by Rev. Karen Kinney | Jan 11, 2026
For the ages, people have questioned why Jesus, perfect in every way, needed to be baptized. I wonder if that question arises because we think of baptism in one of its meanings rather than the full sense of what it means to be baptized. Do you think of baptism first...
by Rev. Karen Kinney | Jan 4, 2026
It seems that every day we wake up to unimaginable negative news. Illegitimate acts of war, hostile actions towards marginalized people, overt racism and sexism, blue-eyed Jesus paintings being sold for over $2 million, more acts of white supremacy. All of it is meant...
by Rev. Karen Kinney | Dec 24, 2025
A favorite carol of mine is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” written by a despairing Henry Longfellow. The carol’s third and fourth verses are these words: And in despair I bowed my head:”There is no peace on earth,” I said,”For hate is strong,...
by Rev. Karen Kinney | Dec 14, 2025
I invite you this morning to put yourself into the place of Jeremiah and Mary. Both young, both visited by messengers carrying the word of the Lord, both filled with fear from those words. In Jeremiah’s case, we see the word of the Lord coming down to him to tell him...
by Rev. Karen Kinney | Dec 5, 2025
Over the course of my 40-year nonprofit and ministry career, I have experienced some doubt about whether or not the work I was doing really made a difference. Even now, I look at our world and think – too many are without homes or food or jobs or education. Sometimes...
by Rev. Karen Kinney | Nov 30, 2025
Over the next four weeks, we are going to take an Advent journey where we will explore fear and hope. What do you fear? Are you able to name those fears? Do these fears paralyze you or dominate the way in which you live your life? Do they become settled within you so...
