Hearing God Through the Gospel of John

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  (John 14:27) "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33) This is what Jesus told his disciples the night before he was crucified. He's trying to explain to them what he is about to do and why they can't follow him now. It's impossible for them to understand! But this is one of my favourite parts in the bible ... all the things that Jesus says to them between the last supper and his arrest.  There is such intimacy and urgency and love in his words. He is about to leave them and he wants them to be ready for trouble they are about to experience. He even warns them that "a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God." Reading these chapters again remin

John 12  It's getting closer to the time when Jesus will die. Jesus came to Jeruselum on a young donkey while the people waved palm branches at him, shouting "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Isreal!"  His following has grown because of the miracles people have been witnessing and the Pharisees are eager to put all this to an end. Jesus says "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and wherever I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me." There's a lot of little twists and turns in this passage, but I believe the main message is to compare loving your life here in the world, versus loving the life God has for you, as a Christ-

John 6:53-57 "Jesus said to them "Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me."  It is a very extreme metaphor, isn't it?! How can we begin to imagine this cannibalistic image? It seems strange that Jesus would give us this impossible task as the secret to eternal life. However, as I grow in the understanding of my own limitations and frailty, this metaphor becomes more clear. In past years, I used to ask for Jesus's help for small things here and there - when I was dealing with cranky kids or felt overwhelmed by my messy house. I knew he was always with me

  John 6:35  Then Jesus declared,  “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. WHY DO I KEEP FORGETTING??!!! After my Rivendell Retreat on May 26th, I got so excited about what God had said to me that I forgot to abide in him. I just took what he gave me and I ran off to make it my own thing. I thought I was focussed, but I soon became confused and lost in all the competing priorities. I wanted to give up everything because of the overwhelm I was feeling. Is that why I have been so depleted of optimism and energy since the retreat?  I thought for sure it was my thyroid, but Dr Watts AND Dr Carr both said it is fine. Dr Carr said it may be my body recovering from what I experienced at the retreat. Whatever the case, I must come back to God and eat the bread that nourishes me.  I can't believe I even forgot about this beautiful blog I set up. I feel like today is a spiritual reunion meal! I am hungrily munching

 A funny thing. Our house church study on the Woman at the Well got postponed again, so I will need to prepare for it a third time next week.  I'm thankful, though, because these verses continue to open my eyes to what God may be speaking to me about it. While I was meditiating on it a few days ago, a new idea popped into my head.  When we help someone see who God is, we're not just helping them. We are actually a part of releasing their entire Christian ministry! If Priscilla didn't make the bold move to tell me about Jesus, then my family life would look completely different - I probably wouldn't have this many kids if I was't a Christian. But you could also argue that if Priscilla didn't have the conversation with me, then maybe God would've sent someone else. Either way, whoever the bold person is, THEY get to participate in unlocking and releasing someone. They are potentially affecting generations to come. When they asked me in the Zoe course if I had

 John 4:48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." Jesus says that right before he performed his second miracle, which was the healing of a sick boy. It seems a bit of a harsh accusation. Or maybe this is just the straight truth. That it really is this hard for people to believe in Jesus without a supernatural sign. God, what do you want to say to me this morning about this verse?  Are you wanting me to be open to your signs and wonders again? Is this another breadcrumb .... something you need me to understand so that I can represent your love and truth in the places that don't know you? You know that my heart associates signs and wonders with a time when there was also manipulation and deception in our church. Lord, heal my heart. Take away the hardness that I have developed over the years. Help me to be open to your miracles again. In Jesus name, Amen.