Monthly Archives: April 2011

John 16:16-33 Sometimes people, especially really busy people who value their time, really like to have things summarized.  The creedal statements of the church are easier to read and hear than an explanation of the faith that most people would … Continue reading →

John 16:1-15 In Jesus’ farewell discourse (John 13- 17) with his disciples, the bad news announcements seem to come in rapid succession.  While in the upper room, Jesus tells them that he is going to leave them.  He tells them … Continue reading →

John 15:12-27  Exactly one week ago was Maundy Thursday, when we commemorated the events in the upper room the night before Jesus’ crucifixion.  The name for the day comes from the Latin word for commandment, mandatum.  That commandment found in … Continue reading →

John 15:1-11 In our text today, Jesus uses agricultural images that would certainly have been familiar to his disciples.  Vinedressers use pruning to remove dead and unproductive branches, and to force a branch to be more productive.  Jesus says that … Continue reading →

John 14:15-31  When I was growing up in the church, the Revised Standard Version of the Bible was the translation most used in church educational materials and for reading scriptures in worship.  However, when people quoted scripture, more often than … Continue reading →

John 14:1-14 The place where today’s text is most frequently heard is when we are standing at the graveside of a loved one or fellow believer.  In that setting, they are words of comfort.  Our Fathers’ house has many rooms, … Continue reading →

John 1:1-18 Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! On first reading today’s lesson, you may well ask, where are the women coming to the tomb before sunrise to anoint the body?  Where is the part about the stone rolling … Continue reading →

Today is Holy Saturday, which is one of the more peculiar days on the Church Calendar.  It is the only day of the year when there will be no Mass celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church.  It is the only … Continue reading →

John 13:36-38  There is a story of a Sunday school teacher who was telling her class of first graders the story of the Passion of Jesus.  When she finished the story, one of the boys who had been growing more … Continue reading →

John 17:1-11 On Thursday night, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room.  In John’s Gospel there is no institution of the Last Supper.  Instead, Jesus gives the disciples what has become known as … Continue reading →