by Melissa Kelly | Oct 2, 2022 | Fall 2022, Megan Ramer, Sermons
A Singular Voice Contains Multitudes When at last the communal voice enters the lamentation, closing out the book of Lamentations, the community finds a way to speak in a singular voice with enough spaciousness to embrace its diversities. It’s almost magical how they...
by Melissa Kelly | Sep 18, 2022 | Fall 2022, Megan Ramer, Sermons
A Time to Hear from One Another We encounter the timeless poetry of Ecclesiastes about the seasons of our lives. Pete Seeger iconically set this poetry to music so poignant and beautiful that it is known to nearly all of us. Like all good poetry, there is spaciousness...
by Melissa Kelly | Sep 11, 2022 | Fall 2022, Megan Ramer, Sermons
Ode to a Vaporous Life If all of life is “vanity” or breath or vapor, as the Teacher of Ecclesiastes repeats, is it then “perfectly pointless”? If life is unfair, inscrutable, beyond our control, and destined for the grave, as the Teacher describes, is it then...
by Melissa Kelly | Jul 31, 2022 | Megan Ramer, Sermons, Summer Series 2022
Some Six-figure Nard… In 2020 Seattle dollars, Mary pours out $100,000 worth of perfume on Jesus’ feet. Why? And when Judas questions her choice, citing how much further those dollars could have gone if given to the poor, doesn’t he have a point? Yep. But come...
by Melissa Kelly | Jul 10, 2022 | Megan Ramer, Sermons, Summer Series 2022
Mundane Wickedness Interrupted! Some of the most beloved words of Scripture – “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God” – are surrounded by some decidedly less beautiful words, to put it mildly. We know the gift of the beautiful and familiar...
by Melissa Kelly | Jun 12, 2022 | Megan Ramer, Narrative Lectionary - Year 4, Pentecost, Sermons
This sermon – about a semicolon – is a comma. We wrap up another Narrative Lectionary year with the lovely close of Paul’s letter to the community at Philippi. These words of encouragement, consolation, and assurance are bedside words: one can just as...
