I remember exactly where I was sitting the first time I heard the words that Saint Augustine used to describe communion. The back pew of a tiny chapel that creaked a little when you knelt to pray; I remember the white stone walls and the old stained glass that shined in on that sunny WednesdayContinue reading “Be What You See”
Category Archives: Sermons
Mary and Judas
Whenever I visit folks in the hospital, I follow the signs that are everywhere – Foam In/Foam Out; maybe this is something you’ve noticed in your own times visiting or being in a hospital, or maybe you don’t have any sort of framework for what this instruction might mean. But in all hospitals now,Continue reading “Mary and Judas”
Vulnerability in the Wilderness
One of my favorite hymns in our tradition is “I sing a song of the saints of God;” in it the author of the hymn text writes about the saints of God and that God is helping us to be one too. My love for this hymn was shaped by the Episcopal Church atContinue reading “Vulnerability in the Wilderness”
Dying, yet Alive
There is something about the experiences I’ve had in life, or my natural bent to be at home in grief, that allows me to be very comfortable with death. It comes with the territory of being a priest, and it was what provided my first nudge toward seminary and ministry. The first time I satContinue reading “Dying, yet Alive”
Overwhelming Defeat and Tangible Hope
It has almost always been the case that some of my best reflections in life have happened sitting on the edge of a lake. I have prayed tearful prayers and sat and stared at the ebbing water wondering if God is really at work in this world at all. There is something the way inContinue reading “Overwhelming Defeat and Tangible Hope”
Inquiring and Discerning Hearts
One of my all-time favorite sitcoms is the recent show, The Good Place; it’s a show that poses the question of what if the afterlife really was as simple as some Christian folks believe. What if all the good things you do add points to your after-life total and all the bad things you doContinue reading “Inquiring and Discerning Hearts”
The Weary World Rejoices
“You shall fear disaster no more. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.” These were the words to which my heart was drawn in my prayer this week, long before any of us knew what disasters lay ahead. Yesterday morning, devastation was in the air. Walking my dogsContinue reading “The Weary World Rejoices”
Beginning to End
My favorite part of any good book is where you hold the bulk of the story in your left hand, with only a few in your right yet to be read. I love the feeling of familiarity that comes with that stage of the story; I love how you can almost tell where it’sContinue reading “Beginning to End”
Seeing and Bing Seen
My favorite part of being a teacher was getting to tell stories. And even still today, I love to tell a good story, because a good story pulls us in, holds us for a moment, and then sends us back to your own world with a little more insight into ourselves or into how theContinue reading “Seeing and Bing Seen”
Blessed to be a Blessing
Recently, someone asked me to reflect on one of my earliest experiences of faith; they asked me what shaped it, how it formed me, and what did it teach me about God. My answer came as most answers to questions like this come with a surprising amount of clarity but being unable to articulate theContinue reading “Blessed to be a Blessing”
Becca Kello 