Ben Sternke

Dear Church, This past Sunday was the Third Sunday in Lent, and the Collect of the Day is a favorite of mine, so I thought I’d share a few reflection on it with you. Here’s the Collect: Almighty God, you know that we have no…

Dear siblings in Christ, Because of the events of past several years, and especially that last 50 days, many of us are feeling more vulnerable than we ever have in our lives. The preponderance of corruption, communicable diseases, and curated chaos are combining to make…

Dear siblings in Christ, Lent begins in just five days, on Ash Wednesday, March 5 (you’re invited to join us for Holy Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes at 7pm). Lent is a season of repentance and renewal, where for 40 days we walk “the…

Dear siblings in Christ, This past Sunday we heard the good news that, by sheer, astonishing grace, despite our sin and shame and shortcomings, Jesus eagerly includes us in the joyful work of cultivating new life in this broken world. We are not spectators or…

I said in my sermon on Sunday that hope is a “crouched tiger,” confident that, even though we may not see the specific outcomes we desire on the timetable we want, Jesus will respond to our longings for goodness and justice, transforming our scarcity and…

Dear kin in Christ, I said in my sermon this past Sunday that, because of the Incarnation, we can “see in the dark.” I was trying to get across the reality of the light and hope the gospel gives us; that even though we can…

Dear kindred in Christ, I’ve been thinking about what it means to celebrate Christmas as disciples of Jesus in a way that goes beyond the saccharine sentimentality that this season often evokes, and I thought about the Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, which…

Dear kindred in Christ, I mentioned in my sermon this past Sunday that I would send out a brief liturgy that families and friends can pray together during the lighting of the candles of an Advent wreath. It’s very simple, and utilizes part of the…