Sermons

"The Darkness of Easter"

Easter.A.23
John 20:1-18
The Rev. Melanie L. McCarley

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark Mary Magdalene came to the tomb.” Imagine…. perhaps Mary felt the chill of the early morning dew on her feet, maybe she stumbled on the path as she made her way in the shadows. What might she have heard? The wind rustling through the trees? Or the sandy scuttle of creatures scurrying into the underbrush as she walked by. Was it yet too early to hear the birds greet the morning? I imagine darkness and quiet and the weight of sorrow pressing down.

"Sacrifice & The Eucharist"

Maundy Thursday.A.23
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
The Rev. Melanie L. McCarley

Whether you envision the Last Supper as sweet and poignant or dark and moody, fraught with betrayal and impending doom, this event evokes profound emotions in addition to a hefty dose of theological speculation. Day by day and all over the globe, this meal (the Holy Eucharist) is being commemorated at any given moment. It behooves us to ask ourselves why? What is it about the Last Supper that has made it such a defining experience for Christians of all stripes.

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