So Much More
Read: John 6:25-71 I am the bread of life. (v. 35) The challah bread our church serves for Communion is lovingly baked by volunteers. It tastes so good! I sometimes feel cheated if the piece broken off for me is smaller than I hoped. Nonetheless, it’s far better than the Styrofoam-like cubes I have so often […]
Hosanna!
Read: John 12:12-19 Fear not, daughter of Zion. (v. 15) Sometimes I fall asleep while watching my favorite team play basketball. I’ll wake up to see they won with no idea how. When I watch the replay, there are moments when the game seems in doubt. How could we ever win? Knowing the outcome allows me […]
Two Words
Read: John 11:1-45 Jesus wept. (v. 35) My parents occasionally required us to recite a Bible verse before being dismissed from the supper table. We’d argue over whose turn it was to use John 11:35, the shortest verse in the Bible. Years later, I would come to see how profound those words are in the larger […]
How Eyes Are Opened
Read: John 9:1-41 . . . and he worshiped . . . (v. 38) This is the sixth “sign” of seven in John’s gospel and contains more details than any other. We know the man’s condition before Jesus met him. We learn how Jesus opened his eyes. We witness the response of other people. And we see the […]
The Storm Inside
Read: John 6:16-21 It is I; do not be afraid. (v. 20) Ancient people feared the sea because they could not see beneath its surface. The unknown depths represented a dark mystery. Even for seasoned fishermen like the disciples, rowing across the Sea of Galilee would give them pause. This time their terror was compounded by […]
Do the Next Thing
Read: John 6:1-14 Have the people sit down. (v. 10) I tend to be more like Philip than Andrew. As I look over the tasks on my to-do list or consider the responsibilities of my leadership role, I can be overcome with inadequacy and see the impossibility of accomplishing what needs to be done. When Jesus […]
Holy Disruption
Read: John 5:1-18 He was even calling God his own Father. (v. 18) John recorded fewer miracle stories than other gospel writers, but each one is full of meaning and grows our belief in Jesus. In this miracle, Jesus disrupted the false narratives of both the 38-year-old paralyzed man and the self-righteous religious leaders. The man […]
Good News, No Boundaries
Read: John 4:46-54 Your son will live. (v. 50) Any parent with a child in peril can relate to this father’s desperate love as he sought out Jesus to heal his son. The road inland from Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee to Cana was a day’s journey (25 miles, 1,000 feet in elevation). This man […]
The First Sign
Read: John 2:1-12 And his disciples believed in him. (v. 11) I find it quite human that the first request Jesus received sought to get someone out of a jam. A Jewish wedding lasted several days. It would bring embarrassment if the host ran out of wine. Jesus solved the problem with a miracle. But as […]