Note: A sermon by Thomas Parks delivered to Orange City United Methodist Church (Orange City, FL) on March 21, 2021. Thomas is a Master of Divinity student at Asbury Theological Seminary Orlando. It was the worst sermon I have ever heard. Sermon? That’s not right… There would’ve had to have been something good in it … Continue reading The Worst Sermon: A Reflection on Jonah 3
Halloween 2020: The Year of No Treats
Trick-or-treating is a bust this year. Some towns have tried to salvage it with drive-through events that hopefully will pass into memory as one of many ridiculous efforts at normalcy that didn’t really cut it, but were better than being stuck at home or sitting in front of Zoom screens. It has been a year … Continue reading Halloween 2020: The Year of No Treats
All Souls and All Saints: Remembrance, Grief and Loss in 2020
I live and work as a Chaplain in Melbourne, Australia. We have consistently been voted one of the most livable cities in the world, but 2020 has been hard on us as it has on everyone across the globe. In January our city watched in horror as an estimated 3 billion animals burned in bushfires … Continue reading All Souls and All Saints: Remembrance, Grief and Loss in 2020
I’m not ready to go back to church
I’m not ready to go back to church. I haven’t been inside of a church building for six months. Now for some this isn’t odd at all, but for myself, this represents the longest I’ve ever been away from church or worship. I’ve attended church online, on and off, less so as the crisis persists. … Continue reading I’m not ready to go back to church
Were You There?
Were you there when a defenseless man was pinned to the asphalt with a knee pressed down upon his neck? Were you there when a policeman knelt triumphantly on the neck of a dying man? Were you there when he pleaded for his life and exclaimed: “I can’t breathe”? Were you there when this agonizing … Continue reading Were You There?
