I always take the Gospel whenever it's possible but only with a grain of salt. — George Gershwin, Porgy and Bess
by Ken Sehested
One recent slow morning, in late August, the grocery stores’ circulars in the newspaper caught my attention. I began to wonder how things might be different if certain fortunes were reversed. Instead of “back-to-school” it’s “back-to-basic-training” discount offers.
Imagine, if you will:
Read more ›Signs of the Times • 8 August 2019 • No. 199
¶ Processional. “Sing, Sing, Sing,” Kyoto Tachibana High School Marching Band. (Thanks Connie.)
by Ken Sehested
In my mind, missing from the public conversation among mass shootings—about the clash between hatred and neighborliness of every sort—is the failure to acknowledge that behavior is always rooted in and propelled by a moral vision. That vision may be formally articulated and reasoned or merely be gut instinct and unreflected rage.
That moral universe may be as simple as sheer anarchy, the struggle of each against all, but it does have a certain 
coherence. Our deepest convictions shape our behaviors, which then refine and reinforce (or rearrange or undermine) those core beliefs.
by Ken Sehested
Our nation, averaging one mass shooting per day, now has suffered two in the span of 13 hours. Thoughts and prayers. Shots and tears.
Has there ever been a time when the practice of “prayer” has been so debased and its announcement greeted with such cynicism?
Read more ›Signs of the Times • 31 July 2019 • No. 198
¶ Processional. “Old Time Medley: Down to the River to Pray,” “Modeh Ani,” and “Hallelujah,” Nefesh Mountain.
by Ken Sehested
Texts: Matthew 5:1-12, Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 15, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
This coming week I’ll be applying to start early retirement Social Security benefits. Those of you who’ve already past that marker know what a milestone it is. It’s intimidating, and can make you anxious. The good thing it does is make you focus your attention. That’s why I relinquished more than half my pastoral job description. I want to give significantly more time to analyzing the reality in which we live, both as citizens of the United States and as followers of Jesus.
In preparation for today I’ve scoured my electronic and print files for how we in the Circle have broached the topic of “empire.” I was surprised. I’d forgotten how many times sermons from this podium have addressed the question of empire. It’s a conversation that’s come up fairly frequently in our meetings and gatherings and retreats, as well as here in our worship services. It’s not a new topic.
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
“He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars.”
—William Blake
§ § §
Read more ›Signs of the Times • 11 July 2019 • No. 197
¶ Processional. “Listen, smith [crafter] of the heavens, / what the poet asks. / May softly come unto me / your mercy. / So I call on thee, / for you have created me.” —“Heyr himna smiður,” English-translated lyrics of a 13th century Icelandic hymn, performed by Ellen Kristjándsóttir
Above: Halitrephes Maasi jellyfish, photographed at a depth of over 4,000 feet of water off Baja California by the Exploration Vessel Nautilus. Watch this brief (1:17) video. Preface
Read more ›by Ken Sehested
"If you want to change people's obedience then you must change their imagination."
—philosopher Paul Ricoeur
By the time I finished my cum laude undergraduate work and with distinction seminary degree, my analytical powers were sharply honed. I was capable of researching, selecting, and presenting large troves of factual material; which I immediately put to work as an advocate for justice, peace, and human rights shaped by a passionate theological ethos.
Read more ›Signs of the Times • 3 July 2019 • No. 196
¶ Processional. Drummer Emmanuel Afolabi from Lagos, Nigeria.
Above: Lightning and rainbow, photo by Miriadna¶ Invocation. “Let no one lift a coin of gold and say, ‘In God We Trust.’ The shekel’s rule and the shackle’s restraint shall feel the wrath of the One who sets prisoners free. In this confidence, sing and shout together, lift every voice and sing: Proclaim liberty throughout the land!” —continue reading “Proclaim liberty,” a litany for worship for use on US Independence Day
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