The Joshua Victor Theory

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Today is part 2 of Jesus’ Bread of Life sermon, where He taught that He is the Bread of Life, and whoever comes to Him will not hunger or thirst. Last week He urged us not to labor for bread that perishes, but the bread that endures to eternal life—namely, Himself! He is the imperishable bread and eternal life.   Do you ever ask to “be disturbed?” Feel like you need to be shaken up a little, wakened from a drowsy slumber? Or is the “do not disturb” sign permanently hung on your doorknob, or even on your forehead? On Sunday mornings, do we hope only to be lulled into a peaceful calm? Of course, not all disturbances are good ones—but then again others are. Sometimes we need a jolt to get us thinking and doing, or to surprise us with good news. The crowds that followed Jesus to hear this great sermon, were disturbed to be sure. They didn’t know what to make of Jesus’ words, and the further into His mes...

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Last week we talked about bearing witness, or “taking the stand” for Jesus, as we are called by God to testify about who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Today is Pentecost, the celebration of the giving of the Holy Spirit to the Christian Church. It was the day when the apostles of Jesus first gave public witness of what they had seen of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John, that one of the primary jobs of the Holy Spirit is also to testify or bear witness about Him. In the Gospel reading Jesus gives His disciples a preview of the coming and work of the Holy Spirit. The key work of the Spirit is to point people to Jesus. He doesn’t take the disciples in a different direction than where Jesus has led them, but continues on the same mission for which Jesus had prepared them. If we step back a moment from this reading, we see that all three persons of the Trinity—Father, So...