No one reaches God except through Jesus
Sermon for Easter V, 2026, delivered at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY Text: John 14:1-14 If I tried really hard, I could mostly recite the first half of this morning’s gospel reading by heart, because it is an appointed reading for funerals, and because I read it two to three times a week on Thursdays at funerals I volunteer for. This passage is part of the Farewell Discourse in the Gospel of John, chapters 13-17, where Jesus says goodbye to his disciples and charges them with spreading his teachings to the world. He is wrapping up his time with them, reminding them of what he has taught them, forming them into a community that continues his work after he is gone. It starts with Jesus showing them selfless service by washing the feet of the disciples, and then moves on to acknowledging their distress when they find out he is leaving, and then ends with a long prayer for their guidance and protection. All of this takes place immediately before he is arrested in Gethsem...