Acts 2:1-21 John 20:19-23 “When the day of Pentecost had come, the apostles were all together in one place…” (Acts 2:1) “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ …
Glimpses of Jesus’ Intent for Us Even Now…
John 17:1-11 “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) I have had glimpses of Jesus’ hoped for unity among us in these last days. They have been fleeting and therefore, …
No Longer Orphaned: I Am Coming to You…
John 14:15-21 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.” Orphaned. Or otherwise understood as ‘desolate’ or ‘abandoned.’ And while Jesus’ promise today is no doubt true, these days sometimes it feels like I’m still waiting. And oh, our sense of ‘abandonment’ happened suddenly this time, didn’t it? Not that we haven’t …
On Troubled Hearts and Jesus ‘the Way’
John 14:1-12 I will not lie. I find Jesus’ words at the start of today’s Gospel more than a little annoying. What I mean to say is, how can one’s heart not be troubled in these very troubling times? For yes, my heart is troubled to hear yet again in this last day that another …
Psalm 23: When the Virus Comes Home…
Psalm 23 The virus came home to us this week. I’ve watched it on the news for weeks, for months now, as I know you have as well. I have watched as the anonymous numbers rose in our county and beyond. I have prayed with nurses whose vocation lives and breathes in the intensive care …
Walking Towards Emmaus, Walking Towards Home…
Luke 24:13-35 I took a walk this afternoon. A long one, like I used to take before the world turned upside down. I yearned for exactly what I found. The bracing wind, the sun on my face, the bright colors of spring flowers. I wanted so to be distracted from the heavy thoughts which mark …
The Empty Tomb, Mayor Lightfoot, Thomas, and Me…
John 20:19-31 The city of Chicago, as you may know, has been a hot spot in the fight against Covid-19. As a result, for weeks Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been urging residents to heed the stay-at-home directive of our governor so as to slow the spread of this virus which is taking the lives of …
There You Will See Jesus…
Matthew 28:1-10 It has long been my Easter custom to gather with others early morning in the cemetery to sing together of the Resurrection, to share in the bread and the wine, and to shout to one another the Good News of Easter: Alleluia ! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia! This year …
A Holy Week Like No Other…
Matthew 21:1-11 I found myself scrolling through old pictures until I found this one, this image of a Palm Sunday a few seasons back. Before I got to the image I was looking for though, I flipped past hundreds of others — photographs of children leaning in close to bless a newborn child or an …
Brevig Mission, Alaska and the 1918 Flu: Can These Bones Live?
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Can these bones live? For as long as I have been a pastor, I have preached in stories. The challenge in these last weeks, though, has been that I have no stories, no actual experience of a time such as this. I expect you don’t either. As a result, I have found myself …