For me, one of the most fun — and most challenging — parts of parenting is the ongoing conversation that happens around teaching my son about sex. Yes, I said fun first. I love having these conversations with him, knowing that all the little conversations feed into a greater development of his self-confidence and identity.… Read More
SERMON: Serve One Another
Galatians 5:13- “You, my siblings, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (NIV) Read More
SERMON: Waiting to Exhale
I had the privilege of preaching at Colonial Church in Edina for Pentecost Sunday yesterday May 23, 2021. The full service is here:
BLOG: Legacy of an Ally
” he may be a white man, but he sure does have a black heart” Read More
Binge Watch My Theology
“Who acts like a neighbor to Spencer?… the one who shows him mercy…” Read More
poem: ASHES
my boots are covered in the ashes of bridges burned and the dust of roads less traveled. wisdom calls to me from sacred pages with the reminder to dust off worn out thoughts and tired feet that have traveled too far on scorched earth. and having shaken the ashes from some misguided sentiment or strange… Read More
SERMON: Be a Doer
“A faith that is pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their times of distress” Read More
poem: CHAPLAINCY
Soul seeing hidden trauma in people with the forces of kindness, poetry, and the pure spirit of dance the real power of a good yarn, and of course, the power of women. the streets and the moment will be our teachers. we cannot know what will arise. not knowing will be our guide to pilgrimages… Read More
SERMON: An Epic Battle
“It is hard to stay in tension – even good tension. But it may just be that the interplay between faith and works, grace and law, covenant and gospel is what keeps our faith active.” Read More
My Plan?
What is My Plan? At the turn of the millennium, January 2000, a friend posted this question to the online community: citing that W.E.B. Dubois identified race as the defining problem of the twentieth century, my friend asked “What is your plan to counter this problem for the next millennium?” In response to this question,… Read More
POEM: Happiness Is.
‘Happiness is the sunroof open on a warm spring day it’s a home run flying straight into a summer sunset it is the glimpse of a shooting star on a clear night’s sky Happiness is an unexpected hug from a joyous child it’s a campfire surrounded by thoughtful friends it is a sip of champagne… Read More
BLOG: On Bias, part 2
“Bias is the stories that we tell, before we know the truth.” Read More
BLOG: On Bias, part 1
“And he focused on the protecting the safety of a purse instead of protecting the psyche of a child. My son was harmed, and my naivete was gone.” Read More
BLOG: On Bias, a prologue.
“What to do … how to respond … when the good intentions do more damage than any hatred ever could.” Read More
LITURGY: PRAYING WITH THIS HERE FLESH
(NOTE: My women’s bible study just finished the book This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley. At the end of the final session, I asked all the participants to reflect on this important book. This prayer is a collection of the thoughts that they had gathered as to their “learning” strung together into one body… Read More
BLOG: Suffer With, Not Save.
I have been reading and leading a Bible Study on the new book “This Here Flesh” by Cole Arthur Riley. I have found the author’s writing to be profound, poetic, and it is one of those books that causes me to think in a way that changes my perspective on life and faith. I am… Read More
LITURGY: Prayer at Emmaus.
God of the lakeshore — feed us. God of the doubters — reassure us. God of the road home — reveal yourself to us. God of the Spirit unleashed — advocate for us. And God of the empty tomb — remind us that since the beginning you have called the women, the broken, the disenfranchised… Read More
LITURGY: A Prayer for Easter Monday
STILL DARK PLACES It is Monday, Holy God. But many of us find ourselves in the still dark places of an empty tomb, for no one has become the body of Christ for us – in our empty moments, in our lonely fraught. We are still left longing for recognition, for a word of comfort… Read More
Litany of Blessing for Seminarians and Graduates
Creator God, who commands the watery chaos, hover over the mystery of our unknown tomorrows. Read More
POEM: What it means to say “No Justice, No Peace”
I have buried too many of my son’s mentors to believe this world could ever be just. until black men can make it past age twenty-five we cannot claim that the world is fair. until then, we must admit the world is designed to break them. and there is no justice in that. Mothers are… Read More
SERMON: What Are You Waiting For?
On Sunday December 26, 2021 I had the privilege of giving the sermon at Colonial Church of Edina (changing its name to Meetinghouse Church in 2022). It was part of a sermon series called “Living into God’s Great Story,” and I reflected on the amazing faith of Simeon and Anna, who serendipitously met the baby… Read More
LITURGY: a Prayer for a Church in Conflict
Our Holy Triune God, At the core of our diversity is unity, and at the core of our discord is covenant. As you exist — three-in-one — and are greater because of your variety of expressions, so too are we made stronger in our infinite variety — of perspectives and opinions, of experiences and expressions.… Read More
BLOG: The Power of A Catwalk
Last week was New York’s fashion week, which always brings me joy, but is particularly elating since this means the COVID hiatus is over. Looking at the photos from the streets made my heart sing. And Fashion Week reminded me of that time in CPE (for you non-ministry types: that is Clinical Pastoral Education –… Read More
LITURGY: Prayers for the Building Return.
At my church, we are celebrating our Fall Kick-Off, which is also a re-opening after COVID, by planning a prayer walk throughout the building. These prayers represent each of the church’s spaces, and the church members will be invited to walk through each room and to pray in each space as a way of rededicating… Read More
BLOG: A Midrash on Creation
The following is a midrash on the Genesis 1 Creation story, with the understanding that these verses are clear examples of merisms in the Hebrew language. God… as they hovered over the watery chaos… commands silence from the deep. And on the first day, God called into being lightness to darkness, creating everything from Lightening… Read More
LITURGY: Prayer of Reconciliation: July 4th
A PRAYER OF RECONCILIATION for a Nation celebrating Freedom (based on Galatians 5) Forgive us, O God, for how easily we forget that freedom in Christ binds us to love both enemy and neighbor, and calls us to welcome the stranger and alien among us. We too easily fall into the trap of assuming our… Read More
Cathy Mia Kolwey 