January 21

MY VERSE(S): John 21:20-22 – “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."


MY REFLECTION: I don’t know if it’s significant, but I think it is at least interesting to note that in chapter 20, John beats Peter to the tomb. Now, in chapter 21, John portrays himself as lagging behind Peter in following Christ. Peter gets to “win” this one. But Peter turns to see John and asks Jesus, “What about him? Is he going to suffer for you?” (my paraphrase)

Sometimes I get caught up in what other people are doing (or supposed to be doing) that I worry more about their obedience than my own. Sometimes I get caught up in comparing how much I "suffer" (relatively little in the grand scheme of things) compared to how little others seem to suffer. Sometimes I compare my little with others' abundance. Can't it be fair? Can't others sacrifice like I do? Can't I prosper like others prosper?

In reality, the question I should be asking is, "Am I being as obedient to God as I am supposed to be -- regardless of how much sacrifice, suffering, or success I can measure?"


MY PRAYER: Jesus, help me to follow, to trust, and to obey. Help me to see my life, my ministry, as you see it. Forgive me for opting for the temporal, tangible evidences of success and for thinking that my sacrifice is greater or harder than anyone else's. Help to simply obey.

JANUARY 20

MY VERSE(S): John 20:4 – “Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.”


MY REFLECTION: Is John humble or what? He refers to himself in this chapter as the other disciple. Is that because he outran Peter? Was he afraid to brag? If I outran anybody, I’d brag about it.

What I find interesting about this verse is that the Christ-followers do a lot of running that first Easter. Mary runs to the disciples. Peter and John run to the tomb. But the disciples don’t just run to the tomb, they raced each other. Maybe John humbly refers to himself because he is ashamed of the rivalry he showed that day.

John, and Peter shortly thereafter, becomes the very first person to believe without seeing Jesus. With the exception of Peter, everyone else will see Jesus and then believe in the resurrection. John and Peter are the first ones to stand in our shoes and believe without seeing.


MY PRAYER: Jesus, help me to run to you. And help me to believe, even when I don’t or can’t see.

January 19

MY VERSE(S): John 19:19-21 – “Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, ‘Do not write, “The King of the Jews,” but, “He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”’”


MY REFLECTION: I just noticed something that I think is very interesting!

Jesus got in trouble throughout the earlier chapters in John every time he said, “I am”. For example, “I am the bread of life,” “I am the good shepherd,” etc. He got into trouble in part because he used the words of God. Back in Exodus, when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, he said that his name was “I Am who I Am.” Only God calls himself, “I Am”. But yet, Jesus uses God’s name and God’s words.

Now at his crucifixion, Pilate wants to write, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” But the chief priests want Pilate to write, “He said, ‘I AM the King of the Jews.’”

Now, as best as we can tell, Jesus never said that. But the chief priests wanted to get that “I AM” in there. But Pilate won’t listen to them. “I have written what I have written,” he replies.

The chief priests (and Pharisees and scribes) have spent the last three years trying to pin this blasphemy on Jesus. Now, in their hour of victory (or so they thought), Pilate won’t let them enjoy this bit of sweet revenge.

Now I’m sure he was being sarcastic. I’m pretty positive that Pilate was making fun of Jesus. But it seems to me that in an ironic turn of events, Pilate sort of shoves the “I Am” down the chief priests’ throat. And in doing so, correctly identified Jesus as the “King of the Jews.”


MY PRAYER: Jesus, in all I do, help me to correctly point to you as the King of kings.

January 18

MY VERSE(S): John 18:10-12 – “Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?’ Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.”


MY REFLECTION: I’ve always been troubled by this passage. Not with Jesus healing Malchus’ ear. I LOVE THAT PART! But the fact that Peter had a sword to begin with bothers me.

Where did he get it? He didn’t need a sword; he was a fisherman. A knife, perhaps, but a sword? What’s he gonna use it for? It can only be for one purpose.

So here we have Jesus and the disciples in the Garden at night. It’s dark in more ways than one. This is the night that Jesus will be betrayed. This is the night that the disciples have feared. This is the night when all you-know-what breaks loose. Right?

And there, in the dark, is Peter with a sword. Here’s what bothers me. In the dark, you can’t tell the Christ-followers apart from the enemy. They look alike. They both have swords drawn and are ready, willing, and able to use them.

Is that right? Shouldn’t you be able to tell Christ’s disciples apart from those who march under the banner of an evil empire? Shouldn’t Christ-followers be radically, perceptibly different?

Am I? Are we?

This plays, very nicely, into our series on REVOLUTION.

Why aren’t Christ-followers known as the greatest lovers in the world?

Why, in most cases, do we fail to differentiate ourselves from the people around us? Is it because we’d rather talk about love than practice it?

How would this story have been different had Peter hugged Malchus rather than slicing off his ear?


MY PRAYER: Jesus, help me to stand out because of my radical love for you and for others. May I live in such close proximity to you – may I be so totally transformed by you – that people will see a difference in me and fall in love with you.

January 17

MY VERSE(S): John 17:23 – “I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”


MY REFLECTION: I LOVE THIS VERSE!! I love this chapter, too. I could spend a whole lot of time in John 17 (and I just might some day).

Let’s put it in context … This is Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. Jesus is in the upper room with his friends and at the end of the meal he prays for his disciples and for all believers.

He prays for strength. He prays for purpose. He prays for knowledge. But towards the end, he prays that I will know that God the Father loves me! How cool is that?!?!? Yesterday, Jesus told me that the Father loves me. But today he tells me that Father loves me just as much as He loves Jesus! And I know that he loved Jesus a lot!

I told Wesley the other day that I loved him with all my heart and that I love MacKenzie with all my heart, too. But I told him that I loved Momma most of all. He got a little agitated and said, “That means you don’t love me, too much.” How do you explain the depth of love you have for your family?

That’s the same problem here, I think. But I just can’t seem to get my mind around the fact that God doesn’t love Jesus anymore than he loves me! WOW!!


MY PRAYER: Father, there are two things that I will never be able to do: (1) thank you enough for loving me, and (2) completely understanding exactly how much you really do love me. I can’t fathom your love. Thanks, again! Oh, by the way, I love you too!!

January 16

MY VERSE(S): John 16:27 – “No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”


MY REFLECTION: The Father loves me! I mean, I know this, but to hear Jesus say it, it sounds like new news; it sounds like GOOD NEWS! The Father loves me!

I love being a dad. But there’s something special when my kids believe me, trust me, rely on me. It makes that bond of love stronger, more real, maybe. When they say with their words or actions, “I know I can count on you” it makes me happier, prouder, and the love seems stronger.

Maybe it’s that way with God. When I believe Him. when I love His Son, it makes the love that already exists, even stronger. Maybe "more intense" is a better way of saying it? I know it makes Him proud of me.


MY PRAYER: Father, thanks for loving me. Help me to love Jesus and others (and myself) more. Help me to live so that you will be happy to be my Father.

January 15

MY VERSE(S): John 15:12 and 17 – “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. … This is my command: Love each other.”


MY REFLECTION: Ahhh, back to our theme of love.

I’d like to think that if Jesus were on the speaking circuit these days, he would paraphrase an old joke: “What are the three most important factors in living the Christ-life? Love. Love. Love.”

By now, most of us have read the Gospels enough know that whenever Jesus says something twice, it’s for emphasis. “Truly, truly I say to you …” “Martha, Martha, you are troubled …”

Jesus does it again in John 15. Verses 12 and 17 are virtually the same. My paraphrase: “Here’s all that I’m asking of you, love each other. That’s it!”

How much simpler could it be? Oh, but loving – truly loving – someone is very, very hard. It means being vulnerable. It requires risk. It requires devotion. It demands sacrifice. That’s why Jesus said, “Greater love has not one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

That’s pretty much the ultimate self-sacrifice, isn’t it? I guess that makes Jesus the ultimate authority on the subject. That makes him the supreme role model of how to live and love.


MY PRAYER: Jesus, help me to give my life for my friends.

January 14

MY VERSE(S): John 14:9 – “Jesus answered: ‘Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?’”


MY REFLECTION: Isn’t it amazing how you think you know someone and then discover that you don’t. I’m always amazed when, after someone passes, people often say something like, “He/she would have wanted it (whatever ‘it’ is) this way.”

I find myself wanting to ask, “Are you sure?” How can you be sure? My experience is that the more I know someone, the more I realize that I don’t know them. Maybe it’s just me.

Is it unusual to realize that after three years of living with Jesus the disciples still don’t “get” him? I don’t think so. Because I’ve been “living” with him for longer than three years and just when I think I’ve got him figured out, I realize that I don’t understand him like I thought I did.

Sometimes we delude ourselves into thinking that Jesus is all about what we’re all about; that he’s just as obsessed about the stuff we’re obsessed with. But as I read my Bible, I continually learn that he’s more concerned about things/people that I habitually shy away from.

Or instance: is Jesus more concerned about the plight of migrant farms workers than about my ability to buy fresh vegetables at the grocery store? Is Jesus more concerned about the environment than about my ability to purchase affordable gasoline? Is he more interested in affordable health care for the poor and oppressed than whether or not my insurance premiums go up again this year?

Could Jesus more concerned about a host of other issues than about all the stuff that keeps me up at night (taxes, interest rates, elections, etc.)? I have an eerie suspicion that that just might be the case.

In the words of Tony Campolo, “To be a Christian means to be made angry by the things that make Jesus angry and to have your heart broken by the things that break the heart of Jesus.”


MY PRAYER: Jesus, help me to “get” you. Help me to see what’s important to you and join you in your effort to make wrongs right; to turn enemies into friends. May be made angry by the things that make you angry. May my heart be broken by the things that break your heart.

January 13

MY VERSE(S): John 13:34-35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”


MY REFLECTION: Love must be my defining characteristic. If I am a child of the Father and if the Father is love, then His love must flow through me to the world.

The law says that I must love my neighbor as myself.

Jesus tells me that if I love him I will keep his commandments.

If I am his child, then I will obey him in all that he asks me to do.

Which brings me back to the question I’ve been struggling with recently:
“Why aren’t Christ-followers known as the greatest lovers in the world?”

Why are we better known for our politics, our hatred, our inconsistencies, our squabbling and back-biting, our agendas and ulterior motives? Could it be that we’ve focused our time and energy on things other than love?


MY PRAYER: Father, help me to love. Forgive me for wasting my time on things that do not matter as much as love. Please give to me a portion of your passion for others so that I can love them for you.

January 12

MY VERSE(S): John 12:32 – “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.”


MY REFLECTION: I have a long-standing fascination with this verse. It all stems from the interpretation of one Greek word. If you interpret the original language one way, the verse reads, “I … will draw all men to myself” the way it is presented here. But if we interpret it a bit differently it reads, “I … will draw all to myself.”

If you go with the latter, you see Jesus as a redeemer not just of souls, but of all creation; His creation. I like that, especially as we are about to embark on our first Jazz Vespers service. The body of Christ is a redemptive body, not just of souls, but of the world and the culture. One of the great things about Jazz Vespers is the redemption of music used for the glory of God.

But the other thing that grabs me is the completeness of Jesus’ mission. Notice His language: “I will draw ALL men to myself.” All men. Everyone. There are no exceptions. No exclusions. There is no chosen few. Jesus is not a Messiah for Jew only. He is not the exclusive Savior of North American believers. He is Redeemer of all and for all. No one is beyond His reach or outside of His concern.


MY PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for your unconditional love. Thank you for loving all people, all creation. Thank you for loving me.

January 11

MY VERSE(S): John 11:44 – “The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”


MY REFLECTION: I wonder how many of you picked verse 35: “Jesus wept.”

This is such a powerful story that it’s hard to pick just one verse. I feel a particular affection for this story and for Lazarus.

Several years ago, the church I was attending performed a rather large production every year at Christmas and Easter. One particular year, the Easter play began with Jesus calling Lazarus from the tomb. I was asked to be Lazarus. The fellow playing Jesus was standing on the stage and all of a sudden, the music stopped. He turned and pointed down the center aisle of the church and shouted, “Lazarus! Come forth!” And then Lazarus (me) walked down the center aisle.

Well, "walked" isn’t the right word. I was wrapped from head to toe in gauze strips. Seeing as how I could not see, Kim’s job (we weren’t even dating at the time) was to point me in the right direction. When Jesus called, that was my cue to start down the aisle. Every night, I’d start down the aisle and then veer left or right and bump into a pew or unsuspecting person.

I was at everyone’s mercy until Jesus gave the order to “unwrap him and set him free!”

So I know a thing or two about how Lazarus felt. I know what it’s liked to be bound up in burial clothes so that you can't move. But don’t we all? We know what it’s like to be enslaved by sin, habits, bad attitudes, and the like. We know what it’s like to be dead in our trespasses and sins. We know what it's like to be so bound that we can't move.

Jesus came to give us life! And he commands all of us who follow him to help. Jesus instructs us to help people around us who are enslaved by sins by taking “off their grave clothes” and setting them free. That’s the call of the church, isn’t it?


MY PRAYER: Jesus, help me to see people who are bound and enslaved. Give me the passion and power to unbind them and to set them free, for you.

January 10

MY VERSE(S): John 10:28-29 – “I give them (my sheep) eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”


MY REFLECTION: For as long as I can remember, I’ve know that this passage exists. But it wasn’t until today that I noticed the matching phrases in vs. 28 and 29. “No one can snatch them (us) out of my hand. … No one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”

How awesome is that?!?!

It seems that I’ve always known, and have taken comfort in, the fact that no one can snatch us from God’s hand, but Jesus says that no one can snatch us from either of their hands. We’re doubly-held; doubly-secure.

This also brings to mind, one of my favorite passages from Romans 8:35-39:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
‘For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Amen!


MY PRAYER: Thank you Lord, for loving me and holding me tightly!

January 9

MY VERSE(S): John 9:1 and 35 – “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. … Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’”


MY REFLECTION: I think this is one of my favorite chapters of John. I am amazed by the healing. I am moved by Jesus’ explanation that some of the bad stuff that happens in life is not always our fault; that God uses it for his glory. I love the simplicity of the man’s testimony: “All I know is that once I was blind and now I see.”

But as I read this chapter I discovered the “seeking” Jesus. The man is blind and cannot see Jesus, but Jesus can see him. And Jesus can see me! Not in my hiding (although I believe he can do that, too), but in the normal routine of life, Jesus sees me! I do not slip from his attention. He might slip from my sight, but I never escape his gaze!

But Jesus didn’t just see this man, he didn’t just heal this man, he took the time to search for him! I can imagine in my mind, Jesus pushing through the crowd looking for this poor fellow. He had to do the searching because this man didn’t know what Jesus looked like. He didn’t know who healed him. Jesus had to reveal himself.

And he reveals himself to me, too! There are times that things happen; good and bad. Sometimes I can Jesus in the circumstances of life. Sometimes, I’m not too sure what to look for. In those moments, he has to reveal himself. I’m awfully glad he cares enough to seek for me.


MY PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for seeking me. Thank you for revealing yourself to me. Help me to see more of you in my daily life.

January 8

MY VERSE(S): John 8:35 – “Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.”


MY REFLECTION: How cool is that?!?!? I have a permanent place in God’s family!!!! (Here I go with the exclamation points again!)

This makes me think about my relationship with my own son. He will ALWAYS be a permanent member of my family. He may not want it, but in my mind, he will have a place forever! (Yes, so will my daughter, but the passage says "son".)

This got me thinking about some wonderful promises so I went searching for some other related verses:
Matthew 5:9 – Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
Galatians 3:26 – For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Okay, ladies. If you don’t like the “sons” language, then try these on for size:
John 1:12 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
Romans 8:16 – The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,...
Philippians 2:14-15 – Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world ...

And now for two of my all-time favorites:
1John 3:1 – Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1John 3:2 – Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

I needed that encouragement today. Didn’t you?


MY PRAYER: Thanks, Father, for making me your son/child. Thanks for making me a permanent member of the family … forever!

January 7

MY VERSE(S): John 7:45-46 – “Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, ‘Why didn’t you bring him (Jesus) in?’ ‘No one ever spoke the way this man does,’ the guards declared.”


MY REFLECTION: You can’t help but notice the theme in chapter 7 – the Jews are out to get Jesus. That want him arrested. They want him killed. Jesus takes the fight to them by appearing right in the middle of the feast and speaking to the crowds.

When the authorities send the guards to do their dirty work, they come back empty-handed. “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” they observe. How do they know? They’re the temple guards. They stand at their posts day in and day out and they get to hear all sorts of teachers – good and bad – and all sorts of preachers. They know a good one when they hear one! But no one compares to Jesus. He has this … this … this authority about him. As if he knows firsthand what he’s talking about. The usual mysteries aren’t mysteries to him. Of course they aren’t! He’s the Messiah!

The guards also knew the chief priests and Pharisees and how they operated. They said the right words, but they lacked that authentic spirit; that genuine authority that comes from being God.

Which makes me wonder: can people tell the difference in my speech? When I encounter folks, do they notice a genuine relationship with God or do they hear pre-packaged words; a contrived speech? Does the authentic relationship show through?

All this serves as a reminder to me, as a messenger, a mouthpiece of God, I have to keep the relationship fresh and genuine. I have to abide in him. I have to live in him and allow him to live in me. Otherwise, I’m just making a lot of noise.



MY PRAYER: Father, help me to live close to you. Help me to stay fresh and connected and in love with you. And may my love relationship with you show through as I come into contact with people day after day after day.

January 6

MY VERSE(S): John 6:20-21 – “But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”


MY REFLECTION: I am struck by the phrase, “Then they were willing to take him into the boat.” What does that mean?

I know what it means, but what are the implications? The disciples were willing to take Jesus into the boat only when they knew who he was. Is that faith? What would have happened if they had taken Jesus into the boat before or without knowing who he was? Would he still have calmed the storm or transported them immediately to their destination?

Do we need to know Jesus is who he is in order to accept him into our lives? He did say, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25). And we will say to him, “When did we see you hungry or thirsty … ?”

Can Jesus come to us without us knowing? Yes. Can we let him in without knowing it’s him? Yes. Will he still bless us? I think so.



MY PRAYER: Father, help me let you in even when I don’t realize it’s you.

January 5

MY VERSE(S): John 5:22 – “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son...”


MY REFLECTION: Ahhhhh, we’re back to the image of the judge in the courtroom. Who does the judging? The Son/Jesus. Not the Father. Not the Church. either. And, for that matter, not the pastor. No one judges but Jesus. He is also the defense attorney (see my entry from day 3). If any court in America had the judge pulling double-duty as defense attorney, the case would get overturned in a heartbeat, wouldn’t it? “Conflict of interest!” they’d scream.

But the scandal of the Gospel is that there is a cosmic conflict of interest. God is so greatly interested and vested in my freedom that He fixes the whole trial so that if I will just buy into His plan, I get His freedom, forgiveness, and eternal life!

Now, back to reality: I am very judgmental. That is NOT my job. My job is to follow Jesus’ example, join His “revolution”, and love people no matter what.


MY PRAYER: Father, please forgive my judgmental spirit. Thank you for setting me free to love others just like You love me. Help me to love people so unconditionally that they will fall in love with Jesus, too.

January 4

MY VERSE(S): John 4:9 -- "Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, 'How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?' For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."

MY REFLECTION: Jesus' interaction with, and fondness for, the Samaritans intrigues me. The Jews had no contact with the Samaritans if they could help it. They were considered unclean; second-class citizens. The Jews thought that they were too good to mess with Samaritan dogs. Then along comes Jesus who tells a story about a "good" Samaritan nd who talks to a Samaritan woman and asks her for a drink.

Jesus, obviously, loves all of us. He has a special place in His heart for the rejects and outcasts of this world. I see that clearly in this story. In fact, something that strikes me about this encounter is that this Samaritan woman of questionable reputation becomes the first "Christian" preacher! She runs into town and begins to proclaim the Good News! So why do some people have trouble with women preachers today? Hmmmmmmmm ...

Back to Jesus' fondness for the rejects. Scripture tells me Jesus was sent to the Jews who were rejects in their own right. And yet they had the audacity to reject others. Prejudce is such an ugly thing! Then, in steps Jesus to transcend all that class-ism, racism, or whatever we want to call it. He associated with the Jews and the Samaritans. He fellowshiped with the righteous and the unclean. He dined with tax collectors, drunks, and gluttons. Heeven hung out with prostitutes. Remember His nickname? "Friend of Sinners."

He loved, and still loves, everyone equally. He made time, and still makes time, for everyone. So should I.

MY PRAYER: Father, help me to be blind to the things that separate us and to embrace those things that we all have in common. Help me to love everyone with the same passion and the same intensit. Help me to love as Jesus loved. Help me to love so completely that people might give me a nickname like "Friend of Sinners." Is that okay to ask?

January 3

MY VERSE(S): John 3:17 – “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”


MY REFLECTION: You gotta love the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus! John 3:16 is perhaps the best-known verse of scripture. Unfortunately, the rest of chapter 3 is often neglected. That’s a shame because verses 17-21 expand upon the theme and deserve more attention. That’s why I picked verse 17.

I used to think that this was just a way of re-stating verse 16. But it’s more than Jesus reiterating the point that God the Father sent Him to save the world. Jesus seems to be saying here that God is not mad at the world (contrary to what some or most of us might think) but instead loves the world so incredibly much that He sent His Son. This Son, to whom the Father entrusts all the work of judging (chapter 5) comes, but DOES NOT JUDGE! Instead, He saves!!!!

I am thinking of a courtroom. I am not a juror or witness. I’m the defendant. I’m the one on trial for all my sins. Uh-oh!

In this verse, and throughout John’s Gospel, I get the overwhelming sense that the trial is rigged in my favor.

Here’s the scandal of the Gospel: the Judge is NOT IMPARTIAL! He actually loves me and “is shamelessly in cahoots with the guilty” (that’s me! that’s you!!) as Robert Capon puts it. The Judge (God) wants me to get off the hook! So He appoints the very best defense attorney He can find to represent me. See of you can guess who it is … it’s His Son! He sends Jesus to get all of us off the hook! He’s fixed the whole blessed mess!

The accuser (the Devil, of you’re keeping score), doesn’t stand a chance! That is, if I will just believe in Him …

(I think I used up my quota of exclamation points in this one, don’t you? But this is DEFINITELY WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


MY PRAYER: Father, help me to believe that You’re on my side. Help me to believe that You – the Creator of the Universe – truly love me and that the Son you sent into the world really does love me, too. Help me to accept Your love and to share it with everyone around me; even the most unlovable.

January 2

MY VERSE(S): John 2:19 – “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’”


MY REFLECTION: Just as often as He comes to me in unrecognizable forms, Jesus also speaks to me in ways that I often misconstrue or misunderstand. When He cleared the temple, the Jews demanded, “What miraculous sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do all this?” “Destroy this temple,” He answered, “and I will build it again in three days.” Of course, the Jews thought He was talking about the Temple of Herod that took 46 years to construct. But Jesus was really speaking about His body, His death, and His resurrection.

Many time Jesus speaks to me and I have some preconceived notion about what He means only to discover later on that He meant something else. That’s why John includes verse 22: “After He was raised from the dead, His disciple recalled what He said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words Jesus had spoken.”


MY PRAYER: Father, forgive me for thinking I know what You are going to say and then running ahead without taking the time to stop and to listen. Help me to hear – really hear – what You say to me.

January 1

MY VERSE(S): John 1:10-14 – “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”


MY REFLECTION: I am constantly amazed at how unrecognizable Jesus is. He has this knack for showing up when we least expect Him, in ways that we would never imagine. He constantly defies our pre-conceived notion of how the Messiah should behave. That’s not necessarily bad, by the way.

When I read these words from John, I immediately think back to the words of Isaiah. When he prophesied about the coming Savior, he used these words:
“He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”
(Isaiah 53:1-5, NIV)

My favorite quote by Mother Teresa goes something like this: “Jesus comes to us in the distressing disguise of the poor and the oppressed.”


MY PRAYER: Father, this year, may I be always alert, ever-watchful, to see Your Son at work in the world around me. May I not be so obsessed with my stuff that I miss what You are doing. May I not be put-off by those who are hard to love that I miss seeing Jesus in them.