Sermons from St. John the Divine

As we enter this New Year it might be more helpful if, instead of resolutions, we simply make space in our lives to treasure who we are in Christ. That we will, like our brother Jesus, know who we truly are as God’s beloved children. And that that knowledge would propel us to be about our father’s business of love in this world.

Jesus is as much about his Father’s business today as ever. Would you believe that business is about you?

The first 18 verses of the gospel of John (called the Prologue), is John’s story of the birth narrative of Jesus. But John, as always, gives us the Christmas story in a deep theological fashion that penetrates into one of the core truths he wants us to know about Jesus our Savior. Jesus, who is the “Word” was both WITH God (he was co-eternal with God) and he WAS God (co-equal with God), but he bec...

God calls us to see our lives as part of a grand divine drama. As the Word became flesh, God enters the story of our lives that he would bring us to himself and make us children of God.

Tonight, we bend the knee and bow our heads before the full majesty of a reality that no one in the imperial courts of Rome could have ever imagined… a light shining in the darkness, in those out of the way and perhaps hidden places of powerlessness in our lives like Bethlehem, some space in your life you are ready to let die, so there Jesus may be born instead.

In our very creation, our origins, and formation in the womb, God has endowed us with the capacity to discern his saving love, his redeeming power. God gives us the Spirit to do so.

God gave Mary the most intimidating task of all time: to bear his One and only Son. The emotional burden on Mary seems unreal. But look at the amazing support her gave her. Her cousin Elizabeth also had a miraculous pregnancy, and she too God was moving to make all things new. And Joseph too had an angelic visit. Mary was never alone and neither are you because, like Mary, watches over you.

John guides our feet toward Christ on the path of repentance. We can rejoice because this good news is for all people, whether you are comfortable and need of inspiration, or you are downtrodden by the circumstances of this life – the way of peace has come for you.

Those with the fruit of compassion show themselves to be children of God. In his immortal words from the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” If Jesus can be the God of all compassion during crucifixion, then cannot we show compassion in our lives? The good news for us is that when Jesus returns, he will be our compassionate judge.

We need self-examination. But we need more than that too. We need more than John the Baptist as he himself tells us. We need something else, something more, something different entirely. For only God can raise up valleys and move mountains. But how does God do it? That is the event we are being prepared once more to watch for, once more to receive.

The Lord is coming! How can we prepare for his arrival? The prophet Isaiah tells us that our lives need to be leveled and straightened to make them like a great highway. For the Lord to travel straight into our hearts, the call is to repentance.

Good morning, how are you? When was the last time you had the opportunity to really consider that question? To take stock if you will. It’s an important question at any time, but especially considering current circumstances. This is the first of the four Sundays in Advent set aside in our faith tradition for preparation; for self-examination; for reflection and expectant waiting. It seems to me th...

Advent reminds us that Jesus will return one day to be your judge, and believe me, you want him to be your judge. There is no one else in all the universe who has more mercy, forgiveness, and love than he has.

The end is coming. No matter how great the pain, the loss, the destruction, new life emerges. When the world seems unhinged in transition, do not be alarmed, Christ comes. Focus on Jesus and breathe.

Maybe a definition of a saint is someone who has glimpsed this vision of heaven described in Revelation with the eyes of their heart, lives like they truly trust this vision, and in so living passes this vision on to others.

How does Jesus see us? What does he think about us? While the Church militant has been ravaged by false teaching, divisions, persecution, and trial, her beloved Bridegroom reveals a glimpse of a glorious coming day of delight in her. He speaks a word of encouragement to give us hope as we labor on through the great tribulation.

How do hearing and listening to what is true about God, and about us as God’s image-bearers, enable us to love our neighbor as ourselves? Self-sacrificing love only comes from self-knowledge that we are all God’s image-bearers. We are the image and likeness of love. Love is who we are, and it is what we do.

What the heart loves, the will pursues, and the mind justifies.

The place to find God, if God will be found, after profound loss is not to deny the pain or run from it, but to have enough courage and faith to go straight to where the portal of pain is in your life and trust that God will meet you there, as God does, through the cross.

Mark intends Bartimaeus as a model for us to imitate: - He calls Jesus the son of David - He believes Jesus can help him—Jesus says his faith saved him - He left his begging behind and followed Jesus faithfully on the way. With Jesus, faith is open to all. And often it is the unexpected people who have it most strongly—the ones who really know they need a savior—someone to rescue them from their a...