Treasures New and Old

(Text: John 13:1-17, 31b-35) Maundy Thursday: When Jesus stoops to wash his disciples' feet, he shows them how deep his love for them goes. We, too, are surrounded by the ever-present love of Jesus, who still stoops to serve us in our need.

(Text: John 12:12-19) When Jesus enters Jerusalem the Sunday before his crucifixion, the crowds welcome him as a conquering king. Jesus is indeed a king, though in a very different way than the crowds expect.

(Text: John 16:4b-15) When Jesus goes to the Father, he does not leave us orphaned, but is present through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to us using ordinary words, and those words do two things; they show the world's error, and declare to us the things of Jesus.

(Text: John 15:1-17) When we hear that the Father removes fruitless branches from the vine, our thoughts tend to go toward how we can become more fruitful. Jesus' answer goes against our inclinations: "Abide in me, as I abide in you."

(Text: John 14:15-27) If we come to John 14-16 looking for clear and rational answers to life's problems, we will be frustrated. Instead, what Jesus gives to his disciples facing hardship and suffering is the assurance of his power to save, and this assurance is what we rely on to weather life's storms.

(Text: John 12:1-11) When Mary pours out an entire jar of very expensive perfume on Jesus's feet, Judas Iscariot objects that this could have been sold to give to the poor. While his motives weren't pure, his objection seems to be a sensible one. When Jesus answers however, Mary is shown to be in the right. How often do we let appearing responsible get in the way of giving God praise?

(Text: John 11:1-44) When Jesus arrives at the village of Bethany, it is too late; Lazarus has already been dead for four days. His sisters, Mary and Martha, both tell Jesus the same thing: "Lord, if you had been there, my brother would not have died." In these days of school shootings, we ask similar questions. How could this happen? Where was God?

(Text: John 10:1-18) On Ash Wednesday, we confront the reality of a world in which evil, sin, and death run rampant. We do this in the security given us by Jesus, our Shepherd, who does not rest until his sheep are safely in the fold.

(Text: John 9:1-41) In the healing of the man born blind, we find a surprising reversal: the one who society has deemed irredeemable is given his sight, and those who think they are somebody are shown to be blind to their own sin and to the depths of God's mercy.

(Text: John 4:1-42) This week’s reading involves social opposites. Jesus is a man, a Jew, and a Rabbi; his conversation partner is a woman, a Samaritan, and a social outcast. Despite their difference, the unnamed woman at the well is a model of relationship with Jesus, and by the end of the story she is transformed from outcast to bearer of the Gospel for her entire town.