Rev. Jonathan R Thomas May 14, 2016 (Pentecost C) Acts 2:1-21 & John 14:8-17 Experiencing the Spirit Ourselves Pentecost, which literally just means fifty, because it takes place fifty days after the Passover feast, is the Greek name for the Jewish feast of Shavuot. That was the feast of weeks, one of the three main feasts in the Jewish tradition, and…
You belong at St. Paul's!
You belong at St. Paul's!
Sermons on John (Page 6)
The Rev. Jonathan Thomas May 8, 2016 (Easter 7C) Rev. 22:12-21 & Jn. 17:20-26 A call to Unity in Christ This gospel passage is part of what is known as Jesus’ farewell discourse – the long series of proclamations that he made before his was arrested and carted off to be tried and killed. Many of the last few weeks’ gospel…
Rev. Jonathan R Thomas April 24, 2016 (Easter 5C) Acts 11:1-18 & John 13:31-35 Changing the Focus During the Easter season, in place of Old Testament readings, we get passages from the Acts of the Apostles. The text is about the formation of the early church, and we are supposed to learn from the Apostles how to act in the world…
The Rev. Jonathan R Thomas April 3, 2016 (Easter 2C) John 20:19-31 The Woundedness of Christ The focus of this story is always on Thomas, and he generally gets a bad rep – “Thomas the doubter,” he is called, the one who had to see and touch in order to believe. Never mind the fact that all the other disciples…
“Soak it up… the resurrection is everywhere.” This is the advice I received a few years ago, days before I left for Rome, where I would with seminary classmates for two weeks. My dad had died in a car accident weeks before, and when the rector of my parents’ church learned that I was going…
What happened on this day? We gather today under a huge cross. We mark a cross on our bodies. We wear crosses. We decorate with crosses. At the core of our life together is the shape of an ancient execution device, one specifically used to humiliate and isolate its victim from any decent member of…
Rev. Jonathan R Thomas March 24, 2016 (Maundy Thursday) John 13:1-17; 31b-35 The Full Extent of Love Maundy Thursday is the day on which we commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, by re-enacting Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. That is why it is called Maundy Thursday; it comes…
The Rev. Jonathan R Thomas March 12, 2016 (Lent 5C) Isaiah 43:16-21 & John 12:1-8 An Extravagant Gift We are coming towards the end of our Lenten journey. A week from now, on Palm Sunday, we will hear of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem followed by the passion narrative, the story of Jesus’ suffering…