Sermon transcript: One of the things I love about the story of Ruth and Naomi is that it reminds us that family is about more than the people we are related to by blood. Sometimes family is something we choose, something we build through love, commitment, and the relationships we share. Ruth and Naomi had become family through Ruth’s marriage to Naomi’s…

Sermon transcript: Do I belong here? That question sits at the heart of our lives. Today, belonging is more relevant than ever. The people of Alberta voted on a question of belonging this past week. Anti-immigration sentiment is rooted in questions of belonging. Diversity, equity, and inclusion progress and backlash have belonging at its core.1 The thing about belonging, when it is…

Sermon transcript: Do you remember learning to ride a bike? The first time the training wheels came off? You were sure of yourself. You had seen others do it, and it looked effortless. So, when Mom or Dad offered to hold on, you refused, insulted that you weren’t being given the respect afforded to someone of your level of skill and maturity.…

Sermon transcript: One of the most iconic scenes in all of film comes at the end of the original Planet of the Apes. I’m sure some of you can picture it. For most of the movie, astronaut George Taylor believes he and the other astronauts have landed on a distant planet inhabited by intelligent apes and primitive humans. Taylor spends much of…

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Sermon transcript: The scripture this week sent me to the social media platform Bluesky, where someone had posted an image of a U.S. Department of War post on the former Twitter. It showed military service members, aircraft carriers, and helicopters overlaid with the words, “Send Me.” The phrase comes from Isaiah 6:8, where the prophet answers a divine call to service. As…

Sermon transcript: A lot of people have trouble with this parable. How did it strike you? I think, for a lot of us, this parable offends our sense of fairness. Why should everyone get equal pay for unequal work? It doesn’t make sense. This parable enters our hearts like Buckley’s cough syrup. You know Jesus is right. You know it must be…

Sermon transcript: I want to share a summer scene with you. I come home from a camping trip with the family. All the stuff, that I cannot believe we somehow managed to fit into our minivan is suddenly spread across the floor of the house, waiting to be sorted, cleaned, put away, or otherwise dealt with. There are sleeping bags and muddy…

Sermon transcript: I’m wary of tattoos. No judgment on anyone who has one—it’s personal. The thought of putting something so permanent on my body—and maybe regretting it later—unsettles me. But if I were to get one, I might choose Peter. I love Peter. If you’ve ever felt unworthy of a life of faith, if you’ve been intimidated by the idea of getting…

Sermon transcript: Who can blame Moses for wanting to do his due diligence? Here he is, facing a bold deity disguised as a shrub on fire, who just told him to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. This isn’t a “Mission Impossible” invitation— “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” It’s a command: “Now go, I…