“In the Gospel of John, the writer often made things a bit more abstract or mysterious than the simple straightforwardness of the other three. His use of “sleeping” to the disciples meant that Lazarus was in the sleep of death and that Jesus’ delay in going to his friend was to teach them a lesson about belief. Jesus knew that the time was coming when they would have to remember the experience of Lazarus.”
“Good news, bad news, a cross country move, a death in the family, a new baby, a sudden accident or illness, a change of identity from student to worker, from employed to unemployed, from single to married or vice versa – any one of these things, and so many more – can leave us feeling like Jacob, caught in a profound and unexpected struggle through the long, quiet hours of the night.”
“In this Sunday’s gospel reading, we see one of the most astounding perception-shifting passages in the Bible, and that is saying something. Jesus has been hinting to the disciples that he is more than what he seems to be, but they don’t get it. And let’s be fair—why should they? There certainly hasn’t been anyone like Jesus before.”
I hear, strangely far away, the alarm, still shrill. It reminds me of myself, demanding attention, seeking juice for my tired spirit, new life for my depleted soul. It reminds me of this prayer.
“I show up day after day trusting that God will do more with me than I can ever imagine or dare to believe. This is the beauty of God’s call in our lives. We are all called as God’s beloved children, and in that truth, we can rest knowing that God is with us.”
“And I rest in faith of God’s grace and abundant love. But I am fragile and vulnerable. And I still wrestle with a wasted life. And all the things the psalmist said. The ups and downs of our life with God, our life in Christ. And I am seeking again in the Psalms the range of life’s emotions: fears, joys, pains, sins, angers, return to God. All of these are in the Psalms.”
“Jesus was always unequivocally supportive of those without voice or place in their communities — lepers, tax collectors, beggars, people who were unwhole. He healed the broken, never making them feel as if they had no dignity. He restored outcasts to their communities. He invited new understanding of what it means to be a neighbor to everyone, no matter what their differences.”
“Jesus knew what it was like being in the desert with no provisions. Remember, he spent forty days there, by himself, except for the tempter who waits for all of us. I may walk through an emotional or spiritual desert, but Jesus will walk with me, showing me where to go and how to survive.”
“Their understanding of the Slavic language was exactly what the Byzantine emperor, Michael III, and Constantinople’s patriarch, Photius, needed to evangelize and build a relationship in Slavic territory, so the two brothers were sent as missionaries. They ran into a hurdle almost immediately… If the Slavs were to understand the Good News in Christ, it would have to be in Slavonic…so Cyril set about creating an alphabet with Methodius’ help, so the liturgy and the Bible could be translated into the vernacular of the people. His alphabet, the Glagolitic alphabet, would evolve into what we now know as the Cyrillic alphabet. (Yes, he’s *THAT* Cyril!)”
“The consensus eventually was that you can overcome having high academic aptitude by hard work, but there was no shortcut to kindness.”