Category Archives: Sermons

I Am the Resurrection (2) – John 11:17-27

When David represented Israel, he could have said, “I am the victory.”

When Adam represented humanity, he could have said, “I am the defeat.”

When Jesus represented the new humanity, he did say, “I am the resurrection.” Continue reading

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I Am the Resurrection (Part 1) – John 11:1-16

In the first century, every Jew understood what resurrection is, even those who denied it was a real thing. Resurrection was the end-of-the-age, God-staged event in which all people who have ever lived come back to life. How could Jesus claim to be that? Continue reading

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Jesus said: “I Am the Door” (John 10:1-10)

When Eddie came to Jesus, he thought that having fun was a thing of the past. From now on it would be Bible reading, prayer, and boring church services until he died and went to heaven. Continue reading

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Good Shepherd 2 (John 10:11-18)

Being mistaken for my brother was one thing. Being confused with the dog was another. (It’s true that we both had big feet and voracious appetites, and as I got older and let my hair and beard grow, I started to look like him. But still…) Continue reading

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The Good Shepherd, Part 1 (John 10)

Now, when did Jesus tell them? Where can you find that in the Bible? He told a woman in Samaria that he was the Messiah. But when did he tell these Judean leaders that he was their messiah? Continue reading

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The Light of the World, John 8:12 (video)

The Christian life was never about God making you more successful or more comfortable or healthier where you are. It is about taking you where you can be what you were made to be. Continue reading

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Come, Eat, Believe and Live (John 6)

The first people who heard Jesus speak those words didn’t understand them either. Yet what is at stake here is life, a kind of life we don’t automatically possess but that will fulfill us as human beings… Continue reading

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Jesus: The Bread of Life (1) – John 6

It was a magical, Hogwarts School of Theology kind of teaching, but you can see where the idea came from. The rabbis believed that eating the manna would make people deathless, and in Isaiah, what does God do at the Great Banquet? He takes away death forever. Continue reading

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Jesus and the Samaritan Woman – John 4 (a Sermon)

Relations between Jews and Samaritans were so bad at the time Jesus met the woman at the well, a Jew would insult another Jew by calling him a “Samaritan.” When some angry men called Jesus a devil-possessed Samaritan, it was the meanest thing they could think of to say. Continue reading

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Reason to Rejoice: Jesus, Genesis 1, and John 1

While we were talking, some noise and commotion caught our attention, and we looked up to see about 20 Senegalese men pointing at us and shouting the same word over and over. Continue reading

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