Scripture Reflections for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

“What cuts to the heart is this announcement that Jesus whom you crucified, God raised from the dead and has made both Lord and Christ. He's the center of your life. Everything about you, your mind, your will, your senses, your body, your private life, your public life, all of it belongs to him.”

“every single sermon should be a call to repentance, to turn your life around...that the message of Jesus has been presented so clearly that people naturally see how they've fallen short and they want to change”

“To be baptized, that means to be dipped under the water and immersed in the dying of the Lord. It means to die unto your old self and now to be configured unto him. That's what baptism means. Furthermore, it means inclusion in the Church.”

“the divine love is bottomless, it's infinite, it's inexhaustible. That's why tapping into it is, is, it unleashes something that can change the world.”

“I have heard that the sound of our own name is the most cherished sound for every human being”

“At the heart of it is that love on which the universe is founded, that love so ancient it has always been there, unchanging, and yet responsible for every touch of newness, every moment of genuine freshness, delight”

“God is wholly simple and his attention cannot be divided between two of us. We each have his whole attention and love simultaneously and perpetually.”

“In what form can he be the door of the sheepfold? In the form of Christ crucified, spreading his arms wide, like an open door. So we have to let Christ in to our inner selves through the door of faith in Christ, and him crucified.”

“Did not Jesus bring abundant life to the man born blind right then and there...Did Jesus say 'hang tight, power through and you'll get the good stuff later'? Or did he heal and love and forgive and rejoice right then and there? Abundant life is not an end-of-life promise. It's right now.”

“The scent that would linger afterwards, after an encounter with Christ is going to be some mix of gratitude and peacefulness that leads us towards us simply being humble and grateful for where we are in life and how things are going”

“the disturbing message of the Bible is that God has a voice. Now I don't mean he has vocal chords. What I mean is, that the true God communicates with us personally, directly, powerfully and with moral purpose.”

“The psalm says, “Your rod and your staff give me courage.” Courage is given by protection—from others who seek harm and sometimes from ourselves. That is God’s way.”

“If other people see the benefits that being a member of Christ’s flock brings, then they’ll be much more likely to seek out Christ themselves. Only Christ can justify, but we can encourage other people to open themselves to Christ’s saving grace.”

“We have always wandered away, and yet Jesus found us. Oh how often has He travelled far and wide, wallowing in the thick forest in searching of us because we are so precious to Him!”

“We are Christians not because we disbelieve the Old Testament, but because we believe the Old Testament is true, and that what it predicted has actually happened.”

“Safety is not to be found in the sheep-pen per se, not even if you take the sheepfold to be the Church. The safety comes from being in union with Christ.”

“No two people will follow the exact same path and yet all the paths along which he leads will open to green pastures, for this is why he came...There are no dead ends, if they are listening to his voice and following him.”

““The Good Shepherd” doesn’t watch over us and protect us from all harm like some fairy godmother. He offers us New Life as a community that struggles together, suffers together and ultimately celebrates new life together in spite of the death and evil that confronts us.”

“I do want us to understand that we Christians are not supposed to remain stupid sheep. We are not supposed to be always on the verge of getting lost.”

“Redemptive suffering is this: clearly, consciously, publicly, I stand in the presence of injustice and I suffer because of it, allowing the person provoking this suffering to see it...he is shamed into an awareness of what he is doing and it awakens in him a desire for repentance”

“Christian preaching, Christian proclamation is always about the work of God. What has God done? He has raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead.”