We've made it to the end of the Gospel of John — nineteen weeks, start to finish — and the finale is John's closing word to us: don't look back in shame, don't look sideways in comparison. Eyes forward into eternity as we follow Christ.

We open on the beach at the charcoal fire — a word John uses only twice in the whole Gospel, and both times it matters. Peter denied Jesus three times around one charcoal fire; now Jesus asks him three times, "Do you love me?" I talk about why the smell of that fire probably brought it all rushing back, and about how Jesus deals with Peter's shame — not with "you lousy loser," but with love. "Do you love me? Then feed my sheep."

Then Peter turns around, sees John, and says, "What about him?" — and I get honest about the comparison trap, because this one hits me. Keeping up with the Joneses, the twenty-somethings who feel behind, the curated Instagram feeds. Jesus answers with what our English translations soften: "You. You follow me."

We close where John closes — with the vastness of the cosmic Christ, a story so big the world itself couldn't hold the books that would tell it — and with the song that keeps running through my head: Caedmon's Call's "Faith My Eyes." Because we end this series right where we began it: believing is seeing, and believing is life.

Scripture: John 21:15–25

In this message:

• The charcoal fire — used only twice in the Gospels, and why the smell of it mattered
• Peter's reinstatement: three questions for three denials
• Why I don't make hay out of the agape/phileo wordplay (John's thesaurus)
• How Jesus deals with your shame: "Do you love me? Then feed my sheep."
• The comparison trap — and Jesus' sharpest answer in the Gospel: "You. You follow me."
• The cosmic Christ, the Grand Canyon, and the story with no end
• Closing out 19 weeks in John: believing is seeing, believing is life

Thank you for persevering through this whole series with me. Jonah is next — and I can't wait.

— Daniel

Listen to more messages:
Peace Presbyterian Church — https://peacepresflint.com/sermons
Acts 13 Network — https://acts13.net/messages

This is the penultimate message in our Gospel of John series — yes, I just like saying penultimate. We're in chapter 21, which, honestly, feels a little tacked on. John 20 ended so perfectly that scholars have been wrestling with chapter 21 ever since. I leave that mystery unresolved and just jump in: Jesus on the beach, the guys fishing all night, catching nothing.

And that's what makes this little scene the living illustration of John 15 — "apart from me you can do nothing." The disciples go back to their self-reliant routine, lean on their own strength and generations of fishing expertise, and the nets come up empty. Then the man on the shore says, "Throw your net on the right side," they move it four feet, and it's filled to overflowing.

I talk about what it really means to abide: Brother Lawrence washing the pots for decades and learning what he called practicing the presence of Christ. I share the C. S. Lewis line that apart from the Eucharist, the most holy thing you come in contact with throughout the week is your neighbor. And then there's Peter — putting his clothes back on before swimming to Jesus, because he recognized that breakfast on the beach with the risen Christ was a holy moment.

My challenge for you this week: tomorrow morning — when you open your laptop, make breakfast, or start your commute — take a breath and pray, "Lord, I am available to you right here." There are no ordinary moments when we practice the presence of Christ.

Scripture: John 21:1–14

In this message:

• Why John 21 feels tacked on — and why the Bible's messiness is part of the fun of taking it seriously
• The two unnamed disciples (and John's little slight)
• What "apart from me you can do nothing" looks like in a fishing boat
• Brother Lawrence, the pots, and practicing the presence of Christ
• Why Peter got dressed to go swimming
• How breakfast on the beach became holy ground

— Daniel

Listen to more messages:
Peace Presbyterian Church — https://peacepresflint.com/sermons
Acts 13 Network — https://acts13.net/messages

Happy Easter. Yes, I know it's October.

This week I'm in John 20 — the pinnacle of John's Gospel, and the story of that first Easter morning. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb while it is still dark, in chaos and heartbreak and fear, and she finds the stone rolled away. What follows is a story about grief, unmet expectations, and how easy it is to miss the presence of Christ even when he's standing right in front of us.

I walk through John's quiet trajectory of sight in the Greek — from blepei (just noticing), to theorei (really looking, evaluating), to eiden (seeing and believing) — and why Mary couldn't recognize Jesus until she heard him say her name.

From there we sit with the disciples behind locked doors, and with Thomas a week later. I don't think Thomas is really doubting so much as making a declaration out of his grief, the way we do: If God were real, why would this happen? And Jesus doesn't shame him for it. He meets him with a gracious invitation: "Come to me. Put your finger here. Stop doubting and believe."

We land where John lands — with the final beatitude: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). We believe, and then we begin to see the hand of God all over our lives. Resurrection faith gives us sight. Believing is indeed seeing.

Scripture: John 20:1–31

In this message:

• Why the angels never get to say "Do not be afraid" to Mary
• Yes, John really did make sure we know he outran Peter (three times)
• How grief and unmet expectations can blind us to Christ's presence
• Why we need to be listening for our Shepherd to call us by name
• What it means to live as the blessed who believe without seeing

If you're walking through grief or a season of unmet expectations right now, I pray this meets you where you are. He will meet you there, too.

— Daniel

Listen to more messages:
Peace Presbyterian Church — https://peacepresflint.com/sermons
Acts 13 Network — https://acts13.net/messages