From 2010. “Called. Gathered. Sent.” John 2:1-11, I Corinthians 12:1-11 January 17, 2010 First Christian Church Minneapolis, MN I’ve come to realize that as you reach a certain age, you start to look back at an earlier point in your life more and more. A friend of mine who turned 40 last year commented... Continue Reading →
Wait for the Healing
Back in May of 2012 , I shared a story of what happened at a Baptist church I attended in Washington, DC in the early 90s. It was a story of how people who disagreed with each other on the issue of homosexuality were able to still be friends and support each other. Around that... Continue Reading →
Sunday Sermon: “No Do Overs”
This is a sermon I preached in 2007 for the Baptism of Our Lord which is next Sunday. I happen to be preaching next Sunday. No, I won't be using this sermon. “No Do Overs” Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:15-22 January 7, 2007 (Baptism of Our Lord) Community of Grace Christian Church* Minneapolis, MN Did you... Continue Reading →
A Grown-Up Conversation on Guns
In the weeks following the Newtown shootings, there were calls for a "conversation" about guns. I always find it funny when folks talk about having a conversation, because it never means what I think it should mean. I'm envisioning something like one of those old PBS shows from the 70s where men in serious suits... Continue Reading →
Sermon: “Wholly Family”
This is a sermon I preached at Edgcumbe Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, MN the First Sunday of Christmas in 2006. “Wholly Family” Luke 2:41-52; Colossians 3:12-17 December 31, 2006 Edgcumbe Presbyterian Church St. Paul, MN Mary's having a baby. No, I'm not talking about Mary, the mother of Jesus here, I'm talking about... Continue Reading →
Top Five 2012 Posts, Plus One More
WordPress.com sends out a report on your blog activity for each year and these were the most viewed posts here at the Clockwork Pastor in 2012: 1. Paul Ryan and Christian Discernment- August 2012 2. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Started to Love Social Conservatives- October 2012 3.Elizabeth Warren, Mitt Romney and the... Continue Reading →
Why We Don’t Really Want an Answer to the Question “Why God?”
John Stackhouse reflects on the shootings in Newtown: The number one column on the New York Times website right now is Maureen Dowd’s “Why, God?” It features counsel on the problem of evil, in the wake of the Newtown shootings, from a priest friend of hers, Rev. Kevin O’Neil. Amid his admirably kind, gentle, and... Continue Reading →
Mainline Churches Don’t Give a Rip About Church Planting.
As 2012 draws to a close, I'm taking some time to reflect on the new church ministry in the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest and the hopes for 2013 and church planting in within Mainline Protestantism as a whole. Earlier this year, I kind of fell into leading a ministry team of people interested... Continue Reading →
How A Progressive Christian Pastor Made His Peace With Guns (Kinda Sorta.)
Growing up, I was taught by my mother that guns were not good things. Having come of age in Flint. Michigan that started to see a rise in violent crime in the 1980s, that message was only drilled into me further. The urban environment that I come from taught me one thing: guns were bad,... Continue Reading →
Gabriel’s Message
One of my favorite Christmas hymns is one I didn't know until a pop star sang it in the mid-80s. Gabriel's Message is an old Basque folk carol that is found in several hymnbooks. I came to know this song when Sting sang it around 1987. Below is the video made for the song. Merry... Continue Reading →
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