Faith, Grace, and Hope

RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD 5 April 2015 (Year B) Mark 16:1-8             What is the opposite of resurrection?             For a long time, I assumed death was the opposite of resurrection. It seems fairly clear- someone was dead, now they’re now… (ta-da!) resurrection! Yet the more I grieve people who have gone to their rest- Pastor John, Les, Inger, Sandy, and other- the more I rely on the truth that they are resting in God’s eternal light… the more that I hope that   the world can still change, that peace is still possible, that justice will rule, that love will win…             The more I ponder all these things… the more I come to realize that death is not the opposite of resurrection. Resurrection incorporates wholeness, renewal, breath, movement, liveliness, forgiveness, grace, and hope. The opposite of resurrection, then, would necessarily be about brokenness, sameness, stagnancy, dullness, listlessness, hardened hearts, resentment, and despair. That’s not deat

Nearly every Sunday of my youth, my family drove to church together in our minivan. All six of us- parents in the front, brothers in the middle, girls in the back. Somewhere in the first few miles, my dad would usually begin the ritual. Speaking so all could hear, he would say, "I apologize for anything I did this week that hurt, upset, or offended anyone. Please forgive me." Sometimes there were personal apologies made after this general statement. We all then responded, "I forgive you." And so it went around the car, everyone taking a turn admitting and being released.  Despite having a wide variety of feelings about this at the time, it remains a powerful image in my mind.  So on this holy Saturday, I humbly apologize for anything I've done or said or forgot that hurt, offended, or grieved you. I am truly sorry. I ask your forgiveness. I pray for peace to be between us.  Amen.

Good Friday  Seventh Word          I’m going to begin a prayer and you help me finish the first couple lines Our Father, who art… The Lord is my shepherd… Now I lay me down to sleep…             Most of us do not remember learning these words. They stir up from out minds almost automatically. The words feel like a part of us and they slide out of our mouths as easily as breath.             “Into thy hands, I commit my spirit” was a child’s bedtime prayer in the time of Jesus. It is likely that Mary would sit down next to a young Yeshua, settling down for sleep on his bed of rushes in the family room. They might have sung a soft song or recited the Sh’ma ( Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one ). She might have spoken a soft prayer or blessing over him. Then she would have reminded him of the last prayer of the night. The last words for each child (and adult to speak) before falling asleep were a quotation of Psalm 31:5,   “Into your hands, I commit my