Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:6-11; John 11:1-45 Lent 5A Rejoice, O Jerusalem, the prophet Isaiah declares, rejoice greatly. We’ve made it to the fifth Sunday of Lent. This Sunday marks 21 days before Easter. In traditionally higher liturgical branches of the vine, this Sunday is known as Laetare Sunday, “laetare” being the singular imperative of “laetari” — to rejoice. This Sunday is also known as a “Refreshment Sunday” akin to the third Sunday of Advent, when the pink candle on the wreath gets to shine, a time where in the midst of penitence and somberness Christians get reminded to rejoice and celebrate certain, promised, soon-to-arrive joy. Every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection, even during Lent when the alleluias are buried, and this Sunday the texts appointed resound with proclamations of new life. Ezekiel prophesizes to the dry bones and, lo, they rattle and groan and stand on their own two feet and finally breathe. Paul in Romans tells us that God who … [Read more...]

1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Lent 4A The man born blind in this extended story in John’s Gospel knows isolation. He knows social distancing. The disciples ask: Who sinned, the man or his parents? The cause of the man’s blindness and subsequent fringe existence is assumed to be the result of sin’s cause-and-effect, quid pro quo. Given this, the man’s painful circumstances can be justified and those not so afflicted can distance themselves and rest easy that nothing similar has, or will, befall them. He deserves his fate and we can therefore ignore his suffering. Then, as now, human beings want to think we are in control and, if things are going well, deserve our good fortune. Jesus, however, tells a different story in this series of exchanges. The man’s blindness is, in fact, not the result of his sin nor his parents’ sin. Whatever the cause of this man’s blindness, Jesus will use it to reveal the work of God. What the disciples and the … [Read more...]

Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42 Lent 3A Jesus, weary and in the heat of the day, takes his time with the Samaritan woman at the well. Given the likely temperature, the animosity between Jews and Samaritans, the culturally inappropriate nature of a man talking alone with a woman, this lengthy exchange stands out. All of the barriers to their encounter appear immaterial to Jesus. The disciples take notice and their shock is documented upon their return to this historic well. The woman, she, too, knows this conversation is not typical; is, in fact, extraordinary – not only because of its content and Jesus’ knowledge of her life, but because of all the reasons they should have nothing to do with one another. She lists the well-known, long-standing, insurmountable difference between them: How is it that a Jew asks me, a Samaritan woman for a drink? The writer of John wants to make sure readers know this is not allowed, adding, “For Jews have no dealings with … [Read more...]

Genesis 12:1-4; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17;  John 3:1-17 Lent 2A I once preached outside in the dark. We climbed up a hill to a small amphitheater, a place with an extraordinary view obscured at that time by the post-sunset hour. The next day I would make the trek again in order to see what I could not that night. As the guest preacher at this retreat I did not dictate or decide the where and when of my sermons, only the content, so I dutifully agreed to the plan, odd as it seemed. But, alas, there was a complication as I am a manuscript preacher, give or take, so proclaiming the Word of God, outside, in the dark, in an area without artificial lighting posed a serious problem. A small podium provided a place to place my papers and a home base upon which to lean once I literally stumbled upon it. A kind participant volunteered to illuminate my manuscript, not with gold pigment, but with the flashlight of her cell phone. We settled into the space which felt mysterious with the … [Read more...]

Matthew 4:1-11 Lent 1A I picture Jesus, on the cusp of his public ministry, feeling empowered from his baptism and God’s affirming word, following the Spirit, hopeful, confident of his divine purpose and eager to get to work. Without hesitation, I imagine Jesus bounding after the Spirit… into the wilderness. At this point, does Jesus pause and look around, note the less than hospitable surroundings and think, “Huh, this wasn’t what I expected, but, hey, the Spirit surely knows the best way to go, so no worries”? Then we get the next verb in the sentence: tempted. I suppose Jesus’ awareness of this next part of the plot is limited. Maybe, he thinks, this wilderness trek is merely the shortest way to the town where things will really get started for his preaching, teaching and healing. How is he feeling at this point of the journey? Next thing you know, the devil shows up. I can almost hear the sinister music coming to a crescendo as the tempter makes that first pitch to … [Read more...]

Exodus 24:12-18; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 Transfiguration Sunday Liminal space seems like prime territory for holy transformations. Disorientation, an unfamiliar location, limited vision and perhaps even fatigue from the climb up that mountain all break down our normal perceptions and obliviousness enough to open us to the voice of God and the instructions that come with it. Moses is enveloped in the cloud, away from his routine and community for 40 days and nights. Peter, James and John are led up that high mountain by themselves, the writer of Matthew tells us. Mark adds the adjective “apart” as if to emphasize the isolation and out-of-the-ordinariness of this hike. Something big, other worldly, pivotal is about to happen and in order to perceive it, even partially, ordinary human beings need to be jolted out of their comfort and, in Luke’s account, remain awake. Where is Jesus leading us, apart and away from our normal places and tasks, in order that we might … [Read more...]