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John 12:1-8
Lent 5C
The little family of Martha, Mary and Lazarus are the prime example of disciples who were not the disciples (the twelve). They are front and center of some of Jesus’s most intimate moments as well as perhaps his most spectacular miracle. And though this scene is one of many positive encounters Jesus has with women,…
All Locked Up
Why didn’t they go looking for him? Today we pick up right where we left off last week on Easter here in John 20. When last we saw the disciples, Mary Magdalene had just burst in with the excited and exciting news, “I have seen the Lord!” Earlier that day, when Mary told these same…
John 2:1-11
Epiphany 2C
Every time the lectionary brings us back to this story, I appreciate the symbolic nature of Jesus’s miracle more and more. Perhaps it’s because I’ve lived another three years and had all the more time to experience the goodness of the Lord—that is, if I was curious enough to wonder where the good times came…
John 1:(1-9), 10-18
Christmas 2C
George Beasley-Murray describes this second half of the gospel of John’s prologue as an echo of the Exodus narrative, particularly verses 14-18. As the Israelites made their exodus from slavery in Egypt by the salvific passover work of God through the prophet Moses, they entered the wilderness full of unknown and were challenged to come…
John 18:33-37
Proper 29B
On the last Sunday of the Christian year, we remember Christ as the one who reigns like none other. Having been brought to Pilate by the religious authorities from the Sanhedrin, Jesus is now face to face with the Roman Empire’s power representative. Without pomp and circumstance, Pilate tries to suss out whether Jesus is…
John 6:56-69
Proper 16B
It’s the last of John 6 and the last of the gospel of John for a while—next week we jump back into Mark. As it comes to reactions to Christ, the end of John 6 is a mixed bag. Even while excluding the verses about Judas’s impending betrayal and including Peter’s declaration of faith and…
John 6:51-58
Proper 15B
Here we are in the homestretch of our time in John 6. Between this week and next you have your chance to say whatever has been left on the sermon cutting room floor about the flesh and blood of the Bread of Heaven. As for me and these sermon commentaries, I feel as though we’ve…
John 6:35, 41-51
Proper 14B
Comparisons to manna continue this week. One of those comparisons is subtle, hidden in the description of the people: they began to “complain” (NRSV), “grumble” (TNIV), or “murmur” (NLT) about Jesus. Just like our ancestors had the habit of grumbling about God. And just like our ancestors, the true Bread of Heaven is being given…
John 6:24-35
Proper 13B
Part of five Sundays in John 6, this is the beginning of a three week mini-series about Jesus as the Bread of Heaven so you may want to read through all of the passages before deciding on your preaching direction for this Sunday. The people talking with Jesus this week are some of the same…
John 6:1-21
Proper 12B
Why are these two stories stuck together by the lectionary? Each on its own is worthy of preaching, but when they are paired together does the sermon change? Sermons on the feeding miracle rightfully draw us to a posture of awe at the provision of God whereas a sermon about Jesus walking on water might…
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