Sermons For Holy Week and Easter Sunday (2019)
A collection of sermons preached at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Uvalde, Texas, for Holy Week and Easter Sunday 2019. Continue reading Sermons For Holy Week and Easter Sunday (2019)
Author: Michael K. Marsh
A Promise, A Hope, And A Call – A Sermon On Luke 24:1-12 For Easter Sunday
This is your resurrection. This is your Easter. This is your feast day. And that is true for every one of us here. Regardless of who you are, what you’ve done or not done, what has or has not happened in your life, what you believe or don’t believe, the promise remains, hope abides, and the call persists. Continue reading A Promise, A Hope, And A Call – A Sermon On Luke 24:1-12 For Easter Sunday
Sitting In Opposition – A Sermon On Matthew 27:57-66 For Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday – Matthew 27:57-66 I am always struck by the contrast between this day, Holy Saturday, and the rest of Holy Week. The crowds, shouting, and turmoil of Good Friday have given way to silence and stillness. There is no meal or intimacy like on Maundy Thursday. The excitement and hope of Palm Sunday’s triumphal entry have ended with two women and a sealed … Continue reading Sitting In Opposition – A Sermon On Matthew 27:57-66 For Holy Saturday
Aligning Our Lives – A Sermon On John 18:1-19:42 For Good Friday
We tend to let the cross and Jesus’ death overshadow not only this day, but the entirety of our faith, as if it is the thing and the only thing. But what if it’s just one more thing, one among many? I do not mean to diminish or negate the cross on this day. But there is more to Jesus, his life, and this day than just his cross and death. It’s a part of the story but it’s not the whole story. So I want to try and enlarge the meaning of the cross and this day. Continue reading Aligning Our Lives – A Sermon On John 18:1-19:42 For Good Friday
This Is Our Night – A Sermon On John 13:1-17, 31-35 For Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday – John 13:1-17, 31-35 “You will never wash my feet,” Peter says to Jesus. What’s that about? What’s going on with Peter? I don’t know but I have a guess. I think it’s about more than having his feet washed. In fact, I don’t think it’s even about his feet. I think it’s about feeling vulnerable, exposed, and uncertain about taking his share … Continue reading This Is Our Night – A Sermon On John 13:1-17, 31-35 For Maundy Thursday
Judas, More Than A Betrayer? – A Sermon On John 13:21-32 For Wednesday In Holy Week
Wednesday in Holy Week – John 13:21-32 What comes to mind when you hear the name Judas? For most of us, I suspect, the first thing we think of is betrayal. Judas is the one who betrayed Jesus. Judas is the one who made a deal with the authorities. Judas is the one who sold out. Judas is the one who “went out” into the … Continue reading Judas, More Than A Betrayer? – A Sermon On John 13:21-32 For Wednesday In Holy Week
A Weak and Troubled Soul – A Sermon On John 12:20-36 For Tuesday In Holy Week
When has your soul has been troubled? What troubles your soul today? What’s it like for you to recognize and feel your own weakness? Are you scared, embarrassed, ashamed? Do you feel inadequate, defective, vulnerable? What’s your prayer in those times, “Father save me from this hour?” Continue reading A Weak and Troubled Soul – A Sermon On John 12:20-36 For Tuesday In Holy Week
What Really Matters? – A Sermon On John 12:1-11 For Monday In Holy Week
What really matters to you? What really matters for the life you want to live? What matters so much to you that when it is ignored, forgotten, denied, covered up, it becomes the matter with you? Like when someone asks you, “What’s the matter with you?” not in a negative, critical way but in a caring, concerned way. What really matters to you? Continue reading What Really Matters? – A Sermon On John 12:1-11 For Monday In Holy Week
Without A Why – A Sermon On John 12:1-8
“The rose has no why; it blossoms because it blossoms. It pays no attention to itself, nor does it ask whether anyone sees it.”
What if we were to live like the rose, without a why? What if we blossomed simply because we blossomed. What if there was no motive or seeking to our blossoming; to be noticed, to be praised, to accomplish? What if we fragranced the world because we couldn’t do anything but fragrance the world? The rose is going to do what it’s going to do regardless of whether anyone sees or smells it. It’s beauty and fragrance are not means to an end. It has no why.
Continue reading Without A Why – A Sermon On John 12:1-8
The Burning Bush: What If? – A Sermon On Exodus 3:1-15
The burning bush story is one of call and response. Something is being called for in the name of God. And I can’t help but believe that call and response is also the story of our lives. Something is being asked of us in the name of God.
The burning bush experience does not happen apart from or in spite of every day life but in the midst of life, in the keeping of our flocks. That’s what Moses was doing when this happened. He was keeping the flock of his father in law. He was doing the ordinary routine things of his life, the same things he did the day before, the week before, and the month before. Burning bushes show up as we keep our flocks of routine and every day life; marriage, parenting, work, friendships, errands, church, reading the news, household tasks. Continue reading The Burning Bush: What If? – A Sermon On Exodus 3:1-15
