Julia McCray-Goldsmith, Author at LiftUpYourHearts

Keeping Up With Kanterbury

A few years ago my husband and I hosted our local Episcopal Service Corps Interns—six young adults committed to a year of volunteer service in the Bay Area—at our home for Thanksgiving. Other members of our family were present as well, including our teenage sons. So the meal felt full and festive and everyone seemed to … Read the rest

Waiting on Gospel Wine

Epiphany 2C

Three weeks ago yesterday I was at a wedding. At The Bishop’s Ranch, which is a pretty special thing because the Ranch normally doesn’t host weddings. For those of you who may not yet be familiar with it, The Bishop’s Ranch is an Episcopal camp and retreat center in the heart of the Sonoma County wine country. … Read the rest

If You See Something, Say Something

bechdel test.jpg

Advent 4C

There is feminist principle for assessing literature and movies called the Bechdel test; maybe you’ve heard of it? It asks whether and how often the work features at least two woman—with names—talking about something other than a man.

So let me say right up front, that the Bible does not fare well on the Bechdel test. … Read the rest

Apocalypse, Already.

kingdom of god Luke 21:5–9

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place…”

It’s more than a little bit unsettling when 2000 year-old texts read like last week’s headlines. As I was preparing this sermon, I felt like I should probably be looking over my shoulder the whole time, just in case there were … Read the rest

Pretenders to the Throne

Christ the King

I’ve been away from St. Stephen’s a lot recently, so unless you’re directly involved in adult education—which is part of my diocesan day job and mostly what I’m called to do here—I’ve been missing you. But there’s a lot of great new adult classes starting soon, so stay tuned for opportunities to grow in faith. We’ll have … Read the rest

The Sacrificial Yes

Proper 27B

Let me tell you a story. It’s a story that’s been around for a while so probably you know it. It begins with space, a beautiful deep space that was made sacred because the Spirit of God hovered over its face. To make something sacred is to sacrifice it—that’s the Latin root of sacri-fice—and so the earth was … Read the rest

God helps those who help each other

All Saints Day help others

God helps those who help themselves. That’s in the Bible, right?

75% of Americans think so, according to Christian demographer and pollster George Barna. Among those of us who ought to know the Bible a bit better than average, 68% of evangelical Christians and 81% of non “born-again” Christians said that “God helps those who help … Read the rest

Sight for Suspect Saints

Romans 8:18-25 + Luke 13:18-21

Last Friday afternoon, as I was preparing my sermon for Sunday, I had something of a small-scale panic attack. I was a long way away from home—retreating in Sonoma County—when I discovered that I’d left my reading glasses behind. So there I was, ensconced in the deep shade of the shade of the redwoods, struggling … Read the rest

Quantum Calling

Proper 25B

“In the quantum world, relationship is the key determiner of everything. Subatomic particles come into form . . . only as they are in relationship to something else. There are no ‘basic building blocks’ . . . These unseen connections between what were previously thought to be separate entities are the fundamental ingredient of all creation.”

So writes … Read the rest

Impressed with Prayer

Luke 11:5-13

Some years ago I embarked on a long retreat with a new spiritual director, and at our first session he asked me how and how often I pray. Seems like a reasonable question for a spiritual director to ask, but somehow it made me feel a bit like I do when the dentist asks me how often I … Read the rest