Behind this episode is the concern of how our faith in God makes a difference in our lives. And, in particular, when it comes to hospitality and welcoming others. Take for instance, where Jesus says to his disciples "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Matthew 10:40). John’s message is inspired by something Diana Butler Bass recently wrote: “Hospitality is not just welcoming or being nice; it is sharing who we are and at the same time opening ourselves for others to share themselves with us. Every heart and table is to be open. It might just be our greatest witness and activism – nothing less than the extravagant welcome of God.” Nate Strasser provides a great simple hymn of hospitality, “I’m Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table.” The episode opens with Nate and John bantering on our tendency to overcomplicate life and even the teachings about Jesus on hospitality.

"It's Over...What Next?" is aimed at those who are facing a transition or uncertainty. Speaker Barbara Lundblad got John Hilley thinking with this line she used during a recent talk at the Festival of Homiletics as did an interview with organizational psychologist Adam Grant on uncertainty. The Scripture text draws from the 20th and 21st chapter of the Gospel of John, especially that wonderful story of Peter going fishing. Music by Nate Strasser: “This is the Day of New Beginnings.”

Tags: uncertainty; transition; retirement; rethinking something; redemption; Kate Bowler and Adam Grant podcast; Barbara Lundblad; John 20:19-23 and John 21:1-14

This week has as its focus the story of Pentecost – a powerful story about how the gospel of Jesus Christ draws us together to hear the mighty works of God. Pentecost: the miraculous birth of the church in the flames of Pentecost when the Spirit of God descended as “tongues as of fire” upon those gathered and the gospel was heard - and understood - in the varied languages of the world known at that time. It’s got me thinking about what I think are some of the key takeaways of the story and also about the theme of hope, even as I wonder why it doesn’t feel like we are able to come together as we did that first Pentecost. Has the Spirit lost its power to do so among us? No, the Spirit of God hasn’t lost its power but it can feel like it sometimes. What would it mean for others to see in our lives a witness that was together spiritually and practically? Three things come to mind that I will speak about.

What I had originally planned to say this Easter morning went out the window the afternoon of Good Friday. Originally, the sermon titled “Who Are You Looking For?” was intended to explore what kind of Jesus we are looking for and what veils need to be lifted so we can recognize God’s resurrection in all the places it occurs. I’d be hard pressed to find a better question to ask at Easter than “Who Are You Looking For?” But Easter in Nashville feels different this year. The good news of “Christ is Risen!” has not changed. But it feels like Nashville has. And so my message ended up going in a different direction. These are my preaching notes and may vary from what appears during the recording on our YouTube channel.

What a week this has been. What a crushing week this has been!

Even as of last night, I wasn’t sure what to say this morning. I feel like I have no words. Words, if they come, feel strained between lament and celebration. In a sense, too many words have been said…as it feels like we are trying to make sense of this tragic week in Nashville. That may describe how you feel now on our sixth day after the tragic mass shooting at Covenant Presbyterian Church and School.

Fair to say that some of us can be overly concerned about what people notice about us and what they think of us. For instance, we may spend a lot of time choosing what we’ll wear, convinced that most people will notice. We’re worried that we didn’t talk enough or talked too much at a social gathering or business meeting. And then there is the desire to be noticed on social media.

I believe this can be said with confidence: we are all looking for truths that bear up the weight of our lives. And in the flood of stories we hear sometimes - I am thinking today about spiritual stories - we don’t quite know which to take seriously. We don’t know which ones are entirely true. We don’t know which stories we should put the chips on and say “I’m all in.”

Throughout the turbulence of the past few years, many of us are asking big questions about our lives and our faith. We hope that what is said today and in the next couple of episodes will help unpack some in a way that is honest and faithful to some of the big questions out there.

Years ago I attended something called CREDO. A wonderful five day event put on for clergy by the Board of Pensions of our Presbyterian Church USA denomination. The mission of CREDO is to provide opportunities for clergy to examine significant areas of their lives and to discern prayerfully the future direction of their vocation as they respond to God’s call in a lifelong process of practice and transformation.

Jesus has been on the move and on a mission. In the lead up he has recruited his disciples to be agents of transformation. Not long before, each of the disciples had made a life-changing decision, walking away from the familiar of their lives. He took them away from the crowds that gathered wherever he went. Ah, the CROWDS. People physically hungry; spiritually hungry. People sick. People healed.

Wednesday night I was driving home on I-65 heading North after a church meeting and a car raced past me, driving at high speed, cutting across three lanes of traffic at a time, zipping in and out between cars. I blurted out to myself: “look at that fool.” If you spend any time in a car I bet you have your own stories observing fools on the road, what with all the growing traffic challenges in Metro Nashville. Our home is near I-440 which seems to be a favorite road for the posse of motorcyclists who see how fast their crotch rockets will go. I find myself thinking: “just listen to those fools. Glad Vanderbilt Med Center Trauma is so close by.” It can be easy to think we are a mecca for fools. But then if you are not careful you can get sucked into the reels on Facebook showing stupidity behind the wheel all around the world and you realize there are fools everywhere. Then I look in the mirror sometimes and realize that a fool is following me wherever I go.