Holy Textures

Welcome to Holy Textures - Year A, Season of Easter

Holy Textures is a spot for my musings on the various Biblical texts that come our way through the Revised Common Lectionary.

My goal is to provide timely, short, easy to use and thought-provoking background commentary for your sermon or bible study preparation.

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Year A - Season of Easter - 2011

This year, Easter is almost as late as it can possibly be. It has given me time to give a close reading of the Holy Week texts and background information. I come away even more amazed at the courage of Jesus to voluntarily face the torture and humiliation of Roman execution on a cross, in order to remain faith to God's calling - God's purpose - for him: To proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

As usual with the Season of Easter, we get to spend time with the Gospel of John.

I like to think of John as like a good day at the spa: Soaking in the swirling eddies and quiet back pools of his repetitive, non-sequitor, images and stories.

John wants us to really GET the life that is Jesus.

What could be more refreshing than that?

Easter Vigil
April 23, 2011
Matthew 28:1-10 
"To deny the physicality of the resurrection is to deny that God vindicated the words and deeds of Jesus which are embodied in his flesh."
Sermon: "A Covenant Of Compassion."

Easter Day
April 24, 2011
John 20:1-18, Alternate Reading 1 
"As the Word descended from the Father and became flesh at the start of John's Gospel, Mary is experiencing the reverse process - of the flesh becoming Word."
Sermon: "The Rising."
Matthew 28:1-10, Alternate Reading 2 
"To deny the physicality of the resurrection is to deny that God vindicated the words and deeds of Jesus which are embodied in his flesh."
Sermon "A Covenant Of Compassion."

Easter Evening
April 24, 2011
Luke 24:13-49  
"The details reported in Luke make it very clear that it was the same Jesus who was crucified who is now resurrected. And they are not seeing a ghost. However, Jesus-who-died-on-the-cross-and-is-now-resurrected has not come back simply to take up his old job. He now says: Over to you."
Sermon: "Road Trips."

Easter 2
May 1, 2011
John 20:19-31 
"John doesn't care what we see with our eyeballs. He wants us to SEE with our inner eye who Jesus really is. That is why he has written these signs for us. That in SEEing, we might believe; and in believing, we might have the life that is in Jesus."  
Sermon: "Can We Trust God?"

Easter 3
May 8, 2011
Luke 24:13-35 
"In this lesson - and in the Last Supper - breaking bread is an act of companionship and solidarity; of loyalty and friendship; of mutuality and sharing. Jesus-now-resurrected still appears to people in mystical visions. These are unique, individual experiences. But all of us can still recognize Jesus-now-resurrected in quite ordinary, everyday ways. Anyone here got some bread? Let's give thanks, break it, share it, and see what happens."
Sermon: "Road Trips."

Easter 4
May 15, 2011
John 10:1-10 
"Many voices call our name. Can we be like the good sheep in this lesson and recognize and respond to the voice of Jesus calling our name?"
Sermon: "Back To The Shepherd (Redux)."

Easter 5
May 22, 2011
John 14:1-14 
"If we substitute the "me" with who Jesus says "me" is - the "I am" that he begins with - we get: No one comes to the Father, except through the way, the truth, and the life."
Sermon: "."

Easter 6
May 29, 2011
John 14:15-21 
"The underlying Greek word which is translated into English as 'truth' is alethea. In Greek, an initial letter 'a' is like our English 'un.' Lethe is the river in Greek mythology that the dead drank from in Hades in order to forget their past. And so 'a-lethea' - truth - has the sense of: waking up; remembering; overcoming oblivion and stupor; being alive and vital; not being deceived by false ideas or desires or scams; SEEING what is as it actually is."
Sermon: "Who Are You Going To Serve?"

Ascension Day
June 2, 2011
Luke 24:44-53 
"And as if to emphasize that this blessing of his disciples has not been finished - is still on-going - Luke tells us that: While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51) Might it not be that even in heaven Jesus-now-resurrected is still blessing his disciples?"
Sermon: "Discernment."

Easter 7
June 5, 2011
John 17:1-11 
"The blessing Jesus prays for is: That we may be one as Jesus and God are one. That is, the quality of companionship between Jesus and God is the measure of our companionship with each other. Shortening the quotation to: That all may be one; misquotes the verse as it omits the defining quality of the oneness to which we are called."
Sermon: "."

Pentecost Sunday
June 12, 2011
Acts 2:1-21  
"We might all hear the same words - each in our own language - but we will not all hear and understand exactly the same meaning. The problem with life, and faith, and following Jesus is always: What does this mean?"
Sermon: "All We Need Is Love."
John 20:19-23, Alternate Reading 1.
"To be a spirit-filled community of peace requires that we learn and practice and experience the reality and art of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation." 
Sermon: "."
John 7:37-39 
"In John, 'thirst' has the double meaning of literal thirst for real water and physical life; and 'spiritual' thirst for a real relationship with God and eternal life. Thus, those who come to Jesus and trust him will have floods of life flowing out of them." 
Sermon: "Baptized Into Paradise."

John 17:1-11

The blessing Jesus prays for is: That we may be one as Jesus and God are one. That is, the quality of companionship between Jesus and God is the measure of our companionship with each other. Shortening the quotation to: That all may be one; misquotes the verse as it omits the defining quality of the oneness to which we are called.

Year A
Easter 7
June 5, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: John 17:1-11, The Message   or   John 17:1-11, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, John 17:1-11, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "."

Chapter 17 concludes the long, final speech of Jesus to his followers that began way back in Chapter 13:

• Verses 1-8 constitute the beginning of a prayer in which Jesus reiterates his relationship with, authority received from, and activities for God.
   
• Verses 9-19 are prayers on behalf of Jesus' followers.
   
• Verses 20-26 are prayers on behalf of those who will become followers.

As always with John, we must allow the circling repetition and non-sequiturs to be like the swirling eddies of a whirl pool. We don't try to manage them; try to make them line up; make them be sequential and logical. We relax in them; let them swirl around us; we soak in them; we let them become an environment in which we experience the true life that comes from Jesus.

Luke 24:44-53

And as if to emphasize that this blessing of his disciples has not been finished - is still on-going - Luke tells us that: While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51) Might it not be that even in heaven Jesus-now-resurrected is still blessing his disciples?

Year A, B, C
Season of Easter
Ascension of the Lord

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Luke 24:44-53, The Message   or   Luke 24:44-53, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 24:44-53, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Discernment."

Considering the performance of the disciples up to this point in the story, we can be eternally thankful to God that as his third to final act, Jesus-now-resurrected:

opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
Luke 24:45

However, Jesus-who-died-on-the-cross-and-has-been-raised has not come back simply to take up his old job.

Jesus-now-resurrected once again patiently explains "my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you." And then, in effect Jesus-now-resurrected says to them, "Over to you."

John 14:15-21

The underlying Greek word which is translated into English as "truth" is alethea. In Greek, an initial letter "a" is like our English "un." Lethe is the river in Greek mythology that the dead drank from in Hades in order to forget their past. And so "a-lethea" - truth - has the sense of: waking up; remembering; overcoming oblivion and stupor; being alive and vital; not being deceived by false ideas or desires or scams; SEEING what is as it actually is.

Year A
Easter 6
May 29, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: John 14:15-21, The Message   or   John 14:15-21, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, John 14:15-21, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Who Are You Going To Serve?."

This passage continues from last week's reading, and is part of Jesus' final speech to his followers before his arrest, trial, torture, and brutal execution.

It follows the classic form of a farewell speech: addressing the survivors' needs and fears; giving instructions for their future behaviour; giving glimpses of the otherwise-unseen-but-present other world, and of immediate future events.

It is also very typically non-linear.

John 14:1-14

If we substitute the "me" with who Jesus says "me" is - the "I am" that he begins with - we get: No one comes to the Father, except through the way, the truth, and the life.

Year A
Easter 5
May 22, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: John 14:1-14, The Message   or   John 14:1-14, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, John 14:1-14, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "."

This passage and Psalm 23 are probably the most widely read passages at funeral or memorial services.

And no wonder. These words of Jesus address in a most personal and direct way our questions about death and what will happen next.

John 10:1-10

Many voices call our name. Can we be like the good sheep in this lesson and recognize and respond to the voice of Jesus calling our name?

Year A
Easter 4
May 15, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: John 10:1-10, The Message   or   John 10:1-10, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, John 10:1-10, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Back To The Shepherd (Redux)."

This passage uses actual life experiences that would have been very familiar to Jesus' followers - the care of sheep.

The use of "shepherd" was also widely and well established as an positive image to describe the role of God, kings, Moses, and other leaders in their care of the people. (Who are consequently also described as being like sheep - sometimes not so positively!)

Luke 24:13-35

In this lesson - and in the Last Supper - breaking bread is an act of companionship and solidarity; of loyalty and friendship; of mutuality and sharing. Jesus-now-resurrected still appears to people in mystical visions. These are unique, individual experiences. But all of us can still recognize Jesus-now-resurrected in quite ordinary, everyday ways. Anyone here got some bread? Let's give thanks, break it, share it, and see what happens.

Year A
Easter 3
May 8, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Luke 24:13-35, The Message   or   Luke 24:13-35, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 24:13-35, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Road Trips."

Remember that this is the first experience of Jesus-now-resurrected in Luke.

In Luke, the tomb is discovered empty on Sunday morning by the women, but Jesus does not appear to his followers.

The failure to recognize Jesus-now-resurrected also happens to Mary in John 20:1-18. In Luke and John (but not Mark and Matthew) only the eleven disciples immediately recognize Jesus-now-resurrected.

John 20:19-31

John doesn't care what we see with our eyeballs. He wants us to SEE with our inner eye who Jesus really is. That is why he has written these signs for us. That in SEEing, we might believe; and in believing, we might have the life that is in Jesus.

Year A, B, C
Easter 2
May 1, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: John 20:19-31, The Message   or   John 20:19-31, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, John 20:19-31, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Can We Trust God?"

To begin with the end ...

Verses 30-31 (NRSV) state the purpose for which John has written this Gospel.

Note the direct address to YOU, the reader.

But these are written so that YOU ...

John is not writing an abstract treatise for whoever may happen to come upon it. He is writing with a very specific audience in mind. Namely, those second and third generation believers who are under-going severe persecution at the hands of the current Roman Emperor. (And, now, also to you and me.)

Luke 24:13-49

The details reported in Luke make it very clear that it was the same Jesus who was crucified who is now resurrected. And they are not seeing a ghost. However, Jesus-who-died-on-the-cross-and-is-now-resurrected has not come back simply to take up his old job. He now says: Over to you.

Year A, B, C
Easter Sunday Evening
April 24, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Luke 24:13-49, The Message   or   Luke 24:13-49, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Luke 24:13-49, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Listen to or download an MP3 of this post:

Luke 24:13-49

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "Road Trips."

The setting of this reading makes it the perfect text for an Easter Sunday Evening lesson.

But if we have already celebrated Easter using the text from John 20:1-18, or Matthew 28:1-10, that may also make it more difficult for us to remember that this is the first experience of Jesus-now-resurrected in Luke.

In Luke, the tomb is discovered empty on Sunday morning by the women, but Jesus does not appear to his followers.

Matthew 28:1-10

To deny the physicality of the resurrection is to deny that God vindicated the words and deeds of Jesus which are embodied in his flesh.

Year A
Easter Vigil or Sunday Morning
April 24, 2011

Read the passage at the bottom of this post: Matthew 28:1-10, The Message   or   Matthew 28:1-10, The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Click here, Matthew 28:1-10, for an easy to print or email Adobe PDF version of this note.

Listen to or download an MP3 of this post:

Matthew 28:1-10

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "A Covenant Of Compassion."

A good sermon or bible study of this lesson will have to begin by looking back to Matthew 27:55-66, and reading forward to Matthew 28:11-15.