John 21:1-19 Common English Bible (CEB)
1 Later, Jesus himself appeared again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two other disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter told them, “I’m…
Posted by dwhetter |
Do you believe in miracles? I don’t mean a miracle like KU beating Alabama in football, although that would be quite the miracle! No, I mean the kind of miracle that defies all natural rules of life. I mean, do you believe in miracles like the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Now, before you say “yes” because, after all, you’re sitting here in church, know you are in good company if you say…
Holy Week was incredible! On Maundy Thursday, eight of our children received their First Communion. The joy and excitement they shared was infectious. And then the next day, on Good Friday, we gathered to hear our choir share the Passion story in song and we partook in the glorification of the cross and we prayed together. It was truly a Spirit-led evening, to say the least. And then, of course,…
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"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” (Luke 24:5). Now we do not know who all the women were that went to the tomb that first Easter morning, but according to Luke we do know three of them by name and that there were at least five: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.(24:10). Don’t…
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services are holy and foundational to our faith. But one thing I love about celebrating Good Friday, in particular, is that it naturally leaves space for grief. The songs and scripture reflect grieving and lamenting. Too often, church services or conversations in faith communities do not give enough time for expressions of pain, loss, and grief. We want…
Posted by dwhetter |
So, how did you like the foot washing? I noticed that most of you preferred to wash hands instead. Why was that? We really don’t like to show our feet to other people, do we? And, we really don’t like to touch other people’s feet? Our feet tend to often be dirty and a little smelly, don’t they? Many of us don’t like to touch our own feet, let alone someone else’s. But feet can also be…
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We’ve heard a lot of Scripture today, haven’t we? We began our morning by reading Luke’s version of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. And we heard Paul’s words to the Philippians as he encouraged his followers: “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but…
Posted by hlewis |
The great dichotomy Sunday is upon us: where we begin with Hosannas and celebration, and quickly move to the story of Christ’s passion and betrayal. Holy Week continues as we show Christ’s love by serving each other on Maundy Thursday, and contemplate His sacrifice with beautiful music in the Good Friday Tenebrae service.
I love the word dichotomy: it is a contrast between two things,…
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So here we are on the 5th Sunday in Lent, and instead of hearing from the Gospel of Luke, as we will on most Sundays this year, our Gospel story today is from the Gospel of John.
So, let me set the scene for you. Jesus has been preaching and teaching and healing throughout Galilee for quite some time and he has become famous. Now, unlike the other Gospel stories, in this Gospel,…
One of my favorite things I do each spring is meet with our second-graders and teach them about Holy Communion. This year, we have nine students and their parents attending the three-evening First Communion classes, where they are learning about this incredible gift God gives us. Then, on Maundy Thursday, they will receive their First Communion.
This week we learned about forgiveness…