John 20:1-18 Dear Partner in Preaching, I know this is your busy week, our busy week, and rather than close with a word of gratitude, I want to start there. So many people will come to hear a word of hope and healing this Sunday. So many will come not knowing what they need to hear, just that they need to be there. So many will come not even aware of their need, perhaps coming out of habit, or to please another family member, or just because it’s Easter. And you will greet all of them the same, proclaim the good news to each as if the only thing that matters is that they are there to hear God’s good news of resurrection, healing,...

John 2:13-22   Dear Partner in Preaching, John has something to say and he doesn’t mind messing with the standard story in order to say it. John the Fourth Evangelist, I mean. We are familiar with the story he tells in this week’s Gospel reading – Jesus cleansing the Temple – but if we pay attention we’ll realize he doesn’t just give it his own distinct spin, but actually takes great license with the details, symbolism, and even chronology. And all for a very good reason. Let’s start with chronology. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple comes much later in the story, just after his triumphal entry...

John 20:19-31 Dear Partner in Preaching, Have you ever noticed how long it takes John to get around to telling us what he’s up to? John the Fourth Evangelist, that is. Twenty-some chapters and finally he comes clean. Sort of. So here’s what I mean. There are two elements of this week’s very familiar story – one of the few in Scripture that is read in each cycle of our lectionary – that grabbed my attention. The first is what I’d call the culmination and climax of the “plot dynamic” of John; that is, how John arranges the scenes of the story he tells together and to what end. In short, after introducing us to Jesus...