For LGBTQ+ Christians, this passage can be difficult to hear, and may have even been used against us. We have been told that we are the wolves in sheep’s clothing, seeking to harm the flock, and Jesus is the gate keeping us out. Yet, this passage (John 10) says that Jesus, the good shepherd, calls…
DetailsI know what it means to live in the Darkness far away from the God of friends, family, and loved ones. I am under no illusion that I am far from God, but the God we worship is a God of lunar softness as much as solar power. The Christ that walks triumphantly into Jerusalem…
DetailsWhen I was first out on my own, I was hungry in every sense of the word. Stubbornly determined on independence, I didn’t know what I believed. In college there was a dining hall and a chosen family who made dinner together at least once a week. Now, degree in hand, I used what little…
Details“Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”’ John 14:6 When I was younger, this verse meant that Jesus was the only way. I was assured by my pastor that Christians had the inside track to heaven because we knew…
Details“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2 The text from John 15 that includes Jesus saying, “I am the vine,” is…
Details“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also…” John 10:14-16 When I read this…
Details“I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:9-10, NRSVUE) While leading an embodied lectio divina activity a few years…
DetailsWhen Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) How do we stand boldly and courageously, kept from faltering amidst all manner of darkness: attacks, judgments, untruths, and harms? On our…
DetailsJesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35, NRSVUE) During survival training in the Rocky Mountains, the cadets return to camp on Sunday morning for worship services. They have spent a week in the…
DetailsUnique to the Gospel of John are the “I Am” statements of Jesus. From “I am the bread of life” to “I am the vine,” each statement invites deeper curiosity about who Jesus is. During the seven weeks throughout Lent, RfA board members and chaplains will reflect on the implications of these statements. This devotional…
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