Sermons from October 2023

This week in John, we pick up the narrative midway through the first resurrection appearance on the morning of that first Easter. Loyal Mary Magdalene has stayed at the tomb after Peter and John have gone home. And, what she finds is the gardener, the gardener indeed! Join us this Sunday as we explore what else John wants us to see on that first morning of the whole new world.

It is finished … but it has not ended! Jesus died on Friday afternoon after he had said, “It is finished.” Two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, take Jesus off the cross, pack his body with spices and lay his body in a new tomb. Jesus is dead and buried on Friday afternoon. But that does not end the story! On Sunday morning, John tells us that Mary Magdalene, Peter and John find Jesus’ tomb empty – except for the grave cloths. Join us this Sunday as we get to explore the meaning of the empty tomb.

John 19:16b-42 This week we come to the crucifixion of Jesus from the Gospel of John. John sees a lot of details in his account, but at the heart of everything is Jesus’ cry, “It is finished” (19:30). So, what is finished? What is it that is finished? Join us this Sunday as we explore this very important question.

John 18:28-19:16 We return to the Gospel of John this week as Jesus is brought before Pilate. As we said three weeks ago, when Jesus was before the religious authorities, He wasn’t the one on trial, they were. And, at the very same time, Peter, representing the disciples, was on trial as he stood around a charcoal fire. In the text this week, even though Jesus is in the dock, Pilate is the one on trial. How will he respond to the great I AM standing before him? Join us this Sunday as we seek to learn from Pilate’s response.