Category Archives: Sermons

I Am the True Vine (John 15:1-8)

Posted on September 30, 2026 by salooper57

…it seems to me the church has made precisely the opposite mistake. We have not reached back into old covenant concepts, teachings, sayings, and narratives nearly enough. We’ve reached back to the evangelical trailblazers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Continue reading →

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Way. Truth. Life. (John 14:1-6)

Posted on September 23, 2026 by salooper57

… the call to trust Jesus doesn’t usually come when everything is going smoothly; it comes when our world gets rocked. It’s when something bad happens to our kid and we’re going out of our minds with worry, that Jesus says: “I’ve got this. I’ve got you. Trust me.” Continue reading →

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

Posted on September 3, 2026 by salooper57

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

Posted on August 26, 2026 by salooper57

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)

Posted on August 19, 2026 by salooper57

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)

Posted on August 16, 2026 by salooper57

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)

Posted on August 7, 2026 by salooper57

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)

Posted on July 31, 2026 by salooper57

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)

Posted on July 22, 2026 by salooper57

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

Posted on July 16, 2026 by salooper57

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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