Apocalyptic Inversion

Notice the reactions of the people beholding the risen Christ. Notice how the powerful are weak and the week strong

Sermons from Seattle - Sermons - Easter

Sermons from Seattle - Sermons - Easter

I'm thinking of using this play with a puppet this week. Done well puppets can be integrated into our services, making the children feel like a part of the congregation, not just at a kids time.

Ressurection and Passion (Easter A)

What is the link between the passion and easter? Can they be separated?

Over the last few years, it has become very important to me to take time out for this holiday, but I've noticed that it is the passion that I'm usually talking about. Today we had Good Friday observances joining with our Methodist and Moravian friends. We contemplated the satations of the cross. I tried to hide the snot coming from my nose, as the tears welled in my eyes. This is good. I need to think on his sacrifice.

What does that mean about this Sunday? He is risen. Does that mean that we have happy ending? Is it just the postscript?

My dad found this sermon started in his study this week on the products (eggs?) of the ressurection.

Power
Promise
Presence
Pardon

I can see the first three, but pardon? Wasn't that what the cross was about? Dad reminded me that Paul makes clear that with out the ressurection there would be no pardon. Righteous men have died before, but there is something about the ressurection that makes our faith substantive. What is it? Is it that he conquered death? Is it that he truley was the son of God and the Eternal Spirit would not die? Is it that the ressurection was the seal of God's aproval?

Lord birth a fire in my soul that will shout and celebrate Sunday!

Universalis: Office of Readings

I love the rythem of this reading. It has the song like quality and power of some black preachers I've heard. Preach it Melito!

Universalis: Office of Readings: "ReadingFrom an Easter homily by Saint Melito of Sardis, bishop
The Lamb that was slain has delivered us from death and given us life
There was much proclaimed by the prophets about the mystery of the Passover: that mystery is Christ, and to him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
For the sake of suffering humanity he came down from heaven to earth, clothed himself in that humanity in the Virgin�s womb, and was born a man. Having then a body capable of suffering, he took the pain of fallen man upon himself; he triumphed over the diseases of soul and body that were its cause, and by his Spirit, which was incapable of dying, he dealt man�s destroyer, death, a fatal blow.
He was led forth like a lamb; he was slaughtered like a sheep. He ransomed us from our servitude to the world, as he had ransomed Israel from the hand of Egypt; he freed us from our slavery to the devil, as he had freed Israel from the hand of Pharaoh. He sealed our souls with his own Spirit, and the members of our body with his own blood.
He is the One who covered death with shame and cast the devil into mourning, as Moses cast Pharaoh into mourning. He is the One who smote sin and robbed iniquity of offspring, as Moses robbed the Egyptians of their offspring. He is the One who brought us out of slavery into freedom, out of darkness into light, out of death into life, out of tyranny into an eternal kingdom; who made us a new priesthood, a people chosen to be his own for ever. He is the Passover that is our salvation.
It is he who endured every kind of suffering in all those who foreshadowed him. In Abel he was slain, in Isaac bound, in Jacob exiled, in Joseph sold, in Moses exposed to die. He was sacrificed in the Passover lamb, persecuted in David, dishonoured in the prophets.
It is he who was made man of the Virgin"

Resurrection (Easter A)

The readings this week flow like a story.

First Peter gives the beauty of the sweeping story of the risen Christ. He concludes saying,

"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

The prophet Jeremiah picks up the strain from the book of consolation, declaring a time of resurrection for the people of Israel who survived the sword. He calls forth praise,

31:6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call in the hill country of Ephraim: "Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God."

The Psalmist answers the call.

118:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!

"So," Paul adds in response to the joy of resurrection, "if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God."

These readings create a beautiful liturgy of response to the Gospel. I curse my low liturgy tradition; it would probably be too much for me to read all the readings like my Lutheran friends do. Cliff can't understand why any one would choose to cut down on the reading of the Word of God, where so much grace is found. I have always thought that the grace comes as my soul engages the Spirit and the scripture is unpacked. For me that process favors smaller portions of scripture. This week I tend to agree with Cliff. There is so much grace in all the readings.

At the same time I'm afraid of the Gospel. How can I do justice to this pivotal celebration? To tell you the truth, I feel like I bombed last week, and this week leaves me with the same fear. Do I then trust the Spirit with a long reading, or trust him to unpack it with a shorter reading and somehow use my questionable preaching skills? Either way, it comes down to trust. Lord, help me! Help us all!

Passion (Lent A6)

This week we have a choice between the liturgy of the palms and the liturgy of the passion. Our church doesn't have a tradition of Holy Week services, so I am delving into the passion this week.

Then I am struck in the face by the gospel imagery. It is like Matthew goes into slow motion to describe this climax. I am tempted to soften it by preaching emulation from Paul. Or Jesus facing his accusers from the OT readings. They may well serve as canticles playing out the music in Jesus' mind, but that music is silent! He faces his accusers with silence and we are left with only stark self-allowed sacrifice in the face of mockery and pain. For you. For me.

Glory (Lent A5)

JN 11:4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it."

Leon Morris makes interesting observations on Johannine use of Glory.

"It means that the ultimate issue of this sickness would not be death. Rather it would be 'for God's glory' (…Haenchen remarks, 'God's glory does not consist in sparing the faithful life's difficulties')…. Jesus was seen to be at one with the Father, and many came to believe on him (v.45). But the true glory is in the cross and this incident led right on to Calvary (v. 50)."

Is there something in this Lenten period that we see the Glory of God, not in the bright and beautiful, but in the difficult and dark?