Thanks for reading the Gospel of John with me! We’ve come to the end of our journey, walking with John, through his Gospel about his best friend, Jesus. I tried picturing myself in the various scenes John described, thinking about what his reaction might have been. I imagined his jaw dropping as he watched his friend Jesus, who he thought was a mere mortal, do things only a god could do.
Read MoreResponsibility—yikes! I am not sure how many of us wake up in the morning saying, “I can’t wait to be super-responsible today!” However, I want to suggest that from our relationships flow responsibilities. I am a dad. I have father-son relationships. As a dad, I have responsibilities. Those responsibilities are not random, they have an aim, a purpose.
Read MoreFishing has an interesting hold on many people—they love it. Today, at the end of John’s Gospel we hear Peter saying, “I’m going fishin’” (verse 3), and the gang joins in. I don’t believe recreational fishing is what Peter and the gang were aiming for, when they went fishing. They were returning to their livelihood. They knew that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they did not understand their role in the plan.
Read MoreHow a situation impacts us is affected by our distance from it: our physical, chronological, and relational distance.
Take war for example. How we remember it is affected by whether or not it happened in our back yard. How we feel about it is changed by how long ago it took place. And if that event happened to someone we are close to, then no time or distance will lessen its impact upon us.
So how do you think Jesus’ best friend felt and reacted to and remembered Jesus’ crucifixion?
Read MoreHave you ever been out with some friends, at a place you all very comfortable, and yet you have this feeling that the conversation you are involved in, is it really about something else? Or maybe you didn’t have that feeling at all, but it became abundantly clear after the whole mood of the evening shifted. Now envision this is happening with your best friend. That is John’s situation. How close are John and Jesus? Just a few hours earlier, Jesus confided in John who would betray him. Now, in the garden, this BFF is bewildered.
Read MoreLiving in a flesh and blood world, laboring each day, conscious of our health, finances, and more—naturally results in a “this world” focus. Jesus, while on earth, was very immersed in the physical world. And yet, reading the Gospels leaves a person with the sense that he was also deeply connected to something bigger. Are we Spiritual OR Physical, or Spiritual AND Physical?
Read MoreObey? Why? Obey what? Today the idea of obeying something “outside of yourself” might be an antiquated notion. Yet how are you with conforming your actions (those things you do) with your will (those things you know you should do)? Are you a “try harder” kind of person? Or perhaps you take your cues from Yoda: “For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.”
Read MorePerhaps you think I have fallen down the Rabbit Hole of John 14:12-14. Hang in there. I am wrapping them up today. I have put us in this Rabbit Hole because I believe finding our way through these verses just might unlock your understanding of Jesus’ hope for you.
Read More“I am the greatest.” So announced Muhammed Ali in 1963. He was a remarkable boxer and an even more remarkable showman. He knew how to attract an audience. Beyond ego, there is something about that phrase. It yells “control”. More than knowing the outcome of a situation, our desire is to control the outcome. In fact, many of us have jobs where that is exactly what we strive to do.
Read More"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:14) We know what this does not mean; it does not mean if I believe in Jesus, and ask for whatever I want, then Presto-Change-O, I get it. Okay, so what does it mean?
Read MoreWe live in a fast-moving world. For you to move fast, what does it take? What I mean is, “For you to move fast, do you simply start out that way, or is there a process to gain speed?” For me, I can move fast, once I really learn something. We need to slow down through this part of John’s Gospel.
Read More“Home is where the heart is.” Where is home for you? That is an awfully personal question. The idea of home brings memories to our minds. For some of us good memories, and for others of us, not so good. This chapter of John is packed. Jesus is on his way back home—and he is excited to bring us!
Read MoreDesire can make us crazy. It comes upon us like a roaring lion. Our craving for affection, or attention, or stuff, or a person... well, what is it for you? Have you ever thought you'd do just about anything for the object of your desire? We (at times, when we desire something) will say, “I will do anything… I promise!” but then we don’t follow through. Even the disciples did! But it's not so for God.
Read MoreHow did Jesus behave when he knew “his hour”, his death, had come? Remarkably. Chapters 13 – 18 chronicle his behavior… and it is all about his concern for his “crew” (his disciples). Here is how John describes it: “…when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart this world to the Father, having loved his own, he loved them to the end.” He did. He begins by washing everyone’s feet.
Read MoreEver hiked any mountains? Hike, not climb; there is a difference. A hike implies a walk. It is strenuous, but your feet stay on the ground. One thing to remember, every now and then, stop and look around. Pause, take in the scene, process how far you have come, and maybe, if you are in the right spot, gaze upon the peak which awaits you. Reaching chapter 12 has been a hike. Let’s take some time, sit together and process this chapter.
Read MoreHave you ever been in a disagreement with someone who has already made up their mind? Whatever facts you might have presented, they just weren’t going to budge. We are all committed to our agendas. Sometimes we can become so committed that despite obvious evidence which points in a different direction, we remain determined.
Read MorePepé Le Pew, a cartoon character constantly in search of love, has one major flaw. He’s a skunk! Let’s face it, we do not like even being around people who smell, never mind loving them. Do you smell? Do I? Which brings me to today’s Scripture. Sheep are annoying and smelly. Jesus says He is our Good Shepherd. Now I know this is a metaphor, but we are the annoying smelly sheep. He says He loves us, stink and all. Ponder this idea...
Read MoreIf you were asked to pick an animal that represented you, what would you choose? Would you pick a sheep? My neighbors had three sheep. Ben, Bob, and… Fred. I loved to go visit them. Whenever I did, the results were predictable. If I entered the pen, they ran to the opposite corner. When Steve their owner came in, and called them, they surrounded him. They loved him. I will spare you the details about how smelly there were. The point was they knew Steve, and especially his voice. In today's reading, Jesus uses this analogy and more. Tomorrow we will look at the idea of Jesus as a Shepherd. Today, let’s consider our “sheepiness.”
Read MoreIdeas have power. They move our lives in specific direction. Most of us know the ideas that are guiding us, at least at some level. When challenges comes into our lives these guiding ideas either confirm, confuse, or collapse our world. At times these situations and challenges, often painful, reveal wrong thinking, you might say, crossed-wires. In today's reading from John 9, Jesus exposes "crossed-wire" thinking.
Read MoreWhen we experience pain and loss, we often, maybe even always, want to know “why”. It is our nature. We often think, if we could just understand the “why”, then our pain would diminish. Let me suggest there is a “why”, but it will not diminish your pain.
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