When it comes to imagery for transformation, change, and reinvention, some people gravitate towards the metaphor of molting one’s skin to make room for a new one. I prefer the symbolism of the chrysalis that shelters a developing butterfly. We’re all destined to form and shed many chrysalises throughout our human lives. This morning, with … Continue reading A Chrysalis Year
Resistance in America takes many forms in 2026. One is the whistle brigade to prevent or interrupt ICE abductions. Chicagoans assembled 4000 ICE-watch whistle kits and the intervention is spreading. How do we fight back on the creeping authoritarianism in our country? In this sermon for Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, we’ll revisit Timothy Snyder’s … Continue reading Come Blow Your Whistle… Revisiting “On Tyranny”
It has been said that the essence of monastic life is summed up in one phrase: “chop wood and carry water.” That is, as part of a structured day of habits and rituals that begins in the early morning light with meditating on death, making one’s bed, chanting, and sweeping. How can the power of … Continue reading Waking Up with the Monks and the Power of Habit
On Wednesday, December 24 at 4:30pm join us for a joyful service of readings, reflection, choir selections and congregational caroling. Rev. Robin Landerman Zucker with Worship Leader Rev. Suzie Matranga Watson. Music from Mary R. and the Sunrise Choir, under the direction of Tyler P. AV tech services by Jon N. Cookie exchange after the service.
In the Western Abrahamic religious traditions, God is seen as a source of light, banishing darkness, and bringing hope. Yahweh impressively “let there be light,” Jesus is famously “the way, truth and light,” and Allah is characterized as the “Universal Light.” Darkness is seen as an enemy, associated with evil, with the shadow. It wasn’t … Continue reading Luminescence – Welcoming Light, Honoring Darkness
To deny that life has its share of disappointments, frustrations, losses and setbacks would be unrealistic and ultimately, counterproductive to our personal growth and well-being. Coach Ted Lasso, the folksy protagonist of the hit TV show, doesn’t deny it. Yet, he posts “Believe” signs around the locker room and asks his English football team at … Continue reading Ted Lasso, Maccabees, and the Miracle of Hope
What does it mean to “belong” to a tribe, a community, a family, a congregation? One of the most rewarding aspects of belonging is the sense of having found a home for ourselves and, in turn, being found, supported, and accepted there as we are. In this sermon to celebrate our Eastrose tribe in the … Continue reading You Will Be Found – The Need to Belong and the Power of Tribes
In the words of writer David Brooks, “In a culture devoid of moral education, generations are growing up in a morally inarticulate, self-referential world.” Along with Mr. Brooks, I wonder why so many Americans have gotten so sad and gutted. And a companion question, why has a swath of America gotten so mean? This intermeshed … Continue reading How America Got Mean & Why Kindness Matters
When Thomas Jefferson debated his landmark Statute of Religious Freedom in 1786, could he have foreseen the troubling state of rampant official “Godliness” in our current political system? On this pre-election Sunday, we’ll explore how the President’s religious behavior has taken on new and surreal meaning in a White House rife with endorsed evangelical zeal and … Continue reading An Atheist for President?
In Japan, vintage disconnected telephones are bolted to trees in the forest or reside in makeshift “booths.” The Japanese call these “wind phones” and wander to their locations to communicate with loved ones they have lost. Wind Phones now exist all over the world, including the Portland area. The five stages of grief suggest this … Continue reading Wind Phones in the Forest and the Geography of Grief
