advent – Page 4 – 300 words a day

Advent 3: Incarnation

Saint John of the Mall wasn’t where I expected him to be. He had been by the coffee place. I thought it was his regular place. My friend Brenda knew him, after all. But here he was, sitting in front of The Children’s Place. With his feet out. Where I could trip over them. “They […]

by Jon Swanson

Advent 2: Anticipating a conversation

We have other obligations most Sundays. So it wasn’t until Monday morning that we went walking again. I looked for the man from Saturday. “Saint John of the Mall” Brenda had called him. We started our walk at Red Robin. We tossed our coats on the bench near the door. At 7:00 on the Monday […]

by Jon Swanson

Advent 1: Saint John of the Mall

Nancy and I started walking at the mall a few winters back. It saved our lives. That sounds dramatic, like it kept us from a heart attack. For all we know, it has. But we started talking every day while we walked. And since then, we’ve weathered a variety of life events. Deaths of parents, […]

by Jon Swanson

Water and wine with Jesus and John.

(First published December 3, 2014) John 2:1-11 “What was the first time we saw through the skin and saw a glimpse of something more?” The old man shifted slightly on the chair. “That’s easy. Water into wine.” “We’d had conversations with him. He shocked Nathaniel with his mind-reading or whatever it was. But at the […]

by Jon Swanson

Water and wine with Jesus and John.

John 2:1-11 “What was the first time we saw through the skin and saw a glimpse of something more?” The old man shifted slightly on the chair. “That’s easy. Water into wine.” “We’d had conversations with him. He shocked Nathaniel with his mind-reading or whatever it was. But at the wedding, it was clear that […]