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Showing posts from January, 2019

Sermon, "Disney and the Gospels: Frozen," Romans 5:1-8, John 15:1-17

Sermon 1/20/19 John 15:1-17 Disney and the Gospels: Frozen Well, I’m pretty sure the storm is my fault. I decided to preach a sermon titled “Frozen,” and the weather very nicely complied! Sorry about that! How many of you have seen Disney’s Frozen ? I suspect even if you haven’t seen the film, you’ve heard some iteration of it’s most popular song, “Let It Go.” I took my nephew Sam to see the film when it came out in 2013, who was then about 6 years old. I think I was more interested in it than he was, but he went along with me anyway. And as Elsa, one of the two main characters, belted out “Let It Go,” I thought, “Wow - this is good! This is going to be a hit! Also, of course, it is an alto power ballad, and altos never get enough of the awesome songs, so I was a fan. “Frozen” is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale “The Snow Queen.” When the film opens, Anna and Elsa, sisters, are little girls, princesses. Elsa, the older sister, has a magical abili

Review: A Resurrection Shaped Life: Dying and Rising on Planet Earth by Jake Owensby

I received a copy of Jake Owensby's new book A Resurrection Shaped Life: Dying and Rising on Planet Earth to read and review. Owensby is the fourth Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana, author of several books, and regular blogger.  I wasn't sure what to expect going in - I've never read anything else Owensby has written, but the title and theme intrigued me. This is a short read, just over 100 pages. Chapters include themes like "Growing Beyond Our Past," "The Meaning of Suffering," "Mending Loss and Sorrow," and "Just Us." I think resurrection is sometimes a hard 'concept' for both seekers in spirituality and for long-time disciples to grasp. We want to believe in resurrection, but we have a hard time finding evidence of it in our own lives. Even perhaps believing in the resurrection of Jesus is easier than believing in our own resurrected lives, because we can keep Jesus' resurrection at a safe dist

Sermon for Baptism of the Lord, Year C, "Disney and the Gospels: The Lion King," Luke 3:7-18, 21-22

Sermon 1/13/19 Luke 3:7-18, 21-22 Disney and the Gospels: The Circle of Life “From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun. There's more to see than can ever be seen, More to do than can ever be done. There's far too much to take in here, More to find than can ever be found. But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round. It's the circle of life And it moves us all Through despair and hope, Through faith and love, Till we find our place, On the path unwinding In the circle. The circle of life.” How many of you have seen the movie or the stage production of The Lion King ? The stage version is really stunning, and if you get the chance to see it, you really should go. (It’s coming to Syracuse again this fall, maybe we’ll have to make a group trip.) “The Circle of Life” is the very first song in The Lion King , and these words open the whole story. As we hear them, we find lions Mufasa, who is t

Sermon for Epiphany Sunday, "Disney and the Gospels: Moana," Matthew 2:1-12

Sermon 1/6/2019 Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12 Disney and the Gospels: Moana What comes to mind when you hear the word “journey”? (Aside, of course, from the the music of the awesome band Journey!) When I think in terms of literal journeys, trips, I think especially of the cross-country road trips I’ve taken. I’ve done three of them now, where I’ve driven out west and back. It was something I always wanted to do. When I was in my first appointment, I finally started making plans. I booked hotels. I reserved a place at the Grand Canyon, long on my list of places to see. I made plans to visit with friends. But just before I was about to start, I had a swollen lymph node that I had gotten checked out. My doctor didn’t think it was a big deal, but sent me for CT scan anyway. While I was on the first day of my road trip, driving somewhere in Ohio, I got the results: I had several enlarged lymph nodes, and the doctor wanted to check them out. I’m sure I could have continued on my