, and after studying four languages to varying degrees of success, the one word that stands out to me, throughout all that study is a Hebrew word that my seminary professor told us was best kept in the original Hebrew, because thereContinue reading “Pervasive Love”

Praying in the Shadows

It wasn’t until I was sitting in the sanctuary at the parish where I spent my final year of seminary that I had a realization that I think most Christians have much earlier in the life of their faith. The choir stood in their blue robes with their music binders balanced upon their hands andContinue reading “Praying in the Shadows”

Who Do You See?

Throughout human history, the desire to see oneself reflected back in something has been persistent. There are prehistoric mirrors that were made of intensely shined rocks, or pools of still water kept for just such a purpose. We even have a biblical reference to a mirror in which Saint Paul compares something to “seeing inContinue reading “Who Do You See?”

Now is the Moment

It is said that if you get caught in a riptide, the only way to survive it is not to swim in the opposite direction of the current, desperate to get to where you once were, but to swim diagonally, away from the current’s cycle, into which it is easy to get sucked. This, particularlyContinue reading “Now is the Moment”

Remember the Table

Like most folks, there are certain parts of my identity about which I’m particularly proud; lots of these things are hard to conceptualize or to name in a succinct way. Others, however, can be shown by a simple picture or a few short words. On my laptop, there are several stickers that highlight the thingsContinue reading “Remember the Table”

The Miracle of Engaged Discipleship

It is perhaps true of every minister, that the ways in which my life unfolded have led me to this pulpit; this includes a winding faith journey, a deep sense of investment in the business of the church, and the jobs I have held and the skills that they developed. Though this is true forContinue reading “The Miracle of Engaged Discipleship”

The Lavish Sower

Walking alongside the portion of Jennings Creek that follows the greenway, I began to notice the creek bed, just a quarter of a mile back was flowing with water, now looked rocky and dry. The large limestone rocks looked as if they hadn’t seen water in days. And yet, just a little way downstream, theContinue reading “The Lavish Sower”

Let It Die

Today we find ourselves at the 4th Sunday after Pentecost, which means that we are about three Sundays into what is often thought of as Ordinary Time, and this liturgical season lasts more than 20 Sundays leading up to the beginning of Advent. Like most folks, I’ve been struggling to keep track of the weeksContinue reading “Let It Die”