A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B – Acts 4:32-37; I John 3:1-8; Psalm 23; John 10:11-16 “The Lord is my shepherd.  I shall not want.”  These are perhaps the most familiar words in all of Scripture.  They are as old as King David, and even though very few of us have ever worked with flocks of sheep, we have no problem inhabiting this Psalm.  “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus proclaims in this passage from John’s Gospel, appropriating to himself the role and the imagery of David’s meditation. Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is traditionally known … Continue reading Wanted: A Good Shepherd

A Sermon for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B – Luke 24:36b-48 Well, here we are again, back in a locked room with fearful disciples who are suddenly surprised to find a very risen Jesus standing before them. The Gospel reading today recounts one of the resurrection appearances of Jesus to his disciples, but this time from Luke’s account.  This may well be based on the very same encounter as the one from John that Thomas missed out on, but Thomas is not a focus of Luke’s story here.  In fact, it’s only in John’s account that Thomas is portrayed … Continue reading Jesus Eats, Teaches, Sends

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’  Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. The image of Jesus on the cross is perhaps one of the most common religious images we have in western culture.  But many depictions of the crucifixion feature either the image of … Continue reading Good Friday