Peace and Forgiveness – John 20:19-31

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Peace and Forgiveness – John 20:19-31

Forgiveness is the path that gets us to wholeness… to shalom (peace with God, ourselves, and others). In these handful of verses, Jesus lays out both the power we have and the opportunity at our fingertips to create peace… or not.

If we can do the culturally hard work of embracing the forgiveness that God so freely offers us and encourages us to share with others, we will naturally be happier, healthier people who will, as a consequence, naturally bring joy and peace to others. Forgiveness is a critical way we expand the Kingdom of God and bring life-giving change into our homes and our community. Isn’t it worth the effort?

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Letting God’s Spirit Soak In – Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:35

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Letting God’s Spirit Soak In – Matthew 26:26-28 and John 6:35

God loves us so much, in such a personal and intimate way, that His Spirit saturates us so that His presence completely merges with and nurtures our presence – not just during communion, but every day – a shared experience with our Creator. God wants the Holy Spirit and our spirit to be living, breathing, growing, exploring, and working together – as one. A shared existence.

When we realize that God’s Spirit is living inside us AND inside everyone we meet, we are more likely to be at peace with ourselves and others. We’re more likely to be able to love ourselves and love others. And in doing so, we are more likely to welcome more people into this universal community of faith we call the Kingdom of God.

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Curating Our Faith – Luke 9:23-25, 28-36 and John 21:24-25

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Curating Our Faith – Luke 9:23-25, 28-36 and John 21:24-25

Think about how you are curating your faith and your lives. Looking back, what have you embraced and rejected? Is it time for some spring cleaning and redecorating? Is it time to enhance your curated collection of treasured beliefs, behaviors, and people so that you can love God, love yourself, and love others more than ever before? If we curate our faith and our lives with intentionality, we can shape our lives, our homes, and our communities to look, sound, and feel more like the world God desires. And that will be Good News, Great News, for the people around us!

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John 20 – The Breath of Life

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John 20 – The Breath of Life

Jesus shared His life-giving breath with the surprised, confused, and perhaps terrified disciples in that locked room. Recalling God breathing the breath of life into the first humans (Genesis 2:7), Jesus literally breathed His active, resurrected, life-giving breath into the disciples so that His life force – the Holy Spirit – would be in them. As an act of intense love, Jesus gave them “Spiritual CPR” so that they could, in turn, be empowered to go out and give this new life to others.

Equipped with God’s mysterious presence within them, Jesus sent the disciples out of their protective, locked rooms so that they could share the Good News of God’s love. As Jesus’ disciples today, God is asking us, urging us, drawing us to GO into a hungry, hurting world with the best news of all: the Creator of the Universe created you, knows you, loves you, and welcomes you into the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of peace.

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John 17 – One Last Prayer / Knowing God

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John 17 – One Last Prayer / Knowing God

Jesus does not describe eternal life as knowing about God, but actually knowing God. So how do we do that? How do we personally “know” the Creator of the Universe?!? We start by having interactions with God. So how do we do that?!? Everyone has their own path, their own journey.

Eternal life – being in relationship with God – and “becoming holy” are blessings we can enjoy now AND look forward to enjoying in new, different, and greater ways in the future. Eternal life is a way of living in love and in hope with ourselves and with others. It is part of what Jesus meant when He said “the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The Kingdom of Heaven is near indeed and there is plenty of room for everyone!

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John 16 – Joy?? We Don’t Understand

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John 16 – Joy?? We Don’t Understand

Like Jesus modeled for the disciples, we need to acknowledge and deal with the past and present stresses and traumas in our lives WHILE we look to our future. Often that’s easier said than done... which is why we believe it is so important to be connected with God and each other in our faith community – our church family.

We don’t have to wait until we die to experience the Kingdom of God. Every single moment that we are able to love God, love ourselves, and love others, we make the Kingdom of God real, we make it practical, and we make it personal. This was and is the Good News Jesus and His disciples proclaimed. And this continues to be the Good News for us, for our families, and for our community.

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John 15 – Vine & Branches

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John 15 – Vine & Branches

Twice in today’s reading Jesus says very clearly, “Love each other like I have loved you.” That’s the core, the essential message of Jesus’ life and ministry. And how did He love his followers? He embraced them as they were, He built relationships with them, and He nurtured them so they could become more of who God created them to be: mature people able to love others more than they could image was possible.

Opening ourselves to new growth is how the Kingdom of God naturally expands within us and through us. This is one way we continually become new creations through our faith. This is how we, and our community, are transformed from who and what we are into the potential God has placed within each of us. May we all embrace and celebrate our pruning.

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John 14 – Trust Me

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John 14 – Trust Me

Today’s chapter opens with the words, “Do not get lost in despair; trust in God, and keep on trusting in Me.” These days it seems all too easy to get lost in despair. Whether it’s politics, medical issues, economics, or our relationships with each other, despair seems to rear its gloomy head far too frequently. But Jesus’ specific words – and more importantly, His overall message – are clear: don’t get lost in despair; don’t let despair consume you.

Someone in our Bible Study group pointed out, “if God is in us, then we can do great things by allowing God to act through us.” Exactly. That may be the single best understanding of that verse I’ve ever heard. AND that presents us with a profound challenge: ARE we and HOW are we allowing God to act through us? For us to live into this verse, we must 1) maintain our relationship with God, 2) remain alert for how God may be leading us, and 3) follow God’s leading with the confidence that comes through trusting a loving God.

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John 13 – Washing Feet / Communion at a Small Country Church

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John 13 – Washing Feet / Communion at a Small Country Church

The disciple Peter plays a prominent role in today’s story. He is almost comically imperfect as he responds to Jesus’ expression of love – first by saying he wants none of this, then saying he wants it all, and later overestimates his loyalty to Jesus. It’s easy to criticize Peter’s lack of understanding and allegiance. But as someone said, “Peter is there to give the rest of us mere mortals courage.”

During this service, we celebrated Holy Communion. The next time you participate in this ancient, sacred sacrament, I urge you to pray, “Lord, what would you like to share with me through today’s bread and juice?”

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John 12 – Mary Anoints Jesus (a $40,000 pedicure?!?)

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John 12 – Mary Anoints Jesus (a $40,000 pedicure?!?)

Mary’s actions were her way of honoring God’s presence in her life. Her extra-ordinary generosity celebrated Jesus’ life of extra-ordinary service to others AND symbolically prepared Jesus for His extra-ordinary execution and resurrection.
Two questions for us today should prod us to consider how we utilize the resources we have.

  • In what ways can we sacrificially give as an act of acknowledging and worshiping God’s presence among us?

  • In what ways can we serve those in need while we confront the systems that neglect and oppress others?

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John 11:1-44 – “Lazarus, come out!”

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John 11:1-44 – “Lazarus, come out!”

“Lazarus, come out!” These may be the most powerful words in the entire Bible. In the previous chapter, Jesus described Himself as the Good Shepard who leads His sheep with His voice, a voice the sheep recognize, trust, and obey. Lazarus heard and responded. This story challenges all of us, myself included, to listen for, to trust, and to obey when God calls us to do something.

God desires to be in relationship with humanity which means including us as key participants in God’s healing, restorative, transformational work in the people and the world around us. Of what tombs and bondages do we need to come out?
Do we need to give up a vice – something that is causing harm to ourselves or others? What is holding you back from being all God created you to be?
Do we need to start doing something that is life-giving to ourselves or others?

Who can we invite to join us as we nervously step out of our tombs, lovingly unwrap each other, and joyfully begin living resurrected lives?

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John 10:1-21 – The Good Shepherd Calls Us to Abundant Living

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John 10:1-21 – The Good Shepherd Calls Us to Abundant Living

In verse 10, Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Remember the Great Commandments? Love God, love yourself, and love others. What if we used that as a guide and a measure of abundant living?

  • If you felt like you had a direct, personal, intimate, conversational relationship with God, would you describe that as living abundantly?

  • If you loved yourself – loved who you are, if you could look in the mirror and say, “I like that person!”... would you describe that as living abundantly?

  • If you found it easier to love other people – even people you don’t enjoy being around... would you describe that as living abundantly?

If we trust Jesus and believe that He’s telling us the truth, then we can follow the words of our Good Shepherd and begin living more abundant lives.

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John 9 – Seeing with New Eyes

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John 9 – Seeing with New Eyes

Awaken... It’s an action-oriented word. It’s a word focused on looking forward, not back. It’s a word that calls us to be intentionally mindful of our immediate surroundings. When Jesus healed the blind man, his newfound eyesight awakened him to new realities, new possibilities, and a new understanding of God’s presence and power.
To what is God trying to awaken each of us?

Make no mistake, this whole eye-opening, awakening stuff can feel overwhelming – much like seeing color for the first time. Once God reveals something to us, we can’t unsee it. This is when the power of a faith community is so important. We NEED to discuss what we hear and see (what God “puts on our hearts,” to use churchy language) so that, together, we can better understand the world around us and how we should respond to it.

Consider adding this simple request to your morning prayer, “Lord, help me SEE Your presence around me more clearly today. Help me SEE Your presence in other people. And help me BE Your presence to people who need to hear, see, and feel Your love, Your grace, and Your peace.”

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John 8 – Dignity Instead of Shame

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John 8 – Dignity Instead of Shame

Without naming the crime, Jesus acknowledges the woman’s transgression and immediately offers her God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion. When I read verses that talk about God judging us, I think about this brief exchange between Jesus and the woman. Today’s story is a powerful reminder of God’s ceaseless, tireless efforts to deliver us out of shame and into dignity, out of despair and into renewal, out of judgement and into blessing. Surely this is how the redemptive Kingdom of God operates. Surely this is the theology, the philosophy... the way of living into which God invites us.

The only question for us today is how can each of us offer the people we meet God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion? IF each of us sincerely makes an effort to share those aspects of God’s nature with others, we will become better and better at loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others.

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John 7:1-39 – Looking & Living Beyond the Superficial

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John 7:1-39 – Looking & Living Beyond the Superficial

Jesus directly and bluntly challenges superficial thinking and judging. His words prod us to consider what stereotypes or prejudices we have within us and how those thoughts and feelings prevent us from seeing God’s Spirit within people we meet and – even worse – prevent us from sharing God’s love with others.

It is SO easy to judge. And we all have 100 reasons to judge everyone we meet – for better or for worse. But can we dig deep to find one or two reasons to put aside our assumptions for the chance to see God in others and share God’s love with others?

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John 6:47-60 – Flesh & Blood, Power & Life

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John 6:47-60 – Flesh & Blood, Power & Life

If our sacred texts – the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament – provide the bones of our faith, and Jesus’ ministry of words and deeds provide the flesh, the Holy Spirit that ran through Jesus and runs through us today is the life-giving blood we all depend upon to live from one moment to the next. The skeleton gives structure; the flesh gives power; the blood give life.

Our Sunday worship services are a spiritual meal shared among friends, a time together meant to be savored and shared, like the steak and wine meal.

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John 6:14-35 – Peace in Storms

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John 6:14-35 – Peace in Storms

When we live into the Great Commandments of loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others (Matthew 22:36-40), we create space for Jesus to show up unexpectedly. Much like Jesus announced Himself and God’s presence to the disciples with “I am here,” we can announce ourselves and God’s presence – through word and deed – with “We are here for you. We are here with you in the middle of life’s storms. We’ll get through this together.”

We began this proclamation of God’s compassionate, healing presence this past Thursday when we gave hundreds of people smiles, laughs, and yes, food.

  • How will we continue our proclamation?

  • How will we share words of encouragement in checkout lines?

  • How will we show exceptional generosity to those in need?

  • How will we extend words of invitation to refugees who need to hear and know that they are welcome, wanted, and needed in the Kingdom of God?

These are not rhetorical questions; these are prayers to God. “Lord, show us how to be Your hands and feet! And give us the faith and trust to follow Your lead.”

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John 5:16-30 – Embracing Eternal Life Here and Now

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John 5:16-30 – Embracing Eternal Life Here and Now

Despite all that’s wrong with the world around us, despite all the ways our bodies and minds ache, despite all of our faults and failings... despite the long list of items we could choose to complain about, the GREAT News Jesus proclaimed is that we have the opportunity here and now to enjoy being in a loving relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

The new life Jesus speaks about is God’s invitation – here and now – to let the living water of God’s love flow, nurturing and growing the Kingdom of God, heaven on earth, by loving God, loving ourselves, and loving others. The questions for us today and every day are this: How can we stir that water within us? What can we say or do to share that water with someone who is wilted or parched? Answering these questions with our words and actions are just one way we can embrace the eternal life Jesus spoke about here and now!

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John 4:1-30, 39-42 – The Woman at the Well: A Community Transformed

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John 4:1-30, 39-42 – The Woman at the Well: A Community Transformed

By shining the light of our faith, we too can offer people the hope and courage they need to face the challenges in their lives.
Know that God’s light is and always has been inside you.
Know that the world needs to hear and see God’s light through you.
Know that everyone can share God’s love in some way, shape, or form.
Every person has a role to play in growing the Kingdom of God.

If you and I genuinely want to be a light of God’s love to others, then we must work to achieve what we want to become. Jesus went out of His way, into potentially hostile territory, just so He could shine some light into people’s lives. Can you and I today go out of our ways and out of our comfort zones to share the Good News of God’s love with others? I think we can. And I think people need and want us to do so.

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John 3:1-17 – Born Again, into a New Life

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John 3:1-17 – Born Again, into a New Life

Share the following with God in prayer this week:

  1. Lord, what do I need to let go of so that you can lift me to higher places. (Imagine dropping weights from a hot air balloon so you can take off. Your journey can’t continue if you don’t let go of what’s holding you back.)

  2. God of new life, delivery me into a new relationship with you.

  3. God of peace, like baby Jesus in the manger, wrap me in Your love so that I have no reason to feel alone or afraid.

I sincerely believe that if you seek a deeper relationship with God, like a good mid-wife, God will guide you and nudge you into new births and new spiritual growth. With God working in us and around us, all of us can be “born again,” born and reborn into the Kingdom of God where we can live, love, and serve bigger and better than ever before.

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