Category: Faith

Cutting Through the Fog

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

Phew…Thanksgiving has got me all behind in my duties…including this blog! Sorry this is so delayed getting posted.

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 7:25-52 and we’ll be tracking the same themes we looked at last time: a misunderstood Jesus.

Fog is used as a metaphor for times when events seem unclear to us, and I think fog is a suitable metaphor for this passage. Our world is generally a foggy place. There are so many things that want to influence us, but we see so little of the whole picture that it’s very difficult sometimes to make sense of life. That’s one of the things Jesus has come to do in introducing the kingdom of God – he provides a story from which we can start to make sense of the world around us.

In order to grasp that story though, we have to avoid some of the attitudes and reactions that many of the people in this passage had.

In v 25-29 the people draw a conclusion about Jesus based on their interpretation of Malachi 3:1. How does Jesus address this misunderstanding? What didn’t the people know? Does that imply anything to us about what we are sure we know about God and his ways?

In v 30-36, and 40-46 the leaders of Jerusalem want to arrest Jesus but come back stunned and empty handed. The leadership thought that they were in control of this situation, but clearly they were not. What do you fear losing control of most – and what can we learn about who is in control from this passage?

The people in power react to the growing support Jesus is gaining in Jerusalem in v47-52. What attitude jumps out at you from their statements? It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when we start thinking more of ourselves than we should. In what ways can we as the church start to feel superior to others, and how can we counteract that tendency?

The key to clarity is found in the middle of the passage, in v37-38 where Jesus makes an invitation. He’s addressing a deep human need – a longing for fulfillment and purpose. Come and drink and then be the means by which others have their thirst quenched. How can drinking in Jesus’ words, example and mission be a source of satisfaction and purpose in our lives?

Hope you had a good T-Day – if you had family and friends with you, be grateful. But lets not forget those who lacked this holiday – and there are members of our church family who have suffered over this weekend, please keep them in prayer (you can visit the Prayer Wall to see what I’m referencing).  See you on Sunday!

Wrong Assumptions

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They say that for some people, the only exercise they get is when they jump to conclusions. It’s easy to do. I know that I’ve got a long history of reacting to situations based on my assumption of what is going on, only to find I didn’t have all the facts. Misreading events or people’s intentions can have some unfortunate consequences – least of all being embarrassed, worst of all ruining a person’s reputation.

In the passage we’re going to be looking at this Sunday, Jesus is faced with a lot of people jumping to conclusions about who he is or what he’s doing. We’ll be reading John 7:1-24.

Jesus’ brothers wanted him to take his ministry on the road and drum up support – what is the assumption they are making about how the kingdom of God will advance? What was Jesus’ response to them?

In Jerusalem people are surprised that Jesus was apparently uneducated, yet able to skillfully teach people. What was their assumption about who God would use? What was Jesus’ response to them?

The religious leaders wanted to destroy Jesus because he violated their understanding of how the Sabbath should be kept. What was their assumption about God’s priorities? What was Jesus’ response?

We will be looking at the assumptions that we as the church often make that parallel the ones in this passage. Hope you can be there!

Fair-weather Fans and Faithful Followers

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Have you ever had a fair-weather friend? You know, someone who is happy to be your pal until it may cost them something or it is somehow inconvenient. Then they are nowhere to be found. Jesus had and still has his share of those types of friends, as we’ll see in the passage we’ll be exploring this Sunday – John 6:60-71.

Jesus has gone off the deep end in some people’s estimation, talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood – a clear violation of Old Testament law. Jesus was speaking figuratively…but even still, it was just too uncomfortable for many of his followers…..so they quit following.

Jesus didn’t soften what he said or chase everyone down and beg them to stay with him. Does that surprise you at all? What does it tell us about aspects of the gospel as over against our own perception and will? What elements of the gospel disturb you or rub you wrong? When Jesus says we have to lose our life to find it…or demands that we take up a cross to follow him…or insists that we forgive people who mistreat us? What about where he tells someone to sell everything and follow him? We like to think about miracles and grace and Jesus loving the outsiders….but there is all this other stuff about eating his flesh and dying to self that sometimes rubs us wrong.

So what do WE do in those instances? We may not ever admit to walking away…but do we shut out those hard claims of the gospel on our lives? Through a thousand little choices do we reclaim our lives from Jesus?

Peter’s response to Jesus is beyond wonderful to me.

“Where we gonna’ go?” What has the gospel brought to your life that you think you could replace through some other pursuit? How can we remind ourselves of what’s really important when we’re tempted to return to our old lives, piece by piece?

Peter said “we have believed and have come to know you are the Holy One of God.” What do you see as the difference between believing and coming to know? What does this tell you about the nature of following Jesus?

It should prove to be a convicting yet encouraging exploration of the Word this Sunday – hope you can be there!

The Bread of Life

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When politicians make remarks that create a stir or a drop in polls, they are usually quick to back-pedal and spin their comments in a positive way in order to retain the public’s favor. That’s so common place that we actually expect it. We learn in the passage we’ll be reading this Sunday that Jesus was no politician. He makes bold statements that confuse his listeners and causes them to bristle and push back – but Jesus never flinches. He keeps right on pushing an agenda and worldview that completely upended the religious expectations of the day.

We’ll be exploring John 6:22-59 this Sunday. It’s the famous “Bread of life” discourse that Jesus gives.

As this section begins, Jesus makes a pretty clear delineation between  physical and spiritual bread. What do think an example of spiritual bread is? How was looking for physical bread revealing bad motives for the crowd? When you consider your own relationship with Jesus – what kind of bread do you prioritize?

When the people realize that Jesus is describing something more than normal bread, they ask what they must do to work for the bread Jesus is describing. What is his answer? What does this tell us about our attempts to earn God’s favor?

Jesus ignores the growing hostility of the crowd and takes things even further – describing himself as the bread come from heaven that the manna from the Exodus story was simply  foreshadowing. He describes his flesh and blood as elemental food and drink – what does that make us think of immediately? Jesus said that the bread that gives life to the world (v51) is his flesh. What do you believe this is a reference to? In what way does Jesus’ flesh give you life?

The language Jesus uses for eating grows progressively more intense as the discourse goes along. He begins by using a word that simply means to consume, but in the later verses of this passage, he says feed, which in the Greek is the word trogo, meaning to chew, crunch or gnaw. He’s talking about how it is that we believe on him – the intensity of the word he uses is trying to tell us something. What do you think it is?

This will be an admittedly heady study. It’s just the nature of this passage, and we certainly won’t plumb the depths of it by any means. We’ll only scrape the surface, but that in itself is a lot to wrestle with. Hope to see you Sunday!

When Life Gets Stormy

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

2011-01-14-43I’m really excited about being back at Eastgate this Sunday! I had a great vacation, but I’m stoked about getting into the Gospel of John again! This Sunday we’ll be reading the account of Jesus walking on water, found in John 6:16-21.

Right after the miracle of Jesus multiplying bread so that more than 5,000 people could eat and have leftovers, we step out into troubled waters. Life seems to have that pattern to it, doesn’t it? We go from this idyllic scene where Jesus has everyone sitting on soft, green grass and is handing out snacks, to a scene where all hell breaks loose and Jesus seems nowhere to be found.

We’ve all experienced that sort of thing, haven’t we? It may not be literal boats and waves, but storms have a tendency to hit our lives. The Bible doesn’t ever seem to indicate that we won’t face times of trouble.  But this short account of this amazing event can clue us in on what significance our storms may have.

As you read this story – consider a few questions: Was Jesus really nowhere to be found in their crisis? Where did Jesus make himself known to them? What was the biggest issue facing the disciples, and how did they respond to it? How effective was the disciples’ rowing against the wind in getting them to their destination? What changed so that they finally reached the shore?

When you consider the storms you face(d) in life – what lessons can you glean from this account? In what way does this story encourage or challenge you as you deal with circumstances that oppose you in life?

When the waves are buffeting you and the wind is resisting you – take a moment to listen, you may just hear “It is I; do not be afraid”.

See you on Sunday!

Do You Want to be Whole?

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What are the plans you had for life – the ones you thought for sure would complete you as a person? Was it a relationship, a career, some possession you wanted to acquire? Did you ever find yourself frustrated from achieving that plan? Did you ever feel like people not only let you down but even got in your way to keep you from getting what you thought was the solution for your life?

You’re not alone, you know that, right? In fact, there is an account we’ll be reading this Sunday in John 5:1-15 where a guy faced those same frustrations (albeit, a little differently) but actually found that what he really needed for a whole life was an encounter with Jesus.

Archaeologists have identified where the pool of Bethesda is located in Jerusalem.

When Jesus meets the man who has been unable to walk for 38 years, he asks if he wants to be healed (or come into existence as a whole person). That seems like such an obvious thing, why do you think Jesus asked the man this question?

What is the man’s response? What do you think he had in mind when Jesus asked him this?

As usual, our perceived solutions for life are in stark contrast with Jesus’. This man had one idea about how to become well, but Jesus had a plan to make him whole. What are the bubbling pools that we stare at, what places are we hoping to get to that we think will change our life for the better? What can we learn about our perceived solutions in light of this story?

If Jesus were to pass by your pool today, what would he ask you? What would he tell you to do?  How can we take steps to find our solutions in Christ?

Good stuff to ponder – hope to see you Sunday!

A Matter of Life and Death

Rob Woodrum2 Comments

This Sunday we’ll be continuing in our study of the Gospel of John, reading John 4:46-54.

We’ve mentioned before that John’s gospel is sort of constructed around seven distinct signs that Jesus does. John doesn’t ever call them miracles, but uses the term sign. What is the function of a sign? What are these signs, or this one in particular, telling us about Jesus?

Think about the crisis that Jesus resolves in this story. What was at stake and what did Jesus provide? If that were taken as a symbol of what God is doing through Christ, how would we summarize his mission?

The official who approaches Jesus was most likely working for Herod, the puppet king under Rome’s control. The common people hated him, and there is a strong likelihood that this man wasn’t even Jewish, but part of the gentile administration that interfaced Rome with Herod’s rule. The official isn’t a popular guy…and he may even be a gentile. As we consider the progression of people who encounter Jesus, a Jewish spiritual leader, an outcast Samaritan woman, and now what could be a gentile official, what picture is emerging about who it is Jesus is willing to rescue?

For this official, the crisis of his son’s illness was the very thing that sent him to Jesus. All he cared about was getting his son healed, but in the process of making his request he finds himself in a position where he has to put his trust in what Jesus says. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? How can this help us to view our times of crisis and trouble differently?

It should prove to be an interesting passage to explore!

Can We See Our Part in God’s Plan?

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

How often do you find yourself thinking that you’re too busy to take time to pray? Do you ever dismiss the urge to share about Jesus with someone because it feels uncomfortable? Let’s face it, there are a lot of routines in our lives that the claims of the gospel and the work of God’s kingdom can really have a tendency to disrupt.

But what if, in the midst of those things that we marginalize in order to maintain our routines, the actual key to fulfillment is found?

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 4:31-45 – which is basically the falling action after the story of the woman at the well.

Once again, we have a situation where Jesus is talking about one thing but his hearers are talking about another. He talked about living water with the woman earlier, but she took it to mean literal water. He tells his disciples he’s got food they don’t know about, and his disciples are looking for the snack machine that Jesus got his stash from. But in both cases, Jesus is talking about something BELOW the surface. He compares his cooperation with God’s plan to rescue people with food. Why food? What does food do for the human body? What is Jesus trying to tell us about the source of fulfillment in our lives?

The question is…how is your diet? If you look at your normal idea of food/fulfillment and compare it to Jesus’ – how do our food groups compare?

By saying that the fields are white, Jesus is describing wheat that is ripened and ready to harvest. By saying that the fields are white, are ready, what does that mean to us right here and now?

This will prove to be a challenging study for us – but I think it will be well worth it! Hope to see you Sunday!

The Boundary Busting Love of God

Rob WoodrumLeave a comment

This Sunday we’ll be reading a long passage, John 4:1-30.

It’s one of my favorite stories from the New Testament.  It’s the longest conversation that Jesus has with someone recorded in the gospels. It’s delightful to me because it is so outrageously improper and scandalous in almost every detail. The fact that Jesus is talking to a woman in public (something not done and especially by a rabbi) – the fact that she is a Samaritan (the folks North of Judean territory whom the Jewish people hated) – the fact that she has a history of serial marriage and divorce – it’s like a perfect storm of cultural and religious taboos which Jesus unhesitatingly dives into.

John’s gospel is trying to instruct us that if we want to know what God is like we have to look at Jesus – if we want to know what God is doing we have to look at what Jesus does. This is a startling picture of God indeed. A God who’s love is not restricted by any boundaries enforced by culture or religion.

Have you ever felt far from God – ashamed or embarrassed by choices you’ve made or the lot you find yourself in? Does this picture of God tell you anything about how God views those who are outcasts?

She arrives at the well at noon – in the heat of the day. Most people would do that chore early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the sun wouldn’t be as hot. What does this tell us about her place in the village society? Have you ever felt like her?

Jesus knows all her secrets – by her admission, he knows everything she’s ever done. Does he seem mad at her in this conversation? Does he tell her to get her life together or change some things before he offers her the living water of a new life?  What does that tell you about God’s disposition toward you?

As the church – as those who represent this Christ – do we represent this sort of scandalous grace very well? Who are the Samaritans of our culture and time? What can we learn about how we should be interacting with the world around us in light of what Jesus does in this story?

There’s an awful lot of stuff in this passage – layers of stuff. We’ll pick out a few gems, but take your time and read this over. Try on the characters for size – the woman, the townsfolk of Sychar, the bewildered disciples who find their Rabbi talking with a strange woman in public.  It should be an interesting study – hope to see you there!

By the by – I did a retelling of this story in my webcomic Rabbi Encounters – you can read it HERE.

The Triumphant Decline

Rob Woodrum2 Comments

Have you ever worked really hard on some idea only to have someone else come along and take credit for it, even indirectly? What emotions did you feel?

The human need to be significant and important, at very least for recognition is universal. Ego is a tough wrestling opponent. Yet, as we’ll read in this week’s text, John the Baptist was able to find joy and peace by putting his own ego last and Jesus first.

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 3:22-36 as we continue our exploration of the fourth gospel.

John’s gospel is the only account that indicates that Jesus and John had a time when their ministries overlapped. Jesus began with John the Baptist’s endorsement, and now, we find that he is present when the first hint of controversy arises. His disciples are jealous at the rising popularity of Jesus and his message. John was very popular, probably more popular than Jesus at this beginning stage…he had all the trappings of what passes for successful ministry. Yet it was his joy to step aside for the elevation of Christ.

What reason does he give for that in v27?

Does that help you in any struggles you may have in embracing an intentional humility?

v30 is a powerful statement. It sets the tone for the entire church movement. We haven’t always been very successful in remembering who it is that everything orbits around. How do you think it can bring you joy, like it did for John the Baptist, to allow the reality of Jesus to increase in your life? What would be decreasing in your life as this takes place?

In yet another way, the kingdom of God moves counter to the world’s assumptions, we we find ourselves flourishing through this triumphant decline.

Hope to see you on Sunday!