Sermons From St. John the Divine St. John the Divine Episcopal Church - Houston, TX

Are Christians kooky to think God speaks to us? How do we cultivate a life where the word of the Lord is not rare but real, where God’s voice may be mysterious and unpredictable, but also revealing and loving?

Christ is Lord of the Sabbath who gives us rest by sharing his life with us, making us one with himself. As Christ’s Body, we are made into a people called to witness to that life we've been given, not in the form of a “welcome sign,” but in the very form of our shared life as St. John the Divine.

So many of us long for the exuberant, joyful life of self-abandonment to the call to be Christian, to be living within the inner life of God that is forever inviting us in.

Before his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus promised his disciples that he was sending the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would bear witness to all that Jesus did and spoke. Jesus further promised his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came and would bear witness to him as well. This promise of empowerment is for disciples (believers in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord). Both St. Luke and St. John help us to see the need for this empowerment. We each need this Pentecost experience for an effective life of witness.

The Holy Spirit continues to be poured out upon all who will yield to his movement, assuring us more and more that we are God’s possession, loved beyond measure, given God’s power working through our weakness.

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus prayed for his disciples and those who would come to believe him later. That’s us! He prayed for protection and sanctification as they go out into the world. Jesus assures this prayer when he goes to the cross.