A sermon delivered to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, KY on Sunday, August 27, 2017. Proper 16 – Year A: Romans 12:1-8; this sermon can be heard here. In your Christian experience, you may or may not be very familiar with Paul’s New Testament letters outside of hearing sections of themContinue reading “The Gifts We Have Been Given”
Were you there?
The old hymn begs the question: “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” Again and again it asks those who sing it or those who hear it to think about their own role in the crucifixion of Christ, even as we are centuries removed from that event. I would sing this hymn in myContinue reading “Were you there?”
Invitation to the Impossible
Sermon delivered August 13, 2017 to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, KY on Matthew 14: 22-33; this sermon can be heard here. Setting out for the long drive between West Texas and Tennessee during my time in seminary, I would often leave Texas in the early morning hours, long beforeContinue reading “Invitation to the Impossible”
Presence and Absence
Early on, as I was becoming aware to a sense of call among the halls of a hospital, it became quite clear to me that much of my ministry would be that of presence. I’m unusually comfortable with awkward silence; generally, I don’t feel the need or desire to fill a room with talking unlessContinue reading “Presence and Absence”
Anticipation
My first time serving as a lay Eucharistic minister, one of the things that most caught me by surprise was how people of all different sorts approached the altar rail with a sense of Eucharistic anticipation. Little kids giggled with it, worried adults hung their fear on it, nervous newcomers were alert with it, andContinue reading “Anticipation”
The Things that Shape Us
A sermon delivered on July 9, 2017 to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, KY on Romans 7:14-25a. The camera pans across the inside of a small, quaint house as jolly piano music plays; the wooden front door opens and in walks a pleasant looking man with a friendly smile dressed inContinue reading “The Things that Shape Us”
Calling and Clarity
Calling and Clarity is how I named my blog when I was actively discerning a calling to the priesthood and to ministry; once I was ordained, I realized that it still fit because we are always discerning God’s call and always seeking just a bit more clarity than we had the day before about whoContinue reading “Calling and Clarity”
The (Overwhelmingly) Great Cloud of Witnesses
In a tunnel, in what seems somehow both like a thousand years ago and yesterday, I began to voice my call. It was a dark, isolating place in which I quietly and timidly voiced the first stirrings of my calling to ministry. Most of the people in my life weren’t comfortable with it, and, toContinue reading “The (Overwhelmingly) Great Cloud of Witnesses”
On Being Quiet
Words are powerful. Beautiful, moving, and inspiring words motivate us to seek change, to become better versions of ourselves. Harsh, damaging, and derogatory words have the power to stop us in our tracks, giving us pause as to how we can continue on this path. We roll those positive and negative words we receive aroundContinue reading “On Being Quiet”
The Foolishness of Courage
A sermon delivered to the people of St. John’s Norwood Episcopal Parish in Chevy Chase, MD on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 on January 29, 2017. There is an unfolding trend among wealthy technology executives and the super rich: doomsday shelters. These are not shelters far out in the woods owned by those who are disconnected fromContinue reading “The Foolishness of Courage”
Becca Kello 