Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

Fear

  • The Holy Spirit isn’t a fixer – like we’re gangsters who need someone to clean up our mess.

  • When Jesus joins the disciples in John 20:19-31, we shouldn’t put Thomas on trial. It is their fear that reveals a greater doubt.

  • The chief priests and scribes conspire to kill Jesus. Not because they don’t like him. But precisely because they feel justified in wanting to kill him.

  • A New Chance

    In Luke 21:25-36, we get a vision of the end which usually trips our fears, but Jesus reminds us that he’ll be with us, standing against the fear. In Advent, we begin with the end, because the end is only the beginning. Advent 1C  |  Luke 21:25-36 There’s a saying: Begin with the end in…

  • In the stilling of the storm in Mark 4:35-41, Jesus opens the disciples to the frightening possibility that they were wrong. And it reminds us that Jesus has the same message for us. “Peace. Be still!” The fear Jesus gets his disciples to face is not the storm. It’s change. Proper 7B  |  Mark 4:35-41…

  • In the story, Jesus walks on water. So does Peter. He is just doing what Jesus did, offering us an option at a time of great fear. Proper 14A | Matthew 14:22-33 The first time I walked on water, I was 16 years-old. I had never done anything so intentional as that before. It was…