John 20:11-18 Mary Magdalene is standing just outside the tomb, crying. Two angels are sitting in the tomb. They look out, and see her, and ask a question that has often frustrated me: “Why are you crying?” I remember the first time I got asked that. I wasn’t quite a teenager yet, but almost. I […]
Mark 16:1-8 It’s Easter Sunday! He is risen! The tomb is empty! Jesus is alive! There was a special energy in our sanctuary this morning. I could see it in the maximum capacity crowd, dressed to the nine’s in their Easter best. I could hear it when we sang “Christ the Lord is risen today!” […]
John 13:1-17 Every year on the Thursday before Easter, the lectionary text is the same: John 13. Every year we hear about Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Every year I have to write a sermon about footwashing. Excuse me: Every year I get to write a sermon about footwashing. And I mean that. […]
Mark 11:1-11 | Philippians 2:5-11 Today we remember that Jesus went to Jerusalem – and that’s a detail I don’t want us to overlook. It seems obvious, right? It’s why we’re waving palm branches and singing “Hosanna.” It’s why we call this “Palm Sunday.” Jesus came to Jerusalem and the crowds threw him an impromptu […]
Luke 10:38-42 This season of Lent is marked by a special emphasis on spiritual disciplines; things like fasting, prayer, and reading Scripture. I, personally, find these activities important because they provide me space to be with God. When I fast or pray or read Scripture, I get a chance to sit myself in front of […]
Psalm 19 I want to tell you a love story. I can’t remember the exact moment it started. I heard this book read out loud during worship before I could even understand what its words meant. In Sunday School I started to learn its stories through felt cut outs of rainbows and pyramids and big […]
Luke 11:1-4 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us how to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). I can so easily imagine myself in this anonymous disciple’s shoes. Jesus has asked for some quiet time to pray; we […]
