Jesus said: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." John 14:27 Have you ever noticed how certain passages of Scripture seem to rise above the rest? There…
Pilate asked [Jesus], “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” John 18:37-38 “What is…
Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:11 I read an article not too long ago about a team of volunteers in another country who were helping to feed refugees. One day, they had many more people than expected.…
The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father's only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 Are you ready to get back to the “real world?” The holidays are officially over. Now it’s time, says our world, to get back to work, or…
[Jesus prayed:] "Now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one." John 17:11 Our gospel reading today (John 17:6-19) is a prayer,…
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23 Every year on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, those who follow the Revised Common Lectionary observe what is informally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Our gospel reading this Sunday is always from John 10, the section of John’s Gospel where Jesus describes himself as our good…
From Mount Hor [the Israelites] set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. Numbers 21:4-9 If I were to take a poll to determine everyone’s favorite verse of the Bible, John 3:16 might find itself near the top. It is a…
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” John 1:43 Every once in a while, I like to ask a very simple question: Why am I a Christian? Why do I follow Jesus? These are basic questions, but very important, because simply asking these questions…
They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. Jeremiah 31:34 For my sermon today, I want to spend some time answering a very simple question: What do today’s Scripture readings teach us about God? What…
On the Day of Pentecost we gather to give thanks for the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit. But what does this miracle mean for us today? Here is my sermon on the Day of Pentecost.
My Pastoral Ponderings 