MAUNDY THURSDAY: THE HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER

MAUNDY THURSDAY: THE HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER APRIL 9, 2020 READ: JOHN 17:1-18:27 “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” – John 17:22 I love listening to people pray. I have this theory that people talk differently to God than they […]

WEDNESDAY: ABIDE IN CHRIST APRIL 8, 2020

WEDNESDAY: ABIDE IN CHRIST APRIL 8, 2020 READ: JOHN 15:1-16:33 “No longer do I call you servants…but I have called you friends.” – John 15:15 I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you. Which would you prefer? Since I don’t have time to wait for your response, I’ll just start with the […]

TUESDAY: BE COMFORTED APRIL 7, 2020

TUESDAY: BE COMFORTED APRIL 7, 2020 READ: JOHN 14:1-31 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” – John 14:6 This verse has been picked apart more than any of the other “I Am” statements in the Gospel of John. People get really offended by this exclusive claim of Christ. When I taught […]

MONDAY: LOVE ONE ANOTHER APRIL 6, 2020

MONDAY: LOVE ONE ANOTHER APRIL 6, 2020 READ: JOHN 13:1-38 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:35 John’s rapid account of the gospel narrative wastes no time in getting to the point. Instead of giving us daily accounts of Jesus’ activities […]

PALM SUNDAY: THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY APRIL 5, 2020

PALM SUNDAY: THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY APRIL 5, 2020 READ: JOHN 12:12-50 “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.” – John 12:35 This passage is bookended by prophecies and quotes about Jesus from the Old Testament, but John wants us to know that the disciples only figured this out after the fact. Nobody […]

HEY, THEOPHILUS! BECOMING A FRIEND OF GOD BY MAGGIE WALLEM ROWE

[Jesus said,] “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” – John 15:14-15 […]

“Even Jesus Cries at Funerals.” Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life

A Sermon Manuscript by Adam Miller Read: John 11:1-12-11 I performed my first funeral for someone I had never met. I was working at a restaurant when my boss came to me and asked if I would perform his father’s memorial service. I didn’t know exactly what to do, but I couldn’t say, “No.”  Funerals […]

Jesus, the Good Shepherd

A Sermon Manuscript by Adam Miller Read: John 10:1-42 I don’t remember the actual event because I was too young when it happened, but my parents told me about this time when they took me to a sheep farm. As the shepherd was letting us into the sheepfold, he told my dad to watch the […]

Jesus: The Light of the World 

A Sermonette by Adam Miller Read: John 8:12-38 Early on, when my wife and I were just dating, I invited her to join me in one of my favorite outdoor activities: hiking. I didn’t just choose a short little day hike on flat ground. I wanted to test her resolve and resilience by planning a […]

The Most Offensive Statement in the Bible: “I Am the Bread of Life”

Read: John 6:1-71 What would you consider to be the most offensive statement in the Bible? Gender roles, sexual ethics, or the sacrificial system? Maybe the imprecatory Psalms?. Whatever you find personally offensive, the Bible asserts that Jesus’ claim, “I am the bread of life,” is one of the worst.  Why is everyone so upset […]

Forgiveness and Reconciliation by Micah Lovell

Forgiveness and Reconciliation by Micah Lovell Genesis 37-50

Every new year, hope springs eternal about the prospect of starting over, at least for the first few days. Eventually, “making all things new” feels like another task that only causes us to feel worse about ourselves, with the mantra “another year, another you” proving itself false yet again. There within the act of all […]