AfterWords: New Beginnings - Us!

 

John 21:1-14

We Get It, Right? – I mean, I get it.  When I fail at something, I go to what I know. In such a time, many of do something we know how to do. For some people, that means hitting the gym to sink some baskets. Others will jump into the kitchen—they know how to put it all together for a delicious dish. What is your go-to when you need a win? In today’s reading, the disciples have failed—at least they think so. Their go-to? They go fishing…but even there they fail. Sigh…

Little Boxes – We westerners tend to compartmentalize our lives. We have work email, personal email, junk email addresses…some have personal and work cell phones. We divvy up our lives into what we think are manageable chunks. We have that religious/spiritual box that we tend to on Sundays and then put that aside on Monday as we return to the dog-eat-dog world of work. We think of faith and God having to do with a small but important corner of our lives—that “spiritual” section. Then, we presume that God is only interested in that “God Box.” Today’s reading tells us something very different.

The disciples have fished all night…and they’ve caught nothing. Jesus shows up and calls out, “Throw your net on the other side…!” (Don’t we just love it when someone tells us how to do what we know how to do?!?) Jesus sees their need to just do something well, to get something right, and he helps them do what they need to do. Jesus helps them do a work that is completely unrelated (in our minds) to Kingdom work. Jesus helps them do the everyday work of just catching fish.

Teaching through the Ordinary –Jesus is a teacher who will not let a teaching moment be missed. So as Jesus helps his disciples to get a “win” at something, he teaches them …and us.

There’s something about that catch—153 fish. That’s kind of weirdly specific, right? During the 1st Century, the common belief was that there were only 153 types of fish in their world. 153 represents every kind of fish. This is also a lot of fish…probably over 500 lbs. The nets used around the Sea of Tiberias/Galilee were often linen cast nets. For any-sized cast net, 500lbs would be a LOT of fish, yet “even with so many the net was not torn.” Jesus is giving the disciples and the early church an understanding that God’s grace and God’s Church are for everyone, for every kind of person we can imagine.

Pulling It All Together – While Jesus uses this moment to teach, to show the disciples and early church something about the breadth and depth and strength of God’s love and grace, the real message is simple: God is concerned about every part of our lives—even those parts that we have NOT added to the spiritual/religious compartment. We can listen for the voice of God calling to us: “Cast the net on the other side…,” “Speak to this person words of encouragement,” “Just keep your mouth closed for a change,” or any other thing we may need to hear. But we have to listen…and we have to respond—even if the voice is telling us how to do what we are so certain we already know how to do.  

So ends our journey through the Gospel of John. John reminds us that the One who was with God and who is God, in whom we put our faith, trust, belief, who longs for us to have life, is the One who cares about every part of our lives. May we find life as we listen for that voice calling across the way.

Sunday, April 26, 2026
New Beginnings – Us!
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: New Beginnings - Disciples

 

John 20:19-23

The disciples may have dreaded the thought of seeing Jesus after having abandoned him. Since the crucifixion, they had locked themselves away in the Upper Room. Then Jesus appeared. I imagine they held their breath, ready for the well-deserved reproach they knew was coming.

“Peace be with you.” … a simple phrase—both a common greeting and a blessing. Jesus again flips some tables by NOT reacting as his disciples expect. And, just to make sure, he says it twice: “Peace be with you.” As Jesus speaks to his disciples in Scripture, we can be sure that he is speaking to us today, so when we have disappointed our Lord, Jesus speaks the same to us—“Peace be with you” …blessing. This is already good news!

Sent Out – The second time Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” Jesus also commissions the disciples: “…As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” First Century and 21^st Century disciples are to continue what Jesus began. We continue Jesus’ work of redemption and reconciliation, the work that God began in Abraham of redeeming and reconciling a world broken by sin. Paul confirms that God “who reconciled us to himself through Christ…gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18) We have the charge of being ambassadors of Christ helping others to see and know God in a world where God is too often misrepresented by public voices.

Breath of Life – As the disciples process this commission, Jesus breathes on them. The most common word in Greek for breath is pneuma…but, here the word is different. John uses ἐνεφύσησεν (enephysēsen)—the only time this word is used in the New Testament, but not the only time this word appears in Scripture. In the commonly used Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament) we find this word used in some significant passages:

Genesis 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed [Adam] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and [Adam] became a living being.” Breathed the breath of life.

Ezekiel 37 (Valley of Dry Bones): “⁹ Then [the LORD]said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.”’ ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.” Again…God breathes life into what is not yet alive.

Jesus breathes life into his disciples, a preview of Pentecost…and Jesus breathes life into us today.

Forgiveness – First, “Forgive and forget” is physiologically impossible unless we have a severe head injury.  So, what is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a decision to live as if a wrong did not occur, a decision to not hold a wrong against someone. Doing the work of Jesus—reconciliation—is impossible without forgiveness. God forgives us our sins, and we have the privilege of declaring God’s forgiveness to other. Also, we have the duty to forgive one another just as we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are to forgive…and proclaim God’s forgiveness. More good news today: You are forgiven!

Full Circle – The disciples all fell apart at the arrest of Jesus and locked themselves away in the Upper Room out of fear. They had failed Jesus and themselves. How does Jesus respond to them? He blesses them. “Peace be with you.” Forgiveness…reconciliation…their fear is gone. What Jesus does in the Upper Room, God longs to do for us, for everyone. God does this for us in Christ Jesus: Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Fear gone. And, then God gives us new life by the Spirit of Jesus to carry out the redeeming, reconciling work of Jesus. This is God’s good news for us today. Amen.

Sunday, April 12, 2026
New Beginnings – Disciples
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: New Beginnings - Jesus

 

John 20:1-18

Today’s reading could take us in a number of directions: the “thick” disciples who see the empty tomb and walk away; the curious case of women who first proclaimed the Good News of the resurrection…but were later (4^th Century) silenced by the Church; the angels—two in John and one in Matthew—and what their real purpose was; or my favorite, underappreciated moment: “Thinking [Jesus] was the gardener….” What? The Risen Savior, the King of Kings, the Author of Life mistaken for the gardener? Beautiful… 😊

WHAT IF… Mary had gone that morning…and the body was still there. She might have wept again, said a prayer, and then gone home. The disciples? Peter, James and John would have gone fishing. Perhaps through the years they would recall moments, incidents—the clearing of the temple, feeding the 5,000, or even the mountain-top transfiguration.

They may have even tried to share with others what Jesus had said…but it would sound a bit hollow because of those promises of ‘resurrection’ and ‘return.’

Paul would have risen through the ranks of the Pharisees, maybe sat on the Sanhedrin, and perhaps made ‘high priest’ at some point. His life may have stayed very centered in Judea.

And, we would have no Gospels, no letters to churches, no letters to community leaders—nothing of what we call the New Testament today.  Just imagine, we would never have read or heard words such as….

 Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest….

Love is patience, kind, long-suffering….

If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you….

Our Father, who art in heaven….

For God so loved the world….

These three remain—faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love….

 BUT… something tipped the balance, something changed everything.

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!”

This changed everything! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, because he came back to life, because the tomb did not contain him, history was forever changed.

Because Mary asked questions and stayed around...and talked with “the gardener.”

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote their Gospels...their memories and stories about Jesus. Paul encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his life and letters changed the world. And, somewhere along the way, we experienced the loving-kindness of God in Christ Jesus, and our lives are forever changed—we have faith in God’s goodness, we have hope for the days to come, we live lives of loving kindness because God poured out His loving kindness towards us in the life, teachings, person, and resurrection of Jesus.  

On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection. John writes, “...these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31) Today, we can decide to believe, to trust, to put our faith and confidence in what God has done through Jesus the Messiah, and may we find life in him! May we like Mary know and proclaim that … He is risen! (He is risen, indeed!).

Sunday, April 5, 2026
New Beginnings – Jesus
Watch/Listen: HERE

AfterWords: Towards the Cross – Silence

 

John 19:16-22

We come to the end of Jesus’ trial before Pilate today. After the noise of the triumphal entry, after the noise of preaching in the temple, after the noise of profound debate, after the noise of that last supper, after the noise of the arrest and accusations—Silence. Jesus barely says anything before Pilate. We are uncomfortable many times with silence. Perhaps because of our freedom of speech, the right to speak, we feel almost compelled to speak about everything, all the time. Yet, Jesus remains silent before his accusers.

Prophecies – The Silent One – Jesus in his silence before Pilate, before his accusers, lives into prophecies spoken 600 years before. Isaiah 53 paints a picture of Messiah: “⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” (Isa. 53:7). Isaiah predicts Jesus’ silence.

Silence in Scripture – We often believe our right to speak means that we should. Yet, Paul reminds us twice in his letter to the Corinthian Christians: ¹² “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Cor. 6:12) and ²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. (1 Cor. 10:23)

Ecclesiastes reminds us, there is “a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak…” (Ecclesiastes 3:7). And Proverbs reminds us that “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues” (Proverbs 17:28).

We tend to think of silence as something negative, something bad. When we come to God in prayer, and we desperately long to hear from God, we often think of silence as the absence of God. Do you remember Elijah’s encounter with God from the Old Testament? God was found in the simple silence of a whisper: “…the Lord was not in the wind…not in the earthquake…not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12). In Scripture we find that silence often reveals the presence of God. This is why Jesus tells us to steal away to a quiet place to pray. This is why Jesus himself got up early in the morning and went out to pray. Silence reveals the presence of God and in silence we hear God. In this trial, Jesus longed to know that God was there…and he surely strained to hear the still small voice of God. In silence we sense God’s presence.

In the Revelation of John, “…When [the Lamb of God] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Rev. 8:1). This silence was the prelude to a mighty act of God—the seven trumpets that brought fire, blood, locusts, falling stars, and the four horsemen. In Scripture, silence often precedes an act of God. For Elijah, the silent encounter preceded God’s act to reestablish the religion of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to tear down the false religions that had seeped into the land. In the Revelation, the silence precedes the sounding of the seven trumpets. And at Jesus trial, silence precedes the greatest act of God ever—but that story is for next Sunday.

Conclusions— Silence. Terribly underrated in our culture today. Yet Jesus embraces silence. Silence. In our prayers and daily lives, God may be closest too us, right there, when we finally experience silence…silence around us, silence of our minds. Silence. So often a moment of preparation before God acts in our lives, in our world.

After crying out for six weeks, “God, what do I need to do differently, what needs to change in my life…what do I need to let go of and what do I need to take up, to embrace—that I may grow closer to you?”…after six weeks, perhaps now we, too, must embrace silence during Holy Week that we may know God’s presence in our lives, that we may hear God’s voice speak even to us, that we may prepare to see God do something so needed in our lives.

Let live as we are able in silence this week. Amen.

Sunday, March 29, 2026
Towards the Cross - Silence
Watch/Listen: HERE

Yes, We Should Question Technology

 

Join the conversation here: 
https://open.substack.com/pub/jonaherrin/p/yes-we-should-question-technology 

AfterWords: Towards the Cross - Reversals

 

John 19:1-16a

An Upside-Down World – This is a story of reversals: people being and doing other than expected, other than who they are. Pilate—the Roman governor—takes the side of the Jewish rabbi who may rival Caesar. Three times, Pilate declares, “I find no fault in this man.” The Jewish religious leaders clamor for the death of one of their own while affirming allegiance to Caesar! What in the world?! What brings on these kinds of reversal? We need to know because we’re guilty of the same thing at times.

Reversals – Reversals grow mostly out of fear. Pilate fears for his job, and he fears the Jewish leaders who have caused problems for him in the past. The Jewish leaders fear the new ideas and popularity of this rabbi. They all fear upsetting the precariously balanced cart of status quo that keeps the peace in Judea.

Reversals Today –In the important story of Creation, God makes us stewards creation (Gen. 1:26-30). While we expect Christians champion Creation care, we often find a reversal—Christians simply ignore or even work against Creation care. Why?

Often, people act out of fear of being labeled. Tragically, conservatives and progressives have divvied up the world. Environment (Creation care) now falls to the side of progressives, so if anyone suggests anything about caring for Creation, they are labeled. They choose to remain silent out of fear of what others will think or how they’ll be labeled though Scripture is clear on the issue—we are charged with caring for Creation.

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks much about wealth and finances. Christians should know where to stand on the side of fiscal responsibility. We should champion financial responsibility…personal and national. We should support reigning in wasteful spending and seeking a balanced budget, but too many Christians take a reversal because fiscal responsibility is a theme championed by conservatives. Too many Christians remain silent out of fear of what others may think or how they’ll be labeled though Scripture is clear—we are to be fiscally responsible.

This is important to Jesus –  When religious leaders declare that Jesus casts out demons because he’s possessed by demons (Mark 4), Jesus says, “…Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven…” (Mark 3). As Isaiah says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil….” (Isa. 5:20). When we call what is of God “not of God,” we are disowning God and ourselves as Christians.

Conclusions – Reversals: Being who we are not or taking a stand opposed to all we claim as Christians...often out of fear. We may be afraid that if we side with Jesus we may be labeled. In the Gospels, Jesus is called/labeled “a drunkard,” “a glutton,” “a sinner,” “a Samaritan,” “a friend of tax collectors,” and “a friend of prostitutes.” How does Jesus react? He doesn’t. He doesn’t let labels stop him from standing on the side of God, on the side of agape-love…loving kindness. For any issue I face, I now ask, 1. What does Jesus show or teach about this? 2. What does the New Testament say or teach about this? 3. What does anything in Scripture show or say about this?

Call me progressive, call me conservative, call me smart or call me dumb, call me too Gringo or too Valle. Call me what you will—I stand with Jesus and for those things Jesus stands for. When you and I stand with Jesus, we not only stand together, we stand on the side of God. As John has said over and over, in Jesus we find life...life to the full, lasting life, eternal life.

O God, what do I need to do differently, what needs to change in my life?
Show me what I need to let go off; show me what I need to take up…
That I may grow closer to You. Amen

May we all follow Jesus…always…in all things, for in him we find life. Amen.

Sunday, March 22, 2026
Towards the Cross - Reversals
Watch/Listen: HERE

Living Well...Writing Stories

 

The decisions we make today will define the stories that get told about us…we are all writing a story with our lives.
~ Josh Becker

That’s a sobering thought. And, I might add, it is probably something we should hear from time to time…just to remind us that we do not live unto ourselves, that people around us are watching us and listening to us. They tell our stories and will tell our stories, whether we want them to or not.

Near our home in Lance aux Epines, Grenada, where I grew up, two old women lived together in a small house. We really never knew them. In fact, we couldn’t get to know them because every time we got close to their home, they would come out and threaten us—“Get away from here, or we’ll call the police!” We didn’t even have malicious intentions…well, not in the beginning anyway.

They continued to over-react and threaten us for seemingly no reasons at all every time we were perceived as too close to their home. So, we began to push back. And, then Halloween came around. Of course, we had to trick-or-treat at every house around us, so the “old ladies”—the “old queens,” as we called them—wouldn’t be spared. They were given the wonderful opportunity of gifting us with candies…but, again, “Get out of here!” So, we children regrouped, made a plan, rained down rocks on their roof. At that time in Grenada, all of the roofs were corrugated tin…and the sound of raining stones was quite deafening for them, I’m sure. They called the police…but, really—it took them an hour to arrive, and we were long gone.

The story we have about the “old ladies” is a story of rejection, rudeness, and retribution. Imagine how different might that story have been if the ladies had taken time to tell one of us about their desire for quiet and solitude, if they had engaged us just briefly to tell us that they were in fact ‘old’ and just wanted to be left be. Their decisions and actions indeed determined their stories. (Oh, I cannot in any way justify the silly, childish response on our part, so I won’t even try! Now, that foolishness is part of my story….)

Dr. Sarah Wingard was a person to be feared above all others in our English department in college. Yet, she was perhaps the least imposing person physically—her slight, barely-5-foot frame and arthritis twisted hands might have suggested weakness. However, sitting in her British Lit class revealed an amazingly intimidating person with a withering look—she quickly became larger than life.

She was not really an amazing lecturer, but somehow she captured our minds and carried us with her through centuries of literature, introducing us to hundreds of unforgettable writers and characters. While the average person on our campus would have known well the reputation of this professor, a few of us developed a different take on Dr. Wingard: She was a person who cared about her students, but one wouldn’t find that out until one needed care.

I had been wrestling with some depression, issues of personal identity, and some soggy winter weather—all three of which conspired to keep me snuzzled in my bed for a day or two…or three. Then, the knock came at the door late one morning as a voice of one of my classmates called through:

“Hey, Jon. Dr. Wingard wants you at her office today at 2pm.”

She sent word to me to be at her office? Yikes! I knew I was in for it now. I had skipped her class twice that week. With fear and trepidation, and with a pocket full of well-crafted excuses and explanations, I walked across campus to the humanities building and up to her office door. I rapped softly and heard that strong voice, “Come in.” I went in. She sat behind her large desk piled with papers and books. “Sit down, Jon.” So, I sat.

“What’s going on, Jon—you’ve missed two classes, and you’re going to get so far behind you won’t be able to catch up. You’re too smart and too good a student to let that happen. What’s going on?”

All of my pretense fell away, my excuses went out the window…and I told her about my depression and of my struggles. She listened earnestly and then gently reminded me of the poets we had studied, of their struggles…and she pointed me back to the same literature we had studied in class: “There, in those words, you will find words that will lift you and carry you and inspire you.” At the end of our chat, she looked me in the eye and said, “I will see you in class tomorrow.”

She was right. To this day, the words of Wordsworth and Blake and Shelley do move me and carry me, literature does lift me. And, because of her compassion that Thursday afternoon, to this day I remember Dr. Wingard as a ‘formidable’ professor yet as a person who cared enough to call me out of my pit and point me towards the light.

Our decisions, our actions, and our reactions do pen our stories—the ones others tell about us. When we reach out to others, when we engage, when we act out of good intentions, we write stories that others will eagerly tell with joy. When we refuse to engage or when we engage negatively, we write stories that others will tell as well…stories of warning and how not to be.

Today, I determine anew to act in ways that write a good story because someday, somewhere, someone will tell stories of Jon to others. May I (and we) live well that ours may be good stories….