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Hebrew Scripture Reading-Psalm 65: 5-13
Around the age of thirteen, I went with my parents to a dramatic performance being presented in the basement of a local church. The basement was much like Bradford Hall, only smaller. I don’t remember much from that evening, but what I remember with certainty is that the performance told the story of a Latin American male who had experienced horrific violence. I remember being surprised by the graphic descriptions. My father at the time was deeply involved in working with members of other churches on issues related to our nation’s complicity in the violence taking place at that time in countries like Nicaragua and Guatamala. Part of my father’s involvement entailed an interest in liberation theology. The performance in the church basement that night was undoubtedly part of the theological milieu.
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Hebrew Scripture Reading-Exodus 2: 1-10
For those of you who are new to our church, we share our building space with a Jewish congregation called Kol Ami which means “voice of my people.” A few months ago I heard their Rabbi Elizabeth Dunsker speak at a community event on Martin Luther King, Jr., day. She was talking about the kind of work that King did, and she told a story that evokes the imagery of our scripture for today. The story essentially goes as follows…Once upon a time, there was a village along the banks of a river. One day a villager was at the river when he noticed what appeared to be a baby floating in the water. Quickly, he jumped into the river to swim to the infant child and bring it safely back to shore.
New Testament Reading-John 20: 1-18
This past week I had a mini-crisis of faith. Nothing serious, nothing that would warrant kicking me out of the ministry, but, perhaps, I should explain. It all began shortly after our Bible Study this past Tuesday morning. In the class, I had tried to shine some light on our scripture. I shared the views of scholars and preachers on the resurrection. I talked about how Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan say that the real issue at the stake in the resurrection isn’t what’s factual and what’s not. The real is issue is what it means. It means that Jesus lives, that there was no final act in his life, that his spirit continues on. It also means that God’s “yes” overruled the Roman Empire’s “no,” Jesus is vindicated. I then talked about how Peter Gomes at Harvard once declared that the proof of the resurrection is in our lives. The proof is in whether or not Jesus continues to live in us.