Wild Rose Congregational Church, U.C.C. Evergreen, Colorado

Easter B_12 Isaiah 25:6-9, Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18 “It’s Personal”

I spent the early part of last week doing what I usually do:  Reading scripture, pondering it, reading what at least 6 or 7 other people have to say about it, wondering what might be fresh or relevant to say about it.  I read in Isaiah that the day would come when the Lord God would wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of God’s people would be taken away from the earth.  I experienced this as the foretelling of the Christ event.  I read a synopsis of Jesus ministry, death and commissioning of the disciples as written by Luke in the book of Acts.  And then I settled into that old, old story of Mary Magdelene approaching the tomb of Jesus on Sunday morning and discovering some shocking and amazing things.  The tomb was empty.  A man she presumed to be the gardener spoke her name.  Suddenly, it was personal.

Lent 5B_12: Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 12:20-33 “The Paschal Mystery”

Lent 5B_12:  Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 12:20-33 “The Paschal Mystery”

As you know, I’m not a big fan of winter in Evergreen, and it has been a snowy one!  But, truth be told, I don’t even like the brown ones.  You have to bundle to go outdoors, it gets dark very early, I don’t do winter sports.  But enough grumbling!  We’ve now had a lovely taste of spring and for that I am truly grateful.  For underneath the snow all over Evergreen, the wild flowers are beginning to wake up and are singing “hallelujah!” under the snow, or within the cold ground.