What does it take to rise from the dead?  

Here are my reflections from Easter Sunday. Enjoy.

Happy Easter! On this morning, when the daylight is returning and the days have become warmer, when flowers begin to bloom and trees put out their first leaves; when the earth is coming back to life after a dreary winter; we hear the amazing news that Jesus has risen from the dead! And since Jesus the Christ has conquered death, we too know that we need not fear the ending of our mortal lives. It is a great day for celebration, and a great day to consider the ways in which we, too, metaphorically rise from the dead. Through all of the changes in our lives, Christ is there to reassure us that after every loss, after every little death, there will be new life.

This is our faith! However, this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Mark reminds us that resurrection might be… a little scary, a little hard to believe.

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A Video Blast from the Past

Back in 1999, I was interviewed by Paul VanDeCarr for a film that he was making. I recently found this short film, "The Anti-Gay Agenda," on YouTube. I find it interesting to notice what has changed in the decade+ since then... and what hasn't. Check it out and see what you think!

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You Have All You Need

I was asked to preach at my home church soon after the pastor announced that she would be leaving the congregation. It occurred to me that in times of change, it is often easier to focus on what we will miss than to remember what we still have. I hope this speaks to you.

A Letter from Paul

A sermon preached at the Metropolitan Community Church of New Haven, CT

November 27, 2011

(c) The Rev. Dr. Joan M. Saniuk

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the first day of a new church year and the beginning of a time of spiritual preparation for Christmas. On this first day of a new year, I am doing something that is very unusual for me: I am preaching on the reading from Saint Paul. When I looked at the readings that are designated for today, in the Common Lectionary of the mainline Christian churches, I discovered that the first and last ones were about the end times. From Third Isaiah and from Mark, we have doom and gloom, shock and awe, war and destruction, fear and trembling. And in the middle of those two passages, there was a little word of hope from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. I was led to meditate on that word of hope this morning.

Paul wrote to the community in Corinth in a time that was unsettled and crazy, a time not unlike ours. As I meditated on his words, I began to wonder: If Paul were to write that letter to us, MCC New Haven, right here, right now, what would he say?

I invite you to imagine with me. I imagine that Paul’s letter to us would go something like this:

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Just a Reminder: It Gets Better!

Holiday seasons can be wonderful, but they can also be scary and stressful. If you are queer, gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, or simply supportive and you are anxious about spending time with your family of origin, don't forget that there is an antidote online. There are thousands of videos in the It Gets Better Project. There is bound to be at least one that you will like, and that will give you confidence (or even some laughs)!

I am part of a video that Pearson/Penguin USA contributed to the project. You can see our video by clicking on the title of this blog post or click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpLKZELnSho

Don't panic! Whatever you are going through, it DOES get better, maybe not right away, but eventually. Hang in there.

Blessings, Joan

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Set Free for a Reason: Reflections on what it means to be Christians

I've been out of commission for a couple of months, but wanted to share the following reflections on what I did on my May vacation. Be blessed!

Set Free for a Reason

A sermon preached at First Community Church, Medford, MA, June 5, 2011

For the last three weeks, I have been on an amazing journey, both physically and spiritually. It all started when I got on an airplane for Washington, D.C. I’d like to tell you just a little bit about my trip this morning.

I went to Washington, D.C. for a couple of events that were co-sponsored by my denomination, the Metropolitan Community Churches. The first of these was the seventh biennial conference for People of African Descent, Our Friends, and Allies – P.A.D., or simply PAD, for short. It was my first experience of the PAD conference, and I came away with a new appreciation of this thing we call “church”.

The theme of the conference was “Loving Ourselves into Liberation”. The conference invitation had an additional line for friends and allies: “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, let’s work together.” I was entirely ready to accept that invitation as an ally. Still, I was not sure whether I would feel comfortable at this gathering.

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We Are The Ones

A sermon preached at the Metropolitan Community Church of New Haven, Connecticut, January 23, 2011

Scriptural reference: Matthew 4:12-23

        

Every year at this time, about four weeks after Christmas, we have finished telling the wondrous stories of Jesus’ birth, of the visit of the Wise Ones, of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan. We remember that Jesus spent forty days in the desert, successfully resisted the temptations of the Evil One, and now we hear of how “Jesus begins his public ministry." This morning, I invite us to reflect on what Jesus does in this story, how the people around him would have received it, and what it says to us today.

I heard this story for decades without really paying attention to the seven words with which it begins: “Jesus heard that John had been arrested.” Somehow, what I remember having learned is that John the Baptist had to fade away so that Jesus could take center stage, as it were. Maybe that is an appropriate interpretation to teach children, but it misses a very important historical context. It would have been reasonable to assume that John’s arrest would be followed by John’s death. It would also have been reasonable to assume that if John had been arrested, Jesus could have been next. It finally dawned on me that a very human Jesus would have been very mortally frightened at John's arrest.

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See-It-Myself Thomas

A sermon preached at the Metropolitan Community Church of Hartford, Connecticut April 11, 2010
(c) 2010 by The Rev. Dr. Joan M. Saniuk
Text: John 20:19-31

This morning’s gospel tells about Jesus’ second appearance to his disciples after the Resurrection. We usually refer to this pericope as the story of “Doubting Thomas.” Thomas is the one holdout among the disciples who refuses to believe in the Resurrection just on the word of the others. I need to see it for myself, he says. Thomas needs to see and touch Jesus’ raised body before he will believe that Jesus has been raised from the dead. And lo and behold, Jesus gives Thomas that opportunity!

The usual interpretation of this story has Jesus scolding Thomas for his lack of faith. Jesus says, “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

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