Tag: Resurrection

Easter 2, John 20:19-31, Resurrection
Easter, Sermon

The Impossible Made Real – A Sermon On John 20:19-31

I suspect we all live with our own version of what is and what isn’t possible. And most of the time we live our life based on what we consider to be possible. We consider the range of possibilities and then we make a decision, choose a direction for our life, take our next step, all within the boundaries of what is possible. But what if the impossible can be made real? What if the impossible really does happen? What if the impossible is possible?  Continue reading The Impossible Made Real – A Sermon On John 20:19-31

Michael K. Marsh2 Comments
Resurrection, Resurrection of Jesus, Empty Tomb, Easter, Mark 16:1-8, Sermon
Easter, Sermon

The Two Questions Of Easter – An Easter Sermon On Mark 16:1-8

Easter is not just something from the past to be looked at and celebrated. It is the lens through which we are to see everything. It’s a life to be lived. Getting Jesus out of the tomb is not the ultimate goal of Easter. Easter is about our new life. That means that today is not the end of the story. It’s the beginning. The most important part of Easter is not what happens today. What matters most about Easter is what we do tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.  Continue reading The Two Questions Of Easter – An Easter Sermon On Mark 16:1-8

Michael K. Marsh6 Comments
Harrowing of Hell, Resurrection, Death, Holy Saturday, Tomb, Entombment of Christ, John 19:38-42
Holy Week, Sermon

What Have You Laid In The Tomb? – A Holy Saturday Sermon On John 19:38-42

“They laid Jesus there,” in the tomb (John 19:42). At one level that’s a literal-historical statement of what happened next. At another level it’s about you and me. We’ve all come to the tomb. We’ve laid in the tomb our family and friends, loves, hopes, dreams, relationships, parts of our selves and our lives. I wonder, what have you laid in the tomb this Holy Week? This past year?  Continue reading What Have You Laid In The Tomb? – A Holy Saturday Sermon On John 19:38-42

Michael K. Marsh1 Comment
Featured, Lent, Lent 2b, Mark 8:31-38, Rebuke, Repentance, Hope, Resurrection
Sermon

The Conflicting Snapshots Of Our Lives – A Sermon On Mark 8:31-38

We’ve known times in our lives when we felt unprepared for what we were facing. We looked down the road at what was coming and we didn’t like what we saw. We wanted to cry out, “No. This isn’t happening. This cannot be. This must not be.” Haven’t there been times when you felt scared, unprepared for, or overwhelmed by life? Haven’t there been times when you just didn’t want to face what life was bringing you? Haven’t there been times when you just didn’t know whether your faith was up to the demands of life? Love my enemy? Forgive not once, not seven times, but seventy times seven? Turn the other cheek when the first one is still red and stinging? Continue reading The Conflicting Snapshots Of Our Lives – A Sermon On Mark 8:31-38

Michael K. Marsh2 Comments
Resurrection, Funeral, Sermon, John 6:37-40, Lost, Difference
Sermon

The One For Whom Difference Makes No Difference – A Funeral Sermon On John 6:37-40

I wondered what difference his being different made to others. Because you know as well as I that the world can be a difficult place when you are different. The world can be way to quick to see and name difference as a deficiency and way to slow to create a place and space for one who is different. And too often that one lives at the extremes of either being avoided or taken advantage of. Continue reading The One For Whom Difference Makes No Difference – A Funeral Sermon On John 6:37-40

Michael K. Marsh1 Comment
Funeral Sermon, Eternal Life, Seeing, Heart, Resurrection, 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9, Sermon
Sermon

Seeing With The Eye Of The Heart – A Funeral Sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9

Richard knew a “secret, a very simple secret.” He knew and trusted that “it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, chapter xxi)

That is the secret that sustains us through our losses and gives hope on this day. It is the secret that makes life beautiful, relationships meaningful, and conversations extraordinary. It is the secret that lifts us up to see further and cleanses our eyes to see more clearly. It is the secret all our sacred scriptures try to teach us. It is a secret open to everyone and hidden from no one, but only those with eyes to see will understand it. Continue reading Seeing With The Eye Of The Heart – A Funeral Sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9

Michael K. Marsh5 Comments
Road to Emmaus, Breaking of the Bread, Resurrection, Easter 3A, Easter, Luke 24:13-35, Life, Death, Jerusalem
Easter, Sermon

Life Shattered, Life Restored – A Sermon on Luke 24:13-35

Rarely does the gospel tell us what to do or believe. Rarely does it give us a straight answer. And today’s gospel (Luke 24:13-35), the road to Emmaus story, is no different. It doesn’t give us answers. It raises questions and invites reflection. It’s a map by which we orient and find ourselves. It reveals intersections of Jesus’ life and our lives. It begs to be recognized as a story about our lives, and it is a story with which we are familiar. It is a story of shattering and restoration.

If your life has ever been shattered then this is your story. If your life has ever been restored then this is your story. And if you’ve ever been in that in between place, between shattering and restoration, then this is your story.
Continue reading Life Shattered, Life Restored – A Sermon on Luke 24:13-35

Michael K. Marsh12 Comments
Doubting Thomas, Easter, Resurrection, Easter 2A, Doubt, John 20:19-31
Easter, Sermon

Get Out Of The House! – A Sermon on John 20:19-31

I wonder, one week after Easter, what has Christ’s resurrection done for us? Is your life different? Do you see and engage the world in new ways? What difference has the empty tomb made in your life over the last week? When I look at my life it looks a whole like it did last Sunday, the week before, and the week before that. And when I look at the world it looks pretty much the same as before. Continue reading Get Out Of The House! – A Sermon on John 20:19-31

Michael K. Marsh15 Comments
Easter, Sermon

Good Morning. Now Go Home. – An Easter Sunday Sermon on Matthew 28:1-10

I sometimes wonder if we have for so long so over-emphasized the uniqueness of Jesus’ resurrection that we have either forgotten or are unable to believe that there is only life. I wonder if we make such a big deal out of Easter Sunday that we are no longer able to see that everyday life holds the miracle of resurrection. I wonder if we miss the resurrected life that is ours because we are always looking and waiting for Jesus’ resurrection. Continue reading Good Morning. Now Go Home. – An Easter Sunday Sermon on Matthew 28:1-10

Michael K. Marsh11 Comments
John 14:1-6, Funeral, Funeral Sermon, Sermon, Grief, Loss, Sorrow, Death, Resurrection, Presence
Sermon

When A Loved One Dies – A Funeral Sermon on John 14:1-6

I need you to trust me and work with me on what I am going to say next. It won’t seem true but it is. Brian’s love, his life, and his presence are as real today as before he died. I know it doesn’t look like that and it sure doesn’t feel like that. I know that your grief and tears are saying that it’s not true. But I promise you it is. It is the gospel truth. Continue reading When A Loved One Dies – A Funeral Sermon on John 14:1-6

Michael K. Marsh19 Comments