Proclaiming Salvation One Story at a Time

I’m on my flight back home from the Social Media Conference at Luther Seminary, and as I was reading the Daily Office for today, I was struck by the words of Psalm 96:

Sing to The Lord and bless his Name;
Proclaim the good news of his salvation day to day.

I think all my years of playing with Lincoln Logs and old fashion puzzles trained me to look for ways to fit things together. Every time I read, see, or hear something I’m always looking for ways to connect it to other things. Today’s scripture, some early morning chatter in the Twittersphere, and the talks from this weekend’s missional church conference have me reflecting as my body joins my mind in the clouds somewhere over the heartland of America.

This morning Leonard Sweet (@lensweet) tweeted that one cannot proclaim the gospel without telling a story. Stories are the social Velcro of community. They not only connect us with each other, but they also defy time linking multiple generations with each other. Today’s lectionary reading from the Hebrew Bible was the forbidden love story of the Moabite Ruth and the Israelite Boaz. It’s an interesting story of transgressing boundaries and finding salvation in the loving arms of the other. I’m thankful for the many others in whom I have found myself online. Some have been individuals with whom I’ve had physical relationships, and others have been people I’ve never met in real life, some of these connections have started with strangers and oddly become embodied relationships outside the digital deep. When we connect with the stranger, with the other, whether it be online or in line, we strengthen a link in the great chain of being that holds us together in the universal dance of humanity. When we touch each other’s suffering we are mystically reminded of interdependence that exists between us. Sonmi 451′s revelation from Cloud Atlas contains much wisdom reminding us of the butterfly-effect of human relations: “…by each crime, and every kindness, we birth our future.”

Let us speak of God’s salvation, one story at a time — day by day — and together build a better tomorrow!

Message to a Beach Walker

This past weekend Rickey took me to St. Pete Beach for a getaway in honor of my birthday. (I am a few days short of turning 60.) We did all our favorite stuff—beach walking, swimming, sleeping, reading, eating fried shrimp, and, of course, visiting a bookstore. It is all special, but if I had to choose, I would say the very best part (except for sharing it all with Rickey) is the beach with its huge expanse of  water and sandy shoreline curving and stretching away for miles and miles, and with the quirky, noisy birds, and with the ever changing clouds and with the amazing light! There sure is a lot to celebrate.

But walking barefoot along St. Pete Beach can be a bumpy experience. In no particular order, I came to expect brief patches of shoreline thick with small bits of broken shells. Somehow, I learned if I walked carefully, I could mostly avoid the pain of the pointy pieces. Although walking past these small mounds was a bit awkward, listening to the swish of waves across them was beautiful.  I felt like the “Shh…” I heard was at once a description of the sound and an admonition of how to proceed. I think I finally got it—walk slowly, listen deeply. What a gift! 


Message to a Beach Walker

by Anna Cotton


Sand and waves wash small

mounds of thin shells--whispering

admonitions "Shh..."

Homily on Hope

I am writing to share with you all a sermon I shared last Sunday. I've been attending a small Episcopal church that sits right beside the largest homeless shelter in the city. Every Sunday afternoon, they host a service that caters to Nashville's homeless community, with a full meal afterward for all comers. My sermon was about hope in the face of hopeless situations. It is a little longer than what is usually posted on this blog, but I'm sharing the link below for anyone who is interested. Peace.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dYP_5sxhJFSK0GaZQ3uQoBNb4IZk3PfMoBClon3OdNk/edit