This morning, I preached at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona. The sermon was a slightly expanded audio version of today’s Sunday Musing (posted below).
I recorded it on my phone to send to the Cottage community. It was a little different from the written version (as sermons generally are!). I think you’ll like it. It was fun to preach.
But shhhhhhh! Whatever you do, don’t tell! Let’s make it our secret! 😉
LENTEN REFLECTION SERIES: Crossings
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14.
The culmination of Lent is Good Friday, with Jesus’ death on a cross. The cross is the central symbol of Christian faith, a universal sign of life in Christ. Christians wear crosses, sing about the cross, reflect on the cross, and have ritual practices at the cross.
Yet many also struggle with the cross, especially with its complicity in religious violence and a theology that seems to exalt in suffering and pain. Honestly, I’ve struggled with it over the years, often wondering if I could ever voice my reservations.
A few years ago, a church asked me to preach every day for an entire week in their Lenten series based on the theme: “It’s not about us. It’s about the Cross.”
And so, I embarked on a five-sermon exploration of the cross. Much to my surprise, I gave the cross back to myself as I struggled with the theme!
I’ve always wanted to publish those sermons — but publishers don’t publish books of sermons any longer. They’ve just been filed away on my computer. This Lent, I’m going to publish them here. At the Cottage. The sermons have been reworked and turned into longer meditations.
Over Lent, I’ll share my cross sermons each Wednesday in a series called “Crossings.” Each sermon presents a different image of the cross — the five pieces create a kind of spiritual prism to see the cross from a variety of theological angles. I think you’ll have your vision widened.
This year, Lent won’t be a daily series (like Advent). Rather the schedule will be simplified, giving you time to read, pray, and sink into the material. The tentative schedule (might be slightly revised) is:
Monday - a poem and visual to start the week
Wednesday - the sermon/meditation
Friday - five friends will present video meditations on the image from the sermon
There will be additional opportunities for conversation — and other special guests — as well.
At the end of the series, the five mediations (and some supplemental material) will be compiled into a booklet — Crossings — for you to download and re-read.
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Shhh! Don't Tell! A Sermon