The World Is Beautiful
This is the last Sunday in the Easter Season. We have come to that point in the Book of Acts where our Lord is lifted up and out of sight, leaving the apostles standing, necks craned back, and eyes trained on the heavens. We have come to that point in First Peter where final words are offered. And, we have come to that point in Saint John’s Gospel where Jesus, speaking to the Father, reflects, that the hour has come.
Next Sunday is Pentecost, a new liturgical season, and yet we remain aware that something significant is happening now –a changing landscape, tender farewells, and a sense of the unknown waiting for us right around the corner.
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Are You Ready?
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:16)
This Sunday, we are called to a very specific task by Peter: that we always be ready to defend the hope that is within us.
The hope that is within us.
So, without further ado, I ask you this: are you ready? Are you ready to defend the hope that is in you?
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Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled
Jesus draws those around him close, those faithful disciples who have struggled, followed, loved, risked, lived with Jesus. He draws them close, knowing that he is going to be arrested and put to death, and he says to them, in a few different ways: Soon I won’t be with you anymore. Soon you’ll look for me but won’t see me. Soon you’ll reach for me but won’t find me. Not in the ways that you’ve come to expect.
He seems to say, soon you may be angry. Disappointed. Confused. Discouraged. Isolated. Disbelieving. Afraid. Despairing. Hopeless.
Soon, you will grieve.
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I Shall Not Want, But I Do
These green pastures are a place of plenty. A place of hope. A place that reminds us of an eternal truth: that God wishes for us all to have life, and to have life abundant.
God longs for us to rest our minds and our bodies; to breathe deeply and surely; to know that we are being held in the arms of the one who calls us beloved; he leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul.
Friends, our current times can easily lead to soul-weariness. We long for certainty; and are confronted by the unknown. We long for safety and are confronted by a world that often lacks stability. We long for control and are confronted by our own limitations. Our souls rightly grow weary. And yet, there is the promise of restoration.
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The Road to Emmaus
the people in Luke’s community in their day were a lot like us in 2023. We come from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and cultural reference points, just as they did. Many of us are from other places. Some of us grew up in the Church and some are new to faith. And all of us are trying to navigate a very complex social, economic and political landscape. All of us share a common spiritual longing. We all want to make meaning of our lives and to find what is enduring, what is life-giving, what is foundational.
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The Incredible Credulity of the Resurrection
I’m still not tired of hearing that. Christ is risen my friends, the tomb is empty! I believe this Eastertide that Christ, having died and been buried, rose from the dead on the third day. Not just in spirit, not as an allegory, and not just in the hearts of his disciples. But I believe that Christ Jesus truly rose from the dead, body and all. Christ is truly risen. Alleluia.
Now, if you’re still not entirely sure about this resurrection business, or aren’t sure that you fully understand what exactly it means, that’s okay, today is the Sunday for you. And I’ll add that the very fact that you are here is a testament to your faith, or desire to grapple with faith, even if that faith seems utterly incredulous at times.
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