Words of Welcome

1 Corinthians 15:12-20 Today’s hymns, scripture reading, and the sermon title might suggest that Easter came really early this year. Don’t worry.  You didn’t sleep through Lent. While the service has the feel of Easter, it is good to remember that the resurrection is itself an epiphany. It’s a manifestation of God’s presence in the world. Besides, as the song puts it: “Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on!  Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone!"  In the spirit of Easter, we have already sung: “Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son, endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.” Death did its best to keep Jesus in the Tomb, but by raising Jesus from the dead, God put Death on notice. God declared that life, not death, will emerge victorious, and we can join in serving the risen savior who is in the world today. We can “see his hand of mercy” and “hear his voice of cheer” (“He Lives,” Chalice Hymnal , 226). Paul’s fou

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 You may remember the Roots miniseries from the 1970s that told the story of Alex Haley’s ancestors, beginning with Kunta Kinte, who was ripped away from his home in Africa and sold into slavery. One of the key elements of the series is the family story that is passed on from generation to generation. In telling his own family story, as it moved through slavery, emancipation, and Jim Crow, he invited others to remember and retell their own family stories. While watching that mini-series as a white college student, I can tell you that it was not a comfortable experience. It was, however, a powerful one. This increased interest in genealogy and family history has only increased in recent years, with the dawn of DNA testing. Whether its “23 and Me” or “Ancestry,” we can now discover our genetic roots. People are exploring their roots as a way of discovering a sense of identity. People want to know where they come from.  Although I haven’t taken the D

Icon of Faith, Hope, Love, and Sophia, St. John of Rila Monastery, Bulgaria 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 As we continue our journey through the season of Epiphany, we’re looking for manifestations of God’s presence in the world. We began with the Magi following a star to Bethlehem, and then we heard the voice of God calling out to Jesus at his baptism. We have heard from Paul that “to each is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” ( 1 Cor. 12:7 ) and that the church is the body of Christ. While we, as the church, may be an imperfect manifestation of God’s presence in the world, we are a manifestation nonetheless. When we gathered at the Table last Sunday, we sang “One Bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord” [ Chalice Hymnal 393].  This hymn reflects Paul’s message to the Corinthian church.  We are many and yet we, as the body of Christ, are one in the L