By Ric Hudgens
By Laurel Dykstra
Observe a holy Lent—the prayerbook enjoins, then spells it out with this austere prescription: self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and reading and meditating on the word of God.
I am someone with a Lenten disposition. My own natural reserve, saying “no” for its own sake, and avoiding extravagance, were honed by my family and by my participation in certain discipleship traditions. Whatever the liturgical season, I engage in above average quantities of penitence, fasting, almsgiving, and no shortage of (critical) self-examination. But there are places where rigor can’t take you, and the 40 Birds of Lent is one of those places. Continue reading “The 40 Birds of Lent: Observe”
Lent 2B
Mark 9:2-9
By Casper Zuzek
A little over a year ago as I entered the season of lent, I was feeling close to Jesus in a way I never had before. I was attending Catechism classes at my parish while preparing for my impending baptism- a time in my life that would mark a significant transition. At least that was the transition that I was preparing for publicly. Privately I was preparing for a different kind of transition. I knew that shortly I would be showing my whole self to people for the first time ever. This was the season I spent preparing to be honest with others (and honest with myself) about my gender identity as a trans person. Continue reading “Wild Lectionary: Meeting Myself in the Mountains”
By Jyarland Daniels, executive director of Harriet SpeaksMy inbox usually contains questions from friends (and strangers) about things related to race. Today was no exception. This question, from a friend (a white woman) who I have known since childhood, reminded me why the Universe has called me to teach to the best of my ability. Here is the inbox message (shared with permission):
I’m asking this question because you are one of the most well read people I know – especially of your own culture. I’d like to spend this month getting to know the story of at least one Black person that has contributed to the goal of change. Now, I’d prefer it not be the mainstream celebrated figures. That’s too easy. And I don’t need a book reference unless you just happen to know one you WANT me to get into. I have no problem doing research and following that path. It’s part of why I enjoy historical fiction. It inspires me to get into the ditches and find my own truth. I could go online and easily find a random book. But I wanted to get to know someone who inspires you and get a new insight or deeper appreciation of one of the strongest, most driven women I know and who keeps my compass going forward. That would be you my friend — in case you were looking around trying to figure out who I was talking about.
By Lydia Wylie-Kellermann
Preached at Day House Detroit Catholic Worker, February 18, 2018
Genesis 9:8-15
1Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:12-15
Who am I?
I am fierce and gentle.
I am life and death.
I am ancient and new.
I am solid and fluid and gas.
I am in you and around you.
I am above you and below you.
I am the snow and the rain,
The creek, the stream,
the river, and the sea. Continue reading “A Sermon, A Poem, A Prayer? To Speak as Water”
Today we honor the Lorde with “A Litany for Survival.”
For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children’s mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours: Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Audre!”
As the issue of water accessibility and affordability intensifies more and more every waking hour, let’s tap into the facts in the ground regarding actual consumption (from a Wall Street Journal article from a few years back).
Households: 4 billion gallons/day
Mineral Extraction: 4 billion gallons/day
Industry: 18.2 billion gallons/day
Agriculture: 128 billion gallons/day
By Laurel Dykstra
Several years ago I participated in the Wilderness Way Community’s Lenten challenge: to spend 10 minutes each day outdoors in prayer or meditation. Due both to my own inclination and the fact that Lent falls where I live during spring migration, mating and nesting season, this experience, which I described to others as “going outside and paying attention,” quickly turned into going outside and paying attention to birds. Continue reading “The 40 Birds of Lent”
Lent 1B
Genesis 9:8-15
Mark 1:9-15
Water flows through our ancient Judeo-Christian texts. Righteousness pours down like a mighty stream (Amos 5:24), and Jesus offers relief to those who thirst (John 4:13–15). Before whales or eagles or humans did, God dwelt among the waters (Gen 1). The creation of heaven and earth commenced through a parting of the seas. Rains fell, destroying all creatures except those aboard an ark, awaiting a rainbow covenant that promised an end to the waters of judgment (Gen 9:11–17). The Israelites flee from their oppressors to freedom through the miracle of a parting sea that offered safe passage from empire into the wilderness (Exod 14). In the Gospels, Jesus was baptized into the wildness of the river Jordan (Mark 1:9f), became living water at the well (John 4), and shed tears over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). From the beginning, water has offered a call to discipleship. Continue reading “Wild Lectionary: God’s Gonna Trouble the Waters”
Radical Discipleship 