“Abide With Us” Means Building Deeper Relationships”

An excerpt: "We are called to “abide” with each other, and not just our family and friends and those who think and act and look like us. I believe that God becoming flesh and dwelling amongst humanity in significant ways, even when it wasn’t always fully understood and even when it engendered antipathy, misunderstanding, and violence, God still felt moved to abide with us and for us to abide with God – and each other. This momentous act puts relationship and relationship building at the center of what the Divine does and expects us to do the same."

Caution: Bringing Blessing May Cause Chaos

Yes, the blessings of God are abundant, far more abundant than we usually give God credit for, but they also bring complexity, challenges, and chaos into our lives.  But Mary doesn’t simply “get it,” she names it with exquisite clarity and painful honesty.  The question is therefore not whether or not an abundant life is also chaotic, but rather how we will understand and respond to that chaos.

Reimagining and Retooling Faith For An Explosive World

"I have begun to fear we have a reckoning coming that echoes less King’s arc and more the apocalyptic imagery James Baldwin used in his book which I chose as the reading material while on silent retreat the week before my ordination to Christian ministry: God gave Noah the rainbow sign; No more water, the fire next time. So let me zoom in on the world in which I live and work and have the most influence, and that is the mainline Protestant church of the late 20th and early 21st century.   I want to offer five temptations that humanity has struggled with its entire existence, but which we post-moderns are wrestling with in particularly challenging ways right now.  And, lest you think I have given up all hope, I will conclude by offering what I think are antidotes to each and what people of faith, in particular, can do to help change the course of history for the good."

More Colors, More Letters, More And More Grace

Sermon for A Worship Service Of Affirmation For LGBTQIA+ Persons Central Christian Church, New Albany, Indiana hosted the ecumenical Pride History Month Worship Service Saturday, October 22, 2022 – “A World Full Of Color!” Scripture: Isaiah 56:1-8 & 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 By The Rev. Allen V. Harris, Regional Pastor & President, Christian Church in Ohio I…

Taking The Blame For Stirring Up Trouble

"We have allowed the basest of voices to claim the so-called “moral high ground” of what the church should focus on and what Christians should believe, even though such “morality” is based on the subjugation of women, unquestioned militarism, conspicuous consumerism, vapid patriotism, and a host of injustices to people who might not fit the mold of the majority.  I stand here today to call Carthage Christian Church and Lorenzo Thomas to stay the course you have set in your lives and that you have confirmed in your call as pastor and congregation.  Take the blame for stirring up trouble, for in doing so you will be in a long lineage of the saints of God who made a difference in the world!"