Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 20:1-18   Show Up   There was no hope on the first Easter morning.   Just dark skies and heavy hearts and the stubborn shadow of the cross.   And a lonely woman carrying spices and ointments to the place where they laid her dearest friend to rest.   There was no hope on the dusty road that she traveled.   It was a road of sorrows, made muddy by the tears of too many mourners.   The road led to death, to a valley of dry bones and faded memories.   And no amount of beautiful flowers or well-manicured trees or impressive monuments could disguise the fact that Mary was lugging her oppressive grief and her broken heart to a cemetery.   There was no hope in that empty tomb.   It was not a cause for joy on that first Easter morning; it was a symbol of the emptiness Mary felt.   It was yet another reason to weep, until even her tear ducts were emptied out.   When she saw the th...

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Passion according to John   Good Friday: A Reflection   What now?   A hopeless disciple standing beside a woman watching her son die.   And he is dying.   The cause of death will be suffocation or excessive blood loss or maybe a broken heart.   But he will die on that cross.   The Son of God, brown skin stained with red blood, calloused hands pierced with spikes the color of gunmetal: he will die on a Roman cross with a charge of treason written above his head in three languages.   The breath that gave life to the world will run out.   The sacred heart that holds us will stop beating.   The eyes that wept over Jerusalem will close in eternal rest.   This is not a passion play.   This is passion in its truest and rawest form: immense human suffering.   This is not just a temporary setback on the way to Easter.   This is death – the most human of fates.   And it hap...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson Luke 22:39-23:56   An Introduction to the Passion according to Luke   I am very sorry to tell you that the story you are about hear does not have a happy ending.   Not yet.   I don’t fault you if you expected better.   The Gospel story you heard just minutes ago, outside, in the garden, set, I suppose, unrealistic expectations.   You will soon hear the rest of that story.   And I feel I should warn you: it does take a shocking and horrific turn.   It all takes place on what feels like an impossibly small timeline. The entire story, beginning with the colt ride through Jerusalem, ending with the mysteriously vacant tomb, takes place over the course of just one week. The time between Jesus’ celebrated entry into the Holy City and his arrest is just a few days. And the arrest, trial, sentencing, and crucifixion: well, they all take place in just a matter of hours, before the earth can even make one complete ...