The Pastor Bruce: Recent Episodes
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Resurrection Is…Recreation
Seventh Sunday of Easter
As we come to the final Sunday of Easter, we reflect on the last and perhaps most beautiful truth we’ve learned: Resurrection is… Recreation. In John 17:20–26, Jesus prays not only for His disciples but for all who would come to believe in Him—including us. His prayer echoes the creation story: He gives us a name, shares His glory, and asks the Father to make us one with Him. Like Adam in the garden, Jesus enters a death-like sleep, has His side opened, and rises to call forth His Bride—the Church. Just as Eve was formed from Adam, we are being formed into the Bride of Christ. Resurrection is more than life after death; it is the re-creating of us into something new. We are no longer alone—we belong to Christ. Resurrection is not just what happened to Jesus. It’s what’s happening to us.
“Further Up and Further In” — John 14:23–29
In this week’s passage, Jesus responds to a powerful question: How will you reveal yourself to us and not to the world? His answer invites us into something deeper. Drawing from C.S. Lewis’s phrase “further up and further in,” we see that Jesus isn’t just giving His disciples information—He’s drawing them into greater intimacy with God.
He goes further up and further in by making His home in those who love Him. He goes further up and further in by sending the Holy Spirit to help us remember and obey. He goes further up and further in by giving us His own peace. And He goes further up and further in by returning to the Father—bringing us with Him into even greater things.
This is the journey of love and faith. As we love Jesus and keep His word, we are invited to follow Him—step by step—further up and further in.