The Lord's victory over the powers of sin and death
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle A
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 10:34--43 (C, E, L); Acts 10:34, 37--43 (RC)
Peter testifies to the Lord's resurrection to the household of Cornelius, the Roman centurion who feared God. These two men are brought together by their visions. Through this encounter, God reveals to Peter that the Gentiles are also heirs to salvation. In his sermon, Peter covers the fundamentals of the gospel, Christ's death and resurrection. Peter testifies as an eye witness, who ate and drank with Christ after he rose from the dead, that Jesus is the one ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. He is the fulfillment of the expectations of the prophets and the one through whom any who believe in him receive the forgiveness of sins.
Lesson 2: Colossians 3:1--4 (C, RC, E, L)
''If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above'' (v. 1). This lesson speaks of the resurrection of believers as something that has already occurred, which has implications for the way that we live out our lives. The believer has been raised up by receiving a new spiritual center. Therefore, the follower of Christ should live out of this center rather than descend to the level of his old sinful nature.
Gospel: John 20:1--18 (C); John 20:1--9 (RC); John 20:1--10 (11--18) (E); John 20:1--9 (10--18) (L)
According to John's witness, Mary Magdalene comes alone to the tomb early on the first day of the week. Finding the stone rolled back, she is alarmed and runs to tell Peter and John what has happened. These two disciples then dash to the tomb to investigate. John gets there first, peers into the grave, but does not enter until Peter steps inside the tomb - another first for Peter. The disciples return to their dwelling in puzzlement. Mary remains by the grave, where she peers in and sees two angels. They ask her why she is weeping. ''Because they have taken away my Lord and I don't know where they have laid him,'' Mary replies. Then Jesus appears, asking the same question as the angels. Mary doesn't recognize Jesus, thinking him the gardener, until Jesus calls her name. Finally, she rushes to the other followers of Jesus with the news of her unbelievable encounter with the risen Lord.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 118 (C, E, L) - ''I shall not die but live'' (v. 17).
Prayer Of The Day
Eternal God, we sing your praises for raising your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, from the grave and lifting him up as a sign of salvation for all who trust in his name. Raise us also from the grave of sin and death, that we might join in Christ's victory song, together with the innumerable host who surround your heavenly throne. In Jesus' name. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 10:34--43
The Rock Proclaims The Resurrection. Peter, the one whom Jesus named the Rock, crumbled into sand during the trial of our Lord, but the resurrection of Christ was the cement that solidified his faith. Peter boldly proclaimed to a Roman officer and his household that this Jesus, crucified as a common criminal, was raised from the dead; not only that, but he is the One designated by God to judge the living and the dead. There is no need to fear his judgment, however, because ''every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name'' (v. 43).
Eyewitness News. The news department of almost every television station dubs itself: Eyewitness News. The apostles were also eyewitness reporters to the greatest news in the history of the universe. Peter tells the household of Cornelius that the apostles were eyewitnesses to the signs and wonders which Jesus performed during his ministry. More importantly, they were eyewitnesses to the risen Christ; they ate and drank with him after his resurrection.
Lesson 2: Colossians 3:1--4
Be high minded. If we have died and risen with Christ, spiritually speaking, we must set our minds on things above, says the writer of Colossians. Where our mind is, there will our body be also. A person can let his mind descend into the abyss or focus it on that which is of God, all that is noble and true.
Gospel: John 20:1--18
Resurrected Run. What was it that made Peter and John race to the tomb? Of course, Mary Magdalene reported that the tomb was open and empty, but why the rush? Had they remembered that the Lord said he would rise from the grave after three days? Were they merely curious? On entering the tomb, they observed that the grave clothes had been left behind. If his body had been stolen, why were the burial clothes not taken with the body? Yet their response is rather anti--climatic; they merely went back home.
Is that the way Easter is for us? Temporary excitement? A mad dash to the empty tomb and to a full church? Yet we don't linger long enough to encounter the risen Lord. Mary Magdalene wasn't going to go back home until she had found the Lord. Like Peter and John, we return home empty hearted, full of disappointment. Faith is not formed by witnessing an empty tomb but by encountering a living Lord.
A new outfit for Easter. Peter and John observed that the Lord's burial clothes had been left behind. How appropriate. Jesus had cast off his shroud, his death duds. God had decked him in a new Easter outfit that would not fade or decay. Jesus is Lord.
One of the traditions surrounding Easter is to go out and buy a new Easter wardrobe: a new dress, shoes, suit or bonnet. Easter should not be an opportunity to show off new clothes but the custom has some merit. Our new clothes symbolize what God has done for us because of Christ's resurrection. God has removed our burial shroud and decked us with the robe of righteousness.
Why are you weeping is the question that Mary Magdalene was asked by the angels sitting on the slab that had held the body of Jesus. Her inconsolable grief kept her from recognizing him, and he asked the same question. ''Woman, why are you weeping?'' That's a good question
to ask in light of the resurrection of Jesus. We may still have reason to weep because life inflicts great wounds but we need to know why we are weeping. Are we weeping for ourselves? Do we feel sorry for ourselves? That's a futile kind of weeping. Do we weep because someone we love has been hurt or has died? Such tears can prove healing if we can get them out and then move on. Do we weep because we feel like an orphaned child? Christ understands that feeling and will come to console us. We may not recognize him, at first, but the living Lord stands ready to speak our names and wipes the tears away from our eyes. Weeping may last the night but joy comes in the morning.
We're all in the family. The risen Lord instructed Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples that ''He was ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'' (v. 17). Most of them had failed him, deserted him and disappointed him during his hour of need, but they were forgiven. They were still children of God, still brothers and sisters. That's the wonderful news that the risen Christ has to tell each and every one of his disciples.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Acts 10:34--43
Sermon Title: The Rock Proclaims The Resurrection
Sermon Angle: The resurrected Christ solidified the Rock so that he might truly live up to his name. Ever since Christ rose from the dead, Peter proclaimed the resurrection but here Peter proclaimed the resurrection to a Gentile, an officer of the occupying force in Peter's country. The pre--resurrection Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah but the post--resurrection Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the risen Lord of all.
Outline:
1. Peter proclaimed Christ's ministry of healing and peacemaking (vv. 36--39a)
2. Peter proclaimed that God raised Christ from the dead (vv. 39b--40)
3. Peter proclaimed that the disciples ate and drank with the risen Christ (v. 41) (No mere vision but fellowship with the risen Christ)
4. Peter proclaimed that Christ is judge of the living and the dead but that there is forgiveness through his name (vv. 42--43)
Lesson 2: Colossians 3:1--4
Sermon Title: High Minded
Sermon Angle: We see the ''already but not yet'' dimension of our resurrection. We have been raised to newness of life through faith but we still live in a corrupt world. Christians have their feet planted in two worlds: the old sinful world and the new world that Christ is ushering in. We are to focus our minds on the new world, on the things that are above. Setting our minds on the values of the world will drag us down but fixing our minds on the things of God will lift us up. In other words, be high minded.
Outline:
1. We have already been raised to newness of life through Christ
2. Yet we still live in the old sinful world
3. We can choose which world we will focus on
4. To fix our minds on the values of this world leads to death but ...
5. To fix our minds on the world that is coming through Christ leads to life
Gospel: John 20:1--18
Sermon Title: What The Resurrection Reveals - The Long Arm Of God's Love
Sermon Angle: Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons (Mark 16:9). She was a very sick person. She experienced the love of God through Jesus' healing as she never had before. In gratitude, that love was returned. Mary Magdalene stayed close to Jesus. She was
with him in Jerusalem the final week of his life; she witnessed his crucifixion, his burial and resurrection. She was there early Easter morning to prepare his body for burial. She must have been devastated when the One who loved her so much was taken from her. She was frantic when his body was not in the tomb but then, miraculously, he called her name. The long arm of God's love had reached out from the grave.
Outline:
What does the resurrection reveal?
1. Love that reaches beyond the grave
2. Loyalty that is rewarded (Mary stood by Jesus)
3. A God who knows me personally (Jesus called Mary's name)
4. A Gospel worth proclaiming (Go and tell ...)
Sermon Title: Good News From The Grave
Sermon Angle: After the risen Christ encountered Mary Magdalene at the grave, he instructed her to tell the disciples the good news; he was alive and was soon to ascend to the God and Father of them all. She must have been delirious with joy and excitement as she relayed the good news to the disciples of Jesus but they were not inclined to believe her. How frustrated she must have been. Their response is understandable because we don't expect to hear good news from the grave. What a surprise to all who inhabit a grave of sickness, hopelessness, crushed dreams, failures and opportunities left unseized. It is from Christ's grave and our graves that God raises us to newness of life!
Outline:
1. Good news - Jesus is risen
2. Good news - we are still of God's family (... my Father and your Father, my God and your God ...) (v. 17)
3. Good news - the love of Jesus reigns (''I am ascending ...'') (v. 17)
4. Good news - Jesus lives and we can live eternally through him
Garrison Keillor, author of Lake Woebegon Days, relates the true story of a Minnesota farmer who had a resurrection type experience. It was time for spring planting and the farmer was working manure into the soil with his tractor and disc plow. It was a warm day, the field was long and the farmer was bored. He thought of all the exciting things he could do if he wasn't married to the land. Suddenly, he felt himself falling. He had fallen asleep. In desperation, he reached for the tractor hitch just as he hit the ground. The tractor was the old type with a notched throttle. It kept chugging along at about 5 MPH. The distraught farmer was unable to pull himself up. All he could do was hang on for dear life; should he lose his grip, he would be cut to ribbons by the blades of the disc that were doggedly chasing him. The scene would be comic were it not so potentially tragic. Picture this poor soul being dragged through the dirt and manure down the length of the field, up the embankment and into a grove of trees. The tractor finally came to rest against a tree, the wheels still spinning. It took about 10 minutes for him to gather the strength to pull himself up on the tractor seat and turn off the ignition.
It was a new man that sat there pondering what he had just gone through. He had personally experienced the reality of resurrection. The manure impregnated earth smelled sweet; the sky never looked so blue. That farmer looked at farming and all of existence with new eyes. He had been reborn.
The Parable Of The Two Parties
It was Good Friday and my family and I were on our way to worship. As we approached the lane that leads into the church parking lot, we noticed a huge party in the parking lot of a local night spot across from the church. This is the kind of hangout where the waitresses
are required to sport skimpy shorts and halter tops, displaying to the maximum effect large breasts and shapely thighs. The draw was a sandless beach party 1,600 miles from the ocean. In front was the icon for the assembly, a huge, inflatable can of beer, the sacramental beverage of the assembly. The band was blaring and the congregates were getting into the spirits. As we walked to the church door, the noise of the revelry pelted our ears.
I couldn't help but notice the incongruity of these two assemblies - the one in the parking lot and the one in the church. The revelry in the parking lot seemed so out of place in this holiest of Christian holidays. Christ died for all, but this group of revelers couldn't care less. Of course, from their perspective it might seem like the church is a bunch of crepe hangers who have lost the ability to celebrate life. In their way of thinking, the church is out of sync with the world, not the other way around. If they had left the beach party to join the throng who was paying homage to the crucified Christ, it would have struck them as macabre. All this talk of sin, suffering and death would seem the antithesis of life. Those dancing to the drumbeat of the moment wouldn't understand that Christians are also celebrating life, but in a very different way. The followers of the Man from Nazareth have discovered that life and death are not mutually exclusive. As strange as it seems, they have found that the door to the celebration of life is only through death. Christ gave himself to death that we might gain eternal life. As we give our life to Christ and neighbor, we learn to dance with the angels: We are raised up to a new and wonderful level of life and love. The revelers in the parking lot, by and large, are attempting to seize life by fleeing from death. They may be attempting to still the restlessness of their hearts by sating their senses and by pursuing superficial encounters rather than committed relationships.
These two Good Friday gatherings are a parable of life. In the parking lot are those who find death in life but in the sanctuary are those who discover life in death. Be warned! Those in the sanctuary must not look down their noses in judgment on the revelers. We are not better than they. Our challenge is to celebrate life in such joy and love that they will be attracted to our party. The Christ who turned water into wine and transformed death into a dance is the life of the party that has no end. All are invited.
Lesson 1: Acts 10:34--43 (C, E, L); Acts 10:34, 37--43 (RC)
Peter testifies to the Lord's resurrection to the household of Cornelius, the Roman centurion who feared God. These two men are brought together by their visions. Through this encounter, God reveals to Peter that the Gentiles are also heirs to salvation. In his sermon, Peter covers the fundamentals of the gospel, Christ's death and resurrection. Peter testifies as an eye witness, who ate and drank with Christ after he rose from the dead, that Jesus is the one ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead. He is the fulfillment of the expectations of the prophets and the one through whom any who believe in him receive the forgiveness of sins.
Lesson 2: Colossians 3:1--4 (C, RC, E, L)
''If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above'' (v. 1). This lesson speaks of the resurrection of believers as something that has already occurred, which has implications for the way that we live out our lives. The believer has been raised up by receiving a new spiritual center. Therefore, the follower of Christ should live out of this center rather than descend to the level of his old sinful nature.
Gospel: John 20:1--18 (C); John 20:1--9 (RC); John 20:1--10 (11--18) (E); John 20:1--9 (10--18) (L)
According to John's witness, Mary Magdalene comes alone to the tomb early on the first day of the week. Finding the stone rolled back, she is alarmed and runs to tell Peter and John what has happened. These two disciples then dash to the tomb to investigate. John gets there first, peers into the grave, but does not enter until Peter steps inside the tomb - another first for Peter. The disciples return to their dwelling in puzzlement. Mary remains by the grave, where she peers in and sees two angels. They ask her why she is weeping. ''Because they have taken away my Lord and I don't know where they have laid him,'' Mary replies. Then Jesus appears, asking the same question as the angels. Mary doesn't recognize Jesus, thinking him the gardener, until Jesus calls her name. Finally, she rushes to the other followers of Jesus with the news of her unbelievable encounter with the risen Lord.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 118 (C, E, L) - ''I shall not die but live'' (v. 17).
Prayer Of The Day
Eternal God, we sing your praises for raising your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, from the grave and lifting him up as a sign of salvation for all who trust in his name. Raise us also from the grave of sin and death, that we might join in Christ's victory song, together with the innumerable host who surround your heavenly throne. In Jesus' name. Amen.
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Acts 10:34--43
The Rock Proclaims The Resurrection. Peter, the one whom Jesus named the Rock, crumbled into sand during the trial of our Lord, but the resurrection of Christ was the cement that solidified his faith. Peter boldly proclaimed to a Roman officer and his household that this Jesus, crucified as a common criminal, was raised from the dead; not only that, but he is the One designated by God to judge the living and the dead. There is no need to fear his judgment, however, because ''every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name'' (v. 43).
Eyewitness News. The news department of almost every television station dubs itself: Eyewitness News. The apostles were also eyewitness reporters to the greatest news in the history of the universe. Peter tells the household of Cornelius that the apostles were eyewitnesses to the signs and wonders which Jesus performed during his ministry. More importantly, they were eyewitnesses to the risen Christ; they ate and drank with him after his resurrection.
Lesson 2: Colossians 3:1--4
Be high minded. If we have died and risen with Christ, spiritually speaking, we must set our minds on things above, says the writer of Colossians. Where our mind is, there will our body be also. A person can let his mind descend into the abyss or focus it on that which is of God, all that is noble and true.
Gospel: John 20:1--18
Resurrected Run. What was it that made Peter and John race to the tomb? Of course, Mary Magdalene reported that the tomb was open and empty, but why the rush? Had they remembered that the Lord said he would rise from the grave after three days? Were they merely curious? On entering the tomb, they observed that the grave clothes had been left behind. If his body had been stolen, why were the burial clothes not taken with the body? Yet their response is rather anti--climatic; they merely went back home.
Is that the way Easter is for us? Temporary excitement? A mad dash to the empty tomb and to a full church? Yet we don't linger long enough to encounter the risen Lord. Mary Magdalene wasn't going to go back home until she had found the Lord. Like Peter and John, we return home empty hearted, full of disappointment. Faith is not formed by witnessing an empty tomb but by encountering a living Lord.
A new outfit for Easter. Peter and John observed that the Lord's burial clothes had been left behind. How appropriate. Jesus had cast off his shroud, his death duds. God had decked him in a new Easter outfit that would not fade or decay. Jesus is Lord.
One of the traditions surrounding Easter is to go out and buy a new Easter wardrobe: a new dress, shoes, suit or bonnet. Easter should not be an opportunity to show off new clothes but the custom has some merit. Our new clothes symbolize what God has done for us because of Christ's resurrection. God has removed our burial shroud and decked us with the robe of righteousness.
Why are you weeping is the question that Mary Magdalene was asked by the angels sitting on the slab that had held the body of Jesus. Her inconsolable grief kept her from recognizing him, and he asked the same question. ''Woman, why are you weeping?'' That's a good question
to ask in light of the resurrection of Jesus. We may still have reason to weep because life inflicts great wounds but we need to know why we are weeping. Are we weeping for ourselves? Do we feel sorry for ourselves? That's a futile kind of weeping. Do we weep because someone we love has been hurt or has died? Such tears can prove healing if we can get them out and then move on. Do we weep because we feel like an orphaned child? Christ understands that feeling and will come to console us. We may not recognize him, at first, but the living Lord stands ready to speak our names and wipes the tears away from our eyes. Weeping may last the night but joy comes in the morning.
We're all in the family. The risen Lord instructed Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples that ''He was ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'' (v. 17). Most of them had failed him, deserted him and disappointed him during his hour of need, but they were forgiven. They were still children of God, still brothers and sisters. That's the wonderful news that the risen Christ has to tell each and every one of his disciples.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Acts 10:34--43
Sermon Title: The Rock Proclaims The Resurrection
Sermon Angle: The resurrected Christ solidified the Rock so that he might truly live up to his name. Ever since Christ rose from the dead, Peter proclaimed the resurrection but here Peter proclaimed the resurrection to a Gentile, an officer of the occupying force in Peter's country. The pre--resurrection Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah but the post--resurrection Peter proclaimed that Jesus was the risen Lord of all.
Outline:
1. Peter proclaimed Christ's ministry of healing and peacemaking (vv. 36--39a)
2. Peter proclaimed that God raised Christ from the dead (vv. 39b--40)
3. Peter proclaimed that the disciples ate and drank with the risen Christ (v. 41) (No mere vision but fellowship with the risen Christ)
4. Peter proclaimed that Christ is judge of the living and the dead but that there is forgiveness through his name (vv. 42--43)
Lesson 2: Colossians 3:1--4
Sermon Title: High Minded
Sermon Angle: We see the ''already but not yet'' dimension of our resurrection. We have been raised to newness of life through faith but we still live in a corrupt world. Christians have their feet planted in two worlds: the old sinful world and the new world that Christ is ushering in. We are to focus our minds on the new world, on the things that are above. Setting our minds on the values of the world will drag us down but fixing our minds on the things of God will lift us up. In other words, be high minded.
Outline:
1. We have already been raised to newness of life through Christ
2. Yet we still live in the old sinful world
3. We can choose which world we will focus on
4. To fix our minds on the values of this world leads to death but ...
5. To fix our minds on the world that is coming through Christ leads to life
Gospel: John 20:1--18
Sermon Title: What The Resurrection Reveals - The Long Arm Of God's Love
Sermon Angle: Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from seven demons (Mark 16:9). She was a very sick person. She experienced the love of God through Jesus' healing as she never had before. In gratitude, that love was returned. Mary Magdalene stayed close to Jesus. She was
with him in Jerusalem the final week of his life; she witnessed his crucifixion, his burial and resurrection. She was there early Easter morning to prepare his body for burial. She must have been devastated when the One who loved her so much was taken from her. She was frantic when his body was not in the tomb but then, miraculously, he called her name. The long arm of God's love had reached out from the grave.
Outline:
What does the resurrection reveal?
1. Love that reaches beyond the grave
2. Loyalty that is rewarded (Mary stood by Jesus)
3. A God who knows me personally (Jesus called Mary's name)
4. A Gospel worth proclaiming (Go and tell ...)
Sermon Title: Good News From The Grave
Sermon Angle: After the risen Christ encountered Mary Magdalene at the grave, he instructed her to tell the disciples the good news; he was alive and was soon to ascend to the God and Father of them all. She must have been delirious with joy and excitement as she relayed the good news to the disciples of Jesus but they were not inclined to believe her. How frustrated she must have been. Their response is understandable because we don't expect to hear good news from the grave. What a surprise to all who inhabit a grave of sickness, hopelessness, crushed dreams, failures and opportunities left unseized. It is from Christ's grave and our graves that God raises us to newness of life!
Outline:
1. Good news - Jesus is risen
2. Good news - we are still of God's family (... my Father and your Father, my God and your God ...) (v. 17)
3. Good news - the love of Jesus reigns (''I am ascending ...'') (v. 17)
4. Good news - Jesus lives and we can live eternally through him
Garrison Keillor, author of Lake Woebegon Days, relates the true story of a Minnesota farmer who had a resurrection type experience. It was time for spring planting and the farmer was working manure into the soil with his tractor and disc plow. It was a warm day, the field was long and the farmer was bored. He thought of all the exciting things he could do if he wasn't married to the land. Suddenly, he felt himself falling. He had fallen asleep. In desperation, he reached for the tractor hitch just as he hit the ground. The tractor was the old type with a notched throttle. It kept chugging along at about 5 MPH. The distraught farmer was unable to pull himself up. All he could do was hang on for dear life; should he lose his grip, he would be cut to ribbons by the blades of the disc that were doggedly chasing him. The scene would be comic were it not so potentially tragic. Picture this poor soul being dragged through the dirt and manure down the length of the field, up the embankment and into a grove of trees. The tractor finally came to rest against a tree, the wheels still spinning. It took about 10 minutes for him to gather the strength to pull himself up on the tractor seat and turn off the ignition.
It was a new man that sat there pondering what he had just gone through. He had personally experienced the reality of resurrection. The manure impregnated earth smelled sweet; the sky never looked so blue. That farmer looked at farming and all of existence with new eyes. He had been reborn.
The Parable Of The Two Parties
It was Good Friday and my family and I were on our way to worship. As we approached the lane that leads into the church parking lot, we noticed a huge party in the parking lot of a local night spot across from the church. This is the kind of hangout where the waitresses
are required to sport skimpy shorts and halter tops, displaying to the maximum effect large breasts and shapely thighs. The draw was a sandless beach party 1,600 miles from the ocean. In front was the icon for the assembly, a huge, inflatable can of beer, the sacramental beverage of the assembly. The band was blaring and the congregates were getting into the spirits. As we walked to the church door, the noise of the revelry pelted our ears.
I couldn't help but notice the incongruity of these two assemblies - the one in the parking lot and the one in the church. The revelry in the parking lot seemed so out of place in this holiest of Christian holidays. Christ died for all, but this group of revelers couldn't care less. Of course, from their perspective it might seem like the church is a bunch of crepe hangers who have lost the ability to celebrate life. In their way of thinking, the church is out of sync with the world, not the other way around. If they had left the beach party to join the throng who was paying homage to the crucified Christ, it would have struck them as macabre. All this talk of sin, suffering and death would seem the antithesis of life. Those dancing to the drumbeat of the moment wouldn't understand that Christians are also celebrating life, but in a very different way. The followers of the Man from Nazareth have discovered that life and death are not mutually exclusive. As strange as it seems, they have found that the door to the celebration of life is only through death. Christ gave himself to death that we might gain eternal life. As we give our life to Christ and neighbor, we learn to dance with the angels: We are raised up to a new and wonderful level of life and love. The revelers in the parking lot, by and large, are attempting to seize life by fleeing from death. They may be attempting to still the restlessness of their hearts by sating their senses and by pursuing superficial encounters rather than committed relationships.
These two Good Friday gatherings are a parable of life. In the parking lot are those who find death in life but in the sanctuary are those who discover life in death. Be warned! Those in the sanctuary must not look down their noses in judgment on the revelers. We are not better than they. Our challenge is to celebrate life in such joy and love that they will be attracted to our party. The Christ who turned water into wine and transformed death into a dance is the life of the party that has no end. All are invited.
