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 t...

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...

The Preacher - Charles White (1940) - Huntington Library 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 When Paul wrote the letter we know as 1 Corinthians, he addressed a congregation in distress. They were divided into factions and were involved in all kinds of bad behavior. Paul planted this congregation and loved it, like a parent loves a child. Like a parent, he had high hopes for his children. But, when he moved on from Corinth, things didn’t go as planned, and he was forced to intervene.  You might say that he was acting as a Regional Minister. Last Sunday we heard Paul reveal that each member of the church was given “manifestations of the Spirit for the common good” ( 1 Cor. 12:7 ). This revelation leads to Paul’s definition of the church as the “Body of Christ.”  In using the image of the body to describe the Christian community, Paul drew on an analogy that went back centuries in the Greco-Roman world. But, he put a new spin on the image, turning it on its head. Instead of u...

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Spirituality is in vogue. Religion is not. Growing numbers of people call themselves “spiritual but not religious.” They desire spiritual things, just not the institutional baggage that comes with religion. But what does it mean to be spiritual? That question forms the heart of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian Church. Our Wednesday Afternoon Bible Study is working through 1 Corinthians, and from what we’ve seen so far, you might say Paul is a bit frustrated with this congregation he had planted a few years earlier. He’d been away for a couple of years and in his absence things had gone awry. Reports were coming in from all quarters of the congregation about quarrels and all kinds of misbehavior. So Paul wrote this letter to put things right. Standing at the center of the problems faced by the congregation was a misunderstanding of what it means to be spiritual. While this congregation may not have lacked in spiritual gifts ( 1 Corinthia...

Acts 8:14-17 Last Sunday we celebrated Epiphany by joining the magi in giving homage to the one who is the light of the world. Today we celebrate another epiphany by remembering the baptism of Jesus.  After John baptized him, the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove, and Jesus heard God declare from the heavens:  “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”( Luke 3:21-22 ). Since this is Baptism of Jesus Sunday, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our own baptisms and hear God say of us: “You are my beloved child.”  With this reaffirmation, we’re reminded that we not only have been baptized in water, we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Adoration of the Three Kings - Andrea Mantegna (15th century)  Matthew 2:1-12 In the beginning, when God was busy creating things,  darkness covered the earth, and God said: “Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good” ( Gen. 1:1-4 ). From the very beginning of the biblical story we see the light of God shining into areas of darkness so that the people can experience the presence of God. This morning is not only the first Sunday of the year; it’s also the Day of Epiphany . Growing up at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church we celebrated Epiphany with a special evening service followed by a time of fellowship that featured a cake with three Monopoly pieces baked in. One was a thimble, which meant that whoever got that piece of cake had to sew something for the church in the coming year. Then there was a piece that represented the cake, and whoever got it, had to host the next year’s feast. Finally, there was a third piece, but I can’t re...