[RCL] Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21; John 17:20-26 Trust in God is at the heart of our faith. Jesus taught us to trust in God, the Holy Trinity. We also discover in the Gospels how Jesus leaned into that same trust as he routinely went apart from others to pray. In our…

[RCL] Acts 16:9-15; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9 These days, in our nation, in the public square, in many churches, there is a tendency toward Christian nationalism. To many of our fellow Christians, this may seem attractive and persuasive, because it includes the teaching that God favors America above all…

[RCL] Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35 So, we are really getting into Easter now – it is the Fifth Sunday of Eastertide. The weather has gotten warmer, maybe, the days certainly longer, and maybe saying “Alleluia” still feels like a privilege after our Lenten deprivation. We have two more Sundays, three more…

[RCL] Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30 Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. Psalm 23 — and the idea of the Good Shepherd — saturate Western society. Not that that’s a bad thing! “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,” “The…

[RCL] Acts 9:1-6, (7-20); Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 John’s Gospel ends with four appearances that the resurrected Jesus makes to different groups of disciples: four scenes of Christ revealed alive, four assurances that death could never contain the life that Jesus lived and lives. First, on Easter Day, we heard how Mary encountered…