The parables of Jesus are not intended to satisfy us. They are intended to shock and scandalize us. To challenge and convict us.

By embracing LGBTQ+ people to be a part of our community, we become a more perfect reflection of the Triune God. This, my friends, is why we celebrate a Pride Eucharist.

In that liminal space between what was and what would be, they had a choice. They could give themselves over to despair or they could trust Jesus’ promise. And in the Ascensiontide of our lives, we have the same choice.

Friends, we live in a sinful, broken world. We do not have to look farther than today’s headlines to see that. But we are people of resurrection hope. A community rooted in “agape”; the love of Jesus Christ. And we are called to be signs of that love. To be a healing, reconciling, despair-conquering sign of joy to the world.

The Rev. Brandon C. Ashcraft Good Friday, Year B / John 18:1—19:42. April 18, 2025 Trinity Church in the City

How remarkable that the almighty Son of God eschews the regal image of the lion, or the mighty image of the ox, and chooses instead the nurturing image of a mother hen. To anyone who complains that maternal imagery for the divine is a new-fangled innovation, I present the ancient words of today’s Gospel.

Despite the story the world tells us, blessing cannot be measured by material possessions, corporate titles, prestigious degrees, or anything we can earn or achieve. To be blessed is to be stripped of the illusion that we can save ourselves.

By confronting the darkness, we are set free from the delusion that we humans can extricate ourselves from the sin that enslaves us. Indeed, a clear-eyed look into the darkness reveals this undeniable truth: our world stands in need of judgement. But my beloved, the good news of Advent is that God does not leave us mired in our sin. Our deliverance is at hand! God’s rescue operation is underway! The Just and Righteous Judge has come and will come again to set things right.