Many of you know this, but for those who don’t, and those who need a reminder … The Episcopal Church in the United States is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is made up of all those Churches that are descended from the Church of England. When England was a colonial power the Church of England spread around the world. The figurehead of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury … presently that is Justin Welby.
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Many of you know this, but for those who don’t, and those who need a reminder … The Episcopal Church in the United States is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is made up of all those Churches that are descended from the Church of England. When England was a colonial power the Church of England spread around the world. The figurehead of the Anglican Communion is the Archbishop of Canterbury … presently that is Justin Welby.
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“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Is there room for skeptics … those with questions, perhaps even doubts … is there room for skeptics in the Church today? Thomas enters into a community of faith, but openly voices his doubts. Let’s face it: Thomas often gets a bad rap in the Church. Though his story is one of the few in the three-year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary that never changes … we always read about his encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the Sunday after Easter … it is often cast in negative or pejorative terms. He’s most famously known as “Doubting Thomas” … the cynic … the skeptic … the holdout. His reluctance to accept the testimony of his fellow disciples, his insistence on physical proof, his late arrival to the joyous belief of his peers … these are often described as spiritual flaws. As signs of stubbornness, or of a weak faith. Printer-Friendly Version
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! What a beautiful day! Easter celebrates new life and even here in St. Augustine seeing flowers and trees and plants come alive again after winter is one symbol of that new life. But today we celebrate more than flowers and budding trees. Today we celebrate the power of God to bring new life out of death, to give us joy instead of weeping, to empower our lives into wholeness after being broken. It is a joyous Easter Day! Printer-Friendly Version
After such a very long Gospel reading, it is a formidable challenge to offer any more words. Still, I would like to share with you some thoughts about this day. For me, today’s liturgy is THE most challenging of any we have all year long. Think about it. // Actually the reason for what I am saying is very clear just from the name of this Sunday… PALM SUNDAY … THE SUNDAY OF THE PASSION . Printer-Friendly Version
Our Gospel reading from John begins with the words: “Six days before the Passover … ” It is to remind us that the Jesus story of his Passion, Death, and Resurrection are set in the context of the Passover. Even if you have never been to a Passover Seder meal I imagine that you know the formula: It is the story of the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt, and God instructed them to teach the story to their children, and their children’s children. It is a meal filled with symbols for a kind of show-and-tell. “Here is the haroset to remind us of the mortar we had to make in slavery.” “Here is the salt water to remind us of the tears we shed.” “Here is the lamb bone to remind us of the sacrifice we made to mark the doorways so the Angel of Death would pass over us.” And during the Passover Seder it is the children who ask the questions: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” The Seder ends with the cry in unison, “Next year in Jerusalem.” |
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