Rev. Don Erickson

Memorial Day is tomorrow. We will remember those who sacrificed their lives in service to our country and to a cause greater than themselves, as well as to protect their brothers and sisters in arms. It is a day when we remember the fallen, those who died in wars and conflicts from the Revolutionary War some 250 years ago to our current war in Afghanistan – yes, that war still goes on. As Ward reminded me a couple times, Memorial Day is for soldiers who died in battle. Veterans Day is for all those who served either in wartime or peacetime. However, I would dare say that for those who served in military battle, a little piece of you dies there on that battle field. Some survive, others do not and those in battle experience this firsthand. How could this not be so? And for any soldier in battle, there is always that first clash with the gunfire, the smoke, the screams, the chaos, the fear – that first battle takes away the innocence that came before it. Innocence dies in war. So...

Thomas not only needed proof. He not only needed to believe what he was seeing. He needed to touch the obvious. He needed to experience with his sense of touch the truth of the matter – that this was Jesus risen right before him, alive despite crucifixion, alive despite death, alive despite the law of nature that says there is no coming back after death. I ponder our reading from the Gospel of John this morning. A day after Earth Day, a day after the March for Science, knowing Climate Change is real but hundreds of thousands of people, many if not most of them religious, doubt and deny the science. When approaching scripture, the tendency for the preacher is to find corollaries for today, to find easy ways to apply what the scripture says and the reality here and now.  Initially, the parallel between doubting Thomas who doubts what he senses with his eyes and needs to verify it with another sense, his sense of touch, and those who doubt the science when it comes to clim...

Before I begin, I should let you know that in keeping with the theme of this service, I wrote this reflection in pencil on paper first. Wendell Berry is famous for eschewing computers for the primitive pencil and paper. Unlike Berry, however, I did not ask my wife Holly to type and print it out. There are some places to which I am not willing to follow even Wendell Berry. Also in keeping with the Wendell Berry theme, who is a Baptist, I will be using the traditional Baptist three-point sermon format that I heard growing up. Dylan had a guitar, three chords, and the truth. I have scripture, three points, and the truth. Now, I will say no need to fear hellfire and brimstone. This is a pretty interfaith and farmer-friendly sermon J Anyway, here we go. This morning’s scripture comes from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, vs. 31-32. I use the Douay-Rheims Translation: "Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, w...

I must begin with an important qualifier. As someone with a Baptist background, the separation of church and state a la that Baptist forefather Roger Williams, is essential to me. Explicitly tying religion and partisan politics together in church is a dangerous game. So, I will explicitly avoid talking about the politician Donald Trump or his politics. In fact, as we think about trumpism, we might refer to the verb "trump," as in "to trump someone," instead of the name Trump. After all, both the word "trump" and the philosophy of "trumpism" predate Donald Trump. Indeed, trumpism is more a philosophy of life than it is a political philosophy. Trumpism is a way of being, a way of living in the world.  Some have noted that hardcore supporters of Trump have a cult-like devotion to him. One reason I think this is true is that philosophies of life are as close to religion as one can get without it being a religion. So what is the philosophy...

Leviticus 19:33-34 If a stranger lives with you in your land, do not do wrong to him. You should act toward the stranger who lives among you as you would toward one born among you. Love him as you love yourself. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. You’ve all seen the deeply, deeply tragic photo of the 4 year-old Syrian boy who drowned trying to flee that war-torn country with his family. His tiny, vulnerable frame on the sandy shore lifeless, waves ebbing and flowing – it is heartbreaking, soul-breaking. A child refugee in a family of refugees fleeing a madman and a mad war, a victim of humankind’s destructiveness. This image is an iconic reminder that, like some of our Universalist brothers and sisters teach, hell is here on earth. Especially in places like Syria. When I saw that photo, my breath was taken away for a few moments and then tears joined breaths' return. As I thought about all of it, and as I think about it now just a few week...

A couple days ago, January 6th, was the Day of Epiphany. The word epiphany is actually one of my favorite words. It is a lovely word. And it has several meanings. When it comes to the Christian holy day known as Epiphany, there are actual two versions of Epiphany. Western Christianity’s version of Epiphany commemorates the arrival of the Wise Men coming to visit baby Jesus. We Three Kings of Orient Are. They come bearing gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In Eastern Christianity, Epiphany, sometimes called Theophany, commemorates the Baptism of Jesus in River Jordan. Today is actually the Sunday we commemorate Jesus’ baptism. There are a couple more general meanings of the word. It can be a religious term that refers to an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being. So in Greek mythology and Hindu mythology there is a range of epiphanies, the appearance of various gods to bring a message or reveal a judgment. Lastly, there is the common usage we hea...