[RCL] Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Psalm 114; Romans 6:3-11; Mark 16:1-8 A “dramatic” Easter sermon inspired by Mark 16:1-8, as told from the perspective of Mary Magdalene. I want to tell you how I found new life in Jesus. I grew up in a small town called Magdala, a little village in Galilee. I didn’t have…

RCL:  Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Psalm 114; Romans 6:3-11; Mark 16:1-8 Throughout countless centuries, human beings have kept vigil for those they have lost or for causes that demand their awe and respect. From the deepest and most ancient memories of the human race come traditions related to death and dying and rituals that denote an…

Are there any who are devout lovers of God? Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival! Are there any who are grateful servants? Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord! Are there any weary with fasting? Let them now receive their wages! If any have toiled from the first hour, let…

Welcome friends. This is the night. This is the night we gather as God’s people to hear the stories that matter most to us, the stories that teach us who we are. What we believe. What we long for. What our hopes and dreams are. These stories teach us what our God is like. Just…

Welcome to the circus! Yes, that’s what I said: welcome to the circus. Tonight this place of worship becomes the big top, the circus, the greatest show on earth. For consider: What makes a circus? According to theologian and attorney William Stringfellow, the circus is a parable of God’s purpose, because in it “human beings…

Gerard Manley Hopkins has a wonderful poem, The Wreck of the Deutschland, where he uses the phrase “Let him Easter in us.” In this phrase, he uses the noun Easter as a verb. Hopkins writes, “Let him Easter in us, be a dayspring to the dimness of us.” It is a splendid phrase. It is…

Last night we became intensely aware of darkness, surrounded by the night of grief that is almost insulted by light. As Edwin Arlington Robinson writes in “Credo” from his book of poems, Children of the Night: No, there is not a glimmer, nor a call,For one that welcomes, welcomes when he fears,The black and awful…

They say the devil is in the details. But don’t believe it. That is just propaganda on the part of the Evil One: Satan, the Devil himself, the Prince of Darkness. He would have us believe that he is in the details. At least that is what he was hoping we would believe yesterday, Good…

When I was a child my parents sent me to Sunday School. And in all the direct and indirect ways that children ask, I asked “Who is God?” This is what my teachers told me: God is omnipotent; that is, all-powerful.God is omniscient; all-knowing.God is omnificent; all-creative.And God is omnipresent; God is all-over-the-place! If you…

We have been on a journey this night. The scripture, prophecies, psalms, canticles, and stories have brought us through the long journey, the history of God’s intervention in the lives of his people. And the message that came through loud and clear in all this history is clear. Even through the darkness of death we…