Jesus the Gate and the Voice
Acts 2:42-47 John 10:1-10 Jesus the Good Shepherd. The shepherd who calls his sheep and they know the sound of his voice so follow him. It is such a familiar image for us yet the people of the day found it perplexing. “Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.” So Jesus went on – I’m not just the shepherd he said, I’m the very gate of the sheep.…
God is Right Here
Photo of Skogafoss Falls by Sorasak on Unsplash Genesis 1: 1-25 John 1:1-14 Today we are celebrating Earth Sunday and what beautiful weather we have for it. Our readings this morning reflect God’s total involvement with creation. Do you remember that Bette Midler song “From a Distance”? The lyrics go like this: From a distance, the world looks blue and green And the snow-capped mountains white From a distance, the ocean meets the stream And the eagle takes to flight…
Breathing Peace
Photo by Max van de Oetelaar on unsplash John 20:19-31 Names are interesting things. In our families or social circles we give each other nicknames and sometimes they stick. I am called Caro because when I was a social worker we had a chalkboard on which we wrote when we were next expecting to be in the office. All the others had short names like Ken, Ann, Mary and so there just wasn’t room for Caroline, so it was abbreviated…
Risen
Photo by Andrew McKie on Pexels Colossians 3:1-4 John 20:1-18 I wonder why Mary did not recognize Jesus? Was it because her eyes were blinded by the light from the angels? Was it because her eyes were filled with tears and in her grief she was not able to see properly? Or was it simply that she did not expect to see him there? This is perhaps one of my favorite gospel passages. I love the simplicity yet the intimacy…
Remember Who You Are
Romans 6:3-11 Matthew 28:1-10 When Jill was in her twenties she formed a close friendship with the retired Bishop of Los Angeles, Bishop Eric Bloy. At the end of an evening together, his parting words were always, “Remember who you are.” If we were to give a theme to this evening’s service it might be just that, “Remember who you are.” During the first part of the service we symbolically brought the flame of Christ’s resurrection life back into the…
Maundy Thursday – Love one Another
Photo by Jan Romero on unsplash John 13:1-17, 31b-35 It’s a puzzling thing. Jesus lived in a time that could not have begun to conceive of what we are doing tonight – gathering for virtual worship – and he could not have conceived of a world where people stayed in their own homes. Without that physical connection, how are we to follow his direction, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved…
Good Friday with John Donne
Photo by Chema Photo @ unsplash Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Hebrews 10:16-25 John 18:1-19:42 Psalm 22 This morning I want to share with you a poem by one of the early Anglican poets, John Donne. He wrote it about Good Friday in 1613, when he was riding west to Wales. It was on this ride that he decided to take holy orders. Although it was a holy day, Donne was traveling on business and so the poem begins with the push-pull of…
Palm Sunday Musings
Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash Matthew 21:1-11 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 26:14- 27:66 I often don’t preach at all on Palm Sunday, letting the readings speak for themselves, but these are strange times which call for different responses. Even though we couldn’t get together and parade around the parking lot, we have just enjoyed remembering the triumphal ride into Jerusalem – with Jesus apparently at the height of his popularity – everything going well. Yet in a few minutes as…
Resurrection
Photo by Pam Riches@unsplash.com Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 11:1-45 The first reading this morning is one which will be familiar to those of you who come to the Easter Vigil, because it is an important story that we often read as part of our Salvation History. It is one of the visions of the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a contemporary of Jeremiah’s – both of them experienced the final fall of Jerusalem and the exile, but whereas Jeremiah was able to…
Walk in the Light
Photo by Rostyslav Savchyn in Unsplash.com 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Psalm 23 I love the readings this Lent. They are all wonderful conversations. Two weeks ago Nicodemus came for a conversation about being born again, then last week the Samaritan woman was offered springs of eternal water and realized she was talking to the Messiah. This week’s story of the blind man, his neighbors, parents and the authorities is almost like an Abbott and Costello sketch. We…