Jesus meets Thomas and the other disciples in their fear and disbelief to reveal himself as the risen Lord, restoring a sense of wonder that the world’s thrills can’t supply. By showing his wounds, Jesus moves Thomas from disbelief to faith, offering a deeply personal encounter where Christ’s scars speak to our own pain. He then gives a durable, resurrection-shaped joy that persists even amid fear, suffering, and death. Finally, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into his followers, transforming them…
This Easter sermon centers on the resurrection story in John’s Gospel, especially the moment when the risen Jesus speaks Mary’s name—one word that changes everything. Just as we recognize a loved one by their voice, Mary recognizes Jesus, and her world is transformed. The sermon unfolds around three movements that flow from that single word: The sermon concludes by connecting resurrection hope with the Eucharist: where death once entered through “take and eat,” new life is offered through Christ’s self‑giving…
This sermon explores how Jesus meets people in their grief through tears, truth, and grace, drawing from the story of Lazarus in John 11. It highlights how Jesus responds differently to Mary and Martha—offering compassionate presence to one and grounding truth to the other—showing his intimate understanding of human sorrow. Jesus points to the hope of resurrection, reminding listeners that he enters death itself so that everything sad might one day come untrue. Sermon preached by Peter Tepper at St…
In John 9, Jesus heals a man born blind—not only restoring physical sight but revealing a deeper spiritual reality. This miracle, or “sign,” exposes the contrast between physical vision and spiritual blindness. With our “small eyes,” we often try to make sense of the great mysteries of suffering, pain, and evil. But Jesus invites us into a larger story: God’s redemptive work in the world. The Pharisees, though physically sighted, cannot recognize the Light of the World standing before them.…
