Many Easter sermons are full of doctrine and argument about the right way to believe in Jesus’ Resurrection. Indeed, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15 gives us much to ponder, and I take what he wrote to be true. But before we get to Paul, let me start with something much more basic from the Gospel reading in Luke 24.

We don’t know exactly when the first Easter was, except that it was probably around the time of the Jewish Passover (which won’t begin this year until April 22, at sundown). We also don’t know, physically, what happened. None of the… Continue reading →

Happy Palm Sunday! Today is the joyous entry into Holy Week which will end with the victory of the Risen Jesus one week from today. In between, however, are some pretty sad and difficult times of suffering as seen in the commemorations of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. So, this Sunday has also been designated as Passion Sunday, so that we, in our rush to the end of the story do not forget that to be true to the Gospel and even our own experience of life, we don’t forget that, in Jesus’ life and ours, there’s plenty… Continue reading →

This Lenten Season we’ve been thinking about the nature and direction of our discipleship to Jesus, and, I’ve suggested that sometimes this evaluative process leads to course corrections so that we can move on more fruitfully and helpfully in that discipleship. The question is what kind of course corrections might prove the best? There is such a thing as change for change’s sake, which doesn’t do anything but create a flurry of activity, and, activity by itself may only be perpetual motion going nowhere helpful and fruitful. At least twice during Lent, we have run into Paul’s statement that “if… Continue reading →

Last week we looked at the necessity for course corrections in our Christian lives – sometimes in the form of U-Turns, and sometimes not such radical corrections. They are, quite commonly, course corrections to open ourselves up to new ways of seeing and doing things that are more aligned with the values of Jesus and the Good News. And that takes work. But today, our lessons offer us more Good News, and that is, we’re not in this alone. We are constantly the recipients of God’s help through Christ, the Living Word, through the written word of the Bible, and… Continue reading →