Revealing the Empty Tomb
April 4, 2015
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
The Great Vigil of Easter
Romans 6:3-11; Mark 16:1-8
(Gospel text is provided at the bottom of this post)
In the course of this evening, we’ve moved from the darkness of night – holding the painful, confusing crucifixion of Jesus on the cross – to the bursting-in of light – rejoicing and celebrating the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ anew!
We’ve heard our ancient stories retold: beginning again in darkness, until God’s “Let there be Light!” spoke creation into existence. We traversed the Red Sea alongside the Israelites. By God’s grace, our hearts of stone were made new, and we witnessed God’s generosity and power as dry bones were transformed to a new and reformed life!
And now we’ve extinguished our candles and in the bright light of Christ, we hear more good news! The tomb is empty! The crucified Christ is no longer confined by the cold stone walls of death! Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!
In Mark’s gospel, we’re told that when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome – these three women – approach the tomb, they see that the stone has been rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in all white. He told them that Jesus had been raised and was not there. He instructed them to go and tell Peter and the other disciples that they will find Jesus in Galilee.
But what comes next isn’t your usual resurrection story… unlike the other gospel writers, Mark ends his gospel saying: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
They said nothing to anyone.
Re-Turning to Purpose: We Shall Not Murder
March 8, 2015
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
The 3rd Sunday in Lent
Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22
When we hear this story about Jesus turning over the tables and driving the livestock out of the temple grounds, we often use this as an example of Jesus’ HUMAN nature, as opposed to his DIVINE nature. There’s something comforting when we see this other side of Jesus; a Jesus who gets mad and starts throwing things. THIS is a Jesus we can relate to!
But I contend something very different is happening in today’s story.
First off, today’s reading comes from John’s gospel, which handles this event differently than the other gospels. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, the cleansing of the temple, as it is often called, happens near the end of Jesus’ ministry. He’s entered Jerusalem for the Passover and goes to the temple. But, in these gospels, the charge that accompanies the table-flipping is that the temple has become a den of thieves. And, it is this act in the temple that becomes the catalyst for his arrest and execution.
But that isn’t how John tells it.
In John’s gospel, the table-turning is at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has just left Cana and the infamous wedding where water has been changed into wine. Like the other gospels, he’s in Jerusalem for the Passover, but his actions in the temple grounds came not with an accusation of robbery, but instead carry an indictment that the Temple’s purpose has been usurped. They have turned a house of prayer into a marketplace. The temple had become a place of other things, and has lost its primary purpose – a place to meet God; to be connected with God.
Casting out OUR unclean spirits
February 1, 2015
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
The 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28
As many of you know, I spent much of my life in banking – mostly on the operations side. One of my roles was managing projects to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our business – like making sure the car payment you sent in gets credited to your loan accurately, otherwise you’re gonna get a call from our collections department, and nobody wants that!
A process improvement method we adopted was called Six Sigma, which is rooted in statistics – now, stay with me. It was initially used by the manufacturing sector. As you can imagine there are lots of places in an assembly-line production, especially complex ones, that can cause the end-product to be defective.
“Six Sigma” is an actual calculated measure that corresponds to 1 in every 300,000. So, as a productivity measure, to reach 6-sigma, it means there is only one defect in 300,000 opportunities. It’s an ambitious goal to only have one defect in that many attempts, but for that person who waited in line overnight for the latest iPhone, or the one standing at the baggage claim carousel, but not seeing their suitcase arrive, it’s the kind of goal we want Apple or Delta to have. Read the rest of this entry »
The Gospel according to Huckleberry Finn
January 11, 2015
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
The 1st Sunday after Epiphany
Genesis 1:1-5; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11
After the worship service on Christmas morning, Alice and I headed to Hilton Head for a few days of R&R. We stayed at a hotel with a beachfront view, and each morning as I awoke, I could see the thin glimmer of day breaking, as color peeked above the ocean waters. I was drawn to it. Each day I welcomed the gradual emergence of a new day; of God’s creation.
That first morning at the beach, I began reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. You know Huck, he’s Tom Sawyer’s good friend; the one who traveled down the Mississippi River on a raft alongside a runaway slave named Jim. I’ve always loved Mark Twain’s humor and the way he captures the full picture of life, both glistening and gritty. Through his stories he brings to light the truth of real-life experiences. Read the rest of this entry »
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