Family Traits

Rob Woodrum1 Comment


Is there anyone in your family that you resemble? It’s interesting to me as I observe my family that we all carry certain traits that are easily discernible and identify us as belonging to each other.

In the passage we’ll be reading this Sunday Jesus will be discussing family traits, though not biological or genetic ones. We’ll be tackling John 8:31-59, the last installation of a very long conversation/argument that Jesus has with the leaders and the crowds while in Jerusalem.

As the discussion opens, what does Jesus point to as our source of true freedom? How does that compare to what most people think freedom is? The Israelites were outraged that Jesus would infer that they weren’t already free people (which is odd, considering that there were probably Roman soldiers standing guard over this increasingly hostile crowd). They considered themselves part of the covenant people simply because they had the right last name and were part of the Jewish race. Yet Jesus equates freedom from sin with adoption into a family – we are freed from our bondage to a broken self will and elevated to the status of family members with God. In other words – being born as a descendant of the people of promise doesn’t automatically make a person part of the family – one must commit one’s self to Christ. How does this play out in our present day church environment? How can people make the mistake of thinking they are right with God when possibly they are not?

Jesus then makes a sharp delineation between families – indicating that those who are rejecting him and his teaching are showing off the family resemblance – only they’re revealing they’re part of the wrong family. How we respond to Jesus reveals our family traits. How will our lives reflect our response to Jesus?

In the last section, Jesus makes the profound statement “Before Abraham was, I AM.” – equating himself with God and inspiring the crowd to want to stone him on the spot. It’s an awesome thought to me that Abraham looked down the corridors of history in anticipation of Christ’s day and rejoiced…it reminds me that being part of a family with God has always been his design. God wants family, not drones of religion. How can we be inspired to live in a way that shows off the family resemblance? Consider what ways we can reflect God’s character in our lives as we begin a new year.

Hope to see you Sunday!

The Contrasts of Christmas

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Hey all – it’s the Sunday before Christmas, so we’ll be taking a break from our study in John, and we’ll be reading the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20. In contrast to all the ways the broken world around us understands who’s important, who’s accepted and what meaning there is in life, the Christmas story reveals the improbable way God goes about unfolding his plans…and the unlikely people he uses.

Hope to see you there  – and,

Christmas 2013

What Jesus Lights Up

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Imagine yourself in a dark room. You begin to move around, only to bang your knee against an obstacle. You reach out with your hands to try and feel your way around, but the objects that surround you are unfamiliar and placed erratically. What happens in your imagination? Do you begin to conjure up layout for the room in your mind – build a speculative  image in your mind of what the obstacles are that surround you? Do you then use that fabricated layout to start your journey through the room?

Now imagine that you stumble on a flashlight – turn it on. Suddenly everything you had dreamed up in your mind about the room and it’s contents gets rearranged – suddenly you can see and things begin to make more sense. You move from your speculative surmising into the way things really are.

We’re continuing our study in the Gospel of John, reading chapter 8:12-30 this Sunday.

Jesus describes himself as light. Thinking of our example above, in what way is Jesus light – specifically the light of life?

In the passage we’ll be reading, Jesus does his best to illuminate the way things really are for the religious leaders – but to no avail.  He illuminates the reality that the Father is right there with them, bearing witness to who Jesus is, but they can’t see it. How does that enlighten us about where God the Father is right now? What does that mean to our lives?

Jesus warns them that unless they believe in him, they will die in their sins. He’s likely forecasting the destruction of Jerusalem, but also the larger concept of where a life outside of God’s plan leads. He is illuminating their peril, but also the path of salvation. What is it? What does it tell us about the kind of life Jesus is illuminating for us?

Lastly, as the religious leaders continue to judge Jesus, he tells them that when he’s lifted up (an allusion to his crucifixion), they will know who he really is. Whether they believe on him is another story. How does Jesus’ death on the cross reveal who he is? What does his death for humanity demonstrate about God’s nature and will? What does that mean to our own lives, as we seek to live in the light that Jesus casts?

Hope to see you this Sunday – now go finish your Christmas shopping!

Cutting Through the Fog

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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

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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!