poeshelli
-
Love has Come for You
What a wonderful image the lectionary text gives us for the fourth Sunday in Advent. Two women, cousins, greeting each other belly to belly, feeling the movement of their babies within their own bodies: In those days Mary set out… Continue reading
-
Faith and Democracy?
As we enter the voting season this year, some of us will be observing Faith and Democracy Sunday this month. Faith and Democracy. Many people might not put these two words together, at least in an ideal society. The ideal,… Continue reading
-
Back to School: Jesus, our teacher, the student
This piece was originally delivered as a sermon at Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale, VA, where I serve as senior pastor. It was given on the occasion of students and teachers headed back to school (Aug 20,… Continue reading
-
Who sinned?
This Sunday (March 19, 2023), I will preach the last sermon in a series on “Discussing Your Questions,” in which congregants have submitted their burning theological or biblical questions for the community to consider together. One of my congregants submitted… Continue reading
-
For the Empowerment of Nonbinary and Trans People
I am the parent of a trans teenager, the president of my local PFLAG chapter, a feminist theologian, and the pastor of an historically LGBTQ congregation. For these reasons, I spend a lot of my time thinking in both popular… Continue reading
-
Responding to Anti-Trans Legislation
This post was originally published as “My Trans Stepson is Not Broken. He is Wonderfully Made,” by the Mississippi Free Press, May 16, 2022. Over the past few months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have called gender-affirming… Continue reading
-
Lent in a Time of War: Mother Jesus and Loving Community
This post was originally delivered as a sermon at Safe Harbor Family Church (United Church of Christ) on March 13, 2022 in Clinton, Mississippi. The sermon text was Luke 13:31-35. Can you think of a time when you felt totally… Continue reading
-
Epiphany: A Story of Intersecting Religious Traditions
Christians are now living liturgically in the fourth week after Epiphany, but perhaps it’s not too late to keep thinking about the Magi—those three “kings,” “wise men,” magicians, and/or astrologers we’ve been singing about during Christmas. In 200 C.E., Tertullian… Continue reading
-
A City on a Hill
Nearly two weeks ago, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. As I’m sure our readers know, after the Afghan president fled the country, thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in Kabul to flee the country, so that they would… Continue reading
