John 10:22-30

“The Father and I are one.” This may be the most profound statement in all of Scripture: a God who is so alienly other becomes knowable, and to some degree, understandable, in the person and work of Jesus. The powerful claim of Christianity is that to know the nature and character of the Creator God of the universe, all you have to do is look at Jesus.

John 21:1-19

The truth is that it’s not always easy to see Jesus. In fact, how many of us even look for him outside of the typical holy places we expect to find him? Yet, the Gospel of Mark proclaims through the Messengers at Jesus’ tomb that Jesus has gone ahead of the disciples into Galilee; code speak for, “You will see Jesus back at home, in the places you live and work.” Here in John, we see this to be true. The disciples have gone back to their regular lives, and it’s there that Jesus shows up, is powerfully present, and gives them their charge. Are you all looking in your homes and at your jobs for Jesus? Chances are he’s right there, speaking.

His Breath In Our Sails: Finding Faith Beyond Our Fear

Luke 24:1-12

The world certainly looks like it’s going to hell in a handbasket, but the Biblical tradition that culminates in the resurrection of Jesus invites us to come to a different conclusion entirely: it’s not Satan and evil who get the last world. Our God does, and the word does. Over all the genocide, over all the exploding nuclear bombs, over all the political machinations, over all the oppressed and oppressing, is the word of new life. That is the bottom line. Love wins. God wins. And the world, in the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, will be just fine.

John 19:28-37

John 19:28-37

Luke 12:28-40

So much in religion wants to drive us towards “making a decision” about a thing. In Jesus’ very life we see this truth disclosed:  God works through 'ands' and 'ors'. Jesus was praised AND scorned; St. Paul said we are Saint AND Sinner; Jesus endures the Cross AND the Resurrection. To deny the one is not to be able to fully appreciate the other. In all of this, we have our own poor ability to see. So when we launch into our lives with an either/or approach and so little spiritual ability to see, we can visit a real ugliness in the world, even when we mean well. So may we be a people of the dialectic…People who know that the truth isn’t usually found in the extremes, but in the electric current that flows from holding two seemingly opposite things in tension with one another. It’s there that we find life.

Luke 12:28-40

Exodus 20:1-17; John 12:1-8

​​​​​​Bearing false witness has become a pastime in both American politics and American coffee shops. To make matters worse, we push digital memes around the internet with impunity, dismissing facts and verification, in an attempt to stir up others to our perspectives. Yet, the commandments teach us that to bear false witness against another is to steal her life. To rob someone of their character isn’t just an act of theft, it’s another form of murder, but we are Christians. Built into our DNA of loving God and loving people is this precious and oft overlooked 8th commandment. Today, and in this year of presidential elections, may we hold ourselves to our higher calling and not impugn the character of another, be they a candidate or someone who supports the one(s) we don’t like.

 

Psalm 22; Mark 15:33-41