Praying with each other is one of the cherished activities of congregational life. But here’s a situation that we can’t seem to correct. We spend more time talking to each other about our “prayer requests” than we do praying. Don’t get me wrong. There is great...
How wise and kind of Jesus to give advance notice of what is to come for his disciples in the world. We love advance notice. We want to know the dress code for the party, what the subject matter will be for the meeting, and if...
When your prayers are tired and flat, or non-existent, pick up your Bible and read. The average Christian “prayer request” is about a situation of need or concern. That means when we don’t feel a need or have a big concern, we don’t often pray. But when...
I grew up with siblings, and we fought with each other. I don’t mean that we said things that hurt each other’s feelings. I mean we fought the old-school way. I had years of experience in hand-to-hand combat before my first day on the school...
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments." -John 14:15 With these words, Jesus tells us something about himself, and about our relationship with him. The setting is the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, with the disciples gathered around him, as he speaks these final words about following...
Jesus speaks a message of hope and peace to the person who is troubled about the future. The disciples are sharing the last supper and Jesus tells them that he is going away. He says that where he is going, they cannot come (John 13-16). Immediately...
“The glory of the Son of Man arose from a death which was reckoned ignominious among men, and was even accursed before God… by it he glorifies God the Father; for in the cross of Christ, as in a magnificent theatre, the estimable goodness of...
At the darkest hour of Jesus’ life, he said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” The scene is John 13. Jesus took up the servant’s towel and basin and washed the disciples’ feet. When he resumed his place at the supper table he gave them the...
This Sunday at Grace Community Church I plan to preach from John 13 and the account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. Two messages will emerge. One is that Jesus’ ultimate act of service was on the cross where he secured the forgiveness of our sins...
An arresting phrase at the beginning of John 13 communicates a wealth of truth and encouragement about the love of Christ. We are told that Jesus, “… having loved his own who are in the world, he loved them to the end.” The setting of these words is the...
