Month: April 2023

In my sermon this past Sunday, I shared a quote from Bryan Stevenson: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” That sentence is the gospel truth, and it stands on its own. But the sentences surrounding that statement are also profoundly true. Here they are:

“Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including this vital lesson: Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice. Finally, I’ve come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness, and equality cannot be measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged, and the respected among us. The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.” [1]

[1] Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2014), Kindle, 17.

This Sunday, I plan to preach on Luke 24:13-35. In which Jesus travels with two disciples on the way to Emmaus before being made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Justo L. Gonzalez aptly sums up the core teaching of this passage:

“The Word and the sacrament [Holy Communion] stand together: the Word explains the Sacrament, and the Sacrament enacts the Word and makes it a reality for the disciples. He [the Risen Christ] is made known to them in the breaking of the bread; but it is because along the road he has explained Scripture to [them] that they know who it is that they know! [1]”

[1] Justo L. González, Luke (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 278.

A hymn, titled Behold the Savior of Mankind, written by John and Charles Wesley’s father, Samuel. The last verse is especially applicable for Holy Saturday

Behold the Savior of mankind,
nailed to the shameful tree;
how vast the love that him inclined
to bleed and die for thee!

Hark how he groans! while nature shakes,
and earth’s strong pillars bend!
The temple’s veil in sunder breaks,
the solid marbles rend.

‘Tis done! the precious ransom’s paid!
“Receive my soul!” he cries:
see where he bows his sacred head!
He bows his head and died!

But soon he’ll break death’s envious chain
and in full glory shine.
O Lamb of God, was ever pain,
was ever love like thine? — Samuel Wesley (1662-1735).

According to The United Methodist Hymnal, this was “one of the few relics of his papers found after the fire which destroyed the Epworth rectory during the night of February 9, 1709.” ¹

¹ Both the poem and the historical information are from The United Methodist Hymnal (Nashville, TN: United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), 293.