 The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Church of the Annunciation Oradell April 18, 2021 The Third Sunday After Easter 1st Reading - Acts 3:12-19 Psalm 4 2nd Reading - 1 John 3:1-7 Gospel - Luke 24:36b-48 May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen. Alleluia! Christ is risen! [The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!] Now, you might be thinking – wait - Easter was two weeks ago. But no! Easter is 50 days! Really, Easter is every day. It is not a single point in time, but who we are. And who we are is one of the points this gospel reading, well really, all the readings today, are about.
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 The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge Church of the Annunciation Oradell April 4, 2021 - 10:30am Service Easter Sunday 1st Reading - Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Gospel - Mark 16:1-8 May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. Every time I hear this version of the Easter story – the one found in the Gospel of Mark, I just have to say two things. First - “that is no way to run a resurrection!” The Gospel of Mark is famous for a lot of things – the Messianic Secret (Shhh! Don’t tell anybody who I am, says Jesus), disciples who can’t get out of their own way, but demons who know who Jesus is, and then it has this really strange ending about the resurrection: “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Just to clarify though – the Greek really is better translated as the women disciples having been surprised and amazed.  The 9am Easter Sunday Sermon From Pastor Karen:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Christ our Lord is Risen today. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We all know the story of Easter and the days leading up to Easter, but what do we learn from this… how do we take the lesson and apply it to our lives today? In those last few days Jesus was rejected… how many of you have every felt rejected? Abandoned? Jesus actually understands those feelings.  The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge Church of the Annunciation Oradell April 2, 2021 Good Friday Psalm 22 Gospel - John 18:1-19:42 May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. Tonight we continue the service begun last night, that will end on Sunday. It is the Paschal Triduum, and as I mentioned last night at the beginning of the service, to make that much more clear to everyone, there is only one bulletin for all three-parts. You will also notice that there was no dismissal at the end of the service last night, nor will there be one tonight, for the service completes only on Easter and not before.  The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge Church of the Annunciation Oradell April 1, 2021 Maundy Thursday Hebrew - Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14 Psalm 116:1, 10-17 Christian - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Gospel - John 13:1-17, 31b-35 May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. Tonight we enter into the most holy and sacred time of our lives as followers of Jesus, because tonight we enter into the three part service known as the Paschal Triduum – Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. There is only one bulletin for all three parts to make this point very clear. Tonight is the beginning of the end of that long journey with Jesus to his arrest, trial, crucifixion, death, and the empty tomb. And we begin with betrayal and denial, though you might not know it from the gospel verses we read tonight.  The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Church of the Annunciation Oradell February 28, 2021 Second Sunday of Lent 1st Reading - Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Psalm 22:22-30 2nd Reading - Romans 4:13-25 Gospel - Mark 8:31-38 May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen. This week we have part two of a multi-part part lectionary offering in Lent about God’s covenants with us. Last week it was God promising to all of creation never to do harm again following the great flood. Even creating a little reminder for God – a string around the divine finger – the rainbow. This week, the covenant is with Abram and Sarai – later Abraham and Sarah – and all of their descendants. Now, rather than creating a sign for God, there is a sign for good ole Abraham and Sarah and everyone else for generations and generations...and yet we don’t hear about the sign. It is hidden in the verses that are missing in today’s lectionary assignment...perhaps with good reason. The sign – the reminder of the covenant...well, it isn’t a pretty rainbow. It is – circumcision - God really truly cuts a deal this time around. Ouch! One can appreciate the lectionary editors viewpoint, right? I remember a story I heard once.  The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Church of the Annunciation Oradell February 21, 2021 First Sunday of Lent 1st Reading - Genesis 9:8-17 Psalm 25:1-9 2nd Reading - 1 Peter 3:18-22 Gospel - Mark 1:9-15 May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. You gotta love some of the church signs & Facebook memes these days... “If you are praying for snow...please stop!” or “I’m giving up winter for Lent – who’s with me?” I don’t know about you, but about now, I am done with winter! All this ice, snow, sleet, shoveling... done I tell ya. I suspect our poor sisters and brothers in the south, particularly Texas, are saying the same thing, and we pray for them especially at this time. Still, I find it rather humorous that in the midst of all this crazy winter weather we begin Lent with another weather nightmare – the great flood...or at least, the aftermath of it.  The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Church of the Annunciation Oradell January 24, 2021 Third Sunday After The Epiphany - Year B First Reading - Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:6-14 Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Gospel - Mark 1:14-20 May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen. Around about this time of year, we look back on those New Year resolutions...all the things we set out to do, and wonder........what the heck was I thinking? I’m gonna only eat whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies and exercise every day. Riiiiigggghhhttt! Hopefully we can accomplish some of our goals, keep light hearted about all the rest, and try again next year.  The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Church of the Annunciation Oradell January 17, 2021 Second Sunday After the Epiphany 1st Reading - 1 Samuel 3:1-20 Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17 2nd Reading - 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Gospel - John 1:43-51 May God’s words alone be spoken, may God’s words alone be heard. Amen. Well, good morning everyone! Today marks the beginning of our journey together as priest and parish, and I anticipate that it will not be without its twists and turns, but the best journeys have them, right? None of us know for certain the future of things, but that’s what makes the journey worthwhile...not really knowing what will happen. |
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