As Colorado has been easing some restrictions on gatherings, we received guidance this week from our Governor on how churches can begin meeting again. When the pandemic lockdown started, I had hoped that we’d all be able to come back on one big Sunday where we’d fill our sanctuary with people for three services followed …
I recorded my Pentecost Sunday sermon early this week before hearing about all of the explosive things that have happened with the George Floyd case and the subsequent outpouring of pain and violence at yet another tragic failure of our culture to deal seriously with racial injustice. Coming on the heels of another terrible incident …
Breath and Spirit: Thoughts on a Tragic Week Continue Reading »
I hate preaching to empty chairs. Can’t stand it. I didn’t sign up to become a televangelist and I certainly don’t have the hair for it. Moving worship services to online only for the past ten weeks has been a drag, though Sam and our team have done a phenomenal job in making those services …
Empty Chairs: Thoughts on Church Reopening Continue Reading »
I’ve been seeing a lot of announcements from United Methodist clergy friends who have gotten the word that they are moving to new pastoral appointments this July. Moving creates its own set of challenges in a normal year, but this is certainly not a normal year, what with the coronavirus, social distancing, and not seeing …
Clergy Transition in the Time of Coronavirus Continue Reading »
Happy Easter! Easter Sunday may be over but this week begins the season of Eastertide–the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost. It’s a festive time in the church year as we celebrate resurrection, new life, and new creation. An even though we we are still in an uncertain time, there is much to celebrate as …
Eastertide Update for Tri-Lakes United Methodist Church Continue Reading »
Holy Saturday is one of the most ambivalent days on the Christian calendar, sitting between the pain and sorrow of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Sunday. Biblically speaking, the Gospels infer that nothing happens on that original Holy Saturday–Jesus is in the tomb and the disciples and women were no doubt grieving through …
The Harrowing of Hell: A Meditation for Holy Saturday Continue Reading »
“I never thought I’d be giving up so much for Lent.” I’ve been hearing this from a lot of Christian friends recently. Indeed, all of us have not only been experiencing an enforced period of fasting, abstinence, prayer, solitude, and silence (all part of the Lenten disciplines), we’ve each been forced to turn our homes …
Like most United Methodist churches, the church I serve has had to move our worship online for the foreseeable future. “Social distancing” and restrictions on the size of gatherings to ten or fewer people have significantly altered our Sundays, and while we can still engage in liturgy, prayer, sermon, and Scripture reading online, the biggest …
With the coronavirus pandemic dominating the news cycle, we’re hearing a lot about “social distancing” as a strategy for slowing the spread of the virus. The appropriate “social distance” is about six feet, which is about as far as sneezes and spit travel (add 2-3 feet if talking to a preacher who annunciates his or …
“Never waste a good crisis.” Lots of people ascribe this quote to Winston Churchill, which makes sense given his status as one of the greatest leaders in a time of crisis in world history. I don’t know if he actually said it, but that doesn’t make it any less true. With all the news in …
One of the New Year traditions in the Kaylor household (ok, to be fair, it’s actually my tradition that my family tolerates) is that we serve sauerkraut and hot dogs on New Year’s Day. It’s a nod to my mother, who used to make us kids eat sauerkraut that day under pain of death if we …
Well, it’s almost here. No, I’m not talking about Christmas, though that is coming fast upon this preacher like an out-of-control Polar Express. Of course I’m talking about the latest “movie to end all movies” in the Star Wars saga. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker opens this week in theaters and while I won’t be there …
One of the things I’m most excited about as we look toward the new year at Tri-Lakes UMC is our all-church focus on reading through the Bible, beginning with the New Testament. Starting in January, we’ll be inviting everyone in our congregation to take a 16-week journey through the entire sweep of the 27 books …
When I was a kid I used to love all those animated Christmas specials that came on every year–you know, those Rankin-Bass stop action ones like Rudolph and other classics like Frosty the Snowman and, of course, A Charlie Brown Christmas. I remember my mom circling them all in the TV Guide and making us …
“Oh, Yes, We Need a Little Advent, Right This Very Minute…” Continue Reading »
I recently put together a four-week study on human sexuality for my UM congregation here in Colorado. It’s not something I was excited to do, given the current level of rancor about the topic in our culture and denomination, but as we move toward General Conference 2020 and congregations prepare to make decisions in advance …
Things I Learned While Having “The Talk” with My UMC Congregation Continue Reading »