Sermon: "People Over Principles", John 4:46-54 (February 8, 2026)

Today’s passage isn’t one that we encounter very often in the context of worship. It’s not in the Revised Common Lectionary at all, and even here in the Narrative Lectionary, it’s usually lumped together with the healing of a different, paralyzed man - a much better-known miracle that IS in the Revised Common Lectionary and usually gets all the attention. In fact, I had a lot of trouble finding ANY sources or commentaries that could provide insight into this story from the end of John 4. Which I think is unfair: why should this man and his son be neglected and forgotten? Sure, as a royal official, he was a Gentile at best and an instrument of Roman oppression at worst - either way, certainly not a member of Jesus’ community - but he was facing one of the most universal, human experiences there is: fear for the life of a loved one.

Liturgy: Jesus Heals, John 4:46-54 (February 8, 2026)

          *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #797, “We Cannot Measure How You Heal”

Hymn GTG #769, “For Everyone Born” [vv. 1-3, 5]

Hymn GTG #761, “Called as Partners in Christ’s Service”

Sermon: "Tethered to Grace", John 4:7-30 (February 1, 2026)

I’ve been to the Emergency Department exactly once in my life. It was about 12 years ago. I woke up with a slight twinge in my side, which slowly worsened throughout the day, until I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to ignore it any longer. By the time urgent care sent me to the hospital, it had developed into full-blown, excruciating abdominal pain. I had to sit in the waiting room with this pain for far longer than I would have liked, but the hospital staff eventually got me set up in a room and immediately hooked me up to an IV as they began to run tests.

Liturgy: The Samaritan Woman at the Well, John 4:7-30 (February 1, 2026)

         *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #479, “Ho, All Who Thirst”

Hymn GTG #503, “Lord, We Have Come at Your Own Invitation”

Sermon: "Born Again and Again", John 3:1-21 (January 25, 2026)

Most people are familiar with this passage for one of two reasons: either this strange conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus about being “born again,” or the fact that it contains John 3:16, one of the most frequently quoted verses in the Bible. These two tiny portions of scripture are the basis of some of today’s most popular theology - theology that separates believers from non-believers, that defines “who’s in” and “who’s out”’. Many Christians understand these verses to mean that there are certain very narrowly defined rituals, experiences, or beliefs one must have in order to be a “real” Christian  - rituals like baptism, experiences like being “born again,” or belief in Jesus the way the church authorities  define it. And in a way, it makes sense that so many people gravitate towards these interpretations: the boundaries of Christianity aren’t very clearly defined in scripture, so these simple “checkboxes” in John 3 allow them to feel confident in their belonging.

Liturgy: Nicodemus, John 3:1-21 (January 25, 2026)

        *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #634, “To God Be the Glory”

Hymn GTG #749, “Come! Live in the Light!”

Sermon: "On Rage and Weddings", John 2:1-11 (January 11, 2026)

*Neither our livestream OR recording were working this week, so there's no video or audio. Hopefully they'll both be up and running for next week.*

I have to tell you, I had an entirely different sermon planned for today. But as I was making notes and studying the scripture, I heard the news out of Minneapolis. Before I started writing, I saw the video. And I became angry. Angry that this sort of extrajudicial execution has become acceptable to our society, yes, but even more so angry at the people justifying and defending it and demanding that I ignore the evidence that I’ve seen with my own eyes. And this anger has been sitting as a pit in my stomach since Wednesday. As you can imagine, these are not ideal sermon writing conditions.

Liturgy: The Wedding at Cana, John 2:1-11 (January 11, 2026)

        *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #42, “Your Faithfulness, O Lord, Is Sure”

Hymn GTG #250, “In the Bulb There Is a Flower”

Hymn GTG #542, “God Be with You Till We Meet Again”

Sermon: "Along the Way", John 1:35-46 (January 4, 2026)

We’re all familiar with the saying, “It’s not the destination that matters; it’s the journey,” right? It’s a reminder to slow down, to notice what’s going on around you as you work towards an objective. It insists that there’s value in the experiences you have along the way to your goal. It’s a good lesson, but unfortunately, not one that our culture values much. In a society that measures success by what you’ve managed to accomplish - education, homeownership, skill mastery, financial security - we’re collectively very much not interested in the journey it takes to get there. The journey is just a necessary evil standing in the way of personal achievement. 

Liturgy: Jesus Calls Disciples, John 1:35-46 (January 4, 2026 - Epiphany Sunday)

       *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know that you have either used or adapted it.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #134, “Joy to the World”

Hymn GTG #137, “He Came Down”

Sermon: "The Space Between", John 20-21 (April 20, 2025 - Easter Sunday)

I’m gonna need a little bit of help with the first part of my sermon today, so if I spoke to you earlier about helping, would you please come up and gather around the table now?

As my helpers are making their way forward, I want to offer a little bit of context for those of you who may not have been following Boone’s Lenten worship very closely. Over the past six weeks, we’ve been reflecting on divisions within humanity, both as found in John’s gospel and as reflected in our own lives. To drive the point home, we used different colored beads – the beads up front here – to “vote” on some of the most divisive issues of our times: Summer or winter? Dogs or cats? Chocolate or vanilla? These particular divisions are, of course, more or less superficial, but they remind us of the many ways that we categorize and separate ourselves out from one another. That’s how the whole world would be if human beings were in charge.

Liturgy: Resurrection Sunday Lessons and Carols, John 20-21 (April 20, 2025)

   *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #232, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”

Hymn GTG #246, “Christ Is Alive!” 

Hymn GTG #238, “Thine Is the Glory” 

Liturgy: Palm Sunday Lessons and Carols, John 12 (April 13, 2025)

  *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #196, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”

Hymn GTG #456, “Listen, God Is Calling”

Hymn GTG #200, “A Cheering, Chanting, Dizzy Crowd”

Liturgy: Lent 5 Lessons and Carols, John 11 (April 6, 2025)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #510, “We Gather Here in Jesus’ Name”

Hymn GTG #456, “Listen, God Is Calling”

Hymn GTG #533, “In the Singing”

Liturgy: Lent 4 Lessons and Carols, John 9-10 (March 30, 2025)

   *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #459, “O Word of God Incarnate”

Hymn GTG #456, “Listen, God Is Calling”

Hymn GTG #634, “To God Be the Glory”

Liturgy: Lent 3 Lessons and Carols, John 7-8 (March 23, 2025)

   *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #802, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”

Hymn GTG #456, “Listen, God Is Calling”

Hymn GTG #158, “Born in the Night, Mary's Child”

Liturgy: Lent 2 Lessons and Carols, John 5-6 (March 16, 2025)

  *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #395, “Blessed Jesus, at Your Word”

Hymn GTG #456, “Listen, God Is Calling”

Hymn GTG #460, “Break Thou the Bread of Life”

Liturgy: Lent 1 Lessons and Carols, John 3-4 (March 9, 2025)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Additional Hymns:

Hymn GTG #482, “Baptized in Water”

Hymn GTG #456, “Listen, God Is Calling”

Hymn GTG #166, “Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days” [vv. 1, 3, & 4]

Sermon: “Shedding Some Light on John’s Gospel”, John 1:1-18 (March 2, 2025)

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. Churches usually spend this last Sunday before Lent reading and reflecting on the story of Jesus’ dazzling transformation on a mountaintop. There’s a good liturgical reason for this timing: the Transfiguration serves as a preview of Christ’s ultimate glory and exultation in the Resurrection. It gives us the theological context for Jesus’ earthly life as we prepare to enter Lent.

But – well – we’ve run into a problem this time around. As has become tradition for us here at Boone, we’ll be spending the six weeks of Lent reading straight through one of the gospels from beginning to end. But this year’s gospel is John, and John doesn’t HAVE a transfiguration account to ground us during this time of liturgical transition. It doesn’t offer a “mountaintop experience” to contextualize all the rest of the stories that we’re about to hear. It doesn’t fit into the mold of the other three gospels.

Liturgy: John's Prologue, John 1:1-18 (March 2, 2025)

 *You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Hymns

Hymn GTG #673, “Jesus, Light of Joy”
Hymn GTG #377, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”