Community Members - March 22, 2026
Love one Another
During the great majority of chapter 9 of John’s Gospel, Jesus is offstage. He shows up at the beginning and at the end, and the rest of the action is the other characters in the story trying to understand what he has done, figure out who he is, and decide what it all means. This is our life! We come from God and we go to God, and in between we turn to each other and the world around us to try and figure out w: During this season of Jesus’ identity being made known to the world, we gather this day to confess that we are still looking for a Messiah that will angrily vanquish our enemies instead of a Messiah who calls us to love one another.
From Series: "You're Invited to See the Power Struggle"
Pilate asks Jesus, “Do you not know that I have the power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Indeed, power has the capacity to bring about immense good but also immense suffering. Scripture reminds us that God’s justice does not operate by the sword of empire but by God’s deep and abiding love for all creation. Governments are accountable to God’s standards of justice and mercy, and when leaders abuse their power they are not serving God’s purposes but resisting them. As we continue in John’s gospel during our Lenten journey, we’ll see that Jesus calls out injustices, refuses to let Peter fight with the sword, and willingly bears the violence of the world in his own body. His kingdom does not advance by coercion or force but by the power of his self-giving love for all - including those who will nail him to the cross.