Sheep who aren't sheepish

 

Easter 4

April 25, 2020

Jesus calls himself the good shepherd and his followers sheep.  Who wants to be a sheep, especially in an age where the world’s challenges demand innovation, tenacity and leadership?

Pastor Rob reflects on Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4), observing that these sheep of Jesus are anything but sheepish!

Peter and John model a different way of being disciples:  Not trying to figure it all out, but instead, trusting Jesus as they follow him in footsteps of hope and courage.

Pastor Rob argues that surprisingly in our world today of big problems, that so often produces anger and apathy, that this might be the kind of discipleship we need, one in which we are freed from having to figure it all out and freed for following the Good Shepherd in footsteps of hope and courage.

A New Story

Easter 3

April 18, 2021

The disciples on the road to Emmaus (Like 24:13-35) are blind to Jesus’ presence and the evidence of resurrection.  How can this be?

Pastor Rob explores the power of story — how the stories we tell ourselves about the world, about others and about ourselves becoming self-fulfilling prophecies that enable (often to our own detriment) us to ignore evidence to the contrary.

In the Gospel passage, the story seems, at first, to be that violence and death win.  And so the disciples cannot see the evidence of resurrection.  This also seems to be the story in our world right now.  This story of the power of death and violence blinds us to God’s love in our lives.

But as it turns out, there is more to the story…and that is where the serendipity, grace and the Gospel enter in!

Easter 2021: Resurrection Lenses

 

Easter Sunday

April 4, 20201

This Easter feels like a turning point in our lives and in our society:  The past chapter of pandemic is giving away to something new.  But the grief of the past makes it tough to turn the page.

Pastor Rob reflects on the first Easter, when the early disciples found themselves caught between grief and hope, between death and resurrection.   The women at the tomb needed to be given resurrection lenses, ones that allowed them both to see new life and admit their grief.  These lenses of resurrection and hope give them the courage them to leave the tomb, embracing the new creation.  May it do the same for us!

This beautiful art, called Resurrection, comes from this website (a joyous Easter discovery of this artwork!):

Three Resurrection paintings by Indian artist Jyoti Sahi