I often advocate for preaching the narrative of the Gospel. Where are we in the specific Gospel? What might this section mean in relation to the beginning of Gospel and where we’re heading? Looking at the narrative of the story itself and see how it applies to the larger themes of the Gospel. In Lent, this was really easy: Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus. All of these are big narrative stories that produce so much thematic relevance to the Gospel. But the tricky portion of the next three weeks is that it is the same context for each. All three are a part of the Farewell Discourse and worse yet, we just went through Maundy Thursday only a few weeks ago. But this happens every year around the 5th or 6th week after Easter. The Gospel hurls us back. 5 weeks after Easter, even though we’ve already walked through the whole passion story. We heard it all, from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, to the table and foot washing, to the Cross, to the empty tomb. And yet we are transported back to Maundy Thursday to hear these words from Jesus all over again. Why? In many ways, I think the reason is illuminated by the prospect of what the disciples were doing in those days after Easter. For them, as they sit together in the upper room, hiding, and talking wouldn’t they try to remember all the words he told them? Trying to make sense of all that he had said and all that had happened. And as he begins to appear to them after the resurrection it begins to click. In John chapter 12, right after Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the Gospel author writes, “16His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.” They did not understand these things at first. But after it all happened. Then they remembered. It’s hindsight. The Gospel of John is always pointing toward the cross and the resurrection as a sign of revelation. Just look at John 3:16-17 as a perfect example. The cross is always in the picture, and it will illuminate everything. Because of this (especially after Easter when we just went through this) we can’t preach on this text like it’s Maundy Thursday and the cross and resurrection haven’t happened. And so instead, we need to preach to the season and to the Gospel of John. So, we ask ourselves, what is illuminated in this text by the cross and resurrection?
John 10:1-10 (Good Shepherd & 4th Sunday of Easter) – April 30, 2023
You could preach entirely on the theme of the Good Shepherd without ever talking about the individual items of these verses today. The Good Shepherd who cares for their flock, who guards and protects, who is safe. Connect it with Psalm 23 and you have sermon fodder for years. But for me, there are two potions of this text that are really ringing out for me: “The sheep follow him because they know his voice” and “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Are there voices in your life that bring warmth to your heart? For me, my family’s voices do that instantly. Any time I hear my parents’ voices or my siblings, it puts me in touch with my history and my childhood. It’s a connection to the love that I’ve felt with them.
Luke 24:13-35 (3rd Sunday of Easter) – April 23, 2023
It’s a bit odd that Road to Emmaus comes up in Year A. We’ve been totally in Matthew and John and now we get this stray text from Luke. And yet, I don’t think many of us mind all that much. Afterall, probably 75% used this as our Ordination text and resonate with it for one reason or another. So, I’m going to ramble and wax poetically here for a little bit and then I’ll conclude with where I think I’m going. It’s an incredible text. It has some of the most beautiful individual lines. I talk about "But we had hoped..." and "Were not our hearts burning within us..." I also share how I think Luke is instructing the early newcomers to the faith: "Well the brilliance of this story from Luke is giving a direction for those who don’t know where to begin in discipleship once Jesus ascends. How do we move from following to leading? How do we much from being passive witnesses to being proclaimers and evangelists? Jesus begins by asking them, “What are you discussing?” He gets them talking and sharing the story of Jesus. If we read too far into it, then it starts to sound like Jesus is a narcissist. But I don’t that’s what Luke is going for. Luke is trying to teach newcomers to the Faith how to start living into the Faith. You have to start talking about it."
John 20:19-31 (2nd Sunday of Easter) – April 16, 2023
I honestly can’t recall someone preaching this way at a service that I’ve gone to, but I’ve often heard rumors that this text was used to preach about the negativity of fear and doubt for many decades: “Don’t doubt like Doubting Thomas.” Or why on earth are the disciples afraid and locked behind closed doors? Didn’t they hear the news from Mary? Jesus is risen! But, I have to say, as I look at this situation, I can relate to it.
Matthew 28:1-10 (Easter Sunday) – April 9th, 2023
"So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples." As much as any other Gospel, Matthew has these lines that talk about fear around great news. There is an opportunity here to preach to folks who are not in our pews for Thomas next week. To hear a little bit about fear and faith. Fear and great joy. On Easter we like to preach a safe message. Alleluia, Jesus is Risen! It’s all over. Don’t worry anymore. Christ has accomplished what we could not and now we need not worry. Afterall, Jesus just explicitly tells us not to be afraid. But that’s not the end of the story. Not in any of the Gospels but certainly not in Matthew. It doesn’t conclude with Jesus telling us not to be afraid. It concludes with Jesus sending us into the world. Jesus is sending us into ALL the world.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Maundy Thursday) – April 6th, 2023
John 13:1-17, 31b-35 - Maundy Thursday Introduction I am sorry for the delay in this writing. Like my struggle with Palm Sunday (and all of Holy Week really), there are so many traditions and different text choices that I didn’t know how I wanted to approach them. But I still want to write something in... Continue Reading →
Matthew 21:1-11 (Palm Sunday) – April 2nd, 2023
I hesitated to write a post for this week since I know so many congregations will be reading the Passion story for Palm/Passion. Hear me when I say that there is nothing wrong with that and there is real beauty in hearing the entirety of the Passion story in one sitting. That is even more important for those communities that do not hold services for Maundy Thursday or Good Friday. It is critically important that we do not have Palm Sunday and enter into the joy of Easter Sunday without have first stopped at the washing of the feet and the cross on the hill. But I still wanted to share a thought for those who are preaching: Lean into the disorientation.
John 11:1-45 (5th Sunday in Lent) – March 26, 2023
I am not sure how I want to read the Gospel story this week given all that’s going on in Biblical Studies. If you haven’t heard by now, there is fascinating discussion around John 11 that is happening in Biblical Studies because of the work of Elizabeth Schrader Polczer. Her work exploded when Diana Butler Bass gave a sermon at the Goose Festival in July of 2022. In short, Elizabeth Schrader Polczer has discovered significant evidence from the ancient manuscripts that there is no “Martha” in this story. But that John 11 is only about Mary and Lazarus. The name “Martha” was written in later by an editor (in theory trying to connect to the sisters of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke). And so, without Martha, it could then be suggested that this Mary is the same Mary at the tomb, Mary Magdalene. If you haven’t heard about this yet, I encourage you to read Diana Butler Bass’ sermon and then take a listen to her most recent interview with Elizabeth Schrader Polczer. This *could* lead to the most significant change in translation in a very long time. So, how do we preach this text? The truth is that the themes still hold true. Whether spoken by Martha or Mary, the powerful lines of Resurrection promise come from these amazing female figures. The tragic line of grief, “Lord, if you had been here…” still flows from her lips even in spite of her belief. Jesus weeps.
John 9:1-41 (4th Sunday in Lent) – March 19, 2023
As I mentioned last week about the Samaritan woman at the well, this is another massive text with extensive commentary. And this long text can get even longer because it should be read alongside chapter 5’s healing story in contrast. AND it can get even longer, because it can be read historically as one of the catechetical stories of baptismal preparation along with the Samaritan Woman (4:5-42) and the Raising of Lazarus (11:1-45).[1] Themes of the Light of the World, Blindness vs Seeing, Belief and Unbelief, Choice and Rejection, and Sin, can all be thoroughly examined throughout our preaching. But I would say “Seeing and Believing Jesus vs. rejection” is the main issue at hand. In many ways that can be described as the greatest “sin” in the Gospel of John, rejecting God after seeing God face to face. Again, if you want to go the theological route, there are so many incredible commentaries out there and there is so much that we can choose to go over (though narrowing would be crucial). But again, I wonder if there is a way to connect with the humanity of this man. Like with Nicodemus and Samaritan woman what if we connected with the encounter with Jesus. What it felt like to be with him. What it felt like to witness to him afterwards. After all, the Greek of man is anthrōpos, theologically “every person.”[2] How do we experience the encounter with the divine, the Light of the World?
John 4:5-42 (3rd Sunday in Lent) – March 12, 2023
If I’m honest with you, I’m a little fearful of writing on these next few weeks. The Samaritan woman at the well, the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus. There are so many commentaries on each of these already (especially this week’s text which has a received lot of commentary in the last decade). There have been writings on the complicated and visceral tensions between Samaritans and Jews.[1] Writings on the sexual/romantic/betrothal tension of a man coming to a woman at Jacob’s well.[2] There are many older derogatory commentaries that focus on the sexual promiscuity of the woman and demonize her because of her “five marriages” (of which she would have likely had little agency).[3] There are commentaries that lift this up as the first “I am” statement in the Gospel of John (“I am he, the one who is speaking to you”) and this first revelation coming to a Samaritan. There are commentaries that rightly lift her up as the first evangelist of the faith.[4] With 37 verses, there is so much ground that can be covered in our preaching. All this to say, I am not going to try to be the smartest one in the room on this one. There are so many great voices who have already done so much of that work (some of whom are in the footnotes). So, rather than try to compile all these different thoughts into one long synopsis commentary (which would probably lead to just retelling the whole Gospel), I want to think about her feelings from the narrative? As human beings and disciples, how can we resonate with the woman’s experience?
Micah Krey 