Mark 16:1-8 And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Can you imagine if the Bible had ended here? For some early listeners, it apparently did. The oldest authorities we have end the story here, with the first half of verse 8. Later versions extend the story by three more verses, and evenContinue reading “The Story Continues”
Category Archives: easter
Hope That Is In You
1 Peter 3:13-22 Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. The 1st letter of Peter, like many of the pastoral letters and Pauline epistles, is written to a community that faces state sponsoredContinue reading “Hope That Is In You”
Burning
Luke 24:13-35 Why did they not recognize him? A member of our St Mark’s family asked me this on Tuesday morning at the coffee shop, and I don’t think he realized he was about to get a sneak preview of the Sunday sermon. Why, when the resurrected Jesus appeared to some of the disciples, didContinue reading “Burning”
Easter on the Way
Matthew 28:1-10 Mary and Mary Magdalene were not fools. Or rather, they were fools, but the kind that we all become when we love fiercely and completely. These two women were disciples, students of Jesus who had followed him on his journey from town to town. They had witnessed his healings and miracles, they hadContinue reading “Easter on the Way”
Post Apocalyptic Faith
Revelation 21:1-6 “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard aContinue reading “Post Apocalyptic Faith”
Encountering the Feast
John 21:1-19 On Easter, we heard the story of the first witness to the resurrection, and how her encounter with Christ prompted the first Easter acclamation. Last week we heard about a very well-known encounter with the risen Lord, in which one doubts and is given the gift of face-to-face proof that his beloved friendContinue reading “Encountering the Feast”
The Way We’ve Always Done
John 20:19-31 A version of this sermon has been shared with the people of St Francis of Assisi in Ooltewah TN and the people of St Luke’s Anchorage KY. At the risk of becoming a broken record, I still need to hear this message in the year of our Lord 2022, and I believe someoneContinue reading “The Way We’ve Always Done”
Found
John 20:1-18 “Whom are you looking for?” That is the Easter question. On this day when many people enter churches for the first time, or maybe the first time in a while- Whom are you looking for? Before the sun has fully risen, a disciple of Jesus named Mary goes looking for someone. In herContinue reading “Found”
Life Daily Laid Down
1 John 3:16-24 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. When we in our culture talk about someone who has laid down their life for another, we speak of heroism, of martyrdom, of an unjust death in the pursuitContinue reading “Life Daily Laid Down”
Lessons in the Aftermath
Acts 4:32-35 Last week, in the dim light of the empty tomb, we asked if fear and faith can coexist. We asked how the failures and the falling short of the first apostles can reflect the state of our own hearts, and what we might learn from the redemption God made possible in them. WeContinue reading “Lessons in the Aftermath”
Mother A Writes 