John 2:1-12

Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus' mother told him, "They're just about out of wine."

Jesus said, "Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn't my time. Don't push me."

She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, "Whatever he tells you, do it."

Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, "Fill the pots with water." And they filled them to the brim.

"Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host," Jesus said, and they did.

When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn't know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, "Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you've saved the best till now!"

This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

After this he went down to Capernaum along with his mother, brothers, and disciples, and stayed several days. // John 2:1-12, The Message

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I was talking about the gospel of John with a friend the other day. We were talking about where he should start reading in the Bible. And I described each of the four gospels. When I described John, I said it feels like it was written by a good friend of Jesus’ who was telling the story from his perspective. It’s so different from the other gospels. It has this stream of consciousness feel to it for me. It starts with this deep philosophy about the Word being God and all that, then all of a sudden we are at a wedding and Jesus is making wine.

When you study the Gospel of John in depth you realize there is organization and a purpose to everything he writes. Yet, it still cracks me up that we go from philosophy and theology to partying.

We bounce back and forth in John from the deep and heady to the down and dirty real world stuff.

As I think about this story, the thing that strikes me most is, presence. Jesus was there. He was at the party. Not only that, but Jesus brought the disciples with him. You would think that a wedding would be a bit below the divine Son of God, wouldn’t you? I mean, doesn’t Jesus have better things to be doing rather than chilling at a wedding reception? He could be healing some people or teaching his disciples about the mysteries of the universe. But, no. He’s at a wedding reception. This reception must have been a banger too, they were almost out of wine.

Did you catch the detail we pick in what the host says to the bridegroom? Most people bring out cheap wine after everyone is drunk, but not this guy, he brings out the good stuff! This party was on point and it was not stopping. Jesus’ mom, Mary, was going to make sure of it.

But, again, the heart of this story is presence. Jesus showed up at the wedding feast. He was there.

For those of us that are Christians, are we “there”? Do we show up? Are we present in the world? Or do we hide in our holy huddles, sit back, and judge all those people.

It’s funny, I host a conversation each week called Doubt on Tap at a local bar. That makes a lot of folks in my religious sphere uncomfortable. They don’t like the idea that a pastor is drinking an alcoholic beverage (1) and is in a place where many people are drinking alcoholic beverages (2) and that the people that I spend time with are not “church” people. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me, “Is that really the message you want to send?”

Yep. It is.

I’m pretty sure that Jesus would be more likely to be found in our bars and pubs than in some of our churches.

Does that make you uncomfortable? It’s OK. It made the religious people of Jesus’ day uncomfortable too.

What’s your wedding feast? Where are you being invited as a guest? Go show up and be present.

It’s what Jesus would do.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)

Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.”

But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”

When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”

Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”

Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”

Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”

Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.” // John 1:43–51, The Message

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Have you ever noticed that sometimes the smallest, most insignificant, act of faith can have HUGE repercussions? I bet you can think of a time when you did something that you thought was not “a big deal” but it meant the world to someone else. Or maybe you can think of a time when the shoe was on the other foot.

Small acts of faith or love leave lasting impact on those around us.

I love this story for some many reasons. Nathanael’s response is absolutely priceless, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding!” Jesus was a dude that came from a place that was on the wrong side of the olive tree. Nathanael just couldn’t believe his brother Phillip was telling him that the Messiah had come from Nazareth, that was too much to be true.

Then Nathanael’s response to Jesus after being complimented! “You don’t know me!” Nate was one suspicious guy! It just makes me smile. It points to the humanity of all this. Can’t you see this all playing out in your mind’s eye?

When Jesus says, “I saw you under a fig tree…” Nathanael is blown away. Jesus’ response is great, “You ain’t seen nothing yet son…”

This whole interaction is just full of wit, humor, and leaves us with the simple truth: A small step of faith opens a door wide to limitless possibilities.

As I was reading this story this morning I could not help but have images of Doctor Who run through my mind. Doctor Who is a science fiction show from the BBC. It’s been on TV for decades and it’s pretty darn good, if you like sci-fi. The Doctor’s time machine is called The T.A.R.D.I.S., which stands for “Time And Relative Dimension In Space.” This T.A.R.D.I.S. is an old blue English Police Box. It doesn’t look like much. The running gag through the whole show is that the T.A.R.D.I.S. is bigger on the inside. When you step inside this seemingly inauspicious police box you are stepping into an existence where time and space have few limits. The question always before you is, “WHEN and WHERE do you want to go next?” To have the adventure you simply step inside.

This is what I imagine Jesus was saying to Nathanael in that moment. Your one little act of faith has opened before you an existence like you’ve never thought possible.

Every day that we wake up and choose to enter in with just a little bit of faith is another day where we can live expectantly.

Jesus says in John 10:10, “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.”

Jesus also says here in John 1, “You ain’t seen nothing yet…”

I think part of living life to the full is living each day in wonder, awe, and expecting the unexpected. To live life like that requires a pinch of faith and a step out the door.

Let’s live each day in the Jesus reality, that reality where we ain’t seen nothing yet!

John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, "Come, follow me." (Philip's hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)

Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, "We've found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It's Jesus, Joseph's son, the one from Nazareth!" Nathanael said, "Nazareth? You've got to be kidding."

But Philip said, "Come, see for yourself."

When Jesus saw him coming he said, "There's a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body."

Nathanael said, "Where did you get that idea? You don't know me."

Jesus answered, "One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree."

Nathanael exclaimed, "Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!"

Jesus said, "You've become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet! Before this is over you're going to see heaven open and God's angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again." // John 1:43-51

//

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the smallest, most insignificant, act of faith can have HUGE repercussions? I bet you can think of a time when you did something that you thought was not “a big deal” but it meant the world to someone else. Or maybe you can think of a time when the shoe was on the other foot.

Small acts of faith or love leave lasting impact on those around us.

I love this story for some many reasons. Nathanael’s response is absolutely priceless, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding!” Jesus was a dude that came from a place that was on the wrong side of the olive tree. Nathanael just couldn’t believe his brother Phillip was telling him that the Messiah had come from Nazareth, that was too much to be true.

Then Nathanael’s response to Jesus after being complimented! “You don’t know me!” Nate was one suspicious guy! It just makes me smile. It points to the humanity of all this. Can’t you see this all playing out in your mind’s eye?

When Jesus says, “I saw you under a fig tree…” Nathanael is blown away. Jesus’ response is great, “You ain’t seen nothing yet son…”

This whole interaction is just full of wit, humor, and leaves us with the simple truth: A small step of faith opens a door wide to limitless possibilities.

As I was reading this story this morning I could not help but have images of Doctor Who run through my mind. Doctor Who is a science fiction show from the BBC. It’s been on TV for decades and it’s pretty darn good, if you like sci-fi. The Doctor’s time machine is called The T.A.R.D.I.S., which stands for “Time And Relative Dimension In Space.” This T.A.R.D.I.S. is an old blue English Police Box. It doesn’t look like much. The running gag through the whole show is that the T.A.R.D.I.S. is bigger on the inside. When you step inside this seemingly inauspicious police box you are stepping into an existence where time and space have few limits. The question always before you is, “WHEN and WHERE do you want to go next?” To have the adventure you simply step inside.

This is what I imagine Jesus was saying to Nathanael in that moment. Your one little act of faith has opened before you an existence like you’ve never thought possible.

Every day that we wake up and choose to enter in with just a little bit of faith is another day where we can live expectantly.

Jesus says in John 10:10, “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.”

Jesus also says here in John 1, “You ain’t seen nothing yet…”

I think part of living life to the full is living each day in wonder, awe, and expecting the unexpected. To live life like that requires a pinch of faith and a step out the door.

Let’s live each day in the Jesus reality, that reality where we ain’t seen nothing yet!

The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb."

The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, "What are you after?"

They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

He replied, "Come along and see for yourself."

They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, "We've found the Messiah" (that is, "Christ"). He immediately led him to Jesus.

Jesus took one look up and said, "You're John's son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas" (or Peter, which means "Rock"). // John 1:35-42, The Message

John the Baptist continues to intrigue me as I read these early parts of the Gospel of John. I am finding him instructive for me as a pastor.

We live in a day and age where pastors build platforms. I am guilty of it. I failed at it, but there has been a significant season in my life where I was deeply desirous of building my platform to broaden my influence. Sometimes you feel like if you haven’t published a book or been invited to speak at conferences you’re some sort of failure. Some of us seek to build our influence by building mega-churches. We come to the conclusion that anything that’s not illegal or immoral is fine to do if we can add another bottom in the pews.

It really is striking to think about the difference between the way many of us pastors act and the way John did.

First, you have John who was out being present in the community. Peterson puts it this way, “he was at his post.” So many of us think that our post is the pulpit and that we need to spend most of our time in our office polishing up a sermon. We truly believe that our 20-40 minute talk each week will disciple, mentor, and transform people’s lives. After being on both sides of the pulpit I am quite confident that sermons by and large don’t change people’s lives. What I have found is that a deep, abiding, personal relationship with someone creates an environment where a sermon is like the Hershey’s chocolate syrup on a sundae. In the moment someone may experience something but it was built on the patient ferment of relationship. More of us need to realize that our office isn’t our post. Our office is our refuge where we go to recoup and rest. The coffee shops, bars, bowling alleys, and neighborhoods are our posts. We need to expend our energy there and then return to our refuge to refuel.

Second, John was more concerned with those who he was building into seeing Jesus than seeing him. Did you notice that? As soon as he saw Jesus, he pointed his disciples to Jesus. What did they do? They left John and followed Jesus! Also notice that Jesus was out and about in the community too. John’s greatest desire was people to follow Christ. His goal through his teaching and mentoring was for people to leave him and follow Christ. It’s pretty amazing to think that is was through John’s influence that the core of the apostolic band was being formed. Peter, arguably the most famous, came to Christ because his brother Andrew saw Jesus because of John.

When it’s not about us, it can be about Jesus. This means that we must be faithful to attend our posts and point people to Christ.

You don’t have to be a pastor to live like John. You can be anything. It just so happens that my calling is that of pastor. I’d love to hear from you about how you see what I might start calling the “John Principle” play out in your profession or life at the moment? Where’s your “post” and what’s your refuge? Who do you come into contact with that you get to point our Christ to?

John 1:35-42

The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb."
The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, “What are you after?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
He replied, “Come along and see for yourself.”
They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, “We’ve found the Messiah” (that is, “Christ”). He immediately led him to Jesus.
Jesus took one look up and said, “You’re John’s son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas” (or Peter, which means “Rock”). // John 1:35-42, The Message

John the Baptist continues to intrigue me as I read these early parts of the Gospel of John. I am finding him instructive for me as a pastor.

We live in a day and age where pastors build platforms. I am guilty of it. I failed at it, but there has been a significant season in my life where I was deeply desirous of building my platform to broaden my influence. Sometimes you feel like if you haven’t published a book or been invited to speak at conferences you’re some sort of failure. Some of us seek to build our influence by building mega-churches. We come to the conclusion that anything that’s not illegal or immoral is fine to do if we can add another bottom in the pews.

It really is striking to think about the difference between the way many of us pastors act and the way John did.

First, you have John who was out being present in the community. Peterson puts it this way, “he was at his post.” So many of us think that our post is the pulpit and that we need to spend most of our time in our office polishing up a sermon. We truly believe that our 20-40 minute talk each week will disciple, mentor, and transform people’s lives. After being on both sides of the pulpit I am quite confident that sermons by and large don’t change people’s lives. What I have found is that a deep, abiding, personal relationship with someone creates an environment where a sermon is like the Hershey’s chocolate syrup on a sundae. In the moment someone may experience something but it was built on the patient ferment of relationship. More of us need to realize that our office isn’t our post. Our office is our refuge where we go to recoup and rest. The coffee shops, bars, bowling alleys, and neighborhoods are our posts. We need to expend our energy there and then return to our refuge to refuel.

Second, John was more concerned with those who he was building into seeing Jesus than seeing him. Did you notice that? As soon as he saw Jesus, he pointed his disciples to Jesus. What did they do? They left John and followed Jesus! Also notice that Jesus was out and about in the community too. John’s greatest desire was people to follow Christ. His goal through his teaching and mentoring was for people to leave him and follow Christ. It’s pretty amazing to think that is was through John’s influence that the core of the apostolic band was being formed. Peter, arguably the most famous, came to Christ because his brother Andrew saw Jesus because of John.

When it’s not about us, it can be about Jesus. This means that we must be faithful to attend our posts and point people to Christ.

You don’t have to be a pastor to live like John. You can be anything. It just so happens that my calling is that of pastor. I’d love to hear from you about how you see what I might start calling the “John Principle” play out in your profession or life at the moment? Where’s your “post” and what’s your refuge? Who do you come into contact with that you get to point our Christ to?

The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.' I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."

John clinched his witness with this: "I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, 'The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' That's exactly what I saw happen, and I'm telling you, there's no question about it: This is the Son of God." // John 1:29-34, The Message

I spent a long time living as a missionary. Ten years to be exact. Amy and I worked with one of the largest missionary organizations in the world. We spent a decade serving college students. We invited them to become Christ-centered laborers. Our lives were shaped by prayer, evangelism, discipleship, and sending. It was an amazing time where we grew in our faith, we grew in our leadership, and we grew into adulthood. I would not trade that time for anything in the world.

Over the last ten years or so, I have reflected often about our time as college missionaries. I think about the many things that I would have done differently.

There were so many things.

During that time as someone who was young in my faith and learning to follow the way of Christ I was very strident in my desire to win for him. I sharpened my rhetorical skills and sought to learn from the best apologists about how to defend the faith.

I won a lot.

So many college students left an argument with me with their tails between their legs after a verbal and intellectual beat down. I really liked winning.

I’m not so sure that I was all that great at preparing people for the God-revealer though.

If there was one thing that I could change about my time as a college missionary it is that. I wish I had learned the critical importance of preparing people for the God-revealer moreso than an argument winner.

As I read this story this morning about John the Baptist two things grabbed my attention. First, that John understood himself to be someone who was preparing others for the God-revealer. This meant that John was not about his own ego or tallying up numbers of baptisms or wining arguments for the sake of winning arguments. Everything he was doing, everything he was about, was to prepare for the God-revealer.

Notice very clearly, that John was not the God-revealer. No, John was the preparer for the God-revealer.

Jesus, the Christ, he was the God-revealer.

And, that’s the second big thing that I’m wrestling with this morning. This idea of Jesus being the God-revealer boggles my mind a bit. It’s one of those, “It’s right there in front of your face! How can you not notice how big of a deal this is?” kind of things.

I don’t think that I have really and truly wrestled with the deep and abiding reality of Jesus as the God-revealer. Sure, I know that he’s the incarnate God-man, second person of the Trinity, the image of the invisible God, and all that. But, to really think and dwell and process this reality that Christ is the God-revealer, that if I want to see God I need to look at Jesus. There is no other person or place to look for God. God is most clearly revealed in Christ.

What is God like? God is like Christ.

So, once again, I’m challenged to spend time in the middle. If I want to know God, then I need to know Christ. If I want to know Christ I need to spend more time reading, meditating, and getting to know the Christ between Christmas and Easter. The middle of the story is where the person of Christ is revealed and in so doing, reveals God.

I’m also beginning to wrestle with the reality that my calling as a pastor is to prepare people to meet the God-revealer. I’d argue that is part and parcel to following Christ. So, how I live and love and follow in The Way is more important than winning arguments.

I desperately want my life to prepare people to meet the God-revealer so that they can join me in The Way too.

John 1:29-34

The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, "Here he is, God's Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I've been talking about, 'the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.' I knew nothing about who he was—only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God."
John clinched his witness with this: “I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him. I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ That’s exactly what I saw happen, and I’m telling you, there’s no question about it: This is the Son of God.” // John 1:29-34, The Message

I spent a long time living as a missionary. Ten years to be exact. Amy and I worked with one of the largest missionary organizations in the world. We spent a decade serving college students. We invited them to become Christ-centered laborers. Our lives were shaped by prayer, evangelism, discipleship, and sending. It was an amazing time where we grew in our faith, we grew in our leadership, and we grew into adulthood. I would not trade that time for anything in the world.

Over the last ten years or so, I have reflected often about our time as college missionaries. I think about the many things that I would have done differently.

There were so many things.

During that time as someone who was young in my faith and learning to follow the way of Christ I was very strident in my desire to win for him. I sharpened my rhetorical skills and sought to learn from the best apologists about how to defend the faith.

I won a lot.

So many college students left an argument with me with their tails between their legs after a verbal and intellectual beat down. I really liked winning.

I’m not so sure that I was all that great at preparing people for the God-revealer though.

If there was one thing that I could change about my time as a college missionary it is that. I wish I had learned the critical importance of preparing people for the God-revealer moreso than an argument winner.

As I read this story this morning about John the Baptist two things grabbed my attention. First, that John understood himself to be someone who was preparing others for the God-revealer. This meant that John was not about his own ego or tallying up numbers of baptisms or wining arguments for the sake of winning arguments. Everything he was doing, everything he was about, was to prepare for the God-revealer.

Notice very clearly, that John was not the God-revealer. No, John was the preparer for the God-revealer.

Jesus, the Christ, he was the God-revealer.

And, that’s the second big thing that I’m wrestling with this morning. This idea of Jesus being the God-revealer boggles my mind a bit. It’s one of those, “It’s right there in front of your face! How can you not notice how big of a deal this is?” kind of things.

I don’t think that I have really and truly wrestled with the deep and abiding reality of Jesus as the God-revealer. Sure, I know that he’s the incarnate God-man, second person of the Trinity, the image of the invisible God, and all that. But, to really think and dwell and process this reality that Christ is the God-revealer, that if I want to see God I need to look at Jesus. There is no other person or place to look for God. God is most clearly revealed in Christ.

What is God like? God is like Christ.

So, once again, I’m challenged to spend time in the middle. If I want to know God, then I need to know Christ. If I want to know Christ I need to spend more time reading, meditating, and getting to know the Christ between Christmas and Easter. The middle of the story is where the person of Christ is revealed and in so doing, reveals God.

I’m also beginning to wrestle with the reality that my calling as a pastor is to prepare people to meet the God-revealer. I’d argue that is part and parcel to following Christ. So, how I live and love and follow in The Way is more important than winning arguments.

I desperately want my life to prepare people to meet the God-revealer so that they can join me in The Way too.

When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: 

"I am not the Messiah."

They pressed him, "Who, then? Elijah?"

"I am not."

"The Prophet?"

"No."

Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself."

"I'm thunder in the desert: 'Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached."

Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: "If you're neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?"

John answered, "I only baptize using water. A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him."

These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time. // John 1:19-28, The Message

I think it’s interesting that those of us in the modern Christian movement give the Pharisees a really hard time when we read the Gospels. We tend to think of them as something of a foil, and perhaps that is how the writers of the Gospels wanted us to experience them.

Yet, as I read and process the Gospels more I am coming to realize that the Pharisees and other religious leaders were very similar to the Christians of our day.

One line in this story punched me in the face: “We need an answer for those who sent us.”

An aside: If you’re of a certain age, your mind likely just pictured Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson yelling at each other in a court room.

I think it struck me because as I look around at our world it feels like many of us are shouting, “WE NEED AN ANSWER!”

During times of great uncertainty, distress, or suffering we desperately want to know why and we want answers. When I was in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina most of my conversations boiled down to, “We need an answer.” As I’ve walked through various heartaches with people the questions are inevitably boiled down to, “We need an answer.” There is something comforting about having answers. We really don’t like uncertainty at all and mystery is not something that we tend to be comfortable with.

John gave them answers. But, they weren’t satisfied. They wanted more. There was never an end to the questions that they wanted answers to. John engages with them but his responses cause exasperation on their end and even more questions.

I think that what we see in John is someone who was trying to lead people toward a life of faith. Faith is living in the midst of uncertainty and embracing it for the beautiful mystery that it is. When we live in faith we are left with a sense of wonder, awe, and hope. Faith calls us toward a posture of learning and humility.

When John and Jesus show up they upset the certainty apple cart of the religious industrial complex of their age.

When John and Jesus show up they upset the certainty apple cart of the religious industrial complex of our age.

It turns out that living in the way of Jesus is to live as one who seeks to learn, one who learns to be content in uncertainty, and one who is humble enough to acknowledge that he or she doesn’t have all the answers.

I don’t want to fear uncertainty any longer, I want to embrace it. As one of my favorite songwriters wrote:

But I get turned around
I mistake my happiness for blessing
But I'm blessed as the poor
Still I judge success by how I'm dressing

So keep 'em coming these lines on the road
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I'll walk with grace my feet and with faith my eyes

// Faith My Eyes by Caedmon's Call

May we each walk with grace our feet and faith our eyes!

John 1:19-28

When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: 
“I am not the Messiah.”
They pressed him, “Who, then? Elijah?”
“I am not.”
“The Prophet?”
“No.”
Exasperated, they said, “Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself.”
“I’m thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!’ I’m doing what the prophet Isaiah preached.”
Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: “If you’re neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
John answered, “I only baptize using water. A person you don’t recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I’m not even worthy to hold his coat for him.”
These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time. // John 1:19-28, The Message

I think it’s interesting that those of us in the modern Christian movement give the Pharisees a really hard time when we read the Gospels. We tend to think of them as something of a foil, and perhaps that is how the writers of the Gospels wanted us to experience them.

Yet, as I read and process the Gospels more I am coming to realize that the Pharisees and other religious leaders were very similar to the Christians of our day.

One line in this story punched me in the face: “We need an answer for those who sent us.”

An aside: If you’re of a certain age, your mind likely just pictured Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson yelling at each other in a court room.

I think it struck me because as I look around at our world it feels like many of us are shouting, “WE NEED AN ANSWER!”

During times of great uncertainty, distress, or suffering we desperately want to know why and we want answers. When I was in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina most of my conversations boiled down to, “We need an answer.” As I’ve walked through various heartaches with people the questions are inevitably boiled down to, “We need an answer.” There is something comforting about having answers. We really don’t like uncertainty at all and mystery is not something that we tend to be comfortable with.

John gave them answers. But, they weren’t satisfied. They wanted more. There was never an end to the questions that they wanted answers to. John engages with them but his responses cause exasperation on their end and even more questions.

I think that what we see in John is someone who was trying to lead people toward a life of faith. Faith is living in the midst of uncertainty and embracing it for the beautiful mystery that it is. When we live in faith we are left with a sense of wonder, awe, and hope. Faith calls us toward a posture of learning and humility.

When John and Jesus show up they upset the certainty apple cart of the religious industrial complex of their age.

When John and Jesus show up they upset the certainty apple cart of the religious industrial complex of our age.

It turns out that living in the way of Jesus is to live as one who seeks to learn, one who learns to be content in uncertainty, and one who is humble enough to acknowledge that he or she doesn’t have all the answers.

I don’t want to fear uncertainty any longer, I want to embrace it. As one of my favorite songwriters wrote:

But I get turned around
I mistake my happiness for blessing
But I’m blessed as the poor
Still I judge success by how I’m dressing

So keep ‘em coming these lines on the road
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise
And I’ll walk with grace my feet and with faith my eyes
// Faith My Eyes by Caedmon’s Call

May we each walk with grace our feet and faith our eyes!

John 1:15-18

John pointed him out and called, "This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word."
We all live off his generous bounty,
gift after gift after gift.
We got the basics from Moses,
and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding—
all this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
No one has ever seen God,
not so much as a glimpse.
This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
who exists at the very heart of the Father,
has made him plain as day.

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking a lot about Jesus. I know, I know, I am a pastor so of course I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus. Often as pastors we don’t think much about Jesus himself. There are many seasons where we are thinking about other things. We focus on growing ministries and all that entails. Sadly, it usually entails very little thinking and talking about Jesus.

I have been reading a book by N.T. Wright entitled, When God Became King. It’s a great read so far! In it he challenges us to think about the Jesus in the middle.

Wait, what does that mean?

Many of us focus on the Jesus of the manger and the cross. But, do we dwell deeply on the Jesus in the middle of those two events?

You see the “one-of-a-kind God-Expression” that is Christ is found in his birth, his cross, and also in his life!

When we place our sole or ultimate focus on his birth and death we can begin to relate to Christ in a purely transactional way. But, this Christ “who exists at the very heart of the Father,” is so much more than just his birth and death.

When we read through the Gospel of John I think we find that the second half of John 10:10 might be a bit of a thesis statement, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.”

It strikes me that if we want to learn to live the Jesus way we need to pay closer attention to the middle. We need to read and meditate on the life of this Christ who is the “one-of-a-kind God-Expression.”

How might we change?

How does his life challenge our lives?

What would it look like for us to learn to live and love the way that he does?

As awe inspiring as the birth of Christ is and as necessary as the death and resurrection of Christ is, the life of Christ is just as crucial to learning to follow the way.

When someone looks at our gravestone and sees the beginning date and the end date those are not all that interesting. What really matters is what we did with the dash in the middle. While the birth and death of Jesus has significance untold, his life is just as critical.

So, as we launch into this new year together, I hope you will join me as I seek to spend time in the middle with Jesus.

John 1:9-13

The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.

There are times that I can’t get one of the readings out of my head and I keep thinking about it. This passage has been one of those.

At Doubt on Tap the other night there was a conversation, that happened before most folks showed up, about how amazing people are. There are so many kind men and women in the world. Every single day there are people acting out in beautiful ways.

Have you ever really thought about that?

I mean seriously.

Have you ever really considered that the vast majority of people out in this world are doing good and beautiful things every single day?

We don’t notice it though.

That might be one of the hardest lessons of the Advent season and one of the saddest things in this poem from John. Nobody really noticed that the Christ had come into the world.

This hard thing and sad thing is also something that brings me some hope.

Why?

Because it means that when we do good we don’t need the addualtion or congratulation of the world. When we go about loving well and nobody notices we can take joy in being able to identify even more deeply with Christ.

This holiday season when you love well and nobody notices, count it all joy!

The Christ entered the world and the world didn’t even notice, so it’s OK if the world doesn’t notice us either.

Let us love well for the sake of loving well.

After all, isn’t living that way what helps us become our true selves, our child-of-God selves?

John 1:9-13

The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn’t want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.

I have a confession to make. Over the years I have begun to think that there is more to this whole following Christ thing than simply being able to “go to heaven” when I die.

For a long time that seemed to be the thing about following Christ. I can’t even count the number of conversations that I have had with people about becoming a Christian. Many of those conversations centered around the need to receive Christ so that the person would go to heaven. In my evangelism, for many years, the issue of eternal destiny was really all that mattered.

As I read the gospels more and more I am beginning to think that I have missed the mark. There is so much more to following Christ than eternal fire insurance.

Did you catch this little bit in the poem from John,

But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.

As I continue to live this Christ-following life I am learning that this is really the central part of following Christ. This whole “…made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves,” is really what it’s all about.

When we think that following Christ is only about eternity we miss out on the here and now of a life of faith and spirituality. Christ’s work of reconciliation I have often only thought of as something rooted in our eternal destiny. That is simply not the case. The reconciliation that Christ has wrought through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension is to make us our true selves.

The reconciling work of Christ is a reconciliation of all things. This includes reconciling ourselves. In Christ we are able to finally become who we really and truly are.

Perhaps this is something that you’ve thought about before, but for me, it’s still in that whole “revolutionary” realm of thinking. I feel a bit dumbstruck by the ramifications of this truth.

God is not simply concerned with my eternal destiny. No, God wants me and you to become the best versions of ourselves right here and right now!

I think this is why we need to be in community and live life with one another. Because it is in the context of other child-of-God selves that we are challenged to become more loving, gracious, and kind. In other words, in the midst of deep community we have the best opportunity to become the best or fully reconciled versions of ourselves.

1 Corinthians 12:1-3

Today is special Knee Jerk Devotional! Instead of a written one devotional I recorded my sermon from this Sunday because many asked for it. You can find it at the Knee Jerk Devotional Podcast or my YouTube channel. The links are at the top of the email.

Never fear, my short attention friends, tomorrow we will back to normal!

John 1:6-8

There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light. — John 1:6-8, The Message

In my profession there is a temptation that is strong. Really strong. That temptation is to see myself as “The Light.” It’s wild to think about how easily we become deluded by our own sense of greatness. If us pastors are honest, we know that there are more than a few of us that struggle with this delusion.

There are have been many notable religious leaders who have fallen from faith. I would venture to guess almost all of them share two things in common. One, deep down they believe that they are indeed the light. Two, they had isolated themselves from any kind of accountability and community.

Perhaps I am making too much of this. But, the longer I do this pastor thing and read the stories of those who fall and lose their way the more I think that these two things are true. The natural question is, what comes first the sense of grandeur or the isolation? I am guessing it is a chicken and egg situation. In many seminaries budding pastors are taught that you cannot be close friends with your congregants and Elders. This of course leads to isolation. Pastors also have a clear sense of calling and many take this sense of calling as being of divine origin. Unfortunately, this is something that bleeds over into every aspect of their leadership. So in their minds, if you challenge them then you are challenging God.

This kind of thinking has lead to much spiritual abuse and harm in many local churches. It’s heartbreaking to think about how many have been deeply wounded by pastors who have come to the conclusion that they are The Light as opposed to simply pointing people to The Light.

Pastors, we have to do better.

We need to learn from John the Baptist.

We need to remember that our calling is to be people who, “point out the way to the Life-Light.” If we can remember that we are pointing out the way to the Life-Light then we will remember the proper ordering of things. We are not The Light. We are guides. If we are guides then we too are on the way. We have not arrived, we are simply people who have a map and a flashlight.

John 1:1-5

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn't put it out. — John1:1-5

“What came into existence was Life.”

This is a marvelous phrase.

“Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.”

Another beautiful turn of phrase.

When you think about Jesus do you think about a blazing Life-Light that destroys the darkness?

Christ lights up the darkness.

There is something unconquerable about the Life-Light. No matter how hard we may try there is no dousing it.

The Life-Light overwhelms all that it touches.

When you come face to face with embodied grace you can’t help but be transformed.

We have all been around people who seem to be void of light. These are the dour people. Those who seem to have a shadow about them all the time. They are the Christmas Eve Scrooge’s of our lives. A coarse or negative word is always on their lips. There is only darkness for these people.

We have also been around those who are full of Light-Life. There is a joy that exudes from the fiber of their beings. They can’t help but smile and laugh. Light emanates from the core of their being. These are the Christmas morning Ebenezer’s of our lives.

If we look around and see darkness all around us, we must ask ourselves, “Will I be the light?”

Oh for those that claim to follow Christ to choose to be light in the world! We could light up the world, couldn’t we?

How are you moving in the world? Are you a bearer of darkness or light?