Divine Economy of Abundance – As we have been doing for a few weeks, we are following the Fourth Gospel, and our scripture passage for today is the story of the wedding feast where Mary prompts her son, Jesus, to change water into wine when the wine supply has run out. The Rev. Seulbin Lee, our pastoral intern, delivers the sermon today. She is a native of Korea and begins by sharing a memory from her childhood of the people who lived in the neighborhood of her grandmother. Their frequent greeting to people was, “Have you eaten your meal?” This method of checking in with people reflects a sharing of resources, making sure others are fed. In the Fourth Gospel, this story of turning water into wine is the first of the stories of Jesus’s work, and it is clearly a miracle. But he is prompted by his mother, showing concern for the others in the situation and a sharing of resources. She hears the needs of others and exercises hope and imagination, a clear model for us.

Grace upon Grace – Today’s scripture is the first eighteen verses of the Fourth Gospel, familiar as, “In the beginning was the word, . . .” This week was the return to earth of Artemis 2 with the four astronauts who circled the moon, and our bulletin cover has an image of the earth taken from that flight. It is a cosmic perspective of humankind, much as the perspective of the first image in John wherein love was there in the beginning. From that universal perspective of love, the gospel zooms to humanity in the form of Jesus. Nobody has actually seen God except through Jesus, and the gospel records many acts of Jesus that reveal grace and love through God, and in the next weeks we will explore those illustrations in the Fourth Gospel. Much as one of the astronauts on the Artemis mission commented on the experience of the love of God and of each other on that mission, the writer of the Fourth Gospel experienced the love of God and expressed that.

Resurrection Re-membered – Today is Easter Sunday. Through Lent we have been reading the stories in the Gospel of Luke leading up to Holy Week and now Easter. In those stories we have noted a number of times when people, even those close to Jesus, had become discouraged and failed him, as, for example, Peter and Judas, but others as well. In her sermon Carol recounts a time when she was on a walk and some people coming toward her told her as she walked farther to look up and see an owl in a tree. She did and saw a beautiful owl and may not have seen it if she hadn’t been told. Today’s story from Luke is about the women who go to the tomb intending to pay their respects, grieve, and embalm the body. Instead, there is no body, and two beings appear and challenge them to remember what Jesus had told them – that he would one day die and then be raised. The women, upon leaving the empty tomb, immediately go to the disciples and others to report. Their report helps the disciples remember and re-member, that is to gather and spread the word and the love. At times for various reasons we face the despair those women faced, and we’re so weighed down we forget. But we are called to remember the words of Jesus and his resurrection, and, as a result of that, as the body of Christ to re-member, and as a church to spread the word and the love.

Jesus, the Love at the Heart of Everything – Today is Good Friday when we remember the crucifixion of Jesus and his hours on the cross. The Good Friday Meditation is given by the Rev. Will McLean, our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, and the scripture is the account of the crucifixion and hours on the cross as recorded in Luke 23. Will begins by noting how unsettling it is to be in this service with the story of the crucifixion, no flowers, no paraments on the table, altar or pulpit or lectern. He also points out that we as individuals have unsettling experiences. In addition, Jesus is suffering crucifixion, the ultimate disgrace and punishment in that era. But we note that from the cross Jesus utters those words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Then he assures one of the convicted criminals being crucified with him that today that criminal will be with him in paradise. And, finally, he offers, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” These offer, in this unsettling time, love of forgiveness, invitation, and trust, all of which are a good foundation of grace. The church Jesus thus established extends our arms to the world in the knowledge that we can trust our deepest selves to God’s love.

Take a moment today on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week to ground yourself in scripture and prayer as we navigate the last week of Jesus' life here on earth to prepare for Easter Sunday.

Sobremesa – This is the Maundy Thursday service in remembrance of the Last Supper. The scripture is the account of that event in the Fourth Gospel where Jesus washes the feet of the disciples gathered for supper. The Communion Meditation is given by the Rev. Aimee Baxter, our Pastor of Young Adults. She explains that from her experiences traveling to Brazil and Guatemala, there is much to enjoy, including flowers, food, and people. But she focuses on “sobremesa,” which is a custom of people at meals lingering and bonding rather than simply eating, and that is a very calming experience. So in this Last Supper, although there are tense moments, as when Jesus knows and says that one of them will betray him. Yet, he washes their feet, using that as an example of how they, too, should serve each other and others. This meal brings Jesus and the disciples together, and Jesus knows how important that is. We, too, can experience the sobremesa in our taking communion together in this service.

A Disappointing Response – Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent, and through these 40 days we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and Easter. The scripture from Luke for today is a scene where Jesus is brought before Pilate, then before Herod. In each case, Jesus does not really respond to their questions. Our Pastor of Spiritual Formation, the Rev. Will McLeane, delivers the sermon and gives examples of Biblical figures, such as Moses and Daniel, who stand up to authority, but here is Jesus who does not. Will also likens this non-responsive Jesus to the scenes and training of the sit-in demonstrations where protesters were trained not to respond to the taunts of those around them. In some situations, the non-response of Jesus can be, for us, disappointing, as we would rather he correct those who are taunting him, but it is instructive for us, giving us faith that in our own confrontational experiences, God is with us as God was with Jesus. This can liberate us from our cycles of anger and revenge and transform us from our expectations.

Peter’s Denial – Today is the third Sunday of Lent, and through these 40 days we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and Easter. The scripture for today from Luke is the familiar story of Peter denying any knowledge of or association with Jesus. Carol cites something many of us recall from our youth, watching Road Runner cartoons with the bird constantly trying to escape Wile E. Coyote. At times, the bird runs off a cliff and at some point looks down to realize there’s no ground beneath him and he falls. She then cites a book, Being Wrong by Kathryn Schulz, who uses that Road Runner image, likening it to when we realize we’re wrong, and a pit grows in our stomach. It begs the question of when we’ve felt like we were forgiven. Here is Peter, denying three times knowing Jesus, but then, amazingly, being forgiven by Jesus. We say we believe in forgiveness by God, but we must acknowledge that in our own lives in order to live as God has designed us to be.

Communion Meditation – Today is the second Sunday of Lent, and it is also Youth Sunday. The scripture is from Paul’s letter to the Romans, and it wrestles with one’s works compared to one’s faith. Three youth (Sam Wilson, Robert Harrell, and Peter Bigelow) deliver the Meditation, and each cites his history with our church and with various experiences in his years growing up here. Their message is that we are all loved by God, and that Paul challenges us to step back from time to time and examine our faith, realizing and feeling God’s love for us. Because God loves us, we can trust in God.

The Trial Begins – Today is the first Sunday of Lent, and through these 40 days we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and Easter. The scripture for today is from Luke and is a scene after the last Passover meal Jesus had with his disciples, and he has gone to the Mount of Olives to pray. Knowing what was to come (trial, conviction, crucifixion), he was in fear, and he prayed that it be lifted from him, but also that God’s will be done. That he was fearful demonstrated his humanity. In the scene, after his prayer, an angel appears to him to strengthen him. Carol wonders if the angel doesn’t represent the Holy Spirit. After this, Jesus warns his disciples to prepare for what is coming. We, too, in times of stress and pressure need to follow the directions of Jesus and remember that the third day will come.