Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

Jesus

  • a Sermon for Easter 7C Text: John 17:20-26 Listen to the Audio here: Jesus’s Prayer for Unity A hopeless prayer If you are ever self-conscious about praying in public, don’t be. Just remember how the writers of the gospel we call John portray Jesus: The glory that you have given me I have given them,…

  • Jesus Verbs

    a homily for Ascension Day Text: Luke 24:44-53 The Ascension is pretty much the hardest part of the Jesus Event for the post-Enlightenment world to get. It seems as if we can suspend our disbelief only so far. And the Ascension is just too much. And yet, we might be asking the wrong question. Listen…

  • A Parting Gift

    a Sermon for Easter 6C Text: John 14:23-29  Jesus the Rambler In the gospel we call John, Jesus is a rambler. Again this week we are in the farewell discourse that runs through chapters 13-16. It is Thursday of Holy Week and Jesus is giving the final teachings. And He seems to have slipped into…

  • A short reflection on race, geopolitics, theology, and the role of the church in faith. Growing up in the church, I have long felt both at home in the church and like a resident alien. What some classify as evoking transcendent timelessness, I have often seen as dated and inaccessible. When exploring other ways of…

  • a Sermon for Easter 5C Text: John 13:31-35 Love Each Other. Too Obvious? Sometimes we have a selection from scripture that is too obvious. We understand where Jesus is going and what He’s getting at. Today is one of those days. Jesus gives a new commandment, something he pretty much never does outside of this,…

  • Or why I might not remember your name Stress is not a blessing Something we’ve inherited from our Protestant ancestors is an anachronistic attachment to labor, stress, and a propensity to die early. Probably from a heart attack. Last I looked, there are only nine Beatitudes. I wouldn’t be surprised if some used book shoppe…