Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C) - 5/18/25

The seer John watches an entire city, a new Jerusalem, descend from heaven. While cities in the ancient world were much smaller than cities today, they were still hubs of economic and civic engagement. People lived closer to one another, interacted more frequently, and likely got into more spats. What do cities offer us that suburbs do not? What are some of their challenges? Can we develop a theology of cities? And what lessons might we take from cities to apply to our lives outside of them? After all, both Jonathan and Seth live in the suburbs now.

We're glad you're with us! As mentioned, cities were smaller in Jesus' time. Scholars estimated that roughly 20,000 people lived in Jerusalem. That's half the size of York City, so if you're unsure where or how large York is, you're close to understanding how small Jerusalem was then! Jerusalem's population, however, would swell for religious holidays.