The Rev. Rosemary Brown is pastor of Monroe Street and Jordonia United Methodist Churches in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Rev. Rosemary Brown serves as pastor of the Monroe Street and Jordonia Churches in Nashville, in the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. She has served as a director of the General Board of Global Ministries.
I have chosen to call our time together today "Standing Up from a Kneeling Position." If you'll listen carefully, I hope that you will understand this is not a contradiction. There's so many things we need to stand up to, and a humility that comes by kneeling in the presence.
Our text comes to us from Matthew's gospel, chapter 9, verse 18-26. It's also recorded in Mark and Luke, which makes it so valid and so important. It's that moment when Jesus is walking along and he sees Matthew and he calls to him, "Follow me." Matthew gets up and follows him, this tax collector, this one identified as a sinner. And then in verse 18, we begin a wonderful experience where a man comes to Jesus-he's a leader in the synagogue--and he kneels before Jesus saying, "My daughter has just died. Come lay your hand on her and she will live."
Read full transcript...A few years ago I had the joy of being present for the production of "The Passion Play" that is offered in a beautiful, outdoor drama in the Ozark Mountains. The life of Christ is shared with a dramatic flair that keeps you on the edge of your seat even though you know the story by heart. But I remember wondering how on earth, literally, they would depict the Ascension.
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