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  1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Listen to today’s devotional There's a strange habit in the church. On the biggest days like Christmas or Easter ,  when our sanctuaries are full, and the energy is high, somebody inevitably asks, “Should we skip communion…to save time?” The apostle Paul doesn’t give us that option in 1 Corinthians 11. Admittedly, he doesn't tell us how often to have the sacred meal. But he does say, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” That means we shouldn't lose sight of something that happens at Communion. We have to stop thinking of Communion as a filler. Scripture says it is its own proclamation. It’s the sermon you can taste and hold. It’s embodied theology because you don’t just hear it, you receive it. And if that’s true, then what are we saying when we skip it on the very days we celebrate incarnation and resurrection, especially just to get people out the door earlier? What are we proclaimin...

  John 13:21-32 Listen to today’s devotional On his last night with his disciples, Jesus says some unsettling things. For one, he tells his disciples that“One of you will betray me.” Now, no one in the room seems to get upset or demand that the one fess up. Instead, the disciples look at each other, uncertain. Not one of them stands up and says, “I know exactly who it is.” Which is strange, isn’t it? Because you would think by now, after all the walking and talking and watching, they’d have it figured out. But they don’t. Maybe that's because betrayal doesn’t announce itself. It hides in plain sight, even at the table of grace, which is part of what makes it so hurtful. So the disciples start wondering. “Is it him?” “Could it be you know who?” And if we’re honest, we do the same thing. When we hear Jesus talk about brokenness, failure, or turning away, our instinct is to scan the room rather than search our own hearts. We’d rather point out Judas than acknowledge the places within ...

  John 12:20-25 Listen to today’s devotional I was in junior high when the phone rang. This was back in the days of landlines, when phones were still attached to walls, and you didn’t screen your calls. When I picked up, a nurse from the nursing home where my great-grandmother lived was on the other end. She asked for my mom. I told her she wasn’t home. There was a pause. Then she asked if I could take a message. I said yes. She replied, “Tell your mom that Byrd has expired.” I always wondered if that nurse felt strange leaving that message with me. Byrd was my mom's grandma who I always remembered as sweet and kind. That day she was  expired . I remember standing there a little confused. That was the word they used for milk or coupons. I wondered if I had misunderstood the message. That was a word used for something that had passed its usefulness. And it felt strange to think of a family member that way. In John 12, some Greeks come looking for Jesus. And Jesus responds in a ...

  John 12:1-9 Listen to today’s devotional A family member once gave me an entire box of cologne that I forgot in the trunk of my car. After a while, the box took on one too many turns, and the bottles inside came out. I knew immediately when one of the bottles finally broke. The smell quickly covered the entire car. And there was no hiding or containing the smell for weeks. In John 12, Mary breaks open a jar of expensive perfume and pours it on Jesus’ feet. John tells us the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. Not only was it costly and excessive, but the smell was also unmistakable. I imagine it lingered for a while, too. I'll offer to you today that that is what happens when we do not contain our love for God. Of course, Judas made a stink about it. From his distance, Mary's devotion looks wasteful. It doesn’t make sense to pour out something so valuable in a single moment. But Jesus doesn’t feel the same way. He corrected Judas and received her gift. Because...

 It's not too late to invite someone to church for Easter.  Stay blessed...john

  Job 13:13-19 Listen to today’s devotional Job cannot pretend, and there's nothing for Job to remain calm about. So, there's no composure in his voice, only desperation. He wants an audience with God. Here's the wisdom in that desire. He doesn't want to talk with God because he's got things figured out. No, the opposite is true. He doesn't know what's going on because his understanding of the world cannot explain what is happening to him. If he could just stand before God, he thinks, and say out loud what's in his heart, everything would change. He's convinced this is what he needs, even if it costs him everything. We're supposed to hear Job's desperation. At the same time, it's a bold kind of faith. Not the kind that avoids hard questions. Job believes God can handle his anguish. So, he brings it. Thankfully, what Job longed for, we are told we already have. We don't risk life and death like he felt he had to. The book of Hebrews te...