Words of Welcome

Luke 24:1-12 Are you looking for the Lord?  Then, “why do you look for the living among the dead?”  Does the story of Jesus end with Good Friday, or is there another chapter to the story? On that first Easter morning, five women went to the Tomb expecting to find a body.  They brought ointments and spices to finish the burial process, which was interrupted by the coming of the Sabbath.  It would seem that for the disciples hope died with Jesus.  The women weren’t looking for the living among the dead.  They were looking for their now dead teacher.  Hope had given way to despair.  All that remained to do was finish the burial process.   Resurrection wasn’t on their mind when they arrived at the Empty Tomb. The message delivered by the two men who greeted them at the Tomb jogged their memory, but I don’t think they were prepared to truly understand what had occurred.  They may have remembered the words of Jesus, but I don’t think they were jumping joy quite yet.

Luke 19:28-40 Concerning the sermon title – this isn’t a sermon about the Rolling Stones!  They may have something to say, but I don’t think it’s connected to Palm Sunday! When you drive into the church parking lot, do you notice those two gargoyle blocks of stone sitting on the circle?  Do you ever wonder why they’re there?  I think they come from the old church, and they serve as a reminder of our connection to that former place of worship and service.  We don’t talk about those stones, but they do have a story to tell. Stones might be inanimate objects, but they do tell stories.   When I go to England next fall on my sabbatical, I plan to visit Stonehenge.  That stone structure draws visitors from all over the world, and everyone wonders who built it and why.  These stones have a story to tell, but we must use our imagination to hear it.       Or, what about the stone monuments in Washington, D.C.?  Consider the marble graves of Arlington or the stark

Philippians 3:4b-14 We live in a culture of success.  The more you have and the bigger you build, the better.  Look at sports teams.  The Yankee’s payroll annually stands above 200 million.  They might not always win the World Series, but the owners are willing to pay whatever it costs to win now.  The Dodgers are trying to do the same thing in the National League.  We’ll see if it works out for them.  Or think about Apple.  It’s net worth is greater than that of many countries.  Not only that, but it  currently sits on 137 billion dollars in cash – and growing rapidly.    Jesus points us in a different direction.  For Jesus, life doesn’t consist in an abundance of possessions. Remember the parable he told about the Rich Fool? He told of a man who reaped a huge harvest.  Since his barns couldn’t hold it all, he tore them down and built new ones, so he could sit back and eat, drink, and be merry.   Unfortunately, he dies in the night and all that stored up grain did him li

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 What if you could live your life over again?   Wouldn’t it be great to fix all your mistakes and repair the broken relationships?   Of course time travel is nothing more than a science fiction dream, so this doesn’t seem possible.  And yet, St. Paul writes that in Christ all things can become new.   Or, as Brian Wren’s hymn puts it:    “This is a Day of New Beginnings; time to remember and move one, time to believe what love is bringing, laying to rest the pain that’s gone.” Many of us have a favorite passage of scripture, and this is one of mine.  I’ve turned to it time and again for guidance and assurance. I’ve preached from this passage several times before, because it’s a wonderful summary of the gospel message.  It also defines our role in the work of God.       Another reason why I find this passage to be so powerful is that it speaks of new beginnings, of second chances, of new opportunities.  Although I’m a historian, and love to

Luke 13:1-9 I’m not a gardener.  I do try my best to keep the flowers blooming, the grass growing, the hedges trimmed, and the weeds at bay, but, I’m not gifted with a green thumb.  But, whatever my deficiencies as a gardener, I do know that if you plant a fruit tree, you expect it to eventually bear fruit.  So, if it doesn’t bear fruit, shouldn’t you pull it up and replace it?     Jesus told a parable about a fig tree that was three years old.  Since it hadn’t produced any fruit, the impatient land owner told the gardener to replace it.  He was tired of waiting for his fruit.     This parable follows after a conversation about sin and repentance.   I realize that these aren’t topics that we enjoy discussing, but they’re part of the biblical story.  Jesus is talking to a group about whether the end is near.  Just like today, people were quite sure that the world is so corrupt that God might as well blow things up and start over.  Of course, time rolls on, and Judgment