In 2 Corinthians 5:6-17, the Apostle Paul encourages the church in Corinth to live a life pleasing to Christ because one day all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. On that day, each of us will have to give account of how we lived our lives. How we live does matter, and Paul affirms that fact to the troubled church in Corinth. 

Trinity Sunday offers an opportunity to examine Paul's idea of life in the Spirit. According to Romans 8:12-17, living in the Spirit means that we don't live by the "flesh" -- which is a word Paul uses to identify that which is dying and passing away, that lifestyle to which we were slaves prior to coming to Christ. Life in the Spirit means we are God's children, and as God's children we form habits as we are led by the Spirit of God. Those habits will bring us into conflict with the world that lives by the "flesh" and we will suffer as Christ suffered because we are living by the Spirit. But, Paul reminds us that if we suffer with Christ, we will also be glorified with Christ, too. 

Pentecost Sunday is the last big Sunday in the liturgical year, but often churches that celebrate Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter fail to give equal emphasis to Pentecost. Pentecost is the culmination of the Christian Year, and has been called the "birthday of the church." Without Pentecost, the Christian Year is incomplete because it is at Pentecost that Jesus fulfills his promise to send the Holy Spirit to empower, equip, enthuse, and embolden the apostles. It is also on Pentecost that the church launches it mission of taking the Gospel to the whole world. Pentecost carries great significance for those early followers of Christ, and for us today. Here's the sermon I preached on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012, titled Living in the Power of Pentecost. 

The Bible features several accounts of mothers, but my favorite Old Testament story about mothers is the story of Hannah and Samuel. Found in 1 Samuel 1, Hannah's story recounts her wilingness to give her son, Samuel, back to the Lord. Samuel, in turn, heard the voice of God calling him. As a result Samuel became the spiritual leader of Israel, speaking to the people on behalf of God. Samuel would be used of God to anoint Saul as king. Then, when Saul failed to serve God, Samuel anointed David as king of all Israel. 

In Matthew 28:16-20, we usually miss verse 17: "They worshipped him, but some doubted." What did the 11 disciples doubt during this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus? Did they doubt that he had been resurrected? Or that he was the Messiah, the Son of God? Or did they doubt themselves and their ability to carry on after Jesus left them? The interesting point in this is that some of the same disciples who worshipped him, also doubted. What can we learn from the disciples' struggle in the aftermath of the resurrection?

In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Most Bible scholars agree that Jesus is giving Peter the opportunity to atone for his betrayal of Jesus three times during Jesus' arrest. But what does this mean for us today? How do we know if we love Jesus. In this passage we find the simple evidence of love for Jesus. 

Now that Easter Sunday is behind us, what do we do next? How do we as followers of Jesus live in light of Easter's message of hope and joy? In John 20:19-31 we read the story of Jesus' first encounter with his disciples after his resurrection. This account is unique to John's gospel and gives us insight into what Jesus intended for his disciples to do in light of his resurrection. The words of Jesus to his followers have implications for us who live in light of Easter, too. 

On this Easter Sunday we hear the words of Isaiah 25:6-9, written over 600 years before the birth of Jesus. In Isaiah's day, the nation of Judah believes that God has left them. Isaiah reminds them what will happen when the God they are waiting for returns. That promise is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, and in his death and resurrection. Isaiah says that when God returns God will remove the shroud of death from over the nation, swallow up death itself, wipe every tear from their eyes, and throw a big banquet in celebration. All of these images foreshadow the coming of Christ, the kingdom of God, and the great banquet God is preparing. 

In Mark 15:1-39 we read the story of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. The descriptions of the suffering of Jesus remind us that we should not trivialize the sacrifice of Christ. The apostle Paul reminds Christians that we share in the suffering of Christ. This passage provides us the background for both understanding and living a life of sharing Christ's suffering by sharing the suffering of others. 

On the final Sunday of Lent we are looking at Jeremiah 31:31-34, where God says that "the days are coming" when those in captivity in Babylon will have a new covenant with God. That new covenant was unimaginable to the people of Jeremiah's day because the Temple had been destroyed, Jerusalem lay in ruins, and the nation of Judah has seen its king led away in chains. But Jeremiah prophesies a new day where God will again be their God, when God's law will be in their minds and on their hearts, and when God will forgive their sins. This new day begins in the sixth century BC, but finds its fulfillment in the incarnation of Christ. But God is still at work today, and during this Lenten season our task is to imagine the new work that God continues to do in all of creation.