Joseph Peters-Mathews

“Death was angered when it met you in the pit.” It was angered because it was abolished. It was angered because it was mocked. It was angered because it was slain. It was angered because it was chained up. Death swallowed a body and choked on God.

An extemporaneous reflection for Holy Saturday.

Today on this Good Friday, when Jesus lets himself be betrayed handed over to sinners, and dies because of our sins, it is in the cross of Christ we glory.

The Rev. Joseph Peters-Mathews is the vicar of St. Hilda St. Patrick. The sermon for Sunday, March 28, was preached in response to Philippians 2.5-11 and Mark 14.1-15.47. Next year,not just me reading.Maybe next yearnot even me reading.As we end Lentand start Holy Week,we see how fickle we are,how just human we are.Within the span

The time has come for Jesus to be glorified. The time has come for Jesus to let go of his life for the redemption of the cosmos…As Jesus draws all people to himself he sets the example and tells his followers what they must do to follow him.

As we move closer to Easter, and closer to the baptismal font, the Church couldn’t be any clearer: it is by grace that we have been saved not through anything we have done or can do or will do on our own.

During the season of Lent, when the church calls us to reflect on our mortality and renew our commitment to following Jesus, we need all the reminders we can get that Jesus’ Way of Love is not the way of power.

Fred Shuttlesworth said, “You have to be prepared to die before you can begin to live.” That’s exactly what Jesus tells his disciples through time in this passage. It’s what the church asks us to contemplate as we move toward the font at the Easter Vigil and engage this Lent in discipling not disciplining. That’s good news!