When I think of the number of moments when I felt emotionally spent, overwhelmed, despairing, and even resentful in my first five years of ministry, it makes me ache a little for my younger, more enthusiastic and foolhardy self. The last two years went a little bit better—for me if not for my congregation—and theContinue reading “How non-attachment might have improved my ministry”
Category Archives: religion
The Cross and the Lynching Tree—Atonement Theology and Beyond
Several people have expressed interest in my recent sermon about my concerns with atonement theology. Let me first say that I might never have preached this sermon if our church weren’t doing a sermon series on “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Bible But Were Afraid to Ask,” where congregants got to submitContinue reading “The Cross and the Lynching Tree—Atonement Theology and Beyond”
The weight of ministry (or “Atlas Shrugged….can we find a better solution?”)
I stand before you a reformed woman. I mean re-formed. As in, I am beginning to inhabit a new form or shape. One bowling ball less than two weeks ago, as the guy from the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead would say. I did a six-day juice cleanse and lost an alarming 13 pounds,Continue reading “The weight of ministry (or “Atlas Shrugged….can we find a better solution?”)”
A Good Friday poem by Sandhya Jha and Tai Amri Spann-Wilson
Tai Amri and I had five minutes to preach on the “third word” at a Good Friday service yesterday. We co-created this poem, each taking a stanza and passing the growing work back and forth, over the course of an hour, in response to the following passage: John 19:25-27: Standing near the cross of JesusContinue reading “A Good Friday poem by Sandhya Jha and Tai Amri Spann-Wilson”
Malcolm, Martin, the Mahatma and a couple of Mary’s: A resurrection story
Malcolm, Martin, the Mahatma and a couple of Mary’s: A resurrection story Holy Saturday sermon By Sandhya Jha New Spirit Community Church, Berkeley, CA March 30, 2013 The Gospel : Mark 16:1-8 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go andContinue reading “Malcolm, Martin, the Mahatma and a couple of Mary’s: A resurrection story”
Consensus, my congregation, and a miracle in progress
“I can’t wait to tell my friends back home that I’m a Quaker missionary,” said my co-pastor at the end of the meeting. Born into the Friends tradition, he had just led us through a Spirit-based consensus model for decision making as the second half of our meeting to determine what our next steps togetherContinue reading “Consensus, my congregation, and a miracle in progress”
One straight Christian’s journey into Ally-hood (and a plea for ally-hood with people in the hood)
You may know the weird and sad story of my first college boyfriend. I don’t talk about this a ton, because it was a messy and complicated and deeply personal issue, and publicly I usually only talk about it in terms of how it shaped my commitment to gun safety. But the fact is, itContinue reading “One straight Christian’s journey into Ally-hood (and a plea for ally-hood with people in the hood)”
Righteousness in Complex Times
I have attempted to convert my sermon notes from yesterday into a sermon. By means of explanation, this sermon is part of a series our church is doing on the beatitudes, or the sermon where Jesus lists different groups of people who are blessed, although their lives are hard. We are using an accompanying children’sContinue reading “Righteousness in Complex Times”
Longfellow, Belafonte and the dream of peace on earth at Christmas
It is VERY unusual for me to manuscript a sermon these days. Usually, I only do so if the sermon’s going to be translated. My style borders on folksy with occasional gospel-preaching ramp-ups, neither of which is well served by tightly managed wording or the temptation to glance down at the paper on the lectern.Continue reading “Longfellow, Belafonte and the dream of peace on earth at Christmas”
A dead young man + an outpouring of rage = rules to limit public speech at city council meetings? A pastor’s response to city council
You may know the story of Alan Blueford, shot by police for the crime of running away and then falsely framed by his assailant (currently on paid suspension). You may know the story of his family and supporters taking over a city council meeting last night to demand an unredacted report about the shooting.Continue reading “A dead young man + an outpouring of rage = rules to limit public speech at city council meetings? A pastor’s response to city council”
Sandhya Rani Jha 