minister, author, teacher, chaplain
The first hymn I wrote was “O Come, Christ-Sophia” to the tune of “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” It was in the Advent season of 1995. The multitude of masculine images in traditional Christmas carols pelted me like stones. I’d grown tired of singing “O come, let us adore him.” I wondered how different our […]
December 3 is the first Sunday of Advent, when we light the candle of hope. How we need hope! Wars are raging around our world. In our country and around the world violence based on gender and race, violence against our environment, mass shootings, and daily gun violence also destroy lives. We may feel hopeless, […]
Shekhinah (shĭ-kē′nə, -KHē′-, -kī′-) is a feminine Hebrew word translated “dwelling” and denotes the dwelling of Divine Presence and the glory of the Divine (Exodus 29:45; 40:34-38). She is a visible manifestation of Divine Presence. Moses first encountered the glory of Shekhinah in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-14). Later when Moses came down from Mount […]
“You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you; you forgot the God who gave you birth” (Deuteronomy 32:18). Phyllis Trible, renowned Hebrew Bible scholar, writes that “we need to accent the striking portrayal of God as female for the Hebrew verb has exclusively this meaning.” She emphasizes that the Hebrew verb is accurately translated “bore,” […]
The Spirit calls us to rise up against injustice in our world. She calls us to rise for justice, e.g. gender, racial, immigrant, environmental justice. We can join Black Lives Matter, March for our Lives, and other justice movements. The Spirit rises for justice and peace, and we can join with Her in rising. “She […]
