Today, on the feast day of Saint Francis, when churches around the country and around the world celebrate God’s love for the entire cosmos, and especially the animal kingdom, it seems like a good day to commemorate Jane Goodall, who died at the age of 91 on Wednesday. I encourage you to read more about…… Continue reading Thank you, Jane Goodall
Category: Science
Fervor in the Face of Futility
I wanted to share some reflections from an article in the recent issue of The New Yorker. The title of the article was “Helicopter Parents” (by Nick Paumgarten), and from the title alone, I imagine the same topic jumped into your mind as it did into mine: those human parents who hover over their children,…… Continue reading Fervor in the Face of Futility
A Cultural & Spiritual Transformation
A week or so ago, I attended a presentation a colleague of mine gave on a grant project she will be leading in the next three years, on environmental education with the Maasai, using the system of Lutheran schools and confirmation classes. It is a great project, with the following components: Decolonizing climate science messaging…… Continue reading A Cultural & Spiritual Transformation
Creation as our Prayer Shawl
Like many churches and other Christian organizations, Wartburg Seminary has a little prayer shawl ministry. People in our community knit or crochet beautiful, soft shawls that are then given to others who request them. What is unique about them, of course, is revealed in the name. What differentiates a prayer shawl from any other wrap…… Continue reading Creation as our Prayer Shawl
Ash Wednesday & (Cosmic) Dust
It was a very fortuitous circumstance that today, Ash Wednesday, my feminist theologies class was finishing up Ask the Beasts, by Elizabeth Johnson. This is a lyrical, prophetic text, in which Johnson makes a compelling argument that care for creation belongs at the heart of Christian faith, and that God Herself is deeply present in…… Continue reading Ash Wednesday & (Cosmic) Dust
The Incarnation & The Cosmos
I got to preach the Christmas Day service at the Seminary; I love preaching on John 1, and I love that service–it is always full of such joy. Here’s the sermon, with some science thrown in as well–I hope you like it. Last night, in congregations and homes all around the world, the creche was…… Continue reading The Incarnation & The Cosmos
Who Do You Say that I Am?
No, this post is not about Jesus’ identity, but about the identity of roughly 1.4 million Americans who identify as transgender. The story broke on Sunday that the Trump administration is seeking to more narrowly define gender as something immutable and unchangeable, determined exclusively and definitively by genitalia at birth. [Read about it here: Transgender Could…… Continue reading Who Do You Say that I Am?
Stardust and the Incarnation
Last night was mid-year graduation at Gettysburg College. It was the first time I had attended, and it was a really lovely ceremony. The graduates were recognized, and as each one came across the stage, we heard just a little about them. There were only 30 or so students, so the ceremony had a very…… Continue reading Stardust and the Incarnation
In the Afterglow of the Eclipse
I was more excited than perhaps was justifiable about the eclipse yesterday, but apparently, I wasn’t alone. When I read this story today in The New York Times somehow it just made me so happy–and I felt vindicated. [Find it here: Unity and Enlightenment in Solar Show] Thousands and thousands of people all over…… Continue reading In the Afterglow of the Eclipse
Happy Lutheran 