Sermons from St. John the Divine

Easter is not just that Jesus rose from the dead—it is that the crucified Christ is alive. Through the story of Barabbas, this sermon explores the powerful exchange at the heart of the Gospel: our guilt placed on Jesus, and His life given to us. The resurrection calls us not to stand at a distance, but to move forward in faith, trusting the risen Lord who goes before us and invites us into new lif...

Life is a journey filled with twists, challenges, and unexpected turns—but Easter reminds us that we don’t walk it alone. In this sermon, we explore the story of the empty tomb and the call to step out in faith, leaving behind the “tombs” of our past and moving toward the future God has prepared. As we take those steps, we discover the risen Jesus walking with us, bringing healing, transformation,...

What does Palm Sunday really mean? As crowds cried “Hosanna” and waved palm branches, they were hoping for a political savior—but Jesus came to bring something far greater. This sermon explores how Christ is not always what we want, but exactly what we need, inviting us to follow Him not around the cross, but through it, into true salvation and life.

If you could design a Messiah, would you ever choose a humble carpenter, surrounded by ordinary people, destined for a cross? The story of Jesus defies every human expectation—and that’s exactly why it reveals the heart of God. This sermon explores the shocking, beautiful truth of the Gospel: that Christ came as both priest and sacrifice, giving His life in love to reconcile us to God and bring us...

“Lord, if you had been here…” In the story of Lazarus, Mary and Martha give voice to a question we all carry in moments of loss, grief, and unanswered prayer: Where was God? This sermon explores the tension between faith and sorrow, reminding us that even when we cannot see the full picture, we can see Jesus—who enters into our grief, weeps with us, and brings the hope of resurrection and new life...

What does it mean to truly belong? In the Gospel of John, we see Jesus encounter people who feel like outsiders—the religious seeker Nicodemus, the rejected woman at the well, and a man born blind who is cast out by his community. Yet each one finds a place with Jesus. This sermon explores how Christ opens our eyes, welcomes the outcast, and invites us all to belong to Him and walk as children of...

Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well is the longest recorded conversation in the Gospels—and one filled with compassion, truth, and hope. In this sermon, we explore how Jesus meets people exactly where they are, offering the “living water” that truly satisfies our deepest thirst. No past is beyond His grace, and no life is beyond His reach.

Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well reveals a deep truth about the human heart: we all carry a thirst that the things of this world cannot satisfy. In this sermon, we explore how Jesus meets people in their brokenness and offers something far greater than temporary fulfillment—the living water of eternal life. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Christ pours out the life that alo...

In this Lenten sermon on Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus, we reflect on what it means to seek God in the dark. When certainty fades and questions rise, Christ meets us not with quick answers, but with an invitation to new life. This message explores spiritual rebirth, surrender, and learning to trust the movement of the Holy Spirit. Faith is not about mastering explanations—it is about being loved...

What if the new life you’re longing for isn’t about starting over physically—but being born again spiritually? In this message from our Encountering Jesus series, we look at Jesus’ nighttime conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Discover what it truly means to be “born again,” how God breaks the power of our past, and why new life begins with two simple steps: believe and receive. No matter your...

What is temptation? This Lenten sermon explores how temptation isn’t just about doing wrong—it’s often about being enticed to avoid doing what is right. Looking at Jesus’ time in the wilderness, we see that the real battle is for our desires. Will we be ruled by fear, or led by the Holy Spirit? When fear governs us, our desires turn inward. But when the Spirit leads us, our lives are shaped by tru...

This Lenten sermon explores Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and the deeper truth of spiritual warfare, identity, and the battle between two kingdoms. The good news: we don’t fight alone. In Christ’s victory—through Scripture, prayer, and Christian community—we stand secure.

Have you ever longed for a mountaintop experience with God—something undeniable, radiant, and life-changing? Reflecting on the Transfiguration, this sermon explores the tension between glory and suffering, reminding us that Christ does not remain on the mountain. He descends into our ordinary lives—into our burdens, our obedience, and even our pain—revealing that the true glory of God is found not...

How does the Christian faith shine in a divided and uncertain world? This sermon reflects on Jesus’ call to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, inviting the Church to embody a visible, compelling hope. When lives and communities are transformed by Christ, the gospel is no longer just heard—it is seen.

What does it really mean to live the Beatitudes? This sermon explores how Jesus calls his followers to examine themselves—not judge others. We’re invited to consider how waiting on the Lord, rather than throwing our weight around, can transform our lives and our culture through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Why choose Jesus over other spiritual teachers? This sermon explores what makes Jesus uniquely compelling, focusing on the Beatitudes and their radical promise: God’s blessing meets us not after suffering ends, but right in the middle of it. In a world full of pain, Jesus offers a faith rooted in compassion, presence, and hope—and calls us to become a blessing to others.

In this sermon, we return to the shores of the Sea of Galilee to hear Jesus’ first call to his disciples: “Follow me.” What begins in a place of darkness and obscurity becomes the dawn of God’s great light for the world. Reflecting on Peter, Andrew, James, and John, we explore how following Jesus is not simply a change of roles or beliefs, but a total reorientation of our lives and loves. This mes...

Why do we seek Jesus? Out of curiosity, longing, habit, hope, or something we can’t quite name? In this sermon from the Gospel of John, we reflect on Jesus’ first words to his earliest disciples: “What are you seeking?” Rather than demanding clarity or pure motives, Jesus turns toward us, meets us in our mixed desires, and invites us into relationship with a simple call: “Come and see.” This messa...

What are you really seeking? In this sermon from John’s Gospel, we explore Jesus’ first recorded words—“What are you looking for?”—and what they reveal about discipleship, doubt, and relationship with God. Through a personal story, reflections on modern skepticism, and insights into the invitation to “come and see,” this message reminds us that following Jesus is not primarily about having all the...

Baptism is not the end of the journey or a moment of instant transformation. It is a turning point—a beginning. It marks a before and an after, grounding us in God’s unchanging love while calling us into a lifelong process of following Christ. As we witness baptisms today and renew our own baptismal covenant, we are reminded that faith is lived out in community, supported by the church, and shaped...

If God is loving and Jesus is truly God, why is there so much suffering? In this sermon from The Skeptic’s Guide to a Jewish Rabbi, we approach this painful question by looking at Jesus’ baptism, where he steps into the water alongside a suffering people and identifies fully with our broken world. Rather than offering easy answers, this message reflects on a God who meets us in solidarity, bears o...

The Christmas story does not end at the manger. In this sermon, we revisit the story of the Magi and ask what it means to follow the light of Christ after Christmas has passed. The wise men were seekers, scholars, and outsiders who recognized something worth pursuing and were changed by the journey. When they encountered Jesus, they did not return home the same way they came. This sermon invites u...

Who is Jesus—really? Is he just a first-century Jewish rabbi, or something more? In this opening sermon of A Skeptic’s Guide to a Jewish Rabbi, we ask the most basic and most challenging question of the Christian faith. Drawing on history, eyewitness testimony, and the Gospel of Matthew, this sermon explores why the biblical accounts of Jesus are trustworthy, what counts as “good enough evidence,”...

In this sermon for the First Sunday after Christmas, we turn to the opening of John’s Gospel and hear the bold claim at the heart of the Christian faith: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Drawing on story, film, and lived experience, this sermon explores how Christ is the light that shines in the darkness, a light the darkness cannot overcome. Jesus comes not just to illuminate the world,...

In this sermon on the Prologue of John’s Gospel, we explore how God’s light enters human darkness not as an abstract idea, but as a living presence. Through stories of discovery, revelation, and grace, we’re invited to see Christmas as more than a memory of Jesus’ birth. It becomes the possibility of new life, new meaning, and the awakening of the soul. This is the good news of Christmas: God come...