I walked into Ms. Ruth Ann’s funeral – my first Episcopal funeral – and it was the moment that I knew that Episcopal Church was my spiritual home. As a relatively new Episcopalian, I was surprised that the vestments and altar hangings were the same color that were used for baptisms or high holyContinue reading “Radical, Expansive Mercy”
Category Archives: Sermons
God is At Work – Will We Join In?
One of the easiest ways in which I connect with God is through nature, and I love when I can be with those I love out in God’s beauty. One of the best things about exploring nature with others is learning that the things I love aren’t necessarily the things that others love. Stopping toContinue reading “God is At Work – Will We Join In?”
Who Are We To Hinder God?
One can see it the longer one spends out in the garden, or in nature, the ways in which nature tends to take care of itself. But as I’ve learned to garden over the years, I’ve learned that sometimes the spaces we cultivate for flowers or trees or crops need special care so that theyContinue reading “Who Are We To Hinder God?”
Following and Changing
Whenever people return from a trip, rather than asking how their trip was, I like to get the details, I love to hear the whole story, and I’ve learned that people tell better stories when we ask better questions, so when folks return, I ask: 1) What was the most beautiful thing you saw? 2)Continue reading “Following and Changing”
The Measure We Give
There are times when I turn to the Holy Scriptures and God’s comfort is undeniable, but sometimes, on the first read, I can read our sacred texts as an impossible bar to clear. In today’s gospel, I have to confess, my first thoughts were that I do not love my enemies as I should;Continue reading “The Measure We Give”
Redeemed, Beloved, and Called
There is a particular sort of response that I have whenever someone really pushes my buttons; maybe it’s an inflamed issue that gets lots of attention in the media or something more deep-seeded and woven into childhood wounds, but no matter the cause, I tend to have the same response, and since it’s my lastContinue reading “Redeemed, Beloved, and Called”
A Hard Edges and Dark Corners Christmas
When I had the opportunity to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, an ancient pilgrimage across Northern Spain a few years ago, I shared stories and pictures from that journey with this congregation. One of the conversations I had when I got back, was with someone who marveled at how, in every picture, IContinue reading “A Hard Edges and Dark Corners Christmas”
My Advent Prayer
I count it one of my life’s great gifts that I went to the same small, liberal arts college as my younger brother. For most of our lives up until our college years, I was painfully quiet and shy, and he was, well, painfully loud and gregarious. He was on campus for less than twoContinue reading “My Advent Prayer”
Baptized into Love
The way the story goes in my family history, it was my grandmother who first noticed. My dad’s mom raised five boys on the southside of Indianapolis, in a two-bedroom home so she got pretty good at paying attention. But it was my grandmother who first noticed that as I graduated from the chaos ofContinue reading “Baptized into Love”
Healing and Hurt
One of my favorite things about our language is a turn of phrase or idioms; I love the way they short-hand common experiences and provide a level of familiarity. I love these turns of phrases, because they fast track our communication. Recently, I looked into the origins of one of my most often used idioms:Continue reading “Healing and Hurt”
Becca Kello 