Vines and Victory - Take courage, Jesus has conquered the World!

Verse 16:33 is a great wrap up for today's reading. "Take courage; I have conquered the world."


First, let's talk about vines and fruit (chapter 15). This imagery tells us that relationships are very important, and fruitfulness depends on the relationship to the vine (which in this case is Jesus). What does it mean in this context to "bear fruit"? Jesus says it has something to do with abiding in His love (verse 15:10). He wants to fill us with joy (verse 15:11).

I have found "love" to be a challenge when it comes to a large church community. Love can be difficult for couples! Love can be even more difficult in families. Do you love me? (No need to answer that question in the comments!).


I visited St. John's UMC downtown several years ago with the staff I was working with then (Christ UMC in College Station). As we entered the St. John's we were were greeted with genuine love. I don't remember the exact words (it was a long time ago), but I remember watching the person at the desk greet everyone with love in his words.

I like the word "abide". "In Heavenly Love Abiding" was a song in the hymnal of the church I grew up in. The words of the first stanza are "The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid, but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed." Great song.

Tomorrow is Monday! Keep up the good work.

Parade and a Banquet

This is going to be short today because I am headed up to "the Park" this morning and I have a wedding luncheon after that. "The Park" is our new children's area at the church and it is looking fantastic! Just some finishing touches need to be made.

In John 12 I noticed something for the first time. In John 12:19 the Pharisees note that "the world has gone after him!" Then in the very next verse it mentions "some Greeks" who are at the festival and wish to see Jesus. In verse 26 Jesus tells Philip and Andrew, "Whoever serves me, the Father will honor." There is so much we miss if we just skim through these stories.

Then Jesus begins to talk about His death, and makes references to the prophet Isaiah.

The banquet story, the last supper, has so much going on. Ancient meals had two main courses, the deipnon was the supper proper when the meal was actually eaten, followed by the symposium during which there was conversation and other entertainment. Jesus has a lot to say. And have you ever wondered about "the disciple whom Jesus loved"? People have said it was the author of the book we are reading, but I wonder if it might have been Lazarus. Just a thought. After all, he had just raised him from the dead.

There was a children's musical by Kathi Hill that I directed many years ago called "We Like Sheep" that had many passages from John in the words of the songs. John 13:34-35 is one of my favorite that was the basis of one song. I'll sing it for you next time I see you. Off to the Park for now!

Light of the World - Good Shepherd - Door

In John chapter 9 we experience the church in conflict and a test of faith. A blind man is physically healed, and immediately his faith is tested. It is through conflict that his faith is challenged to grow.


Holy numbers are interesting. Three, seven, and twelve are frequent. The story of the blind man has 7 scenes:

1) Jesus and the disciples (believers) encounter the blind man and he is healed by Jesus.

2) The former blind man encounters his neighbors.

3) The former blind man's first trial before the Pharisees.

4) The former blind man's parents are summoned for questioning.

5) The former blind man is summoned again by the Pharisees.

6) The former blind man encounters Jesus and confesses his faith.

7) Jesus encounters the Pharisees and pronounces judgement on them.


The church in conflict. Leaders who cannot see. Radical life changing events. This is exciting stuff!

In Chapter 10 we have a collection of allegories to help explain what has happened to the blind man (10:21). The shepherd theme is borrowed from the Old Testament. The door to the sheepfold is the proper way to enter and then to lead the sheep out into a new pasture. The way the shepherd leads is to call the sheep by name. The formerly blind man's faith journey will require him to move from the safety of the synagogue to a new place, but he is not alone. In The Storyteller's Companion to the Bible, Vol. 10 it puts it this way, "the path of true faith requires movement into an unknown future "(pg. 102).

Other characters include the counterparts to the shepherd - the thief and the wolf. The doorkeeper prepares the way for the shepherd (John the Baptist). The hired hand runs away when danger threatens.

As we end for the day - "the Jews" are divided. The church is in conflict.

Back to religious numbers. Two weeks ago Waddy and I were at Mont Saint Michel - a monastery built on a rock in France. It was built to focus on the journey of faith from the physical to the spiritual. The journey from the physical to the spiritual looking toward the divine and the holy (3 separations of approaching the church which was at the top of the rock).
Google Mont Saint Michel. As we arrived on Sunday morning, the shepherds were leading their sheep from the salty grasslands across the causeway, stopping traffic flowing in for sightseeing and for worship. Wow. Have a great day!

Appearance is everything?

D-day. Normandy, France. June 6th, 1944.
What does this have to do with our New Testament Challenge? My husband's father flew 2 D-day missions - and survived.

World War 2 was a "religious" war because according to Hitler, "the Jews" had to be exterminated.

Waddy and I have been to the Holy Land 3 times. We have been fortunate enough to experience the "Journeys of Paul" through Greece and Turkey twice. Those experiences were thankful and mostly happy experiences. However, this trip to Normandy was somewhat spiritually crushing.
How could proclaiming "Christians" do something so destructive? I have a German background. What happened to drive people to such a frenzy?

During our trip we experienced the fall of the Roman empire, the power of a corrupt church leadership, the beauty of church architecture and art, the medieval wars - and thankfully - extremely good food.

Chapters 7 and 8 of John are difficult. Jesus is rejected. Chapter 7, verse 12 - "complaining" among the crowds.

This is making me sad. I think it's time to sign out for today.

Hey - Have You Ever Tried Really Reaching Out to the Other Side?

Bread. That was a band back in the 70's. And the title of this post are words from one of their songs. Today we will be looking at Chapter 6 and how hard it was for people to understand what Jesus was doing and what he was saying. Bread. Loaves and Fishes and Bread of Life. Jesus is trying to help "the crowd" and his "brothers" to understand what "the other side" of humanity is all about - the divine side - the spirit. Some of "the crowd" just doesn't get it.


At Annual Conference this week at one of the worship services, a large threshing floor for separating the grain from the chaff of wheat had been built. All I could think about as I watched them beat the grain from the chaff was how much harder it was to make bread back during Jesus' time. People back then were much more acquainted with with the reality of famine and the rarity of a lavish feast, and the difficulty of finding bread that would feed a crowd.

Jesus provides a lavish feast with plenty of leftovers. A messianic type of banquet is described in Isaiah 25:6-7 as a great feast when God will feed all nations. The people's conclusion is seen in John 6:14 - "This is indeed the prophet who has come into this world". Moses and manna comes to their minds.

The bread stories are briefly interrupted by the walking on water miracle. The next day"the crowd" notices that there is only one boat on on "the other side" in Capernaum, and they know Jesus did not get into the boat with the disciples, so the crowd goes looking for Jesus. Are they wanting more bread?

When they find Jesus, Jesus responds to them, "I am the bread of life". Then he goes on to talk about "eating flesh and drinking blood". Read John 6:60. To eat flesh and drink blood was offensive to a Jew (Gen. 9:4).

Can they understand Jesus is speaking of the spirit that gives life? Apparently not. Verse 66 says many turn and "no longer went about with him."

I will catch up with info on today's reading tonight.

Pearl Fincher passed into eternal life today at noon. She was a great lady whose family honored her a few years ago by having the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts named for her. I celebrate the life of a wonderful woman and her family who have contributed immensely to our community.

Rules, Riddles - Never Give Up!

As we head into our 3rd day of reading, some of you may be thinking - "I can't keep up with this reading." I want you to remember that it is better to keep trying than to quit just because you are getting behind or can't keep up. If you get behind, just plan to go back and catch up at another time. Keeping up and doing any reading you can is better than getting frustrated and quitting. Never, never, never give up (that is a quote from a commencement address given by Winston Churchill - it wasn't about Bible reading, but I think it works here as a note of encouragement!)

One of the things I have begin noticing from our reading of John is the frequent reference to "the Jews". This seems odd to me because the Christian community to which John is writing is also Jewish! Did you realize that until Paul took off into Gentile territory, most of the Christians were Jewish people who believed that Jesus was the Messiah. One commentary I am reading says that "the Jews" is to be read as a symbolic term referring to the enemies of Jesus. The "Jews" represent those who reject life in favor of rules.

Using that type of symbolism may have been fine back then, but could you see taking this statement into the 20th century could cause problems with people who don't understand symbolism? Literal people have been mislead to despise "the Jews" because of this way of writing back in the 1st century.

In Chapter 5, we read about the story of a crippled man who has been crippled for 38 years being healed by Jesus. There's trouble though. Picking up his mat is considered "work". On the sabbath no work is to be done. Look at verse 5:9b. Oops.

The point of this miraculous healing story is that the miracle takes place through the power and the word of Jesus. Not on which day it happened!

The riddle part of this discussion will have to wait until tomorrow. Just to give you a hint, it has to do with "bread".

Are you enjoying the blog?

Nic at night

In John 3 and 4 there is more darkness and light imagery. Themes of conflict become very apparent.

First, the water into wine miracle. Do you know much about Greek mythology? Dionysis was the the god of wine, and therefore a pretty powerful god. Replacing the water of purification (religion) with the wine of celebration (Greek lifestyle) is symbolic and speaks into the culture that John was writing to. The need for purification is replaced by direct access to God for all people at a feast of celebration.

Next - the cleansing of the temple. In the synoptic* gospels Jesus does this at the end of his ministry. For John this is a benchmark of Jesus' radical reform of Jewish traditions.

Then poor Nic. Nicodemus is the stereotype of "everyperson" with an inadequate faith. Nic comes to Jesus in the dark. And Jesus speaks in riddles Nicodemus does not understand. This is symbolic language. Did you notice in chapter 3, verse 11 that Jesus begins speaking in the plural? "We" (the believers) and "you" (the detractors). Jesus appears to be speaking to a larger audience of which Nicodemus has been selected to be the speaker.

And last but not least - the Samaritan woman. This is an elaborate story. According to convention, Jesus should not be talking to the woman. He should be speaking to her husband. When she responds that she has no husband, Jesus reveals to her a knowledge of her inner thoughts, to which she responds "Sir, I see you are a prophet." Convention requires a test of a prophet, so the woman asks him an age old question - "Who is right - Samaritans or Jews?". Jesus then speaks of a new order in which all religious controversies are obsolete. Would that be a blessing beyond imagination?! If all Christians, all "believers", could at least agree to get along, and agree to disagree, so we could serve the underserved in this world? Come, Holy Spirit, come and bring heaven on earth.

The woman is a symbol of women in general. Jesus enters into her world and moves her toward faith - a faith that is then proclaimedby a woman. Jesus's disciples don't ask and don't tell (4:27). There is a tension at the time the story is told - and tension to this day.

I am blessed to be a Christian. I have been doubly blessed to have found the Methodist church.

*Google "synoptic" (or look it up in a dictionary - remember those?) if you don't know what that means. I hope to get ahead and send you other things to look up once Annual Conference is over.