6 Easter – May 14, 2023 John 14:15-21          The word “in” is a tiny word.  It seems as if it should not matter all that much.  But today we hear Jesus promising to be “in” the people who keep his commandments and promising that the disciples will be “in” him too.  So, is Jesus […]

5 Easter – May 7, 2023 John 14:1-14          Our gospel reading this morning is one that is often read at funerals, and for good reason. It is comforting in the face of the death of a loved one. But this piece of scripture is not only about life after death, it is a text […]

4 Easter – April 30, 2023 John 10:1-10          This morning John’s gospel gives us ten verses of packed metaphor; we are given sheep, a sheepfold, a shepherd, a gate, a gatekeeper, a pasture, a sneaky band of thieves and bandits, and an even more sinister group of smooth-tongued “strangers.”  This passage though, at it’s […]

3 Easter – April 23, 2023 Luke 24:13-35          Today, Luke’s gospel has us walking on the road to Emmaus. This scene is set on the same day as the women’s discovery of the empty tomb from Easter. The scripture tells us that this was about a seven-mile walk. Not really that far in those […]

2 Easter – April 16, 2023 John 20:19-31          We’re hearing about two resurrection stories this morning. Jesus appearing one week after the first, coming through locked and closed doors, saying “peace be with you” for the second time. It is the juxtaposition of fear and peace. And so, today, one week after we shout, […]

Easter – April 9, 2023 Matthew 28:1-10          Happy Easter!   Matthew presents us with one of the most dramatic readings of the resurrection.  There was a great earthquake and an angel of the Lord descended, his appearance like lightening.   In other words, light has split a crack in the universe and everything we thought we […]

5 Lent Year A – March 26, 2023 John 11:1-45          We have two very powerful stories presented to us today…the story of the dry bones and the story of Lazarus. Two big and powerful stories.  Both remind us of the physical realities of our experience of death. In Ezekiel the prophet is dropped in […]

4 Lent – March 19, 2023 John 9:1-41          I’ve asked Betty to hand out a picture for you to look at. What do you see — one vase or two faces? That is the optical illusion made famous by the Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin (1886–1951), who specialized in “figure-ground perception.” When shown a simple picture […]

3 Lent – March 12, 2023 John 4:5-42          This morning we hear the story of the woman at the well. It is one of my favorite stories, and that is partly because it is a complex story, it is so much more than a simple conversion story. I’ll start off by sharing some important […]

2 Lent – March 5, 2023 John 3:1-17          Our gospel story from John this morning invites us to eavesdrop on the visit that Nicodemus pays to Jesus shortly after Jesus clears out the temple. The fact that Jesus and Nicodemus have their conversation at night seems fitting not just because the darkness offers a […]