Pentecost - Beach Theology

Break the Silence; Shatter the Stigma – Talk about Suicide Now

Suicide is one of the most important topics we should be discussing in faith communities and it is the one topic most readily avoided. We believe a lot of misinformation about suicide. We think adolescents have the highest risk, and as a whole they do. However, did you know that middle-aged white men now have the highest rates of suicide? Suicide remains the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. with a growing number of older adults dying by suicide. Churches really need to have this difficult conversation because we have the capacity and the resources to save lives.

What Does it Mean to “Be Opened”?

by Rachael Keefe

“Be opened” are the perfect words to follow into a few days of retreat. Jesus spoke them into the ears of a man who could not hear or speak. The interesting thing is that he spoke these words, “Be opened” just after a Syrophoenician woman challenged his notions of who was important and who wasn’t.

Sermon Starter Help for RCL Year B 14th Sunday after Pentecost

by Rachael Keefe

Here are several sermon starters for RCL Year B 14th Sunday after Pentecost for 8/29/21 preaching. I’m on vacation this week.

Jesus Wanted a Revolution; Do We?

by Rachael Keefe

The choice remains ours. Do we seek to be the body and blood of Christ or do continue to pretend we don’t know why our congregations are getting smaller and smaller? Jesus went where the vulnerable people were. We expend so much effort to keep our buildings and our worship exactly as they have been in the memory of our oldest members. What has this got to do with being bread for the hungry and forgiveness for the broken?

Living Bread, Living Water

by Rachael Keefe

Jesus said some weird stuff and the end of John 6 is the top of the list. Here Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood to gain eternal life. It’s baffling even when we don’t take scripture literally. It’s hard to know what Jesus really intended here. Yes, it can be a foreshadowing of the Passover meal to come. Yet, I think he meant more than the eucharistic sharing of bread and cup. I suspect that all this weirdness about eating flesh and drinking blood has to do with how we live, a metaphor for embodying all that Jesus did and taught. Is this any less weird? Maybe not…

To Bread or Not to Bread

by Rachael Keefe

And I remember the alternative translation for this passage with the implied predicate nominative: I AM is the bread of life. God is the one who will satisfy. The Divine within Jesus. The Logos, the Sophia, the Spirit. All this and more. If I manage to take this in, this Divine, I might have something that is more fulfilling than fresh baked bread.

Mirror, Mirror

by Rachael Keefe

Mirrors are helpful most of the time. We benefit from being able to make sure that we look “presentable” before going into public spaces. Sometimes, though, the mirror reveals unpleasant truths. I’m not talking about the distortions I see in the mirror; I know these are false. I’m referring more to the metaphoric mirror, the kind of mirror Nathan held up to David. The one that shows our character flaws and reflects our sins clearly. This kind of mirror is a rare and true gift, if we are brave enough to gaze into it.

Feeding, Fear, and Foolishness (A Time for Change)

by Rachael Keefe

We wait for God to feed the hungry and repeat the miracle of the loaves and fish. What if this story is all about us becoming the miracle by sharing our resources with the most vulnerable in our communities in a way that leaves no one hungry?

Rest and Renewal: An Issue of Justice

by Rachael Keefe

Just because Jesus and the disciples seldom achieved time alone for rest and renewal, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t heed Jesus’ direction. My intention is to take better care of my whole self and not wait until my body protests with extreme fatigue before finding rest. Imagine how the church and the world might change if we made rest and renewal priorities for ourselves and all those around us. If we paid a living wage for all jobs so people could take paid time off… If we had universal healthcare so everyone could have their physical and mental health needs met… If we made social security and disability payments above poverty…

Dance Like David Danced

by Rachael Keefe

Whenever I read the 2 Samuel passage about David dancing as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into the city, I hear an old Tom Franzak song playing in my head.

Break the Silence; Shatter the Stigma – Talk about Suicide Now

What Does it Mean to “Be Opened”?

Sermon Starter Help for RCL Year B 14th Sunday after Pentecost

To Bread or Not to Bread

Mirror, Mirror

Feeding, Fear, and Foolishness (A Time for Change)

Dance Like David Danced

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