Preaching the Scriptures

  The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 14:1-14   Do Not Let Your Hearts be Troubled   This was not how things were supposed to go.   They had a nice little evening planned.   They had reserved a spacious room for a special meal.   And together they, all thirteen, were going to celebrate salvation, the ways in which God had written this powerful story of liberation on the muddled mess of human history.   They were going to eat and drink and tell stories.   They were going to sing hymns and say prayers.   It was going to be lovely, holy, perfect.   But it wasn’t perfect, not at all.   Instead, from the moment the settings were placed, things started falling apart, coming unraveled.   It was just one thing after another.   The party, as it progressed, took on a suffocating pall.   And everyone could feel the life drain from the room.     The foot washing, in retrospect, was the beginning of the e...

The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson John 14:1-14 A Word of Defiant Hope Jesus always had the right words.   He always knew exactly what to say.   His words caused fishermen to drop their nets and follow the kingdom of God.   He calmed the raging seas with his words.   He casts out evil spirits and healed the inflicted with his words.   He touched hearts and changed minds; he silenced his critics and amazed the crowds: all with his perfectly chosen words.   He always, always, knew exactly what to say. But not here; not in this Gospel passage.   “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”   It is a lovely line, poetic even.   But it feels like the wrong thing to say in this instance.   Because given the circumstances, troubled hearts were entirely justified.   It feels like Jesus is shutting down his disciples’ genuine feelings, not giving them the space to express their emotions. Dinner had just ended.   And the mood was ...