The disciples were gathered in a house…in the upper room… behind locked and closed doors. They were afraid…they were very afraid. They were still afraid. Afraid that the Judean elite would come after them next…No, they were sure of it. The knock at the door and the soldiers would be there any time. That’s when […]

This is the day I have waited for. The Season of Easter is now officially over and the “new season” of Pentecost begins. I love this day. We needed the color change from white to the boldness of Red. It is like fresh air… Springtime freshness Windows open… Bedding on the line… It is a […]

I want you to know and realize that John’s gospel follows the classic form of a farewell “address”…or a farewell “speech.” In it, Jesus addresses those who will be his survivors, those who will succeed him. “They” who will carry on… He is talking to his disciples. The immediate group. That is the context. We […]

John’s gospel has been called “the gospel of questions” by some. The questions raised in the gospel pop out at you – after you think about them…and realize that they are even there. Questions of course, are “an essential part” of our every day conversations. They serve as “invitations to dialogue” and “aid” in the […]

Context is everything and always has been. Do you know that this is a radical text? This is the kind of stuff – that got Jesus killed! In the case of our gospel text for this evening…the starting place…or the jumping off place…must be – with the previous chapter to it. So, it is out […]

Jesus’ “one-on-one encounters” with people provide some of the best illustrations we have of “who” Jesus was…and how he affected people. It is John’s gospel that gives us much of this added insight. Often times these relationships are “unusual.” Like Nicodemus’ late night call – from last weekend. This one – occurred one day around […]

We are back to John’s Gospel momentarily. Just so you are aware and know: every year of our three-year-lectionary cycle, John has at least a partial role to play. This coming weekend – we will move on to the Year of Matthew, but John will still have a role to play during Matthews’ sojourn. But […]

There was one church, well, actually two, there was the Roman Catholic Church of the West…and there was the Orthodox church of the East. The church had become divided in two. These two churches told you what to believe, how to act and what you could do and what you could not do. They defined […]

Background information is crucial. You cannot just pull scripture willy-nilly out of its original context – and expect to find understanding and meaning. One more time, context is so crucial! John the evangelist is writing at the end of his life… (Some scholars believe this to be written 60-70 years after Jesus’ execution and resurrection.) […]

Newtonian laws of physics are not flexible. Atoms and molecules do not just “shape-shift” willy-nilly. And yet we know and believe that the wondrous, the marvelous, the unbelievable, the miraculous still occurs every day. Surprises happen, things that should not occur – do occur. Miracles do abound…still. We say that with our God, all things […]