Holy Textures

Welcome to Holy Textures, Year B, 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.

Year B - Season of Easter - 2021

This has been a year of pandemic, climate, economic, and political disruptions. Among other things, it has revealed deep-seated inequalities that have made plain for all to see that the old "normal" is deeply unfair and unsustainable for too many human and non-human lives.

Easter provides a whole season to reflect on the Good News that the oppressive political system that executed Jesus is not the only game in town. The proclamation, "He is risen!" is not just the celebration that the individual person of Jesus is risen. We are celebrating that everything Jesus stood for is risen. Is undefeated. Is the true and trustworthy. His struggle is now our struggle. His story is now our story. How do we want to write our chapter of the life of Jesus?

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-sequitur, images and stories. John wants us to really GET the life that is Jesus. What could be more refreshing than that?

David Ewart
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He has been raised!

Easter Vigil
April 3, 2021
Mark 16:1-8 
"It is women who witness the abject humiliation, degradation and torture of Jesus on the cross. It is women who hear him cry, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" It is women who witness his death. It is women who follow and witness where his body is placed. And so, fittingly, it is women who are the first witnesses of the empty tomb, and the first to receive the good news: He is risen!"
Sermon: "To be added."

 

But Mary stayed weeping outside the empty tomb

Easter Day
April 4, 2021
John 20:1-18, Alternate Reading A 
"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."
Mark 16:1-8, Alternate Reading B 
"It is women who witness the abject humiliation, degradation and torture of Jesus on the cross. It is women who hear him cry, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" It is women who witness his death. It is women who follow and witness where his body is placed. And so, fittingly, it is women who are the first witnesses of the empty tomb, and the first to receive the good news: He is risen!"
Sermon "To be added."

 

Jesus himself came near and went with them

Easter Evening
April 4, 2021
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."

 

Reach out your hand and put it in my side

Easter 2
April 11, 2021
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?"

 

They were still disbelieving. He asked, "Have you anything to eat?"

Easter 3
April 18, 2021
Luke 24:36b-48 
"However, the Jesus-who-died-on-the-cross-and-has-been-raised has not come back simply to take up his old job. In effect the now-resurrected-Jesus says, 'Over to you.'"
Sermon: "Standing Near Greatness."

 

I am the good shepherd

Easter 4
April 25, 2021
John 10:11-18 
"Are you mourning today? Are you spiritually spent today? Are you afraid today? Is death nearby today? David and Jesus are here today inviting us to enlarge our frame and hold our grief, exhaustion and fear in a larger, deeper reality: God provides and guides and protects and restores."
Sermon: "Saying And Doing."

 

I am the vine. You are the branches.

Easter 5
May 2, 2021
John 15:1-8 
"When we love one another as Jesus loves us, we first learn from Jesus what love is. And having experienced being loved by Jesus – had that love heal, restore and renew the loving that was already in us – we then love others the same way."
Sermon: "The Seeker."

 

Abide in my love.

Easter 6
May 9, 2021
John 15:9-17 
"So as we look around church on any given Sunday, we may see people that we know and like, know and don't like, or don't know at all. Whatever. Jesus is commanding us to regard each other as a friend, so that we might bear fruit, fruit that endures."
Sermon: "Friendship"

 

Lifting his hands, he blessed them

Ascension Day
May 13, 2021
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."

 

As you have sent me into the world, so I send them

Easter 7
May 16, 2021
John 17:6-19 
"Whenever we are offered a blessing in the Bible, we might be tempted to run and hide - because a blessing never comes without a God-sized mission. And God-sized missions never come without a cost."
Sermon: "To be added."

 

When the Spirit of truth comes ...

Pentecost Sunday
May 23, 2021
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 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
"Whatever else we may want to say on this day of Pentecost about the Spirit, it is important to notice that Jesus always refers to the Spirit as the Spirit of truth. And in John truth is always the way, the life, the light, the joy, the friendship." 
Sermon: "To be added."

 

2021 Key Liturgical Dates

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 1, 2014

Click here for the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 17:1-11.

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

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.

John wants us the SEE Jesus, and to see Jesus is to see the one who sent him; is to see the glory of the one who sent him; is to see the honour / majesty / purpose / worth of the one who sent him; and not just sent him; but who is IN him.

This is eternal life. To see in Jesus the source of true life; the only true God. This revelation of glory, of the presence of God, is the work of Jesus.

Verse 6. Notice that those who belong to Jesus were NOT "converted" by him. They already belonged to God and God gave them to Jesus. The relationship is not created by Jesus. The relationship may be realized; may be enhanced; may grow; but it is not created - it is a given.

This is good news. It is the news that our relationship with God is given by God as the starting point, not an end point.

It is also hard news, because it means that WE do not get to choose who God is in relationship with; and that means that if we want to be in relationship with God, we must also be in relationship with those whom God has already chosen to be in relationship with - whether we like them or not; whether we agree with God's choices or not.

...

Click here for the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 17:1-11.

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 25, 2014

Click here for the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 14:15-21.

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

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's reporting of Jesus is not concerned with "history:" what Jesus actually said; where he went; who he met; etc., etc. John wants us to SEE Jesus for who he really is. And the kind of SEEING that John is meaning requires adapting a sideways glance - finding the crack in everything (a la Leonard Cohen). That is why John's reporting of Jesus is so convoluted and confusing to us: he repeats and circles around; confounding our linear "seeing" so that we might really SEE.

Aside: For more on this see my note (no pun intended) Seeing Jesus.

Verse 15. This should NOT be read with a finger-wagging, stern warning tone of voice. This is more a statement of plain common sense logic. What is the commandment? "Love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12) So this verse reads:

If you love me, you will keep my commandment to love one another as I have loved you.

Verse 16. Since Jesus is about to leave them, Jesus now promises that he will ask God, and God will send them a helper, the Spirit of truth. The "world" cannot "SEE" this spirit, because it has not "seen" Jesus. This Spirit will abide in us as Jesus abides in us. It is a Spirit of truth.

Aside: 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.

This verse and the following ones require us to remember that a crucial stress in John is that of abiding. Jesus abides in the Father, the Father in Jesus, Jesus in his followers, his followers in him, the Spirit in them, etc., etc. This means that when it comes to love, Jesus, God, the Spirit, and his followers are all inter-changeable terms.

For example, if Jesus is abiding in you, and I love you as Jesus loves me, then I am loving Jesus (who is abiding in you).

...

Click here for the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 14:15-21.

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 18, 2014

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 14:1-14.

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

Sermon by the Rev. Dr. George Hermanson, "To be added."

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.

Jesus addresses his followers then as he addresses us now:

Do not be afraid

Note that the reason we should not be afraid is NOT because Jesus is going to magically make all the bad, no good, horrible circumstances go away - he IS still going to be arrested, tortured and executed. Rather, we are not to be afraid because these circumstances will not be the end of the story.

I love the way this passage presents the very human, natural, fears and questions of the disciples. A good title for a sermon would be, "Were It Not So?" precisely because that is OUR question. Is that so? What does happen after we die?

In a few words, Jesus paints a wonderful word picture of the life to come: my Father's house; many rooms; a prepared place; a prepared way to get there; a trusted guide; not being left alone to find our own way; ending with being with Jesus again.

But as usual, the passage does not leave us without inner, spiritual work of our own to do. Namely, to trust and to believe INTO (not "in") Jesus:

And you know the way to the place where I am going ...

If you know me, you will know my Father also

(Aside: The NRSV translation of "believe in" would be better as "believe into." That is, be bonded with Jesus; not "accept concepts about Jesus." And "believe" is better translated as "trust" precisely because the underlying Greek word is more about a quality of relationship with Jesus than it is about ideas about Jesus.)

That sneaky word "And" as in, "And you know the way," implies a pre-existing knowledge on the part of the disciples. Jesus is not telling them anything new; they already know: And you know ...

...

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 14:1-14.

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 11, 2014

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 10:1-10.

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

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!)

Paradoxically, actual shepherds were scorned and believed to be untrustworthy and dishonourable:

• They were smelly;
• They worked at night;
• They worked in the hills among wild animals and wild people (bandits and other outlaws);
• They were away from their homes and women and so did not watch over and guard them as honourable men did.

Nonetheless, in Mediterranean culture, "a good shepherd" was an honourable way to describe a "a good leader."

...

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 10:1-10.

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 4, 2014

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on Luke 24:13-35.

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

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.

Mary recognizes Jesus-now-resurrected when he calls her by name. These two recognize Jesus-now-resurrected when "he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them." Which is, of course, exactly what Jesus had told his followers to do "in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19)

The two then return to Jerusalem and tell the others, and then Jesus-now-resurrected appears to the gathered group of his followers.

Now sometimes, modern day sophisticates talk about folks in the Bible as if they were merely uneducated, gullible, bumpkins who unquestioningly accepted any super-natural hocus-pocus.

But listen to their reactions to the resurrection events as interpreted by various translations (and note how the translators sometimes struggle to capture the full sense of the underlying Greek):

• puzzled, perplexed, did not know what to think
  (Luke 24:4, the women's reaction on finding the tomb open and empty)

• awe struck, terrified
  (Luke 24:5, the women's reaction on the sudden appearance of the two men in dazzling white robes)

• didn't believe a word of it,
  thought they were making it all up,
  seemed like an idle tale, did not believe them,
  these words appeared to them as nonsense,
  the story sounded like a fairy tale 
  (Luke 24:11, the apostles reaction on hearing the report of the women)

• wondered, amazed, marvelled, puzzled, shaking his head
  (Luke 24:12, Peter's reaction at seeing the empty tomb)

• didn't we feel on fire,
  were not our hearts burning within us,
  didn't it warm our hearts,
  their hearts had felt strangely warmed
  (Luke 24:32, two followers recall how they felt while Jesus - whom they had not recognized - explained the scriptures to them as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus)

• terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost,
  in a state of alarm and fright, frightened and terrified,
  startled and frightened, scared half to death
  (Luke 24:37, the disciples reaction when Jesus first appears to them)

• they still couldn't believe what they were seeing,
  in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering,
  they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement,
  they were so glad and amazed they could not believe it,
  their joy was so great that they still could not believe it as they were dumbfounded,
  they stood there undecided - filled with joy and doubt
  (Luke 24:41, the disciples reaction after Jesus shows them his wounds)

These are not the reactions of bumpkins.

In fact, like societies today in which "paranormal" experiences are still considered normal, the followers of Jesus were quite sophisticated in distinguishing different types of nonstandard experiences.

The details reported in Luke make it very clear that it was the same Jesus that was crucified that is now resurrected (see the wounds, Luke 24:39); and what they are seeing is not a ghost (eating before their eyes, Luke 24:43).

...

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on Luke 24:13-35.

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
April 27, 2014

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 20:19-31.

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

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.)

Malina & Rohrbaugh make two points about the English NRSV translation. (See footnote below.)

The first is that "believe" in John is better translated as "believe into." In John, "believe" does NOT mean "hold an opinion about." "Believe" means "trust," "bond with," "be loyal to." Think, "I am the vine and you are the branches." That is what "believe" means.

The second is that in this context, "may come to believe" and "may come to have life" could also be translated as: "may continue to believe" and "may continue to have life."

In either case, it is important to note that "believe" is not the end product. The crucial thing is that:

through believing, you may have life in his name.

That is, the questions we must be asking ourselves as we consider the various signs that John has chosen to write down for us are:

How does this help me to have life?

And not just any old sort of life, but the life that is in Jesus - in his name?

These are the questions to ask of the whole Gospel, and today, of Verses 19-29.

But to begin again with a personal aside ... If you feel anxious or uncertain about talking calmly and matter-of-factly about these appearances of the now-resurrected-Jesus, try reading this note about why we in the Western world have so much trouble with "spiritual" realities; or this one about not letting current science be the sole arbitrator of what is really real.

And now to begin with the beginning ...

Whereas in his appearance to Mary, Jesus could not be touched because he was in the process of ascending to his Father (John 20:17), this process is completed by the evening, and Jesus-now-resurrected descends from his Father to appear to the disciples.

Verses 19 and 26. The Galilean disciples are behind locked doors in fear that the Judean authorities (not "the Jews") are seeking to have them arrested. The authorities were trying to obliterate Jesus and his "movement." The authorities would most certainly act against this group if they were found out.

Just as Jesus had spoken of these things at the Last Supper (John 14 and following), Jesus-now-resurrected performs 3 actions:

1. He blesses them with his peace.
2. He blesses them with the Holy Spirit.
3. He makes them his agents to forgive - or retain - sins.

The latter is significant for the followers of Jesus because it replaces the Temple and sin offerings as the location and means for reconciliation with God and fellow believers.

...

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on John 20:19-31.

Welcome to Holy Textures

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.

Please click on the heading of any post or "Continue reading" to see the full post.

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Year A - Season of Easter - 2014

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. Whatever else Easter may mean, it surely is a sign that God has vindicated the words and deeds of Jesus. We can trust him and what he stood for. And give our own lives for his vision.

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 19/20, 2014
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 20, 2014
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 20, 2014
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
April 27, 20114
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 4, 2014
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 11, 2014
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 18, 2014
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 25, 2014
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
May 29, 2014
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 1, 2014
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 8, 2014
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: "To be added."
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."

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 19, 2014

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on Matthew 28:1-10.

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

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.

Doing this will help you realize that between Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and the guards posted at the tomb, we can be sure that there is absolutely trustworthy, continuous, eye-witness evidence that:

• It was Jesus of Nazareth up there on the cross and not a look-alike imposter.
  We know this for sure because Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were close companions of Jesus and would recognize him.
    
  
• Jesus really, actually died on the cross on Friday, just before evening, the start of the Sabbath.
  We know this for sure because Mary Magdalene and the other Mary heard him cry out WITH A LOUD VOICE, saw him breathe his last, and heard what the Centurion said. Joseph of Arimathea had personal, direct contact with the body and would have known if there was still any life left in the body.
    
• The body of Jesus was taken from the cross and placed in a known tomb.
  We know this for sure because Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, saw Joseph of Arimathea take the body and prepare it for burial, and then sat opposite the tomb.
    
• The body of Jesus was not secretly removed from the tomb by his followers.
  We know this for sure because the opponents of Jesus - the chief priests and Pharisees - had the Roman Governor, Pilate, place Roman guards at the tomb to prevent this very sort of hoax. The guards sealed the tomb with a stone and kept a 24 hour watch.
    
• The body of Jesus was not in the tomb when the angel of the Lord opened the tomb at dawn on Sunday.
  We know this for sure because Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and the Roman guards, were there and witnessed these events.
    
• Jesus is resurrected, and is not a ghost.
  We know this for sure because Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were met by Jesus. Jesus greeted them. They heard him; saw him; and were able to touch him. They recognized him and worshiped him. His body was a resurrected body, but it was actually, factually, really the same Jesus they knew before.
    
• Jesus is resurrected, and this is not a hoax.
  We know this for sure, because in fact we know that the guards were paid to spread this false rumour. Oddly enough, even today people make lots of money writing books promoting this false rumour.

So what? So why is this such Good News?

In order to really get the Good News of Easter, it is important to get our hearts and minds focused on who brutally degraded and killed Jesus, and why they did that.

Why?

Well. Let's suppose Jesus had lived a long and happy life and died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by loved ones. If he had then been resurrected on the third day, that would be pretty good news. We could still preach sermons about "Love Is Stronger Than Death." Which is for sure true. And most days is good enough news for me.

Or. Let's suppose that some ordinary person - say, Mary Magdalene - was resurrected. Same thing as before. "Love Is Stronger Than Death." Still is good enough news.

But suppose we learned that someone truly bad - say, Adolf Hitler - was resurrected. Wow! Not such good news. In this case I'd rather that death was a permanent condition.

...

Click here to read the complete Holy Textures background commentary on Matthew 28:1-10.

Welcome to Holy Textures

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 - 2014

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 19, 2014
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 20, 2014
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 20, 2014
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
April 27, 2014
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 4, 2014
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 11, 2014
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 18, 2014
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 25, 2014
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
May 29, 2014
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 1, 2014
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 8, 2014
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."

Welcome to Holy Textures

There are so many texts from Palm / Passion Sunday through the rest of Holy Week and Easter, that I am including links to them all in a single post.

Blessings to you all in this most holy of times.

Holy Week

Lent 6
April 13, 2014
Liturgy of the Palms:
Matthew 21:1-11
"Now Jerusalem is not a large city. And what the authors of the Bible take for granted and fail to mention is that while Jesus is parading in on a donkey through one of the back gates, on the other side of the city Pilate is parading in on a war horse accompanied by a squadron or two of battle-hardened Roman soldiers. Do you think anyone at Pilate's parade heard about Jesus' parade? Heard what the crowd had shouted? Let's see what unfolds in the week ahead."
Sermon: "Entrances." 
Liturgy of the Passion:
Matthew 26:14 -- 27:66, Alternate Reading 1.
Matthew 27:11-54, Alternate Reading 2.
"The Jesus who died on Good Friday was still dead on Easter Sunday. But the embodied passion of Jesus that did not hesitate in the face of humiliating, torturous death did not die on Good Friday, and was seen to be actually, factually, really alive on Easter Sunday."
Sermon "To be added."

Holy Monday
John 12:1-11
"Lazarus' presence with Jesus fills the room with the unfinished sentence: Just as Lazarus, the one whom Jesus loves, has been raised from the dead by Jesus, so will Jesus, the one whom God loves, be ... . Just how this sentence will be finished is exactly the fear - and the hope - that is in everyone's hearts."

Holy Tuesday
John 12:20-36
"The hour has come. Our souls are troubled. Can they also remain loyal?"

Holy Wednesday
John 13:21-32
"But that they don't understand when Jesus gives the dipped crust of bread to Judas and then says, 'Do quickly what you are going to do,' simply reveals that unlike Jesus they are not able to 'read the signs.'"

Holy Maundy Thursday
April 17, 2014
John 13:1-17, 31b-35    
"Fortunately, this passage actually has TWO new commandments: 1) Love one another as I have loved you. And, 2) Forgive one another as I have forgiven you. Christ-like-love is the goal. Forgiveness is the salve that heals brokenness and makes love possible once again." 
Sermon: "To be added."

Good Friday
April 18, 2014
John 18:1 -- 19:42    
"To outsiders, a battered and broken Jesus could no longer hold his head up and died in humiliation and defeat. But to those who believe into him, a true Son of God has completed his great work, and with a royal nod (and maybe a mischievous wink?) has passed on his Spirit so that we too might have life - the life that was in Jesus." 
Sermon: "To be added."

Holy Saturday
April 19, 2014
Matthew 27:57-66, Alternate Reading 1.   
"And just in case we might think that later events were a hoax, Matthew relates that the Jerusalem authorities take steps to guard the tomb." 
Sermon: "To be added." 
John 19:38-42, Alternate Reading 2.
"The crucial piece of background information is the belief that the flesh contained a person's evil deeds. And the year-long rotting of the flesh was a purging of these deeds, leaving the bones (which contained the personality of the person) ready to receive the new body fashioned by God at the resurrection. But the resurrection of Jesus on the third day will interrupt this process before it starts." 
Sermon "To be added."

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."

And if you some extra time or are looking for something to help spark your sermons, here are some other writings.

What You Need to Know Before Preaching Your Next Easter Sermon
The Reality of the Resurrection
Jesus’ resurrection was not unexpected. The surprise was that he was resurrected so quickly. On the third day! What could this mean?

Israelite Burial Customs
This doesn't sound very sexy, but unless you know this historical information, you will not understand why Jesus was placed in a tomb not a grave; and why resurrection is "in the flesh" and not just spitiual.

You Don't Really Need to Know This Before Preaching Your Next Easter Sermon
My Annual Rant about the Resurrection and Science
I majored in mathematics and physics at university, and so I'm extra sensitive to why my arts educated colleagues get all wimpy about the reality of the resurrection.