What Now

What Now

by | Apr 30, 2022 | Sermons

The tomb is empty and Jesus is on the loose. There are a number of stories of post-resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples; but in almost all of those cases, they don’t recognize him at first. It’s been a wild week for them and nobody is really sure what has just happened or what comes next. The same is true of us. We are unsettled at every level as the pandemic, the world, the church, and our own lives shift around us.

Like the disciples we ask: Jesus is risen; but what now? If we can’t go back, how do we chart a course forward when we don’t really know where we’re going or how to recognize Jesus? We’ll talk about it Sunday.

— Pastor Anne

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The Living Christ

The Living Christ

by | Apr 18, 2022 | Sermons

The oldest manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end with chapter 16 verse 8: “So [the women] went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” There are no post-resurrection appearances in this earliest version of the story, which is often thought to represent the preaching of Peter. It’s just the empty tomb and a guy in a white robe telling them that Jesus had risen and was already beating a path back to Galilee. The women flee.

While we know the other versions of the story, it’s worth considering why Mark might have decided to end his gospel here. What does it have to teach us?

— Pastor Anne

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City in Turmoil

City in Turmoil

by | Apr 11, 2022 | Sermons

When Matthew’s gospel tells us the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he ends the story on a strange note. After all the Hosanna’s and celebration of Jesus as he approached the city, Matthew tells us that, when Jesus actually enters, “the whole city was in turmoil.” The Greek word for “turmoil” there means “shaken,” and not in a good way. It implies fear, not excitement. Why is Jerusalem shaking in fear at the conclusion of a grand parade for Jesus?

— Pastor Anne

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Snake on a Pole

Snake on a Pole

by | Apr 4, 2022 | Sermons

Not all of the stories about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt are in the book of Exodus. The book of Numbers has some doozies, and I could have taken up the talking donkey this week, which is always tempting. But since we are rounding the last corner of Lent and heading for Holy Week, I think the better choice is the story in Numbers 21 about why Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. I think it’s a better choice because Jesus pulls this oddball story out of a hat in John 3 to talk about the meaning of his own crucifixion.

– Pastor Anne

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Priorities

Priorities

by | Mar 28, 2022 | Sermons

As we continue in the wilderness stories of the Exodus, we’re going to skip forward quite a few chapters and head to Mt. Sinai and Moses receiving the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. Someday I’ll do a whole series on them, but this week we’re going to look at them all as a group and think about the way the individual commandments provide support for each other as we try to keep the main thing the main thing in our lives. I think they have an internal order to them that can teach us how to build a moral core. Watch, listen, or read, and see if you agree.

– Pastor Anne

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Who is God?

Who is God?

by | Mar 21, 2022 | Sermons

Exodus 3 gives us one of the most famous stories in the Bible. Moses is in the wilderness and encounters a bush that is on fire. Unlike normal bushes, however, this bush isn’t turning to ash; the flames do not die down and neither is the bush consumed. Odd. So Moses takes a look. And from there emerges a conversation with God where Moses is given his calling and the name of God is revealed.

There are people who have devoted their lives to trying to understand and interpret the revelation of God’s name in this story. We won’t take quite that long; but we will join Moses at the burning bush to see if the story might speak to us now. Spoiler alert: It does.

— Pastor Anne

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