Romans 5:1-8- " A World without Pain"

Synopsis:

Joanne Cameron, “A World without Pain,” Cameron tells the story of living a life with Marsili syndrome: a genetic mutation which dulls pain and some sensory experiences. About a third of the population has some form of this mutation. Paul tells us that it is in fact our experiences of suffering produce, endurance, character, then hope. God love is proved, though, in that while we were at our weakness, Christ died for us. Christ took on the shame of a criminals death, because the powers of hate, violence, and Empire in our world could no longer tolerate the Gospel he preached and the power he shared with common folks and outcasts. Those who suffer, if they find healing, will be lead to deeper empathy and compassion for others. God does not cause suffering, but seeks help humans salvage good in our response to pain.

Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16- “If You Can’t Preach Like Peter”

Synopsis:

Peter preaches his first Sunday on Pentecost, bearing witness to what he and the other women and men who followed Jesus saw with their very eyes. There is an edge to his message, because he is in fact preaching to many of the same folks who would have cried in the crowd, “Crucify!” Yet, God’s redemptive work is inclusive of all people, and the invitation to believe the Good News and repent from violent, vengeful ways is offered to all. In the song, There is a Balm in Gilead, we hear the lyrics, “If you can’t preach like Peter, if you can’t pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus and say, "He died for all.”

John 20:1-18- “Always Easter Sunday”

Synopsis:

John’s account of the Resurrection concludes with Mary preaching the first sermon of Good News announcing Christ is risen. While we are unable to be together on “Easter Sunday,” every day is Easter, a new day to celebrate and proclaim the Good News that life triumphs over death, and God’s love will always win the day.

Luke 20:27-38- "The Hope of Heaven"

Synopsis: The Sadducees (who don’t believe in an afterlife) try to trip Jesus up with a scenario about marriage and remarriage. Jesus doesn’t bite the bait, and affirms the life hereafter, not on the grounds of some technicality about marriage and remarriage, but on their Sadducees own trust in Moses who spoke to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who all live and dwell in the fullness of the Living God. On the heels of All Saints when we remember those who have died in Christ, Jesus points to the heavenly hope that this life is not the end of their story or our story.

Keywords: Jesus, resurrection, heaven, afterlife, hope, saints, life after death, marriage, remarriage, Church Triumphant, All Saints

Psalm 23 - “Psalms, Part 3: An Old, Familiar Tune”

Psalm 23 is arguably the most familiar passage of scripture next to John 3:16. The pastoral, rural imagery of God as shepherd evokes emotions of comfort and safety, even though the life of a shepherd was hardly safe or comfortable. Traditionally attributed to David, the Psalm speaks of God’s parental care for God’s children (particularly poignant on Mother’s Day) which provides and protects us all the days of our life. Although, God does not promise to fix all of our problems, but promises to be present, responsive, and always pursing us with goodness and mercy. This promise is not made exclusively to the initiated, but the Good Shepherd even makes a table for us in the presence of our enemies, and through the power of Jesus’ resurrection, God continues make all things new and fulfill the old, familiar promise to Father Abraham and Mother Sarah to make one family out of all Creation. The promise of the Good Shepherd is we are not alone, and there is no far away with the God in whom we live and move and have our being.

Psalm 30 - "Psalms, Part 2: Hold It up to the Light"

Psalms offers surprising twists and turns and a picture of the world where circumstance is constantly moving through seasonal transitions. Today will not look like tomorrow. Psalm 30 sings a song which moves from darkness to light, as the Psalmist is surprised by joy as God fulfills promises of faithfulness. If we hold our circumstance up to the light of God’s love, our sorrow creates the space for deep joy in the midst of struggle.

As Kahlil Gibran writes in The Prophet, “Then a woman said, ‘Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.’ And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? Some of you say, ‘Joy is greater than sorrow,’ and others say, ‘Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable.”

Psalm 150 - “Psalms, Part 1: A Righteous Racket"

The first of a four part series on the Psalms. According to Walter Brueggemann, the Psalms come to us in three primary, genres (Psalms of Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation) which lay bare the emotional arc of the human heart and remind us that our emotions are, to quote Mr. Rogers, “mentionable and manageable.” Psalm 150 is a Psalm of Orientation, singing praises and giving thanks for God’s goodness and trustworthiness to fulfill promises. We are called to praise because we are created to praise. We express love, honor, joy, and devotion when we talk about the people and things we love. We become what we praise, and when we praise God we reprioritize our lives and point ourselves towards the life and love of the Crucified, Risen Jesus.

Keywords: Easter, Resurrection, Jesus, Christ, praise, joy, gratitude, emotions, music

Luke 24:1-12 - "Hope Springs Eternal"

The women, who go to grieve and tend the corpse of Jesus, become the first preachers in the Christian faith. Their news is too good to be true, so the disciples ignore and silence them, but Peter has to see for himself. When he gets to the tomb to see whether or not their news was too good to be true, he sees an empty tomb and old burial linens and his hope springs eternal. Christ’s bodily resurrection from the dead inaugurates God’s Kingdom reality of all things becoming new. Even though we see crucifixion all around us, “Despite appearances, it is an Easter world.”