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Author: Kristin Gorton

Overhearing God

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
Shhh!!! Listen. We are given opportunities to overhear. Overhear God. God’s prayer. God’s prayer for creation. The world. The Church. Us. A word of hope. Love. Support. Transformation. A sending out. Continuing the story. But too often we miss out on the opportunities to be fully immersed in God’s prayer. We miss out on the opportunities right before our eyes. Jesus here. Jesus now. Praying. Through every breath, every movement, every conversation that we have: with young, old, family, friends, strangers. All too often we don’t see, don’t hear, don’t get—what is… right… here… And this is...
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Becoming God

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
Imagine a world free from disease and hunger. Cancer is cured. Genetic imperfections are corrected. Transmittable diseases are prevented. You never get the flu or a cold. No one has diabetes and heart disease. Children never die of malnutrition. Imagine a world like that. Then try to imagine the consequences. The story of Adam and Eve is a creation story. But its purpose was not scientific or historical accuracy, but rather to account for why people are the way they are. It is a story about mortality, the loss of innocence, self-awareness, responsibility and consequences. Let’s take a look....
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Will We Find… ?

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
Wondering about the wandering sheep. Lost. Snatched. Scattered. A sin revealed, named, in the simplicity of a hashtag. The complexity of a movement. Before I step too far into the reflection for today, I wanted to take a moment and remind you about those elusive hashtags that can be so unsettling. Just what are they? You have likely heard about hashtags, and seen them embedded in news reports and advertisements on T.V. and social media. For example, from the Super Bowl, do you remember Coke’s #AmericanIsBeautiful? Or Amazon’s ad, “#JustAsk Alexa”? No? How about the, “It’s a #TideAd”? Has...
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Moved to Hunger

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
I have learned, that in my personal faith journey, issues of hunger, feeling fed, and the community that is built around food, are important lenses through which I encounter God—and this has been revealed for me through a variety of life moments. For food is an integral part of our culture. Our identity. Our wholeness. Our survival. Our relationships. Our sacraments. Food is infused with Holiness. In the first creation story, God provides a healthy vegetarian diet for us, the human creature saying, “…every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed ...
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Touch Deeply

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
The story begins with: A locked room. Fear. Across the eons—how many locked rooms? People gathered in fear. Alone. In fear. Grief. Pain. Panic. Anger. Shame. Guilt.   Last week, on Easter morning, we encountered Mary Magdalene in her own moment of grief. Her need to immerse herself in the horrific loss she had witnessed. In the darkness of the early morning, she needed to be there. At the grave. With the death. There, as other disciples peaked in and saw emptiness, she wept. And then-the unexpected-Jesus shows up. There, Mary saw… Jesus. There, she talked… with Jesus....
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Something Unexpected

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
There is something about Easter morning. The resurrection. For while we know the story, this is something unexpected. This has to be an April Fool’s joke, right? An empty tomb. Life overcoming death. But we also know the science. We have definitions for “life,” and descriptions of “death.” God breaths into the human creature. Life emerges. The heart beats. Brainwaves pulse.   And now, today, we gather here as a people of the resurrection. That ridiculous idea of life overcoming death. The proclamation that love reigns over fear. In the mystery, theologian Marjorie Suchocki notes, “That whic...
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Were You There? Marching for Our Lives

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
This morning, having heard the retelling of Jesus entering Jerusalem, I have to ask you – were you there? They were marching for their lives. So many people had gathered at the gates to enter the city. Were you one of them? The dust and the colors that swirled around as people pushed in the mob to celebrate Passover. Ahhh. How I loved the excitement, the thrill of being in the midst of the crowd. The smells of so much life, so many people, animals, food, pouring together out onto the streets was penetrating. And then the singing began. People shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed by the...
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Grace and Action – For God so Love the World

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
For some followers of Jesus today, this passage from the Good News of John is familiar. It is comforting. All we need to do is say “John 3:16,” and many can quote the verse: “For God so loved the world…” For God so loved the world. For others of us, this text from John is unsettling. These are words that have been used to establish an exclusive, Christian, path to God. In my own faith journey, I have had to pause and prayerfully reflect on what is revealed of God for me in this passage. Scripture is one lens to the Holy for me, but not the only place of revelation. My personal relationship ...
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See and Flip Over

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
Last week, we took a look at the first third of the mission statement that proclaims “we are a community of faith called by God, to gather for worship and reach out in ever-widening circles.” This week our reflection shifted to the next section of our vision which states, we are witnesses "to God' all-inclusive love in Jesus Christ." Hear these words again: We are witnesses “to God’s all-inclusive love in Jesus Christ.” Now. HERE. So how do we… how are we… (or are we?)… keeping our eyes on Jesus today? For in the Gospel of John, the story is all about God coming near. From the beginning....
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Gather and Follow

Posted on by Kristin Gorton
The jump. The shift. The naming. The life. The living. The sacrifice. The covenant. The interconnections that shatter the boundaries between past, present and future. This is the journey we are on. Right. Now. For 3 weeks during Lent, in worship, we will be focusing on God’s covenant with us—and on our covenant with one another—in this faith community. We will use Memorial UCC’s mission statement to guide our 3-part reflection. Whether you are a covenanted partner of the congregation (i.e., a member), a friend of the church, or a visitor, you are welcome to join our prayerful reflection. ...
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