This Week at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church April 27, 2011

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Alleluia, Alleluia!

"With Fear and Great Joy" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard, April 24, 2011

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Matthew 28.1-10

Holy Women at the Tomb of Christ
Annibale Carracci, 1585

With Fear and Great Joy!

“Alleluia, Christ is Risen!” is an expression of great joy. It permeates the music, the ceremony, and everything about this day. In contrast to the dark and dreary season of Lent, the silence and solemn Holy Week, Easter is a bright new beginning. Even though Easter is quite late in the calendar this year, it always seems to sneak up on me.

For many of us, Easter marks the beginning of spring. My earliest memories of Easter morning are of the crystal clear air, the bright sun, the smell of lilies and the gorgeous colors of flowers and green grass (I am not saying my memory is perfect, I am an optimist). For some reason, I believe that the sun exuded more heat on Easter and everything was very good.

"Good" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard - April 22, 2011

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“And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis Chapter 1)

Time with friends, a hike outside, hearing beautiful music, making a birdie on the 18^th hole, a relaxing conversation with a spouse, watching your child perform in a play. Most if not all of us are blessed with many of these and like experiences that make for good days. Everyone’s list is slightly different, and that is ok. That is what makes our experiences, here, real.

This day, known worldwide and for 1000s of years, as ‘Good Friday’ is the most solemn of Holy Days in the Christian tradition. There are many reasons for the solemn, quiet, and reflective nature of this day. We just heard the narrative of the Passion from the Gospel of John. It began with Jesus’ arrest in the hillside gardens of Gethsemane, progressed through the hearings and trials in the courts of very powerful people (in human terms, that is), and then followed the path of Jesus to the rock quarry just outside the city gates, called Golgotha.

This Week at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church, April 13, 2011

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"Names" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard - April 3, 2011

1 Samuel 16.1-13, Ephesians 5.8-14, John 9.1-41

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare

Names connect us to our lives. Our surname links us with our ancestors and, for many of us, our first and middle names were carefully chosen to bridge our lives with people pivotal in our heritage. My father was born on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19, therefore, his parents gave him the middle name ‘Joseph.’ As the beginning of a tradition, my parents chose to name me Joseph, as well. Like my father, it is my middle name. I wasn’t born on St. Joseph’s Day, but I am forever tied with my father. In some families, a name can pass from parent to child for generations. As we build relationships and earn a reputation, our names take on value. Roosevelt, Rockefeller, and Kennedy and on a corporate scale Coca-Cola, Walmart, and GE.