Words of Welcome

  Colossians 3:1-14 Mark Twain famously said that “Clothes make the man.” With that in mind, there’s a nonprofit called “Dress for Success” that provides appropriate clothing for job seekers. So, even in this much more casual era, clothes still stand for something. The Colossian letter speaks of life in terms of  “before and after.” Once upon a time, the majority of Colossian believers were pagan Gentiles. Then, when they received the Gospel of Jesus, they in essence put on new clothes to represent their new status as children of God. Although they once lived in darkness marked by sinful idolatry, now that they have clothed themselves with Christ, they live in the light. These new clothes represent the new, transformed self (Col. 3:9-10).  In our reading this morning, we see Paul contrasting the difference between the old and new clothes by providing the reader with a list of vices and a list of virtues. The list of vices represents their old life, their old clothes...

This Armenian Gospel book was produced in (1455 CE) at the monastery of Gamałiēl in Xizan by the scribe Yohannēs Vardapet and was illuminated by the priest Xačʿatur. Mark 1:4-11 What does baptism mean to you? What does your baptism say about who you are as a person? As a Christian? How does it define your identity and the way you live in the world?  You may have heard this before, but I’ve undergone several different baptisms over the years. I’ve been told that the nurses at the Catholic hospital where I was born threw some water on me and blessed me just in case I didn’t make it. A bit later I was officially baptized at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church, where my parents made the appropriate vows to raise me in the faith. Because I wasn’t sure whether any of this had really taken hold, I decided as a teenager to redo things. So, I was immersed in a creek at summer camp. Then there’s that baptism in the Spirit thing that I experienced a bit later.  As you ca...

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 i...