This Lent, ponder the themes of justice, poverty, freedom, and love.
The four New Testament Gospels aren't the same story, but they offer the same Resurrection hope. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John devote most of their story detailing Jesus' last week in Jerusalem, all highlighting Jesus' triumphant entry into the city, the suffering and humiliation of the cross, and the empty tomb come Sunday morning, but the stories they tell aren't quite the same.
Each Gospel offers a different lens through which we understand Jesus' Passion. One portrait reveals Jesus to be in control, while another emphasizes his suffering. In one story Jesus offers hope to the thief on the cross, and in another Jesus only receives derision. These different perspectives aren't a reason to dismiss the Gospels; rather the reveal an abundant, diverse, and complementary picture of God's work in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Discover how everything changed when God was born.
Everything seems different at the end of the year. We put lights on our houses to dispel the growing darkness, Christmas music floods local radio stations, apple cider and cranberry sauce are again on the menu, and wrapping paper and tape are always ready. Things just look, smell, and taste differently during the Advent and Christmas season, and these differences are a sign to us that God is about to do something radical and different. Christmas is when God surrounded the divine with senses of his own. That first noel was when God had eyes to see suffering, ears to hear our cries, and hands to hold those in need, and all of these senses were bundled in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 'This will be a sign to you,' the angel told the shepherds, and they traveled to Bethlehem and found a child. What signs do you see during the Advent and Christmas season that point you to the divine?
Discover Jesus's character through the 'I Am' statements in Jesus Revealed by pastor and author Matt Rawle.
Light. Bread. Shepherd. Life. The Gospel of John uses these and other symbols to paint a picture of who Jesus is. Through the I Am statements Jesus describes himself with rich images, showing us that he is both fully human and fully divine and calling us as his followers.
In Jesus Revealed: The I Am Statements in the Gospel of John, author Matt Rawle explores the 'I Am' statements in John as works of art that resonate throughout the Gospel and all of Scripture. He shows how these words point beyond themselves to the deep mystery of Jesus Christ. Join Matt on this journey and experience the profound truth at the heart of the 'I Am' statements: that Jesus is light and life, and he calls us to himself and offers us the hope of resurrection.
Chapter topics include: 1. I am the bread of life (John 6:48); 2. I am the light of the world (John 8:12); 3. I am the good shepherd (John 10:11); 4. I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); 5. I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6); and 6. I am the true vine (John 15:1).
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