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.
Radically Sowing Seeds of Inclusiveness
July 13, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
Proper 10 – RCL Year A
Genesis 25:19-34; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
The parable of the sower and the seeds always takes me back to the days when I was in Youth group, many, many, MANY years ago.
When I was in the 7th or 8th grade the youth leaders decided that we would put on a production influenced by the musical Godspell. There was a group of teens that did the singing and another group, of which I was a part, that did pantomimes of narrated parables. We wore clown-style make up and bright-colored clothes and got to run up and down the aisles of the church – what else could you ask for!
The parable of the sower and the seeds was one of the big hits. As each set of seeds were tossed by the sower, children would drop in a squat on the floor in a tucked position. My favorite memory was the first set to seeds thrown. They were played by smaller children, like Charlie or Callie’s age. Then, Randy, a tall lanky teen, played the big bird that came swooping down and lifted the little person-seed way above his head and carried them down the center aisle, cawing all the way. Read the rest of this entry »
Jesus: Cooing; Colicky; Christ
May 4, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
3rd Sunday of Easter – RCL Year A
Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35
Today, I shared the pulpit with Kathy Smith, Wife & Mother,English Teacher, Youth Leader, and so much more, as you will surely see…
Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
During the Easter season, as you may have noticed, the Old Testament reading is replaced by a reading from The Acts of the Apostles. This book of the New Testament is actually the second volume of the Gospel of Luke. Luke’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ life – his birth, his teachings, his death and resurrection. This second volume tells us just what the title suggests – it shares the ACTS, or actions, of the Apostles – those things they did in response to the experience of the resurrected Christ.
In today’s reading from Acts we see Peter and the other apostles declaring to those they encounter that this man who was crucified, Jesus, is Lord and Messiah. When the people hear this, it says “they were cut to the heart.” The New American Standard Version says “they were pierced to the heart.”
We hear similar words from the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Even though they do not yet recognize Jesus, when they reflected on their time with him, they said “were our hearts not burning within us when he spoke.” There is this power and conviction they felt without fully knowing why or how. Have you ever had that feeling – the feeling that penetrates you to your core? When it happens, it stops you in your tracks, right. Read the rest of this entry »
The Lord is Generous Indeed, Alleluia!
April 27, 2014
Christ Church Episcopal, Norcross, GA
2nd Sunday of Easter – RCL Year A
Acts 2:14a, 22-32; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31
Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
On the morning of Good Friday I headed into Atlanta to participate in the Annual Ecumenical Good Friday Pilgrimage. Although the walk was to begin at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, near City Hall, I knew I needed to be here, at Christ Church, shortly after the walk was over, so, the perpetual planner that I am, I decided to park near the finishing point, at the Martin Luther King Center, and walk about a mile to the starting point.
jeffsdailypicture.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive
After finding a place to park, I made my way up Edgewood Ave. on foot. At 8:30 in the morning, the sidewalks were mostly empty, but I did encounter a few folks as I walked toward town.
In my clericals, I was an unexpected sight to one man who stopped me along the way. He was working on a demolition project and told me about his struggles with a co-worker, perhaps with the hope that I might provide words of guidance to resolve his conflict. We talked for a few minutes, which I’m not sure was so helpful, but perhaps encouraging, and then I was back on my way.
A few blocks later I approached an intersection where three men stood, waiting for the light to change. One of them was drinking from an aluminum can wrapped in a small paper-bag. As he turned and saw me, he smiled what seemed a self-conscious smile. Yet when it was returned with a smile of my own, and a “Good morning” greeting, he relaxed a bit, and then asked expectantly, “Is God Good?”
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