On the eve of my ordination I am overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy and fear and hope and love and giddy delight. On the eve of my ordination, I look back, amazed that my life has brought me here; that somehow, despite all the ways in which this call could have beenContinue reading “On the Eve of My Ordination”
Being Found by God
A sermon delivered to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, KY on John 1: 43-51 on the Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 14, 2018. In 2010, Marina Abramovic, an experiential artist who creates exhibits that challenge and engage the viewer, had an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art entitled “The ArtistContinue reading “Being Found by God”
Swim Diagonally
The refrain of “name and date of birth” requests were constant while I was in the hospital; during my 11 day stay, I probably recounted the story of how I got sick and the progression of my hospital hopping 30 times. In the hospital, everything is about you when you are the patient. Doctors, nurses,Continue reading “Swim Diagonally”
The Mess of the Middle
It was a warm New Year’s Day at a monastery in Cullman, Alabama years ago that I first accepted that I am a mess. I distinctly remember writing in my journal, a new practice at the time, “What if I will always be a mess?”. I was young and hopeful, but also naive about myselfContinue reading “The Mess of the Middle”
Not Cancer
Less than three weeks ago, everything was fine; everything was normal. My recently adopted dog, Coakley, and I had developed a rhythm that kept both of us happy and always included hiking multiple miles a day and dedicated time with a special rope toy. I had just bought the perfect fall sweater and a foundContinue reading “Not Cancer”
God’s Grace at Work
Sermon delivered to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, KY on Sunday, September 24, 2017 on Matthew 20: 1-16, it can be heard here. Perhaps I have spent too much time in seminary, but when I first read the gospel passage earlier this week, I had one visual that I could notContinue reading “God’s Grace at Work”
The Gifts We Have Been Given
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”
Becca Kello 