May 3, 2026 | Fifth Sunday after Easter @ Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY
Scripture References
John 14:1–14; Psalm 31
When the Plan Falls Apart
This past week, Cami Clune began singing the Canadian national anthem as she has for many Buffalo Sabres games.
But this was a playoff game … and her microphone stopped working.
I can’t imagine the rush of thoughts and feelings that came at her all at once. Of course … she wanted to do a good job and honor both national anthems, but what was she supposed to do without a working microphone?
She was used to the way things normally go … the way things are done … and the way things were going didn’t match her hopes and plans.
She and the technical crew prepared, but in that moment, she was no longer in control. I’m sure that … in some ways … it felt like a death to her.
Where was hope in that moment?
How could there be any other way … either the anthem was sung … or it wasn’t.
A Community Steps In
But then, the 19,000 people in the arena that night stepped into the void.
Unplanned.
Unrehearsed.
They finished singing the Canadian national anthem … together.
How did they know the way to sing it?
Well … Cami and others who have lead the national anthems over the years showed the people the way. While people have heard the Canadian national anthem, the crowd may have been a little unsure at first, but the community stepped into the void and carried the song.
And … Cami did the best thing in that moment … she didn’t continue to struggle with the microphone. She recognized the moment and got out of the way. She created space for the void.
The Wake We Leave Behind
Last Sunday, we talked about noticing the ways we impact the lives of others … and we referred to that impact as a wake … like the wake of a boat.
The wake we leave behind is the effect we have on the world around us, and the lives of others – including the people we may never know.
Cami Clune’s primary role at a Sabres game is to sing the anthems, but she probably never imagined that the songs she’s sung so many times before helped prepare people for the way … how to live in that moment … how to step into the void.
“You Know the Way”
Jesus had been with his disciples for about three years when we hear this moment in John 14. He was preparing for his betrayal, arrest, and death by crucifixion.
These verses are often used at funerals because, in the face of death, Jesus shows us hope … he shows us another way … a way to step into the void.
Jesus told the disciples that he would be going and reminded them that they know the way.
But Thomas was confused:
“We don’t know where you’re going. How can we know the way?”
I hear Jesus saying:
I have shown you the way.
I have shown you the truth.
I have shown you the way of life.
You’ve got this.
When I step out of the way, you’ll know what to do.
You’ll know how to step into the void.
What’s in Your Cup?
You and I face times, too, where we don’t know the way.
Times that seem impossible … times we have no idea how to navigate.
There is fear, uncertainty … maybe even concern for literal or figurative death.
Psalm 31 reminds us that “[our] times are in your hands,” O God.
We have heard both Jesus and St. Stephen say, as they were dying:
“Into your hands I commend my spirit … my life … my whole self.”
That act of commending—turning over, entrusting our present and future—shapes our wake. It shapes how we respond to people and needs around us.
There is a story of a Buddhist monk who asked his students: “If you’re carrying a cup of coffee and someone bumps into you, why did you spill the coffee?”
They answered, “Because someone bumped into me.”
The monk said, “No … you spilled coffee because that’s what was in your cup.”
Whenever life bumps and shakes you, whatever you’re carrying is what spills out. If you’re carrying fear or jealousy or anger, that’s what spills. If you’re carrying love, compassion, kindness, or mercy, that’s what spills.
So we ask:
What is your impact on the world?
What is your wake?
And also:
What’s in your cup?
What would you like to be so full and present in the cup of your life that you actually might want to be bumped so you could spill out some of what’s inside you?
Singing Together Into the Unknown
Jesus has shown us the way … the truth … and the way to abundant life.
Our lives and our times are in God’s hands.
So now we join our voices together.
Some voices are sure and solid.
Some may not know all the words yet.
But together … in community … because we don’t walk through this life alone …
The cups of our lives are filled to overflowing with the unconditional, unfathomable love, mercy, and welcome of Jesus.
Reflection Questions
- When have you experienced a “microphone moment” where your plans fell apart? What gave you hope and helped you move forward?
- What do you notice tends to “spill out” of you when life bumps or unsettles you?
- How might God be inviting you to trust the way—and the community around you—right now?
Epicurious Lutheran 
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