[RCL] Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 This morning, we hear that peculiar little story from Acts. It’s generally overlooked, but since it’s about anxiety, and these are anxious times all around, it can be a bit comforting. Here’s what’s going on: The time is somewhere during the ten days between…

RCL: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19 Everybody knows that oysters sometimes make pearls; that little tidbit has been used to illustrate many a point. But you may have heard that old truth said in a new way a while back, a way that gives it more power. It seems pearls…

Today the Church gathers around the world in the space between: just a few days ago, the Church celebrated the feast of the Ascension and today the church finds itself on the threshold of something new. It isn’t quite here yet. We are invited on the Seventh Sunday of Easter to enter a period of…

“Once there was a little girl who always laughed and grinnedand made fun of everyone, of all her blood and kin,and once when there was company and old folks was there,she mocked them and she shocked them, and said she didn’t care.And just as she turned on her heels to go and run and hide,there…

We have arrived at the end of the Easter season in the church calendar. Throughout the season we heard the stories once again recounting the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and we read about how the apostles, disciples, and followers of Jesus adjusted to the idea of Scripture fulfilled. Like the apostles, we have been…

Everybody knows that oysters sometimes make pearls; and that fascinating reality has been used to illustrate many a point. But here’s an old truth said in a new way, a way that gives it more power. It seems pearls aren’t automatic. When an oyster—who must ordinarily have an enviably calm life lying around eating soft,…

Our reading from the Acts of the Apostles today gives us an interesting glimpse into the lives of the earliest Christians. In this story, they were fresh from having witnessed the Ascension of Jesus Christ. His last words to them were: …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you…

Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia At the heart of today’s lessons is prayer. “Jesus prayed for his disciples…for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated.” (John 17:11,19) “And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the…

According to the scriptures, Jesus parted from his disciples and was carried up into heaven. He disappeared into a cloud. So much art and folk legend is attached to this almost magical understanding of how Jesus left his friends for the last time. The writer could have said, Jesus went around the corner and was…