In the darkness on the third day after their rabbi’s execution, three women check one last time to make sure they have everything they need. Followers of Jesus in his lifetime, they want to be faithful to their teacher in death. Jesus had been robbed of a proper Jewish burial as his death came right…

Can you image that celebrating Easter might bring danger for most of us? The danger comes from our knowing in advance the outcome of the drama – that Jesus rose again. Knowing what is going to be said and sung this morning, we are in danger of not being shocked by this unimaginably joyous, unprecedented…

Mary Magdalene is lost in the grief following her rabbi, Jesus’, death. Then there is the shock of finding the tomb empty. She runs to get Peter and the Beloved Disciple, who see the tomb and return home. Mary remains. She is weeping inconsolably when angels ask her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” In her…

Those of you who have nearly lost someone near and dear will find the gospel today within your experience. In wartime, families hope to avoid and yet expect the knock on the door. There stand uniformed and grim-looking people who have come to announce that a young person is missing in action or dead. Others…

The Light has burst through the darkness. The long night is over. The poet John Masefield cries with us, Oh glory of the lighted mind.How dead I’d been, how dumb, how blind! We have walked in sorrow since Thursday night. We were lost. Now light breaks forth and joy visits our minds. We are no…

A man was in the back yard trying to fix a broken window shutter. When he had just about reached his frustration limit, his three-year-old daughter showed up and said, “Whatcha doin,’ Daddy?” The man replied, “I am trying to fix this stupid shutter, but I don’t think I can.” She reassured him, “God can…

The Easter text from St. Mark’s Gospel is remarkable for several reasons. First, some scholars do no think that it was originally part of St. Mark’s Gospel at all. They think that it was a “free floating” Resurrection story, not originally attached to any of the Gospels. But it had such power and authenticity the…

Early in the morning the women disciples of Jesus are on their way to the tomb when suddenly they realize they are going to encounter what we moderns might call a technical difficulty. Who will roll away the stone? It’s a big stone, it’s a big problem. But they continue on anyway. Rocks may be…