The Rich Man and Lazarus
This morning we are going to look together at the difficult parable labeled “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” To be quite honest with you, we often dodge the Scripture before us. Though this parable is quite a challenge, it is a very important part of the teaching of Jesus. Read more…
The Banjo Man
Last Sunday, 2,300 mourners crowded into the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. An iconic banjo surrounded by dozens of floral arrangements decorated the platform. A closed casket was placed in front of the famous stage. The audience gathered to pay tribute to bluegrass musician and Grand Ole Opry star Earl Scruggs who died on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. He was eighty-eight years old. Read more…
Today in our series Questions Jesus Asks Us, our Scripture comes from Luke 24:1-12. Hear now the Word of God.
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
This is the Word of God for the people of God.
Last Christmas after I told you that the geraniums on my front porch were still living, some of you actually drove by to see them. Then they died.
I have been able to winter-over some geraniums only a few times. I usually have to start over every year. I know that the secret to keeping geraniums over the winter is to dig them up just before the first frost, before the cold damages them. Next, you must shake off all dirt from the roots, put the plants in a paper bag, and hang them upside down in the basement over the winter. Once winter ends and the last frost has come, take the bags out of the basement and look at those geraniums. Next, throw them away and buy brand new plants at the garden store. Geraniums are once again on our front porch. If you open a bag of dead geraniums, you are seeking the living among the dead. Read more…
The Trees of Holy Week
In our backyard, a weeping cherry tree is in full bloom. Dogwood flowers are beginning to open, and the redbuds have burst into their pinkish-purple glory.
Stepping through our garden gate, we are greeted with an array of blossoms. Purple crocus, delicate grape hyacinths, nodding golden jonquils, spreading white and pink Lenten roses, and spikes of pale blue scillia compose a multicolored carpet beneath the flowering trees.
Yellow pollen already covers my truck and the porch furniture. My eyes are itching, and my sinuses are congested. Spring has arrived. Read more…
Questions Jesus Asks Us: “What Good Will It Be if You Gain the Whole World, yet Forfeit Your Soul?”
Sermon: Questions Jesus Asks Us: “What Good Will It Be if You Gain the Whole World, yet Forfeit Your Soul?” Text: Matthew 16:24-26
Today in our sermon series Questions Jesus Asks Us, we will consider the question, “What good will it be for you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?” I invite you to turn with me to our text, Matthew 16:24-26. Hear now the Word of God.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his own soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
This is the Word of God for the people of God.
Yesterday in Charleston, the city many South Carolinians call the Holy City, 36,462 of my best friends ran across a bridge in what is called the Cooper River Bridge Run. Some of you have taken part in that run. Maybe you were in Charleston yesterday. I do not want to lead you for one moment to think that I was running across the bridge. That would really be an April Fool’s joke.
Imagine just for a moment how this event would look to a person who knew nothing about large races in large cities. Imagine a person dropping in from another planet and seeing all of these people gathered in a city like Charleston, many of them catching buses in downtown Charleston and riding across the very bridge that they would then turn around and cross. Because the sky was threatening rain, the race began late. In some ways, the event must have looked pretty foolish.
Today on this Palm Sunday, we come to another city also called the Holy City and to an event that must have looked pretty foolish to those who watched. Read more…
April Fools Day
When I was growing up, April Fools Day was much anticipated. One memorable escapade was placing a beautifully wrapped box, albeit empty, by the side of the road as if it had been carelessly lost. When a passerby stopped to rescue the package, kids in hiding jumped out to shout, “April Fool!” Read more…
Questions Jesus Asks Us: “Has No One Condemned You?”
On this fifth Sunday of Lent, we continue our series Questions Jesus Asks Us. The question we consider us today focuses on condemnation: “Has no one condemned you?” Read more…
