04
Nov 2019
A State of Worship I had the opportunity to officiate several weddings this past month. That’s not something I get to do often, and I enjoy it, especially because it’s a chance to be around people with whom I don’t regularly worship. The same is true of funerals, and Christmas Eve, and Easter, too. We celebrate and acknowledge monumental moments alongside extended family and friends, and almost inevitably, the congregation consists of as many strangers as regulars. And because I act in those settings just like I act on a normal Sunday......
Read More
20
Oct 2019
Today, I’m walking with Sardis Baptist Church, Charlotte in the Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk. Here’s one last appeal, the same appeal I’ll share with our congregation this morning. There’s a word we like to use: Hangry. It’s what happens when your hunger makes you irritable. The girls and I had a quick get-away trip on Friday night. We were much belated leaving and arriving, and let me tell you, when our room service meal was more than an hour late, we got a first-hand lesson in toddler hangriness. Maybe you are a very focused worker,......
Read More
19
Sep 2019
Each time we gather at Sardis, we offer prayers of thanksgiving and intercession to God for the friends and family whom we love, as well as our many neighbors near and far. Those prayers aren’t just limited to our human neighbors, but also include all the creatures of God’s great and wonderful creation. In many instances, our pets and other beloved animals offer a companionship that is unmatched – they offer unconditional love, keep us safe, and infuse us with energy. They understand us. We think it’s important to acknowledge the special......
Read More
18
Sep 2019
In this age of polarization, there are very few things we can agree on, but some things transcend politics. One of those things is the right of all people, especially children, to have consistent access to food and clean water. It’s not that we have a lack of these things. Instead, it’s a problem of resource allocation. And not just in places far away from Charlotte. As a matter of fact, nearly one in four NC school children are food insufficient, meaning that they aren’t sure where their next meal will come......
Read More
10
Jun 2019
I am a fraternity man. Or I was. It’s been a while so I’m not sure what still applies and what doesn’t. And in 2019, I’m not convinced I’d be one today if I were starting college all over again. I don’t really intend for this post to be an indictment of fraternities, particularly mine. That’s something I’ll need to cover in more length than a blog post. And one day I will. I’ll simply say that when I was a student at Furman University in the mid-1990s, Greek culture was rooted......
Read More
01
May 2019
I’m belated in writing this, but since Easter’s a fifty-day season, I suppose I’m not too late. Each year, we do a Maundy Thursday Communion Supper. We choose to emphasize the fact that Thursday is the first shared meal or “Communion” rather than the last. We read all four gospel accounts, and we sing hymns, and we talk about how we can expand our table. We even recreate and reimagine the upper room by sharing a simple soup supper. Here’s a picture of our table, as well as a link to other......
Read More
26
Mar 2019
Last week, Sardis lost a longtime member, William Kruger. On Sunday, I was trying to think of the best way to acknowledge William’s larger-than-life presence in our community. I told everyone that he challenged my theology, but in the best of ways. I’ve always believed in a micro-gospel – the idea that little acts of kindness and hospitality have collective value; they become a chorus of love that eventually helps God’s world burst into the present. But William believed in a macro-gospel – he wanted to offer big, bold, boisterous, extravagant acts......
Read More
04
Feb 2019
Often times, our faith and our culture are interwoven. You might think it’s silly, but for me, my faith, and particularly my faith in the local church, is bound up in Krispy Kreme doughnuts. (Not Dunkin’ Donuts, or some other brand. That would be anathema!). But its’ true. Hymns, prayers, scripture passages, images, smells, Chrismons, candles, robes, stoles, banners, and other liturgical elements connect me with deep emotion and memory to the people and places of my past, and to the stories of my faith. But none more so than hot, glazed,......
Read More
24
Jan 2019
It’s been quite a week. I became a parent for the second time last Wednesday. And if I am honest with you, I wondered if I could possibly be filled with as much love, and awe, and joy, and amazement, and pride for the birth of this little one as I was for the birth of my first daughter. And I silently wondered if I would have the capacity to give the same kind of love and attention to my new daughter. I was. And I am. I can’t wait for what......
Read More
15
Dec 2018
Sights and Sounds for a New Season It’s not a drip, drip, drip…it’s more like a whoosh. Three separate and succinct chimes. A chorus of amens. A special rattle that goes hiss, hiss, hiss. The clapping of hands and stomping of feet on the downbeat, and the upbeat, too! “Peace be unto you, friend.” These are the sounds of Sardis: K-Cups cranking out coffee, as worshipers nudge sleep from weary eyes. A bell calling us to order. Affirming responses to another beautiful anthem. Maracas made from paper plates, and clapping hands (some......
Read More