Rev. Debbie Clark

Repairers of the Breach Luke 4:14-21; Isaiah 59:1-12 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark June 12, 2022           “No more thoughts and prayers!” With each horrifying act of gun violence, the cries grow louder. Thoughts and prayers, devoid of action, are not only useless; they are hypocritical and offensive—a slap in the face of people who […]

Luke 12:6-7 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark July 10, 2022          I was underwhelmed. Once again, my experience of Cape Cod was being shaped by contrast to where I had just been—the high desert of New Mexico. In New Mexico, everything is big. Sandstone cliffs with dramatic variations in their coloring. Pedernal Mountain in the […]

Drinking from the Rock of Remembrance Exodus 17:1-7 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark May 29, 2022          War is hell. I speak these words with renewed conviction after three months of watching the evening news. War is destructive: we’ve seen so many pictures of entire cities reduced to rubble. War is brutal: we’ve heard interviews […]

“One Egg at a Time” Isaiah 65:17-25, Luke 24:1-12 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark April 17, 2022            Christ is risen! The tomb is empty! The cross is flowering! Hope is alive! Love is more powerful than hatred and greed, fear and even death!          I love that we make bold proclamations on Easter, […]

“More Beautiful than Rose” Mark 1:9-11 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark April 3, 2022            A wash cloth. A watering can. A water bottle. An eye dropper. A snorkel mask.          In my favorite children’s message about baptism, I use these objects to introduce our young people to the many layers of meaning behind […]

John 4:1-15; Amos 5:21-24 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark March 27, 2022 Jesus is a poet—a creative genius whose vivid imagery challenges us to think and feel more deeply. Throughout the gospel of John he uses metaphors to awaken people around him to a new experience of the holy. Almost always, Jesus’ metaphors lead to […]

Isaiah 55:10-11; Isaiah 58:9-11 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark March 13, 2022            This week I learned about hydrology—the study of the origin, distribution and properties of water on our planet. It is an interdisciplinary science, drawing on meteorology, climatology, geology, biology, ecology, and forestry. I found myself wishing I had paid more attention […]

“Down Here” Luke 9:28-43a Selections from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speech in Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968.  (See text at bottom of post) Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark February 27, 2022   “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you?” Such harsh words from […]

Luke 1:46-55 Rev. Dr.  Deborah L. Clark December 19, 2021          Her name was Margaret Patrick.  A stately woman, she was friendly, active, and fiercely independent.  She loved doing things for other people, and hated to let anyone do things for her.  And then she had a stroke, which left her unable to use the right side of her body.  She […]

Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 3:1-6 Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark December 5, 2021          “It makes it sound like we’re supposed to be perfect,” Norma said with a look of distaste on her face. Then she shivered and pulled her coat closer. We were sitting outside in the not-very-warm sun and the gusty wind, six of us […]