“Soak it up… the resurrection is everywhere.” This is the advice I received a few years ago, days before I left for Rome, where I would with seminary classmates for two weeks. My dad had died in a car accident weeks before, and when the rector of my parents’ church learned that I was going…
The Rev. Jonathan R Thomas March 27, 2016 (Easter Vigil) Telling the Eternal Story The liturgy of the word begins tonight with the call: “Let us hear the record of God’s saving deeds in history, how God saved the people in ages past.” There is nothing new about this salvation story told and…
What happened on this day? We gather today under a huge cross. We mark a cross on our bodies. We wear crosses. We decorate with crosses. At the core of our life together is the shape of an ancient execution device, one specifically used to humiliate and isolate its victim from any decent member of…
Rev. Jonathan R Thomas March 24, 2016 (Maundy Thursday) John 13:1-17; 31b-35 The Full Extent of Love Maundy Thursday is the day on which we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, by re-enacting Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. That is why it is called Maundy Thursday; it comes…
The Rev. Jonathan R Thomas March 12, 2016 (Lent 5C) Isaiah 43:16-21 & John 12:1-8 An Extravagant Gift We are coming towards the end of our Lenten journey. A week from now, on Palm Sunday, we will hear of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem followed by the passion narrative, the story of Jesus’ suffering…
The Rev. Jonathan R Thomas March 6, 2016 (Lent 4C) Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 The Father’s Story The prodigal son story is such a familiar story in the Christian tradition. It is one of the rare parables whose meaning seems relatively clear even to the one who is only casually acquainted with the faith.…