Words of Welcome

  Mark 16:1-8; Isaiah 25:6-9 It was the morning of the first day of the week. Just a few days earlier, Roman officials crucified Jesus. Since the Sabbath was close at hand, a follower of Jesus named Joseph of Arimathea got permission to take Jesus down from the cross, and he simply placed the body in a tomb. Finishing the burial process would have to wait until after the Sabbath. On the day Jesus died, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched Joseph place the body in the tomb. Then after the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices to the tomb so they could finish the burial process. As the three women walked toward the tomb, they remembered that a large stone covered the entrance. While they had the spices, they wondered who was going to reopen the tomb? After all, none of the men went with them.  When they arrived at the tomb, they were surprised to discover that the tomb was already open. When they looked into

  Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; Mark 11:1-11 A crowd gathered around Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that first Palm Sunday. They greeted him by shouting out: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” It’s possible that they sensed Jesus was enacting the 118th Psalm as he entered the gates of the city. Therefore, this must be the day the Lord had made, so the people rejoiced and were glad in it! This Psalm provides an important foundation for our Palm Sunday celebration. It invites us to sing a song of victory as we join in the parade leading to the Temple so we can celebrate God’s gift of salvation. As we approach the gates of the Temple, we hear the Psalmist declare: “Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.”  We gather on this Palm Sunday while our world appears to be in disarray. There are wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. Thousands are dying in these places while others are displaced. We’re also watching as

  John 2:13-25 I learned a nursery rhyme when I was a child that you might have learned as well. It described the church by having us interlace our fingers and repeat the rhyme: “Here is the church, here is the steeple. Open the doors, and see all the people.” It’s memorable, but what does it say about the church? Is it a building, with a steeple, or is it people?  When Paul described the church, he used the image of the “body of Christ.” That doesn’t sound like a building or an institution. When Paul envisions the church being the “body of Christ,” it’s clear that he has people in mind. In fact, this is a very relational image since Paul talks about how the members of the body are equipped with spiritual gifts, so they can work together for the common good ( 1 Cor. 12:4-11 ).   Now you might be wondering why I started out talking about the church when our Lenten reading from John 2 tells the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. The reason I’m doing this is that in this story Jes