It was Communion Sunday. All the words were said and the baskets filled. And as the choir stood to sing, the congregation readied itself to enter the place of communion. Expecting an ornate choral selection, the congregation was surprised by what they heard. It was
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C. Reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done
What if we were to understand the resurrection and ascension not as the bodily translation of some individuals to another world — a mythology no longer credible to us — but as the promise of God to be permanently present, ‘bodily’ present to us, in
To die, and to be reborn. It’s a powerful notion, so powerful and pervasive in human societies that there is no surprise that Christianity puts death and rebirth at the core. And it provides an easy way to take a measure of someone’s beliefs. Are
What Easter is all about As a liberal Christian, I have always had quite a few unanswered questions about the event that is commonly known as Easter. Growing up in a conservative household, I was raised to believe that Easter meant a literal, bodily resurrection
Virginia-Highland Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga. Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 7:55-60, Psalm 31:1-5, Psalm 15-16, I Peter 2:2-10, John 14:1-14 Perhaps the greatest difficulty in writing today’s sermon was in choosing a proper introduction, finding ways to be witty and humorous while
Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Minneapolis, Minn. Readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter: 1 John 5:9-13, John 17:11b-19 Someday I’m going to preach a sermon on phrases some folks think are from the Bible. Phrases like: “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” People
Mount Hollywood Congregational Church, Los Angeles, Calif. Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter: Psalm 46 NIV, Luke 24:13-31 When a piece of exercise equipment called the Stairmaster was first marketed, I was incredulous. Here was this advertisement for a machine that simulated stair climbing,
The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. (John 12:3b) Outrageous that such a waste of resources should be allowed, let alone encouraged. Outrageous that a household member, a woman from a respectable family, should pour out ointment over the feet of a
Emmanuel Baptist Church, Albany, N.Y. Reading for the Fifth Sunday of Easter: Acts 8:26-40 Introduction: The Ethiopian Eunuch is a fascinating character to me, not only because of who he is, but also because of the way he fits into the scriptures. The baptism of