“I will not leave you orphaned,” Jesus says. “I am coming to you.” It is one of the tenderest promises in John’s Gospel. And it comes at a moment when tenderness is desperately needed. Jesus is speaking to his friends on the night before he dies. The table has been shared. Feet have been washed. […]
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” It is one of the most beloved promises in John’s Gospel. It is also one of the most easily misunderstood. Abundant life. The words sound generous, full, and inviting. And yet in a culture like ours, it is almost impossible to hear “abundance” without […]
On the road to Emmaus, two disciples are walking away from Jerusalem with broken hearts and broken hopes. They are not serene. They are not triumphant. They are not performing religion. They are trying to make sense of disaster. And they speak the words so many of us know by heart: “We had hoped.” We […]
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I […]
When I woke up on the morning of November 6, the day after the election, the first action I took was to pick up my phone to see the results, I suspect most of you did the same thing. For some, the results brought joy and a sense of relief, a feeling that the world […]
Well lent is here folks. We are at the beginning of our season of preparation, preparation for Easter. For the next forty days, the church encourages us to keep a Lenten fast by, and I quote from the Ash Wednesday service; “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating […]