Words of Welcome

John 10:11-18 As far as I know, none of us here has direct experience at being a shepherd.  Whatever we know about sheep and shepherding probably comes from books, movies, and our imaginations.  But, large numbers of people living in the ancient world did know a lot about sheep and shepherding, and so we shouldn’t be surprised to find both images present in the biblical story.  There is David the Shepherd King, and Jesus the Good Shepherd.  One of the most beloved passages of Scripture is the 23rd Psalm, which declares: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want . . .”   For many, the image of sheep and shepherds is rather serene and comforting.  If you Google Jesus and shepherd, you’ll find lots If you Google the words Jesus and shepherd you’ll find lots of pictures of a smiling Jesus surrounded by adoring sheep.  But, as both the 23rd Psalm and John 10 remind us, the life of the shepherd is anything but peaceful and serene.  There are wolves seeking to scatter and devour

Luke 24:36b-48 When Brett was young, I enjoyed reading stories to him, which meant that I had permission to read Cat in the Hat, Go Dogs Go , and Run Away Bunny , among others.  If you’ve read Run Away Bunny did you hear the theological message that’s present in this story?  It starts this way: Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away. So he said to his mother, “I am running away.” “If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you. For you are my little bunny. The bunny tries to come up with a variety of ways in which to escape, but the Mother Bunny always has an answer, and in the end the Bunny decides to stay home.  Now we could have a conversation about the importance of children leaving the nest, but when we read this story theologically it reminds us that no matter what we do, God will be there for us.     Since it’s still Easter, we continue to hear stories about Jesus’ resurrection appearances.  This morning Luke tells a story

John 20:19-31 I like Thomas.  He’s my kind of guy.  He asks good questions and pushes the right buttons.  He’s a realist and an empiricist.  So, when he hears that Jesus is risen, he wants to believe, but he also asks: “Are you sure?”   Thomas has gotten an unfortunate nickname, but is it fair to keep calling him “Doubting Thomas?”  After all, he didn’t ask for anything that the other disciples hadn’t already received.  Besides, the other disciples didn’t accept Mary Magdalene’s testimony, so why should he believe them?  Back in the 18th century, David Hume suggested that we should be skeptical of claims that don’t fit with normal human experience, and that led Hume to question many religious claims including the resurrection, because there simply isn’t any evidence from normal human experience to support these claims.  And I expect that even if you believe in the resurrection, you’ve embraced at least some of Hume’s principles.   For instance, how many of you bel

Mark 16:1-8 Easter has finally arrived in all its glory, and we’ve come here this morning to lift our voices to God in praise.  We come to celebrate the good news that the tomb is empty and that Jesus is risen from the dead.  Death has lost its sting.  Upon hearing this good news we get to sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” and “Crown him with Many Crowns.”  We’ve heard the trumpet sound and we’ve shouted in response: “Alleluia! Christ is Risen!” This is indeed good news!  Or as Paul tells the Corinthians, this is a message of first importance to be passed on from one generation to the next (1 Cor. 15).   And so, in the words of an ancient hymn penned by St. John of Damascus: Now let the heavens be joyful! Let the earth its song begin!   The world resound in triumph, and all that is therein; let all things seen and unseen, their notes of gladness blend; for Christ the Lord has risen, our joy that has no end. ( Chalice Hymnal , 228).   The messa