The further away from the seat of power, the easier it is to see Jesus. Proximity to power has a way of blurring our view of Jesus and his way. In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear about a royal official who leaves his position to call on Jesus because power doesn't heal. But Jesus does. The sermon is based on John 4:46-54.

The Gospel of John starts and ends with conflict and has episodes of conflict all along the way. In John 4, Jesus walks away from conflict with the Pharisees because it isn't the right time and their hearts are closed. Instead, he walks into long standing conflict in Samaria because there is an opportunity for transformation. With Jesus, conflict isn't ignored. It is managed. The people in it are seen. And conflict doesn't get the final say. The sermon is based on John 4:1-42.

John 2 tells us about Jesus cleansing the Temple, taking place at the beginning of his public ministry. Jesus is acknowledging what many others wouldn't - that there was an open wound causing harm to people and in need of cleansing and healing. Likewise, we have many open wounds that need to be acknowledged and dealt with, rather than turning and looking away. The sermon is based on John 2:13-25.

John's Gospel is so very unique. It slows everything down. Jesus' big first appearance is at an unnamed wedding where he trying to keep attention away from himself, and the impact is small. John is presenting Jesus as something different than what people expect. A counter to the culture, a resistance to the powers and their ways. The main resistance being joy. The sermon is based on John 2:1-11.

Jesus doesn't chase. He doesn't demand certainty. He isn't interested in control. Yet so much of Christianity today seems to want what Jesus rejected. Instead Jesus just says "Come and see." Because he recognizes that transformation comes through invitation. The sermon is based on John 1:35-51.

Human's love to claim that God supports their ideas, politics, and economic systems. But that's just not the case. God's economy operates on a different set of measures and with different goals. And it has to do with the wellbeing of all. God's economy runs on abundance - there is enough to share freely. The sermon is based on Isaiah 55:1-13.

We live in a society that is really good at avoiding hard truths. God puts Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones because you can't resurrect when you won't recognize death. God gives Ezekiel and the exiled people of Israel hope. Hope is proclaimed in the midst of devastation. The words are spoken, breath is given, and action follows. The sermon is based on Ezekiel 37:1-14.

Jeremiah proclaims a message of hope to people in exile. And it's not fluffy rhetoric. It's the hard truth combined with hope - They aren't going anywhere for a while, so stop waiting to live life. Live your lives. Hope happens in actions taken every day. Hope doesn't exist outside of fear - hope speaks in the midst of it. And hope causes us to act. The sermon is based on Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14.