For the last seven weeks, we have been focusing on ways that Jesus raises us up either into the fullness of life or into new life. In the early Christian Church, the season of Easter wasn’t just about “what happens to you at the time of your death” it was about “what happens to you during your life.” Easter was the joyous celebration of the goodness and grace of God that was fully alive and at work in our lives. It was rooted in the belief and the experience that God is always offering us the gift new life. Every moment, every day, God offers us the opportunity to experience new life, new hope, new faith. Just as the Season of Easter begins with a spectualar event, so the Season of Easter concludes with an equally spectacular event: the pouring out of God’s Spirit upon us, God’s people. The day in which we celebrate this gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon us is called “Pentecost.” “Pente” simply means 50, and Pentecost means 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus.

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About twenty years ago, when I was serving on the Presbyterian Church’s special committee to study Human Sexuality, we hosted an evening of conversation, dinner and worship including Communion with members of the committee. This committee of 21 members was appointed by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1988. We were appointed because at that time, the Presbyterian Church was, as it continues to be, in turmoil over the “rightful place and inclusion” of gay and lesbian Presbyterians in the life of the church and especially whether gay and lesbian Presbyterians could be ordained as Elders, Deacons and Ministers. In what should have been a great moment of insight, the General Assembly came to the realization that “we as Presbyterians can not address the issues related to homosexuality until we first have a fuller understanding of our theology of human sexuality.” That “moment of insight” was short lived.

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You may not know this, but Esther is one of those “R” rated books in the Bible. I can still remember learning about Esther in Sunday School – of course our teacher had to tone it down a bit for us. So we learned that Vashti was this sassy Persian queen who disrespectfully refused to show up after her husband, the king, ask her to come and greet his important friends at a huge banquet that he threw for all the officials and governors of the empire. As punishment for her disobedience he took away her crown and banished her from the kingdom. So an empire-wide beauty contest was held to find a worthy and beautiful replacement for Vashti. Esther, being the most beautiful of all the girls in the Persian Empire, won the king’s heart and so became the new queen of Persia. The king threw a huge banquet to celebrate Esther’s victory and placed the crown on her head.

Well….. that’s not exactly how it’s told in Scripture…

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Over the years, we have had many members of our church who have become addicted to drugs. In the gay male community, in the bar and club scene, in the young adult community, in the Hollywood/West Hollywood area drug use is rampant. And with the use of drugs comes addiction.

I remember the story of one member of our church who was addicted to drugs.

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There is a saying that the only two things in life that are certain are “death and taxes.” That seems to be pretty constant throughout history. But perhaps a third certainty is that tax collectors are some of the most hated people in the world.

One of the clergywomen in our Presbytery is married to an IRS agent, well, he used to be an IRS agent. He finally left working for the IRS because he had so many threats against his life that his mental health deteriorated to the point where he could no longer function. His fear was quite real.

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Year after year after year, I’ve repeated the same words: “Easter is not a day, it’s a season.” It’s a season about being spiritually raised up into the fullness of life.

A few weeks ago I taught our Sunday morning Bible Study. The topic, which was chosen by someone in the group was, “Is Christ the only way? Is Christianity really the exclusive path to salvation? How can one reconcile such a claim in our post modern society?”

As we began the class, the first question I asked was “Was Jesus Jewish or Christian?”

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Thomas insists on touching the Risen Christ before he will believe.

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The other day I was driving down Sepulveda Blvd and just past the Sepulveda/Pico intersection there was a billboard that really grabbed my attention. In BOLD letters was the question, “What do you want to do before you die?” It was an ad for a new MTV series called “The Buried Life.”

As soon as I got back to our church, I Googled “The Buried Life” excited to discover what it was about. Here’s what it said:

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This Sunday we are celebrating Palm Sunday. It has always been a bitter sweet day for me. As a kid I just could not comprehend how it was possible that things could turn sour so fast. The air must have been electrifying – the noise deafening – the mood exuberant. Thousands showed up, waving palm branches, calling out Hosanna! Hosanna! Barely a few days later Jesus would hang on a cross, alone. Surely the world has gone mad. Oh, the naiveté of a child! I do so sometimes miss those days of innocence. The world does not take kindly to those who come into this world as the bearers of hope, liberation and justice.

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PLEASE NOTE: WORSHIP WILL BE AT 5PM THIS WEEK, SINCE SUNSET BLVD WILL BE CLOSED ALL MORNING FOR THE MARATHON!

I remember once when I was going through the ordination process, I was asked by someone to describe my relationship with Jesus. All I could think of to say was, “I need to get to know him better.” It takes a lifetime to get to know him, and that is at the core of our faith journey. What did he say, do, stand for; and what does he expect of us, his disciples, as we try to carry on with his work and message? It ain’t easy!

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