Ordinary Time #13: Southside Solidarity | @kaleophx

WARNING: In this sermon, I challenge the idea of penal substitutionary atonement and present a non-violent way to view the crucifixion. In traditional seminary experiences, students are often taught the different ways cultures and denominations view the crucifixion, but that's not something everyone is familiar with. So before you listen to this, just know this may rearrange the furniture in in your head and spiritual belief system. If you would like more resources as you explore this idea, please check out the links at the bottom of this sermon!

Ordinary Time #8: Written-Out Slaves | @kaleophx

A decolonial reading of this text, therefore, challenges us to recover and reclaim the forgotten lives in the text and the context. A recovery of these forgotten lives is by ‘hearing to speech’ their voices, which is an affirmation of their existence in society.

Eastertide #6: We Still Have Each Other | @kaleophx

On this sixth Sunday of Eastertide, Pastor Erin guides us through John 17:1-11. Jesus is departing his disciples giving them the task of continuing his work of liberation and continuing his politics of a non-violent way of resistance to oppression and corrupt government.

Faith In Action Faith Forum - Feb 2022 (Washington D.C.)

A Recap of my trip to the Faith In Action Faith Forum February 2022 in Washington, D.C.

I also had the opportunity to share a reflection at the Corazón AZ Rise + Vote Town Hall meeting and a few people asked me for a copy. The audio is a recording of that event!

MLK Sunday 2023: From Rage to Shout

I still feel the tension of the life and work of Dr. King because he was assassinated for saying things that I’m going to say to you today. I still feel the tension of rage, courage, confusion, uncertainty, And the responsibility of Truth-telling, which sometimes feels like shouting in the fire. I still feel the tension of the reality that we are the continuation of a story Dr. King couldn’t finish telling…

Advent #1: Watchmen...Stay Woke! | @kaleophx

In this sermon, we begin the first Sunday of Advent, and I guide us through the work of Wilda C. Gafney, Fleming Rutledge, and the parable of the doorkeeper in Mark 13:34-37.

Truthsgiving: A Trial of Tears | @kaleophx

“Truthsgiving, coined by Indigenous activist Christine Nobiss is meant to dismantle common misunderstandings about Thanksgiving with...well, the truth. Some say Thanksgiving is celebrated at the expense of Native peoples, and while America celebrates a day of thanks with feasts and football, many Native Americans continue to live with disparities and economic hardships…”

Pushing Out White Supremacy | @kaleophx

We're on week 7 of our journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador.⁠ In this episode, we reflect on Romero's homily from April 9, 1978 and are guided through Luke 24:13-35 as we discuss the importance of pushing back on the line of tolerance for White Supremacy.

Will You Join God's Work of Liberation? | @kaleophx

We're on week 4 of our journey through the work of Oscar Romero and the way he preached the Good News of Jesus among the poor and oppressed of El Salvador.⁠ In this episode, we reflect on Romero's homily from February 24, 1980, and are guided through Isaiah 43:14-21. God has always been in the business of liberation and tearing down systems of oppression. ⁠Can you see what God is up to today? Can you see the story He is telling? Will you join Him in the work of liberation?⁠

Return to Beauty | @kaleophx

What Oscar Romero had hoped for the Salvadorian people is that those in power would see and understand that, like the earth, we are one people and belong to one another. And like Jesus, have empathy for our country’s most vulnerable (the poor). Romero wanted his listeners to see that as God’s good creation we are responsible for our neighbors. So, to bring harm to someone else is actually bringing harm to ourselves.

A Greenhouse Contradiction: Nurturing Spaces of Peace for Communal Flourishing | @kaleophx

Jesus, Howard Thurman, and MLK all lived in contradiction to the world they were living in. We must also do so if we want to create spaces of peace for communal flourishing. BUT…it starts with a seed in a greenhouse. I could think of no better way to gift the world with who I am than by sharing this message I gave last Sunday called The Greenhouse Contradiction. It strongly represents who I am as a pastor and the community we are growing @kaleophx.

Our Primary Opportunity | Rise + Vote Town Hall - July 2022

What is the language of a decolonized faith? How do I marry my faith with my desire to see social and political change? Where is Jesus in relationship to the oppressed and marginalized?

I had the opportunity to share a reflection at the Corazón AZ Rise + Vote Town Hall meeting and a few people asked me for a copy. Below is a transcript!

Millennials In Ministry