I always enjoyed Terry Hershey’s segments on Hallmark Channel’s “New Morning.” He spoke of beauty and the need for space simply to take in the wonders of life. He spoke of the need for sanctuary in the midst of busy days and challenging commitments. His book Sanctuary: Creating a Space for Grace in Your Life is a reminder that there is always a sanctuary awaiting us even in life’s most challenging times. Sanctuary is about grace. It isn’t something we... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 26, 2015 Acts 5:4-12 Psalm 23 I John 3:16-24 John 10:11-19 Today’s readings portray the interrelationship of theology, spirituality, and ethics. The Christian life is defined by God’s love for humankind and reflected in God’s suffering love in Jesus. Jesus’ suffering transforms the world and models our own relationships as sacrificial and interdependent. John’s gospel proclaims God’s abundant love. To those who see God as punitive and as the... Read more
The Third Sunday of Easter – April 19, 2015 Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 I John 3:1-7 Luke 4:36b-48 Resurrection is always life-shattering and beyond belief. Luke describes the disciples’ incredulity at encountering the Risen Christ. They have just heard of Jesus’ encounter with Cleopas and his friend at Emmaus and are astounded. In the midst of their conversation, Jesus appears greeting them with God’s peace. Resurrection life brings peace; it calms, clarifies, unites, and empowers. Perhaps a sense of God’s... Read more
Amy and Jonathan Holligsworth’s Runaway Radical is a disturbing text. I was angry as I read about how religious leaders destroyed a young man’s spiritual idealism by manipulation, authoritarianism, and absolutism. As I prepare for next week’s sermon, I’ve been reading the story of Thomas the disciple. Thomas gets a bad rap for his willingness to doubt the resurrection until he can encounter the risen Jesus. Thomas is seen as the doubter and the skeptic, and is compared unfavorably with those... Read more
The Second Sunday of Easter Acts 4:32-35 Psalm 133 I John 1:1-2:2 John 20:19-31 Today’s scriptures have too much going on to cover in just one sermon. They could easily be part of a sermon series on practices of Easter. The inspirational preacher needs to be selective about choosing her or his focus among themes such as John’s Pentecost, breath prayer, believers’ authority, forgiveness, doubt and faith, faithful economics, ethical behavior, and confession of sin. John 20:19-31 initially highlights an... Read more
Easter Sunday Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 I Corinthians 15:1-11 Mark 16:1-8 and John 20:1-18 This is the day that God has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! This is the heart of the Easter proclamation – God’s new thing, the divine creativity that brings forth new life with every new day, and that creates life where death appeared triumphant. On Easter Sunday, my practice is to read the passages from both Mark and John and a... Read more
There is no getting around Easter if you belong to the Jesus movement. Jesus’ first followers were transformed by their encounters with the Risen Christ. Once fearful, they became courageous; once uncertain, they became confident in that Jesus was unique, the savior of humankind, victorious over sickness, sin, and death. The power of the resurrection to transform lives can’t be denied by any honest observer. The narratives of Jesus’ resurrection – not to mention the resurrection experiences themselves – has... Read more
Affirming the resurrection doesn’t come easy for many of us. Frankly, many of us find it difficult to celebrate life these days. Holy Saturday, the time of uncertainty and waiting, the experience of suspense and the provisional nature of life, seems a far more realistic assessment of the human and cosmic condition than the bursting forth of new life on Easter. Even devout Christians, reflecting on Easter Sunday, struggle for a realistic and life-transforming message to affirm. According to Jesus’... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – Palm and Passion Sunday – March 29. 2015 Bruce G. Epperly Mark 11:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 (or 15:1-47) Palm Sunday is a challenging holy day in the life of the church. Many congregations join palms and passion, hoping to counteract diminishing attendance at Holy Week services. It is believed that folks need to experience the Cross before the ecstatic celebration of Easter. Apart from experiencing Christ’s suffering, Easter lacks gravitas and promotes an unrealistic prosperity... Read more
What do you do with Good Friday and the Cross when you’ve abandoned the centrality of the doctrines of substitutionary atonement and the divine necessity of Jesus’ death? Like many progressive Christians, I grew up hearing the mantras “Jesus died for our sins,” “Jesus died so that we might have eternal life and escape God’s wrath,” “Jesus paid the price for our salvation,” and “sin deserves death and Jesus stood in our place.” Recently, I saw a billboard with the... Read more
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