About Easter 2/Thomas - Thomas is a conflicted disciple. We first hear him ready to give his life for Jesus in the story of Lazarus, but when we catch up with him in John 20, he is unwilling to even muster the faith and belief to accept Jesus' Resurrection. As we look to Thomas' story, we find our own story of conflicted faith in the presence of a hard-to-swallow Resurrection from the dead, and we see the larger picture of the Risen Jesus.

About Easter 2/Thomas - Thomas is a conflicted disciple. We first hear him ready to give his life for Jesus in the story of Lazarus, but when we catch up with him in John 20, he is unwilling to even muster the faith and belief to accept Jesus' Resurrection. As we look to Thomas' story, we find our own story of conflicted faith in the presence of a hard-to-swallow Resurrection from the dead, and we see the larger picture of the Risen Jesus.

About Easter: Our celebration of Easter begins with the Psalmists’ words “Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous!” and continues with the themes of steadfast love from Good Friday, proclaiming that we shall not die but we shall 118horizweblive! As we recount the story of Jesus’ passion anew in Psalm 118, we do so with special emphasis on the celebration of our new lives.

About Easter: Our celebration of Easter begins with the Psalmists’ words “Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous!” and continues with the themes of steadfast love from Good Friday, proclaiming that we shall not die but we shall 118horizweblive! As we recount the story of Jesus’ passion anew in Psalm 118, we do so with special emphasis on the celebration of our new lives.

About Palm Sunday: Palm Sunday is now concurrent with the celebration of the Sunday of the Passion (these used to be two separate liturgical celebrations). As such, the story is not only of Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, but is also concerned with the entire Passion (Suffering) of Jesus. We open the series in the middle of Psalm 118 where the Psalmist proclaims "Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them," and we can imagine Jesus going through those gates of Jerusalem in order to enter into the Temple. The Psalm takes us through a dramatic foretelling of Jesus' Passion from the entrance to the "Binding of the sacrifice" upon the cross

About Palm Sunday: Palm Sunday is now concurrent with the celebration of the Sunday of the Passion (these used to be two separate liturgical celebrations). As such, the story is not only of Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, but is also concerned with the entire Passion (Suffering) of Jesus. We open the series in the middle of Psalm 118 where the Psalmist proclaims "Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them," and we can imagine Jesus going through those gates of Jerusalem in order to enter into the Temple. The Psalm takes us through a dramatic foretelling of Jesus' Passion from the entrance to the "Binding of the sacrifice" upon the cross

About the Fifth Sunday in Lent: We approach the end of our fast with humility, and considering the humility of Jesus, who connected the status of the least with the status of the greatest in His suffering the death of a thief and traitor upon the cross. We are given the gift of seeking to be least and humiliating ourselves, and in this, finding the blessing of God as we walk in the shoes of the Son.

About the Fifth Sunday in Lent: We approach the end of our fast with humility, and considering the humility of Jesus, who connected the status of the least with the status of the greatest in His suffering the death of a thief and traitor upon the cross. We are given the gift of seeking to be least and humiliating ourselves, and in this, finding the blessing of God as we walk in the shoes of the Son.

About the Fourth Sunday in Lent: This Sunday is a rare time when the theme verse for the annual focus (Ephesians 2:8-10) coincides with the Epistle reading. As we look at the context of the theme verse of our annual focus, we see that Paul is encouraging us to look at our new lives in Jesus Christ as gifts – that we are made dead to sins and alive in Him. The gift of new life given to us is one that simply does not come without the death of Baptism and Repentance. As the Psalmist says, precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.

About the Fourth Sunday in Lent: This Sunday is a rare time when the theme verse for the annual focus (Ephesians 2:8-10) coincides with the Epistle reading. As we look at the context of the theme verse of our annual focus, we see that Paul is encouraging us to look at our new lives in Jesus Christ as gifts – that we are made dead to sins and alive in Him. The gift of new life given to us is one that simply does not come without the death of Baptism and Repentance. As the Psalmist says, precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His saints.