Good morning. Two years ago, you welcomed me to Pullen Memorial Baptist Church for the sacred occasion of Brian’s ordination to ministry, and from this pulpit, I had the privilege of addressing the congregation by preaching upon Emily Dickinson’s poem titled, “I dwell in possibility” in which the speaker employs the architectural figuration of the […]

Text: Mark 9:30-37 Born January 18, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. grew up in the American South in a time of segregated public facilities. His father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr., supported a wife and two sons by painting billboards and signs. His mother, Odessa Grady Clay, worked as a household domestic. When […]

*The first meditation in the audio of this file is offered by Chalice Overy, Pullen’s Associate Pastor Text: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 In Mark 7, Jesus addresses three different groups of people: the Pharisees and scribes who are concerned about proper hygiene, specifically the washing of hands; “the crowd” that always seems to be wherever […]

Text: Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 This past week our Jewish family at Temple Beth Or received serious and specific threats of harm and violence to their community. As a result, they had to suspend many of their weekly activities. In the wake of this news, I reached out to my colleague and friend Rabbi Dinner to […]

Text: Psalm 130 This morning I want to talk a little bit about making room for redemption. My first introduction to team sports was when my parents signed me up for softball when I was about 6 years old. I had been practicing softball with my mom. My dad wasn’t very coordinated, and sports was […]

Text: Proverbs 9:1-6 Four, almost five years ago now, to celebrate my fiftieth birthday, I planned a Babette’s Feast style dinner and invited seven individuals, each of whom had played a significant role in my life at various stages of my life. The guests ranged in age from 92 to 16 including one person their […]

John 6:1-21 “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics. While Einstein’s work is known for […]

Text: Jeremiah 23:1-6 It is wise to never underestimate the power of words, and/or one’s relationship to words. One word can change someone’s entire day. Words—even one word—can help or harm, heal or hurt, bless or curse. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then […]

Pullen member Bernie Cochran delivered this sermon. Text: Matthew 22: 34 – 39 Nancy has encouraged the congregation to take time to enjoy the beauty of the stained-glass windows–the two new splendid, side additions, as well. Roger Williams, the minister of the first Baptist church in America, in Providence, Rhode Island, is portrayed in the […]

Text: Judges 11:29-40 If you are unfamiliar with the tale of Jephthah’s Daughter, you are not alone. Upon first hearing, this plot sounds like a grotesque and Germanic story that is beckoning to be cleaned up and animated by Walt Disney or Pixar. Hollywood could polish this sordid myth, add a prince, and make it […]