Rev. Liz Goodman: Lenox & Monterey UCC

Thanks for the Side-Eye

Christianity has been thought as a dangerously lawless enterprise. After all, if everything comes of God's grace, then what does it matter how we live?  Church on the Hill, Lenox (UCC) Monterey Church

To Believe or to Enact

We could exhaust ourselves trying to grow the church or even to "save"the church. How much more delightful would it be, though, if we were simply to be the church. That would be its own appeal. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

Would You Like to Come to Church with Me?

Jesus gathered disciples who in turn were to gather other. What does that mean for us? Evangelism is no easy prospect, especially for those of us in the mainline church, and especially in a world where there's no shortage of people "selling" something. How then to do it, and why? Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

Our 251st Year

Church on the Hill is one of the most photographed meetinghouses in New England. So goes the legend. But what does it mean that it's not necessarily conducive to the on-going life of the church? Church on the Hill, Lenox

Tender Shepherd

Little churches might seem an ineffectual way to make a change in the world--to improve things or influence things for the better. Consider, though, the gentle servant of Isaiah's imagining, or the gentle Christ who comes though expected to be harsh and decisive. Maybe little churches are just the vessel God needs to plant the kingdom in our midst. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

Christmas Present

Why would the transcendent choose to submit to immanence? Church on the Hill, Lenox 

Anti-Semitism and the Church

Anti-Semitism is like a virus in the brain that humanity just can't kick. The Church bears some responsibility for its perennially infecting us. Here's a sermon that makes a case against it as a habit of mind and a violation of our faith and our humanity. Monterey Church

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve comes with a lot of expectations. People bring to the service of lessons and carols a desire to feel a certain way, to be made to believe in magic and unadulterated happiness. This sermon won't necessarily enchant you into the Christmas spirit you might have felt as a child. You won't mistake your life as a existing within a snow globe. But you might learn how to live out Christmas hope even when all hope seems lost. The world isn't an easy place these days. Of course, the worl...

The Virgin Birth

Serious faith isn't about "believing" in what seems impossible. It's about allowing the story of our faith work in our lives, bearing forth all its implications for how and why to live. This sermon wanders through kitsch and art, sin and salvation, history and that which is beyond history. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

Meritocracy & How to Escape

Sheela Clary joins Liz once again, this time to talk about living in a Meritocracy, and how to resist its appeals. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

The Joy of Being Wrong

John was expecting a Messiah who would eradicate all that's (so obviously) wrong with the world. What he got was a Messiah who would redeem. The question is whether there's joy to be found in that. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

Cosmic Crisp

It's not clear how things will change with the advent of the one for whom we wait. What we do know is that, in order for us to truly perceive the kingdom come near, we'll need to repent, which is to expand our imagining of what is possible and even dare to consider what seems impossible.  Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox

Don't Freak Out

Here's to beginning the new church year off right. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox (UCC)

An Elegant Sufficiency

A stuffy poet writes of the elegance of not being overstuffed.  Church on the Hill, UCC Monterey Church

Metanarratives Are Dead. Long Live Metanarratives.

This one wanders from social imaginary to social imaginary, considers the soothing nature of even distressing truth, touches base with Baudrillard and B.B. King, and ends up amidst the generation war though in a spirit of an honest account of what it's like to be alive right now.  Oh, and Peter Pomerantsev makes another showing. Monterey Church Church on the Hill, Lenox  

We Would Be Building

Place-based names; trying to make something great again; energized instead to build something new, though in honor of what's passed; not falling for trolls; and engaging the world most immediately around you in the faith that this is the way to build up the reign of God in our midst: this sermon meanders, but might get you to where you need to go.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

Sharing in sacrifice is a great way to build relationship. But there are lots of people who are after other things in life--like money. That's why money makes for a good gauge as to where peoples' priorities lie and why Jesus according to Luke won't stop talking about. Church on the Hill, Lenox Monterey Church

Left to Our Own Devices

The apostle Paul said to the Romans, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritualworship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect."  This sermon says something sort of like that, but it goes on a little longer.  Peter Pomerantsev's T...

Just Admit It

Jacob likes to claim to be Esau. When he finally admits, "I am Jacob," he's finally free of all that name implies.  Church on the Hill, Lenox UCC  

Good Grief

Church on the Hill Monterey Church

Religious Roundtable

This is a conversation between Liz and Rev. Jen Bloesch, the director of Gideon's Garden, a farm and food ministry of Grace Church, Episcopal in Great Barrington.  Monterey Church Church on the Hill

This Might Not Work

`This isn't a "feel good" sermon, unless you like being taken seriously and to be met with high expectations. Monterey UCC Church on the Hill, Lenox

Meet Me in the Middle

Social Inequality, Then and Now: the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus present us with an easy parable to understand but a tricky one to live out. And yet the challenge remains as imperative. Monterey Church Church on the Hill

Promise and Compromise

Lots of people have apparently believe our society should be left to destroy itself, even that they should help it along. It'd be nice if Jesus weren't one of them. Monterey UCC Church on the Hill, Lenox (UCC)

The Mined Mind

Notice what is demanding your attention, and then wonder why it is demanding it. Perhaps it's worth more than you think? Monterey Church, UCC Church on the Hill, Lenox UCC

Starting with Care

When you're thinking about taking on a big commitment, you need to do a little discerning before hand.  www.montereychurch.org  www.lenoxucc.org  

Stranger Things

When the driving question is whether or not you like something, you miss a lot of what makes life beautiful and surprising and delightful. 

1619

Jesus worked on the Sabbath so a woman in stooped subservience could be freed. 

No Joke?

What if Jesus told a funny story and only the truly faithful laughed? For more information about the church or the preacher, go to www.montereychurch.org. 

That One Needful Thing

Martha and Mary, the latest biblical rivals, and what appears to be Jesus weighing on which is better. Will it be a matter of Cain and Abel redux, or will this turn out in a better way? Tune in and find out!

Seeing the Sights

Overcoming our studied unseeing is a central aim of the gospel, at least according to Luke. www.montereychurch.org 

Mind Their Manner--a second take

This is a second attempt with this sermon, with less ambient noise. When Jesus sent those seventy out, he spent as much time instructing on the manner in which they were to behave on the mission as on the purpose of the mission. Maybe we should spend time on that too. But, look out. The implications of how they were to behave are no light matter.  For more information about us, or to be in touch, go to our church website, www.montereychurch.org.  Also, the comic mentioned in this sermo...

Legion

When a demon named Legion occupies a man to violent ends, it's nearly impossible not to think of when a Roman legion occupies a Jewish village to violent ends--which is probably what Luke was up to in telling this story as he did.  For more information, or to be in touch, go to our church website: www.montereychurch.org. 

You Had to Be There (But We'll Try This Anyway)

Martin Buber used familiar words but in unfamiliar ways to name a way of relating that is as present as it is surprising, as commonly open to all as it is a rare treat when it arrives. Pentecost Sunday is the perfect day to consider I-Thou relating as it calls to mind Jesus, Resurrected, breathing on the disciples and saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit." By this sermon, may thou so receive as well. For more information, or to be in touch, go to our church website: www.montereychurch.org. 

From Out of State

Of pavement and dandelions, uniforms and free range, settled matters and unsettling truth.

The Oxymoronic Patriarchal Church

Why does patriarchy persist, and how can the church resist? The book referred to: Why Does Patriarchy Persist? The video referenced: The Still Face Experiment Church web address: www.montereychurch.org

Taking Attendance

Tabitha the Good

If you've never spent time with Tabitha, now's your chance.

Theology Matters

On the Sunday after Easter, we Christians have the chance to stoke anti-Semitism in our midst. What Christ would have us do is something altogether different. There is no place for anti-Semitism in our faith practice, and any theology or preaching that proclaims otherwise is false. 

Goodness & Knowledge in the Exeter Education

At the 30th reunion of the class of 1989 of Phillips Exeter Academy, of which Liz is a member, there gathered to discuss goodness and knowledge in education at Exeter a panel of classmates who've gone on to become educators--in the order appearing on this podcast a professor of computer science and artificial intelligence, a physician who teaches medical residents, a professor of English and Zen priest, a professor of political theory, and two current members of the Exeter faculty, one an in...

Easter Sunday 2019

Easter isn't about re-creating that first experience of resurrection that's so long ago and that we've heard countless times; it's about reinforcing the strange good news to which the resurrection is signifier. We look in the wrong direction for resurrection when we look to that ancient tomb and those faithful women. We should be looking forward to where Jesus has gone ahead.

Palm Sunday

Jesus' "triumphal entry" might just be street theater, satirical with the aim of subversion. The question is, are we in the mood for this?

(Dis) Order

In which we revisit one of those problems that has no clear solution. In which a classic dialectic begs for a middle way. In which the art of being human is as a sailboat tacking into the wind, a straight line made by way zigzag.

Religious Roundtable

...and then listen to Sheela and Liz discuss it on this, which isn't a sermon but the bi-monthly radio program. 

Admit It

Compassion is "suffering with." No wonder it can be so hard. The last thing many of us would ever do is admit our own suffering, so why on earth would we, and how on earth could we, allow into our lives other people's suffering?

What Power Is For

The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness isn't an experience of temptation in general. It's more specific, the temptation as to how he would, and would not, exercise power in the world. Therefore, if our Lenten discipline is to "give something up" and is done with the aim of imitating Christ, then what we should focus on "giving up" is exercising what power we find ourselves to have at any given moment in such a way as dominates, choosing instead to exercise this power as love, which is to ...

On Being a Drag

I don't know why it's the weightiness of glory that stood out to me this year as we're to consider "glory" once again....Maybe it's that I've never really been able to enter these stories as they seemed about weightless ecstasy, a lofty journey of the soul in to light free of all heft...Maybe it's that the unseriousness of our common life as of late is really getting to me...Or maybe it's just that I've always been heavier than I'd like to be--and I suppose I mean that in all its meanings. T...

Making Me Feel Bad

I find it touching--such magnanimity as makes our deepest insecurities the least interesting thing about us, such magnanimous regard as makes that one aspect of ourselves we find most loathsome and shameful actually so unimportant that it's only hardly noticed, only summoned and spoken of to the most bring ends. Who cares that you're imperfect, that you're aging, that you're recovering from any number of things, that you're forgetful sometimes? So not important. What's important is that you'...

Jewish Roots of Superman

This is a conversation, not a sermon but an episode of WSBS's Religious Roundtable, at the spur of this article in the Harvard Divinity Bulletin.

Mobbed Up

When what we want is stories of "in addition to" but what we get is stories of "instead."