Getting Lost in the Woods

Today’s first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles, the second part of a two volume work written by the author of Luke’s Gospel.*  It reads a bit like a travel log of the apostles, narrating the church’s expansion.  What began as a small group of Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem will ultimately spread throughout the Roman Empire.   The first twelve chapters are largely focused on events in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and pay close attention to Peter’s work preaching, healing, and in a section we’ll focus on today, Peter’s baptism of one of the first Gentile converts.  The remainder of the text shifts its attention to Paul, and his missionary activity in present day Turkey and Greece, his arrest and interactions with religious and government officials, including the Emperor in Rome.  The theme in today’s section is the offer of salvation to all persons.  In simpler terms, it is about: Who is the Way of Love for?  Who can be a part of the Church...

Have you ever wondered how many sacraments we have in the Episcopal Church?  If so, this is your lucky day.  Our tradition affirms there are two  sacraments  and five  sacramental rites .  They have two key distinctions.  First, sacraments were  given by Christ  to the Church, whereas sacramental rites were  instituted by the Church  through the guidance of the Holy Spirit . (1/ 2)  Second, sacraments are understood as  essential for all   Christians, while sacramental rites are not. ( 1)   In other words, some people will be called to partake in one or more of these rites, but it’s not imperative for  all  Christians.  Having covered the two sacraments in previous sermons, we’ll spend the next few teaching sermons getting better acquainted with the five sacramental rites.  These are: confirmation; marriage; ordination; reconciliation of a penitent - a form of personal confession; and unc...

Luke 24:1-12 Our story begins in the early morning, a couple of days after Jesus' death.   A few women were walking to his grave.  I always assumed they wanted to check and make sure nothing had been disturbed.  Much like we might stop by a cemetery to visit the grave of a recently buried friend.  Saying one last goodbye, and tidying the flowers by the headstone.  Except this year, I noticed something.  At the end of the passion gospel, Luke writes:   “It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was dawning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath day they rested according to the commandment.”  For the first time, I noticed that Jesus' burial was  interrupted  by the sabbath.  Immediately following Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea got Pilate’s permission to take Jesus’ body down from the...