The Adventures of Mo. Lauren and Fr. Kenny

Hello Friends!

This past Sunday was the 5th Sunday of Easter, and we read the first half of Jesus’ farewell discourse in John.  This takes place the night before Jesus died on the cross and Jesus describes our relationship to Him, God, and each other using the imagery of the vine.  Take a listen:

John 15:1-8, Sermon, Easter 5, Year B, May 3, 2015

Thanks for stopping by!

Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

I know I missed last week’s post, sorry about that, but now I am back.  This past Sunday was the fourth Sunday of Easter, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday.  On this day every year, we read a different story in which Jesus refers to himself as a shepherd.  The thing is, that this portion of John is actually part of a much larger narrative.  I explore this portion in the larger context, so take a listen:

Sermon, John 10:11-18, Easter 4, Year B, April 16, 2015

Thanks for stopping by!

Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Due to a generous donation from a parishioner, I now have a part time Administrative Assistant at Emmanuel, so Fr. Kenny and I are free to do other things.  One thing that we have wanted to do for a long time is to make what I affectionately call “a rogues’ gallery.” This is an area in a church where you hang pictures of all the past priests.  Now, Emmanuel has had a lot of priests since 1862, so I could only find 11 identifiable pictures.

Sorry Father, dolls don’t get to be in the gallery.

What a good looking crew…

We can’t figure out who these gentlemen are, but it seems that the one on the right is wearing a seminarian’s collar.

Fr. Kenny surveys our excellent frame-work.

We framed all the pictures we have, but wall space at Emmanuel is at a premium (thanks 1970s architecture) so where should they go?  Father Kenny knows:

Let’s move this painting!

Great idea, right behind the coffee hour snack table, so everyone will see!

Tah-dah!

Hammering nails into wood panelling is really hard!

In searching for pictures of priests, I also found a lot of other pictures and papers, many of which are not labeled, which is a lesson for us now, always label and organize your photos/documents!  We found many pictures from 1966 as well as a typed letter regarding the 100th anniversary in 1978:

A little before our time….

Fr. Bechtel led this effort.

I love looking through old photos and documents, it really helps me to get a sense of the place where I am.  I wish they were labeled, but I suppose part of the fun is the investigation, right?

This past Sunday, April 12th, we had a surprise visitor, my predecessor, Fr. Domenic and his wife Annette dropped by.

Fr. Domenic and Annette

Fr. Domenic retired in 2013 at the young age of 92 and moved to Pennsylvania to enjoy his well deserved retirement.  It was wonderful to see them again, and we wish them safe travels home!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

It is Easter season and for the Second Sunday of Easter we always read the story of “doubting” Thomas.  I put “doubting” in quotation marks for good  reason (you will have to listen to find out).  It is hard to believe in something that you can’t see or touch, but that is what we are called to do as Christians living in the years after Jesus’ ascension.

Sermon, John 20:19-31, Easter 2, Year B, April 12, 2015

We also had a treat this Sunday, my predecessor, Fr. Domenic, came to church with his lovely wife Annette.  It was great to see Fr. Dom again, and everyone was very surprised and pleased.

   Check out our beautiful altar decorated for Easter!

Fr. Domenic and Annette

Thanks for stopping by!

Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Happy Easter!  Christ is Risen!  Lent is over, Holy Week is done, and now we are firmly into the season of Easter.  Yes, Easter is a whole season, not just one day.

Here are 3 sermons from the week, the first is from Maundy Thursday, then Good Friday, then Easter Sunday.  I did not preach at the Easter Vigil, so that is why there are only three.  You should listen in order, since they tell a story.

Sermon, Maundy Thursday, John 13:1-17, 31-35, April 2, 2015

Sermon Good Friday, John 18:1-19:42, April 3, 2015

Sermon Easter Sunday, John 20:1-18, April 5, 2015

Thanks for stopping by!  I am chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’, and coolin’ this week, so I wish you all a blessed Easter!

-Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Sorry this post is a bit late, it is Holy Week, and time got away from me!

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday, and we read the Passion of Our Lord Jesus according to Mark.  The Passion is something to be experienced, and it supposed to be a mirror for us, to make us think about how we can see ourselves in the story.

Mark 14:-15:47, Sermon, Palm Sunday, Year B, March 29, 2015

I wish you all a blessed Holy Week and Happy Easter!

Thanks for stopping by,

Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

Sorry for the delay in posting this week, the time just ran away from me.  This week we have Jesus’ last public discourse in John.  Here Jesus talks about his death, resurrection, and ascension, but he is also talking about our own personal resurrections in life.  This is a model for discipleship, check it out:

Sermon, John 12:20-33, Lent 5, Year B, March 22, 2015

Thanks for stopping by!  Holy Week starts on Sunday with Palm Sunday, stay tuned for more posts!

-Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

This past Sunday we had a reading from John 3:14-21.  This contains perhaps the most famous Scripture verse in the world, John 3:16.  This verse often gets used as a weapon to badger “non-believers” or to make “believers” feel superior, but it is always problematic to pull a single verse out of context and use it, so we will explore that in this sermon.

John 3:14-21, Sermon, Lent 4, Year B, March 15, 2015

Also, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Here is a picture of Fr. Kenny and I getting into the spirit of things!

Thanks for stopping by,

Mo. Lauren

Greetings!

Sorry for the delay this week folks, I guess daylight savings time messed me up, or it is just an easy excuse, ha!  This week, we hear about Jesus driving the merchants and money changers out of the Temple.  In the other three Gospels this story occurs right before Jesus is arrested, but in John it is one of the first things Jesus does.  We will explore this difference and others today, take a listen:

John 2:13-22, Sermon, Lent 3, Year B, March 8, 2015

This weekend is our St. Patty’s Day dinner, so I will surely have some fun pictures to share!

See you soon,

Mo. Lauren

Hello Friends!

This Sunday was the Second Sunday of Lent, and Jesus tells his disciples that he will suffer and die, rather than overthrow the Roman government.  They are understandably upset by this, especially Peter, then Jesus tells them to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow him.  That is a tall order, what does this mean?  Well, we explore this in today’s sermon:

Mark 8:31-38, Sermon, Lent 2, Year B, March 1, 2015

Thanks for stopping by!

Mo. Lauren