Words of Welcome

Mark 16:9-20 If you were reading along with Cheryl, did you notice the brackets around the morning’s passage?  They’re a signal that these verses are a later addition to the Gospel of Mark.  Because most scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel ends with verse 8 and not verse 20, not too many sermons get preached from this text.  I wouldn’t have preached on it either, except I’ve been following an alternative set of readings during the Lenten season and this is the chosen text for Easter Sunday.     But even if this reading comes from a Second Century addition, could there still be a word from God present in these verses?  After all, for many centuries this addition to the Gospel was considered sacred scripture – even the verses that talk about snakes and poison!  Mark 16 begins with a group of women going to the tomb to finish the burial process.  As they walk to the tomb they begin to realize that they might have trouble moving the stone covering the entrance, so when t

John 16:16-33 March Madness should be a fading memory by now, but those of you who pay attention to such things, you know that when the buzzer sounds, the game is over.  If a ball enters the basket before time runs out, it counts.  That last second shot might even win the game.  But, if the ball goes through the basket just a half a second after the buzzer sounds – then it’s of no consequence.  The game is over, and the team with the highest score gets the win.   In matters spiritual, our Lenten journey has reached the final minutes.  The buzzer is about to sound.  We’ve had our procession.  We’ve sung Hosanna and King of Kings, while waving palm branches.  We’ve even heard the children remind us to be happy in Jesus.  But that is all in the past.  Now we must face a future that is defined by the road to the cross.  You might say -- the clock is ticking.    By the time we come to the moment recorded in John 16, the meal is over, Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, an

Mark 13:21-23 A little over a week ago Fred Phelps died.  If you don’t know who Fred Phelps is, he was the leader of a small fringe Baptist church from Topeka, Kansas.  Fred and his church, which is composed mostly of family members, are well known for picketing religious gatherings and funerals, especially military funerals.  They have a two-pronged message –  “God hates fags” and “God hates America.” I first encountered this group when we were living in Kansas.  It seemed like every time we drove to Topeka on a Saturday morning, they were just finishing up their protest march at the local shopping mall.  I’d never heard of them until I got to Kansas in 1995, but since then they’ve become an increasingly visible presence across the country.   They claim to represent God.  But do they?  Many claim to be prophets, but who really speaks for God?  How do you know who is speaking truth?  Does the message of hate proclaimed by the Phelps family represent the message Jesus procla