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When [Jesus] had finished washing their feet, He put on His clothesand returned to His place."Do you understand what Ihave done for you?"' He asked them (John 13:12). Joy, my previous pastor's wife, volunteered every two weeks to clean an elderly woman's home. "How nice," you might be thinking. Let me clarify. This woman's grown, morbidly obese son who could barely walk t...
Keep Reading"Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:16-17). There once was a Church that met in a very old building. One year, heavy rains damaged part of the building, and temporary hoses were installed outside to help properly man...
Keep ReadingJust before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that the time had come to leave this world to go to the Father. Having loved his dear companions, he continued to love them right to the end.John 13:1,2 MSG What would you do if you knew you only had a few days to live? Hollywood has depicted this in movies, and many a character hops a plane and travels to the most exotic locale...
Keep Reading[Editor's Note: An embarrassment of riches this week for our CD audience: we have more CDs than days in the week! Please note (and read) both Jessica's AND Bella's CDs today!] Radical Service Jessica Waldstein I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do."John 13:15 MSG During my teenage years my church held a foot washing at the end of a service, and I'll ...
Keep ReadingI am the resurrection and the life whoever lives and believes in mewill never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26). It can be one of the worst places on earth: the fresh grave of one we love. Even in the midst of fellow-mourners, it can feel so desperately and awfully lonely. And perhaps we have ringing in our ears something we heard in church once: "God is never la...
Keep Reading"Lord, if you had been here" (John 11:21) Ever been quick to question (even blame) God when He doesn't act the way you wish and on the timetable you would choose? Even Biblical heroes did so; read King David's psalms, Jeremiah's laments, even Mary and Martha's confronting Jesus in frustration that their brother has died: "if You had been here, [Lazarus] would not have die...
Keep ReadingJesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25). Have you ever had a little child look at you quizzically as you tried to explain something like why vegetables were good for him or why she couldn't play in the snow in her paj...
Keep ReadingBella Segnere Jesus wept. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" (John 11:35-36 ESV) "Everything is bigger in Texas!" "Go big or go home!" "The bigger the better!" All of these popular sayings emphasize just how much our world (especially America) values the greater/larger things in life. Larger wealth, greater fame; the list goes on and on. We all need to make the sh...
Keep ReadingJohn 11: 1-44 In this week of our Shift series, we get to plunge into a deep and rich passage in John's Gospel (11:1-44). It's a deeply personal and intimate story, as well as a surprising and dramatic one. John organizes his Gospel around seven "signs" given by Jesus. The sign of the raising of Lazarus is the sixth in the series, and points to the final one: Jesus's cru...
Keep ReadingI do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law,Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:21) I'm a runner. These days I run recreationally because I just love to run. But I used to be very competitive. Looking back on those years, I reflect on what motivated me to compete: the pressure from my coach to win races and championships; th...
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