Obey? 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 MoreIt’s Awards Season. Hollywood, in its own way, is seeking to strike a fatal blow at the heart of the abuse which has long been the unspoken reality of their world and ours. And I am glad. For too long, powerful men (because, let’s face it, it’s mostly men), have gotten away with these atrocities. The Media in turn covers this news. Yet there is someone, someone powerful, who, year-in and year-out, has created an environment of safety for all those around him. Might we give him an award for that?
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 MoreSin, not a popular party topic. Not a popular topic at all. It seems that in our world today we don’t talk about sin. Is sin even real? Is sin the invention of religious types to keep the masses under control?
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.
Read MoreEver wear night-vision goggles? I haven’t. They seem cool. What is not cool is being in the dark. Most of us in the dark slow down and even stumble about. For some, fear of the dark stops them dead in their tracks. The solution is finding and getting into light. Jesus says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Read MoreHave you ever been caught in a fog? You can have a vague general sense of the area. Maybe you have been in that fog-filled place a hundred times. Yet somehow the fog throws off your bearings. I bring up fog, because in today's reading, that is what the religious leaders of the day are trying to do to Jesus and to those who are wrestling with just who he is. They are trying to encase Jesus in a fog. They are trying to obscure how others will see him...
Read More“Quiet!” yells the frustrated teacher, desperately trying to get their students to settle down long enough to actually hear their instruction. The crowd in today's passage is in a similar condition... There are all sorts of things grabbing their attention. Calling it noise is not meant to devalue it. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “Enough with all this noise…hear me…I am the Living Water!”
Read MoreLearning to see through the noise is a mandatory skill in our frenzied world. I find Chapter 7 of John's Gospel to be somewhat “noisy”. I have reread it several times, even outlined it. Why? I want to “see and hear” Jesus. I want to know, “What does Jesus mean when he says certain things?” To help me see and hear, I need to pause at verse 10...
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