Rev. Nancy S. Taylor

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Is he? Are you quite sure of that? It would be a great deal more reassuring if the women who are there that morning – there at the tomb – depart with a bounce in their step, hope in their hearts, and faith on their tongues.

They do not.

As Mark relates the story in this oldest of the four gospels, the women flee the tomb, seized with terror.

It hardly counts as a shout of victory over death.

And I’ve got to ask: Is this any way to stage a resurrection?

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God, Jesus says, is like a certain landowner who goes to the marketplace to hire day laborers. For the sake of clarity, let’s delete the middleman, the Landowner, and go straight to God.

Early in the morning, a little before 6  am, God goes to the marketplace and hires laborers to work in the vineyard.

Together, God and the laborers agree on the wage: a denarius. It is not an overly generous wage, but it is a fair wage—enough to support a family for a day.

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Moses is delayed. That’s where the problem starts. You can trace the origin of the golden calf to the fact that Moses is late coming down from the mountain.

He is more than late. He has been missing for forty days.

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Last week, I received an email from my mother. The subject of the email is one she has been contemplating in her 85th year of life. The subject line of the email: “My Funeral”. The message reads as follows: “Hi, Nance, Am sending you the service info. Let me know if you have suggestions. I might make some changes as time goes by. But this is good enough if I croak in the next week! Love & Thanks, Mom”

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Thanksgiving – A season of giving thanks. This year, I am giving thank for many things … but today, here, in this Meeting House … I give God thanks for Old South Church’s first minister: the Astonishing Thomas Thacher.

Proficient in the ancient tongues (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic and Syriac), a skilled logician and debater, a most excellent physician, an admirable clock-maker, a father of five, and an eminent preacher: I give God thanks for the Astonishing Thomas Thacher.

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Cry out, Isaiah!, says God.

Cry out! You, who bring good tidings … you, who have good news: get up, climb up onto a high mountain. And there, lift up your voice with strength. Use your outdoor voice. Do not be afraid. Do not be quiet. Get over your Lutheran shyness. Speak up! Shout your glad tidings for all the world to hear:

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Baptism. Ingredients and directions. Procure a nice bowl (possibly a gorgeous brass bowl from the mid-1800’s). Obtain a pitcher (possibly even the one given to you by Aunt Issie on the day of your wedding). Fill the pitcher with tap water. Luke warm. Add a few drops of water from Jordan River. It’s a wonder the Jordan River hasn’t dried up yet.

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Five years ago, the members of this church gathered for a special meeting to consider and vote upon the proposed Vision for the 21st Century.

The Vision—a substantial and aspirational document forged over months and years of listening, praying, discerning. Finally, our prayer-bathed Vision for the 21sth Century was adopted without dissent.

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Imagine in your mind’s eye that you are looking at a painting of the Last Supper. Gathered for the Passover meal, Jesus and his disciples are seated at the table. Jesus is in the middle. In his left hand, Jesus holds a loaf of bread. With his right hand, he is blessing the bread. To Jesus’ right is John, the beloved disciple. And to his left, sits Peter, the rock or foundation upon whom Jesus will build his church.