Sunday's coming!

This Sunday's readings are : Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 I cannot stop thinking about Jesus' words 'love one another' and how despite that Peter had serious doubts about accepting Gentiles - until he had this vision at Joppa. What would happen in our churches if we took seriously the words 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane' ? Surely we would offer really radical hospitality - to those of different backgrounds, beliefs, abilities... - the church really would be for everyone. And how would this affect the world around us? "everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" - how great it would be to be known as the people who follow Christ because we truly love others. As it's the Sunday before the election, I think I want to say something that encourages everyone to vote, but also to accept one another's different political views... in love.

Ok - I've just had lunch & should be posting about Sunday but decided to play this same instead, which I found at http://subliminal.lunanina.com link here Hell :: no laughter Scott :: Antarctic Dominion :: God's Stunt :: silly Cougar :: poetry in motion Columbia :: University Gasp :: goldfish Cancerous :: leg Bitty :: life Quit :: never!

It was strange to look at a sermon I had written myself over 6 months ago (for the vocations Sunday material) & feel very dissatisfied with it! But I have 'worked it over' and feel OK with it now. Here it is: Easter 4 (Acts 9:36-43
, Revelation 7:9-17
, John 10:22-30) Today is vocations Sunday – a time to think about the calling we all have to follow Jesus Christ and the ministry, the service of others, to which Jesus calls us. So how do we feel about the story we heard from Acts of the raising of Dorcas by Peter? Maybe it leaves us feeling that Peter’s ministry is way out of our league. We might be able to try to love God and love others – but raising the dead…? Rather than encouraging us to hear and explore a sense of call it might just make us feel overwhelmed and inadequate. We might be facing other questions about this story, too: • Do we wonder why this sort of escape from death doesn’t happen today? • Do we question why should God make an exception from the normal ...

This week I should have been at the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland at our Ministers' Spring School - but then a volcano in Iceland erupted and all flights got cancelled. In any case I would have been back on Thursday & preaching on Sunday - but now I'll have more time to think about it! In many denominations this coming Sunday is Vocations Sunday - I actually had a hand in producing some of the material this year - so I should be ahead of the game! The material is here I'll be looking at it again and selecting carefully!

So here's the sermon for Easter Sunday - and then I get two Sundays off. I hope it will be a time of real refreshment. I also hope Easter blessings are with all readers of this blog: normal service will be resumed on April 25th. Easter Sunday John 20: 1-18 Easter Day is good news for all those who wonder what to believe. There is great richness in the accounts of this morning. We might wonder, first which of the gospel accounts to believe. Perhaps it is not surprising that each gospel tells the story of the resurrection in a slightly different way – earthquakes, a group of women or just Mary of Magdala, other disciples running to the tomb, angels, linen wrappings, Jesus appearing in the garden, on the road to Emmaus, in a locked room in Jerusalem – everywhere except the tomb. The empty tomb, the amazing, startling, miraculous sight of a tomb with no dead body. There is so much to tell, such excitement, such amazement. It’s not surprising that the excitement and joy build quite sl...

To be honest, I'm worn out. I have been juggling various demands this week, including finishing a 12,000 + word dissertation to complete an MA course. I'm very glad that for Maundy Thursday we have a seder meal planned - and stripping of the altar - so plenty to experience and think about but no sermon required! Then on Good Friday 'our' student minister is leading the worship - so all I have to do now is plan Sunday's celebration. Readings: John 20: 1-18 Isaiah 65:17-25 New ness, new life, new heavens and new earth - God in action... I'm certainly ready to hear a message about new life, even if I'm not ready to preach one!