Witness
Church Calendar
Advent & Christmas – God with us.
Lent – God preparing us.
Easter– discover God for us.
Pentecost– God in us.
Ordinary Time– God through us.
Defining Love.
The English word love is broad and adaptable.
We use it to describe our appreciation for food, drink, products, and activities.
We use it to describe sexuality and romance.
We use it to describe the bonds of affection and loyalty that connect us to family and friends.
Eros is sexual or romantic interest. It is the root of erotic.
Storgee, this is the attachment bonds between family members.
Philia is the affection shared between friends.
Agape is the willingness to act for the good of another. Agape is the term John uses to describe God’s love.
Some form of agape occurs 46 times in the book of 1 John; 27 times in our fifteen verses.
And in this passage, John argues that love is –
The character of God
The sacrifice of Christ
And ultimately, love is the witness of the Spirit
Love is the character of God
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:7-8
God is Trinity, a community of love.
God is relational, affectionate, and joyous.
“[T]he famous text “God is Love” might be transliterated to read: God is family, God is community, God is shared existence, and whoever shares his or her existence inside community and friendship is participating in the very flow of life and love that is inside the Trinity.” – Ronald Rolheiser, Domestic Monastery
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” –Ephesians 3:17–19
“Meditating on God’s love has done more to increase my love than decades of effort to try to be more loving. Allowing myself to deeply experience his love—taking time to soak in it and allow it to infuse me—has begun to effect changes that I had given up hope of ever experiencing. Coming back to God in my failures at love, throwing myself into his arms and asking him to remind me of how much he loves me as I am—here I begin to experience new levels of love to give to others.” –David Brenner
Love is the sacrifice of Christ
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:9-10 (NIV)
“[sin is] love turned in on itself.” – Augustine
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” –Matthew 22:37–40.
Atonement is the theological concept that describes what Jesus’ death accomplishes.
“[God] loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”–1 John 4:9
The Bible offers pictures, motifs, and analogies, and angels to understand Jesus’ sacrifice as the antidote to the poison of sin.
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” – Colossians 2:13-15
“It is in the crucifixion that the nature of God is truly revealed.” – Fleming Rutledge
Love is the witness of the Spirit
”Dear friends, since God so loved us, we should also love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13 This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.”– 1 John 4:11-13
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” –John 13:34–35.
“This is what it means to live in the Spirit. The premier expression of the Spirit is love, and the Spirit-prompted person is one who loves God and loves others. Spirit-ual formation is formation into love.”– Scot McKnight
By the witness of the Spirit, we are the love of God manifest in the world.
To a watching, waiting, and hurting world, the bonds of love between us are an invitation to know the love of God.
Serve one another
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” –John 13:14–15
“Everyone wants a revolution. No one wants to do the dishes.” –Tish Harrison Ward
We serve one another in love and let that love overflow to the world.
New Family
“Family love is messy, clinging, and of an annoying and repetitive pattern, like bad wallpaper.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
“as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” -Galatians 6:10
“And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. - 1 Thessalonians 4:10
“the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” - Hebrews 2:11
“Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” -1 Peter 2:17
“Resist [the enemy], standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” - 1 Peter 5:9
“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” – Romans 8:12-17
Upon receiving Christ we gain:
New Life
New Inheritance
New Family
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” - Romans 8:15
“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God...” - Romans 8:16
“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” - Romans 8:17
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:4-11
Spiritual Practice: Commit to this family
The Beloved Disciple
The Toxic Trait of Comparison
Comparison is the thief of joy.
It makes us no longer view what needs our neighbors have, but makes us focus on what they have that we think we need
“Men do not desire to be rich, but richer than other men” - John Stuart Mill
Psychologist Ethan Kross researched how social media impacts our mental health negatively with excess use.
Life satisfactions declined.
More common negative self-talk
Individuals develop an illusion of actual social connection
A social comparison in others with trigger.
Peter - The Rock of the Church
The book of John is an eyewitness testimony of Christ.
Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Each question redeemed Peter for denying him three times.
Peter’s death is predicted by Christ right after these three questions.
Peter’s focus immediately shifts from Christ to the other disciple in the room, John.
An interesting parallel here with Matthew 14 explaining another time where Peter shifts his focus off Christ when he becomes afraid.
Peter is told to follow Christ, not John. His focus should not be on John. Who or what are we following?
John the Beloved Disciple
John is only referred to as the one who Jesus loved in this book.
John is intentional on calling himself this to focus on who Jesus is (1 John 4:8), and not anything about John.
Spurgeon writes “This perspective emphasizes that his faithfulness and insights were gifts from Christ, not personal achievements.”
John’s outcome is reported that he dies of old age. However, there were attempts on his life. He was plunged into a boiling vat of oil. He then is exiled to the isle of Patmos, a small island west of Turkey. This is where he writes the book of Revelation.
John and Peter’s Calling
Each of these men had a specific calling that Jesus had for them. Peter was called to be the shepherd of Christ. John was called to be the witness for Christ.
“Paul might be the pioneer of Christ, Peter might be the shepherd of Christ, but John was the witness of Christ.” - William Barclay
Peter was crucified upside down, while John died of old age. This outcome may appear to be unfair. Jesus said to Peter, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is it to you?” may seem like a tough check on him. It’s important to take a step back and ask was what Christ went through for these men and all of us fair?
We will go through difficulties in life. We can take comfort in knowing that our Lord has gone through difficulties too.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33
What is God calling you to? Take time this week and begin to meditate on it. Pray that God would begin to reveal this to you. That the kingdom of Jesus would be expanded. Not by anything that we are, but by who we follow.
“My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight.”- C.S. Lewis
Forgiveness
“[Sin is ]the human propensity to [mess] things up.” - Francis Spufford
Peter’s Story in Three Acts
Act 1: Peter the sinner
Act 2: Peter the forgiven
Act 3: Peter the forgiver
“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. “Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” - Luke 5: 8-11
A dispute also arose among them[the disciples], as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And [Jesus] said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. - Luke 22:24-27
“I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” - Luke 22:34
“Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” - Matthew 26:35 & Mark 14:31
“If we confess our sins, he [Christ] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9
“though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” - Isaiah 1:18
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” … 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” … 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish….15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” -John 21:9-19
“Here is the secret of all Christian ministry, yours and mine, lay and ordained, full-time or part-time: Somewhere, deep down inside, there is a love for Jesus, and though (goodness knows) you’ve let him down enough times, he wants to find that love, to give you a chance to express it, to heal the hurts and failures of the past, and give you new work to do.” - N.T. Wright
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” - Acts 2:38
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” - Matthew 6:14
“Forgiveness is a lovely idea until you have something [or someone to] forgive.” - C.S. Lewis
Spiritual Practice: Which group do you identify with?
I need Christ’s forgiveness.
I need to forgive myself.
I need to forgive someone else.
Breakfast
THE DISCIPLES DO TWO THINGS
John the Apostle, introduces this moment where Jesus returns to Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, and some unnamed disciples in John 21:1-2
One: The Disciples Go Fishing
“Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.” - John 21:3
Two: The Disciples See Jesus
“Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” - John 21:4-7a
“It’s wonderful to think that Jesus showed up at their work. He was interested in all their life, not just when they attended religious service. The risen Redeemer and Ruler was showing men His interest and power in the commonplaces of their lives.” (Morgan)
“We don’t know exactly why they did not know that it was Jesus. Perhaps they were preoccupied with their failure, or because they could not see him clearly through the morning mist on the lake.” (Tenney)
One: Pursue Jesus
“When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.” John 21: 7b
Two: Experience Jesus
“The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.” John 21:4-8 ESV
Three: Know Jesus
“Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.” John 21:12-14 ESV
Believe
John's Gospel: A Summons to Believe
Post-Easter stories: Jesus with Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and Thomas.
Today’s passage (John 20:30–31) concludes John’s Gospel.
John invites us: “Believe… and have life in his name.”
Spiritual Curiosity.
Cultural decline in faith has been real—but change is happening.
Growing curiosity in the Spiritual: Ghosts, aliens, astrology, psychedelics, and more.
DIY Spirituality
Many craft personal beliefs—a spiritual buffet.
But without a guide, we’re lost in life’s mystery.
We need more than vibes. We need truth and a trustworthy guide.
Two Ways We Know God
General Revelation is information about God found in reality, creation, and humanity.
Special Revelation is information about God gained through spiritual experiences (miracles, encounters, dreams, experiences, etc.); in Christianity, the primary special revelation is the Incarnation of Jesus.
Jesus Reveals The Activities of God
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” –John 21:25.
7 Signs of Jesus
Changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)
Healing the royal official’s son (John 4:46-54)
Healing the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (John 5:1-15)
Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:5-14)
Walking on water (John 6:16-21)
Healing the man born blind (John 9:1-7)
Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45)
Jesus Displays The Character of God
Jesus is: Rabbi, Prophet, Savior, Son of God, Word of God.
“God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus. We have not always known what God is like— But now we do.” – Brian Zahnd
7 “I Am” statements
"I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)
"I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)
"I am the door of the sheep" (John 10:7)
"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11)
"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25)
"I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6)
"I am the true vine" (John 15:1)
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” –1 John 4:16.
Jesus invites us into the Life of God
Jesus doesn’t just show us truth—he invites us in.
His life is not just admirable—it’s compelling.
He offers eternal life, now and forever.
In Jesus, we are given an example and a blueprint on the best ways to be human.
Stories.
A.N. Thomas, “Why I Believe Again.”
Tom Holland, “Why I was Wrong about Christianity”
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, “Why I am Now a Christian.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which Christians are inclined to fall when thinking about doubt. On the one hand, those who are theologically liberal tend to be too soft on doubt, lionizing such notions as ambiguity and uncertainty, and verging on a spiritual permissiveness that becomes a slipway to unbelief. On the other hand, those who are theologically conservative tend to be too hard on doubt, demonizing the dire consequences of unresolved doubt, and verging on a spiritual perfectionism that leaves doubters in such a state of guilt or despair that they dare not acknowledge their doubts to others or even to themselves.” - Os Guinness
“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.” - John 20:24
“So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” - John 20:25
“The reason many of us do not ardently believe in the gospel is that we have never given it a rigorous testing, thrown our hard questions at it, faced it with our most prickly doubts.” -Eugene Peterson
“Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” -John 20:26-27
“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” - John 20:28
“In a marvellous way God’s mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his Master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples.” -St. Gregory the Great
The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg & Robert Guelich
6 Stages of Faith
Recognition of God
Life of Discipleship
A Productive Life
Journey Inward (includes “The Wall”)
Journey Outward
Life of Love
“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:29
Spiritual Practice: For the doubter….
Be honest.
Don’t do it alone.
Start with Jesus
Keep fighting
Doubt: “messengers of the Living One to rouse the honest.” - George MacDonald
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
Light of the World
Easter is not just a one-day event; It is the event that changed the world.
Throughout the Easter Season, we’ll be teaching through John 20 and 21 to explore John’s account of the Resurrected Jesus.
What is Discipleship?
Some have defined it as Christian trivia, just a synonym for Christian, or a wellness strategy.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23
“...being with another person, under appropriate conditions, in order to become capable of doing what that person does or to become like that what that person is. An “apprentice” of Jesus is learning from him how to lead their life as he would lead their life if he were they” –Dallas Willard
Jesus’ simplest definition, which he says 20 times in the gospel of John, is ‘follow me.’
For those who commit their life to the ways of Jesus, the future becomes the present; they live a life Jesus calls eternal.
Abide with the Father.
Become like the Son
Collaborate with the Spirit.
Abide in the Father.
“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”–John 20:19–20
“If you really know me, you will know my Father as well.'“ – John 14:7
“God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus. We have not always known what God is like— But now we do.” – Brian Zahnd
“…If we can’t trust our parents, who we can see, to provide emotional support and security, how can we trust God, who we can’t see? Patterns of interactions with our attachment figures get stored in our memory as gut-level expectations of how close relationships work. These expectations get placed on our relationship with God, often without realizing it. This doesn’t mean that our experiences and expectations of God can’t change, but it does mean that the social context in which we are raised profoundly shapes the “God of our gut.” And this—not the God of our head—is the God we experience most of the time.” – Todd Hall
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” –Psalm 103:8
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus invites us to discover the love of God through experience.
If you really know me, you will know my Father as well (John 14:7)
But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:17–18)
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23)
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:27)
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27)
“I purposely emphasize the word ‘experience,’ and will seek to show from the scripture the importance of experience. A non-experiential religion is suspect, for it fails to deal with the totality of our being.” – Simon Ponsonby
Become like the Son.
“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” –John 20:21 (ESV)
Just as the Father sent Jesus into the world to save it, Jesus is sending us into the world to declare that Good News.
The Activities of Jesus.
Preaching the Gospel.
Teaching the Way
Healing the sick
Casting out demons
Eating and drinking with those far from God
Doing justice
Peacemaking
Prayer
Standing up to religious and political corruption.
The Character of Jesus.
“…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” – Galatians 5:22-23
“whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19.
“[Becoming like Christ] is training, not trying.” – Richard Foster
Collaborate with the Spirit.
“And with that, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” –John 20:22–23 (ESV)
“God’s Empowering Presence.” – Gordon Fee
The Spirit will lead.
The Spirit will dwell.
The Spirit will glorify Jesus.
“[the Spirit] will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13)
“the Spirit, above all else, carries on Jesus’ mission and mediates his presence… The personal functions of the Spirit are also the functions of Jesus in the rest of the book, and the sensitive reader cannot miss the connection.” – Craig Keener
The Spirit is at work, pointing to Jesus and redeeming our fractured world, which will include a wide variety of ordinary and extraordinary acts.
Into the World
“The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’ will become disciples – students, apprentices, practitioners – of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.”― Dallas Willard
Follow Jesus
Commit (and recommit) your mind, your body, your emotions, and your life to pursuing his Way.
Get Baptized.
Join a microchurch.
Serve
Read the scriptures
Learn the rhythms of prayer
Easter Encounters
An Unexpected Discovery.
“Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” – John 20:1
Two days prior,Jesus of Nazareth had been executed by the Roman Government because it perceived him to be a political threat.
The resurrection story is not a fairy tale; it is a funeral story.
John’s account of Easter morning will feature three vastly different characters peering into the tomb:
John the Seeker
Peter the Shamed.
And Mary the Sorrowful.
John the Seeker.
“...she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.And [John] stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.”– John 20:2-5
John quickly takes note of the details and rules out a grave robbery.
John looks beyond his first impression of the event, so that he might find the truth.
“Our first impressions of faith tend to be made as children—and those impressions can haunt us as we mature. People often dismiss religion as a mishmash of myths and childish nonsense that well-adjusted adults should logically leave behind…The solution to this obstacle is to reacquaint yourself with faith with mature eyes.” – Arthur Brooks
The Resurrection of Jesus is also not the unreasonable leap of faith suggested by our childhood impression.
The entire New Testament was written within the lifetime of eyewitnesses. (1 Corinthians 14, Luke 1).
There is no precedent for an event like the resurrection of Jesus, in the Jewish scripture, theology, or philosophy. (“Alexamenos Graffito”)
The dramatic transformation of the disciples is unexplainable outside of some significant event.
The Pew Research Center released a report this year suggesting that 92% of Americans hold some kind of spiritual belief (such as an afterlife, gods, or souls).
Peter the Shamed.
‘Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself….” – John 20:6-8
I would imagine Peter is not looking at this empty tomb with great hope, but rather, with great shame.
Shame is the storyteller that lives in our gut, telling us a story about who we are.
We develop all kinds of coping mechanisms, distractions, and stories to hide ourselves from really being seen.
God, who is at his essence love, has come in the flesh that we might know how loved we are.
Mary the Sorrowful.
“... Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.” – John 20:11
“Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out” – Luke 8:20
Mary came to grieve in the quiet hours of the morning, to be left alone in her despair.
“I am convinced that when we bring our griefs and sorrows within the story of God's own grief and sorrow, and allow them to be held there, God is able to bring healing to us and new possibilities to our lives. That is, of course, what Good Friday and Easter are all about.” – NT Wright
Encountering the Risen Jesus.
The centuries since that first Easter, millions of people across the world have had surprising encounters with the risen Jesus.
The story of the Global Church, and this church, is alive with stories of Easter Encounters.
Jesus is the Gardener of this world, bringing about a new Eden and conquering death.
Wrath
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ – Matthew 5:21
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment…” – Matthew 5:22a
Anger is a “healthy emotion and a hellish habit.” – Rebecca DeYoung
“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” – Psalm 103:8
“There is great pain in our world, and our anger alerts us to the fact that it needs fixing. We become angry when we see the weak exploited, those we care about injured, what we value destroyed. The desire for justice is legitimate. In fact, God desires the elimination of evil even more than we do.” – Jeff Cook
“The love of justice perverted into the desire for revenge and for the injury of someone else.” – Henry Fairlie
“the anger of the man [or woman] who nurses his wrath to keep it warm.” – Dale Bruner
“whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” – Matthew 5:21b
“God’s love would not be love if it did not work to remove all that ungraciously hurts.” - Dale Bruner
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” – Matthew 5:23-24
“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. “ – Matthew 5:25-26
Spiritual Practice:
Notice your anger
Practice compassion and curiosity
Change your response
Greed
A Culture of More
“Just a little bit more.” – John D. Rockefeller
The American way is constant pursuit of more.
Greed is not wealth itself, but the insatiable desire for more.
Greed finds all of us.
Pursue Contentment
“...godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. – 1 Timothy 6:6-7
“For not to possess much, but to need little, is to be rich indeed” – John Chrysostom
“There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.” – GK Chesterton
True wealth is contentment in Christ.
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:11-13
The Trap of Greed
“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” – 1 Timothy 6:9–10.
Paul says the desire to be rich plunges people into ruin and destruction.
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
Jesus on Greed
“Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” – Luke 12:13–15.
Are you overwhelmed with financial anxiety and worry? (Matthew 6:25–33& Luke 12:22–31)
Do you believe that there is an amount of money that will satisfy? (Mark 4:18-19, Ecclesiastes 5:10)
Do you hoard possessions & resources? (Matthew 6:19–21)
Do you find yourself isolated from the pain of others, specifically the poor?
Do you find yourself spiritually barren? (Luke 16:13, Matthew 19:24)
A Prayerful Interlude
“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”–Matthew 19:25-26
“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” – 1 Timothy 6:11–16.
Instructions to the Rich in this Present Age.
“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” – 1 Timothy 6:17–19.
Three instructions for combatting greed.
Embrace Simplicity.
“An inward reality that can be seen in an outward lifestyle... choosing to leverage time, money, talents, and possessions toward what matters most.” – Richard Foster
Set your hope on God.
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” –Luke 9:25.
Be rich in good works.
“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” – Luke 16:9.
Envy
“Another pound of flesh
Offer it unto the gods of American Success
Doesn’t matter who you are
You are only second best
And that’s all that you can ever hope to be”
John Mark McMillan, Gods of American Success
When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord. But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king. They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods. Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “These are the rights of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground or reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war or the equipment for his chariots. He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys and use them for his work. He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”
The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”
Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”
1 Samuel 8:6-22
“Envy rots the bones.”
Proverbs 14:30
“Love does not envy.”
1 Cor. 13:4
“Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man.”
Luke 18:11-12, The Message Paraphrase
“The whole Law is summed up by this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself. If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other… Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
Galatians 5:14-15 & v. 26
The Practices of Neighboring and Self-Love
Crossing Our Driveways
Dr. Steven Smallwood once said, “Our driveways have become our drawbridges. Once we enter them, we shut out everyone outside.” These "drawbridges" can take many forms: our front doors, air pods, or the busy pace of life that isolates us from others. These barriers prevent us from connecting with our neighbors. Scripture challenges us to reflect on why we disconnect. Is it for solitude or to avoid uncomfortable interactions? Christ calls us to lower our drawbridges—to invite others in, to share our lives, and to embrace neighboring. It’s hard to envy others when we truly know them.Learning to Love Ourselves
We must also learn to love ourselves in order to love our neighbors well. Rabbi Bunim, a Jewish scholar from the 18th century, suggested that in each pocket, one should carry two pieces of paper: one saying, "I am but ashes and dust," and the other, "For my sake the world was created." This dual understanding of humility and value helps us recognize that God created us for a purpose. We don’t need to compare or envy because we are enough in Him.
Pride
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.” - Paradise Lost, John Milton
“Righteousness is more dangerous than our sin. For “righteousness” can serve the most self-centered of all human desires: self-glorification.” -Martin Luther
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 6:1
“Watch out that you do not do your righteousness in front of other people in order to theater them.” - Dale Bruner
Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.- Matthew 6:1 MSG
The Structure of the Three Examples:
Bad Practice: prideful generosity, prideful prayer, and prideful fasting
Good Practice: anonymous generosity, private prayer, and secret fasting.
Reward
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - Matthew 6:1-4
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - Matthew 6:5-6
16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - Matthew 6:16-18
“Simply knowing God better is reward enough.” - NT Wright
Live a Quiet Life
“aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
Lust
A Culture of Sexualization
Two unhelpful responses to sexuality:
Repression — Shame-based, fear-driven, “just say no” approach (e.g., purity culture).
Indulgence — “Do whatever you want” mindset, reducing sex to meaningless gratification.
“These [Christians] who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” – Acts 17:6-7
God’s Will: Sanctification
"As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality…" – 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3
God’s will is to form us into Christ’s likeness, including our sexuality.
Sanctification describes the continuous refining the Spirit wants to do in our lives.
A Better Vision of Sexuality
"That each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable." – 1 Thessalonians 4:4
Sex is a gift from God — not dirty or shameful.
Sex is for union — a reflection of our deeper longing for God.
“The very word sex comes from a Latin verb that means to cut off or sever, and sexual impulses drive us to unite, to restore somehow the union that has been severed. Freud diagnosed the deep pain within as a longing for union with a parent; Jung diagnosed a longing for union with the opposite sex. The Christian sees a deeper longing, for union with the God who created us.” – Philip Yancey
Sex is for the good of the world — building relationships, families, community.
“For Christians, human identity and vocation are rooted in the call to love God and our neighbors as we love ourselves. Our sexuality flows from the same invitation. In this way, its meaning is best understood ecologically. Sex is about cultivating relationships and communities that create and sustain life, and defining it as such can just as quickly lead us to refrain from coupling.” — Hannah Anderson
Deformed Sexuality.
"Not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before." – 1 Thessalonians 4:5-6
Lust is sexual desire expressed in sex gratifying ways.
Lust deforms the human person.
A deformed view of Others — especially women, through objectification.
“I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” – Matthew 5:28.
Deformed Sexual appetites — creates unrealistic and harmful desires.
Deformed sense of Commitment — undermines fidelity and real intimacy.
Deformed sense of Self— numbs and distances us from God.
“Adultery, promiscuity either heterosexual or homosexual, masturbation—one appealing view is that anything goes as long as no one gets hurt. The trouble is that human beings are so hopelessly psychosomatic in composition that whatever happens to the soma [body] happens also to the psyche [soul] and vice versa.”— Frederick Buechner
Holiness
“‘holiness’: being set apart for God in every part and at every level.” – NT Wright
Holiness is a life set apart for God; Holiness is wholeheartedness.
“Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” – G. K. Chesterton
Confessional Community.
Instruction from Alcoholics Anonymous
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.”
“I get drunk – we stay sober.”
“The best advice… for resisting lust is not to get an Internet filter (although you should do that too!), but to have good friends.” –Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung
Seek confessional friendships; someone who you can share what you are struggling with and will point you to the light.
Gluttony
Disclaimer: If you struggle with an eating disorder, this conversation may be difficult. Seek professional support as needed before engaging in fasting. If you are experiencing food insecurity, speak to a pastor for support.
1 John 1:8-9: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Rebecca DeYoung: “Naming our sins is the confessional counterpart to counting our blessings. Naming them can enrich and refresh our practices of prayer and confession and our engagement in the spiritual disciplines.”
Gluttony: excessive consumption depriving another human being of life-giving necessities in an attempt to fill a space always intended for God.
Matthew 4:1: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
Dale Bruner: The Spirit who came upon Jesus in baptism now leads Jesus places. This initial place does not look good at first, but by the time we have come to the end of the story we learn that it was good that Jesus had been there. Thus the baptism and temptation at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry are a little like his cross and resurrection at the end.
Matthew 4:2: “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”
Matthew 4:3: “The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jeff Cook: “More than anything else, consuming the fruit was an act of divorce. Like adulterers seeking another lover, Adam and Eve did not need the fruit hanging in the middle of the garden. It was excessive. They chose it for an extra measure of satisfaction… Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was an act of gluttony. Adam and Eve took far more than they needed. They believed they could do whatever they wished with God’s creation for their own pleasure and benefit. These gluttonous desires drew humanity into the nothingness, and it took their lives.”
Matthew 4:4: Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Stanley Hauerwas: “The devil, therefore, thinking that Jesus’s fast might have weakened him, approaches Jesus just as he had approached Eve. Eating may be the devil’s first line of attack because eating gets to the heart of our dependency—a dependency we try to deny.”
Frederick Buechner: “A glutton is one who raids the icebox for a cure for spiritual malnutrition.”
Richard Foster: “Fasting reveals the things that control us.”
Bishop Kallistos Ware: “The primary aim of fasting is to make us conscious of our dependence on God. If practiced seriously, the Lenten abstinence from food … involves a considerable measure of real hunger, and also a feeling of tiredness and physical exhaustion. The purpose of this is to lead us in turn to a sense of inward brokenness and contrition; to bring us, that is, to the point where we appreciate the full force of Christ’s statement, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).”
Spiritual Practice: Fasting
Choose a set schedule (1-3 days per week).
Select a fasting window. Here are a few examples:
Skip 1-2 meals a day.
12-hour fast (7 AM-7 PM).
18-hour fast (7 PM-2 PM the next day).
24-hour fast (6 PM-6 PM the next day).
Replace food preparation and consumption with prayer.
Sloth
Shadows
With the start of Lent, we will examine the shadows of our own life through the framework of the seven deadly sins.
Sloth
Gluttony
Lust
Pride
Envy
Greed
Wrath
Evagrius the Solitary compiled a list of eight evil thoughts that he believed to be the source of all temptations. 200 years later Pope Gregory combined vanity and pride making Evagrius’ list what we know it as today.
“...while many critics of the church and her would-be reformers identify the symptoms (inattention to the poor, heresies, misogyny or misandry, racism, moral laxity, works righteousness, interminable chattiness, etc.), Evagrius identifies the underlying disease: our thoughts.”– Matthew Milliner
Sin matters, because life matters.
Sin takes into account the reality that we do actually make things worse for ourselves, and the reality that things simply are not as they should be.
And unless we have the courage to look our brokenness we will continue to put bandaids on cancerous bodies.
Sloth.
Evagrius’ word is acedia; a lack of care, indifference, apathy.
“a sort of heavy sadness . . . that presses down on a man’s mind in such a way that no activity pleases him.” – Thomas Aquinas
The Gospel of Mark
Mark composes a biography of Jesus to describe the good news of the Kingdom of God and to portray Jesus as the suffering servant.
Jesus was awake to the Moment.
32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” –Mark 14:32-34
As the story will go, the disciples will fall asleep twice contrary to Jesus’ instructions.
In their weariness the disciples fail to recognize the moment; they failed to read the times.
Despite the events of the day, Jesus’ explicit statements, and his simple plea, “stay up with me” the disciple miss the urgency of the moment.
Opting for sleep over prayer.
How often can we turn to simple creature comforts missing the urgency of a moment?
Jesus Practiced Obedience.
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” –Mark 14:35-38
Three time Mark records Jesus’ retreating from his disciples to pray in secret.
"No one has taken it [my life] away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.” – John 10:18
The Garden of Gethsemane sat outside of Jerusalem to the east on the mount of Olives, a border to the Judean Wilderness.
Jesus could have run.
This was not the first time Jesus prayed– “Not my will, but your will be done”
Christ & the Disciples
Throughout this story there is this overt comparison between the quiet desperation of Jesus and the sleepy indifference of the disciples.
“Perseverance is the cure for acedia, along with the execution of all tasks with great attention.” – Evagrius the Solitary
“we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” –Romans 5:2–5
Wake up to the Season
Ash Wednesday is a somber reflection on our mortality, brokenness, and sin.
Lent is a forty-day period in which we imitate Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness.
Lent, and Ash Wednesday, are not necessarily happy seasons– but the are necessary wake up calls remind us that the world is not as it should be.
Practice
The first practice is fasting.
This is going without food and drink (excluding water) for a period of twelve or twenty-four hours.
That body and soul might be unified in hunger for God. *
*A note on eating disorders and medical conditions– if you’ve ever suffered from an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, rumination, etc) or live with a diagnosed medical condition, you should consult a doctor, therapist, or pastor prior to fasting. Fasting is a helpful practice given to us by Christ, but notice that fasting is not intended to harm the body. Rather, it is designed to bring the body and soul into alignment.
The Second practice is abstaining.
Abstaining is putting good things away so that your focus may be on God.
Repentance
Lent is a time of introspection and soul-searching; to look at the evil of the world and to look at the evil in our own heart.
“return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.” So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.” – Joel 2:12-13 (ESV)
Embodied
Digital Babylon.
Like the Israelites taken into Babylonian Captivity, we find ourselves navigating an alien world; theirs was a foreign nation, and ours is a digital age.
Artificial Intelligence.
“The Hunt for Artificial Intelligence Heads Underwater” By Christoph Droesser and Hakai Magazine
“The Big AI Risk Not Enough People Are Seeing” By Tyler Austin Harper
She is in Love with ChatGPT by Kashmir Hill
“To know intelligence well enough to be able to build a working model of it is surely one of the most intellectually exciting and spiritually challenging problems of the human race. To do so is to know ourselves as we’ve always yearned to, to make us a part of nature instead of apart from it... And such a model promises to be an extension of those human capacities we value most, our identifying properties, which we sum up as our intelligence or our reason; the thinking machine would amplify these qualities as other machines have amplified the other capacities of our body.” –Pamela McCormick, Machines Who Think
In grandiose statements about artificial intelligence is assumptions about what it means to be human, namely our capacity for thinking, reasoning, and solving problems.
“Gnosticism”, an ancient Grecco-roman philosophy, claimed that the material world is evil and that only the spiritual (the immaterial) is good.
A Digital Gnosticism reduces what it means to be human down to pattern recognition and large language models– all things machines can replicate.
A Theology of Bodies
The biblical narrative insists that being human is more than just data points and problem-solving; Being human includes a body.
Blessed Bodies.
Cursed Bodies.
Redeemed Bodies.
And Blessed Bodies (again)
Blessed Bodies.
In verses 1-25, God speaks, and the raw material of reality listens, shaping beauty from the chaos.
The highlight of creation arrives in verse 26, where God takes special attention to shaping a creature that will be made in his likeness, those who bear his image.
Those who bear the image of God
hold inherent value.
are given a royal task
And embody love
“the body always remains a value not sufficiently appreciated...the body is so good we have yet to fathom it.” – Pope John Paul II, Theology of the Body
Cursed Bodies.
Despite living in a garden paradise with God, Adam and Eve join a rebellion against God by choosing to decide what is good and what is evil for themselves; this is what the Bible calls sin.
The scripture explains sin as something unnatural is warping the human soul, that has attached itself to our DNA.
John Mark Comer observes that this disease of sin has three dimensions.
Sin done by us.
Sin done to us.
Sin done around us.
‘The Human Propensity to [muck] things Up’ – Francis Spufford, Unapologetic
“we are born into an environment where it is easy to do evil and hard to do good; easy to hurt others, and hard to heal their wounds; easy to arouse men’s suspicions, and hard to win their trust. It means that we are each of us conditioned by the solidarity of the human race in its accumulated wrong-doing and wrong-thinking, and hence wrong-being. And to this accumulation of wrong we have ourselves added by our own deliberate acts of sin. The gulf grows wider and wider.” – Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Way
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life… until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”– Genesis 3:17,19.
“the wages of sin is death…” –Romans 6:23
Redeemed Bodies.
Matthew and Luke tell of God’s complex, messy, and fraught entrance into history, and surprisingly, he shows up the same way we all do.
The incarnation is the most extraordinary case that our bodies matter– they matter so much that God himself became flesh and dwelt among us.
“Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…Take your mat and go home.” – Matthew 9:5–6.
“Take heart, daughter…your faith has healed you.”– Matthew 9:22
There is this blurring of the lines between healing and saving because salvation is a kind of healing.
On a Roman cross, Jesus offers the cure to the disease plaguing our bodies: once cursed bodies, now become redeemed bodies.
Blessed Bodies (again).
In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul focuses his writing on Jesus’ resurrection. He mounts a defense against anyone who would suggest that the resurrection is a ridiculous idea or unnecessary for the Christian faith.
Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.
He was buried.
He was raised on the third day.
And he appeared as many as 500 witnesses.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Our inheritance from the first humans is sin and death, but in our new inheritance in Christ is resurrection.
The Christian hope is that those who give their allegiance to Jesus will discover life after death.
“According to the early Christians, the purpose of this new body will be to rule wisely over God’s new world. Forget those images about lounging around playing harps. There will be work to do and we shall relish doing it. All the skills and talents which we have put to God’s service in this present life—and perhaps, too, the interests and likings we gave up because they conflicted with our vocation—will be enhanced and ennobled and given back to us to be exercised to his glory” – NT Wright, Surprised by Hope
Embodied Spirituality
Pay attention to your body.
Take care of your body.
Worship with your body.
Luke 4 - One Off
“Luke-Acts is like a film. When you are watching it unfold, Luke brings your mind to things within the narrative that have already happened, are happening, and things that are yet to come. As a literary work, Luke-Acts is full of interconnections.”
Dr. Marty Mittelstadt
“He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”
Luke 4:15
“Keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail.”
Acts 5:38
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
“The poor and the blind does not exclude the literal poor and blind.”
Darrell Bock
“They did not believe.”
Mark 6:3
“This child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:34-35
Jesus Asks Us to…
Do do what Israel could not
Cast aside prejudices and false unity
Be insiders to what He is doing
Doubt in a Digital Age
A Secular Age & Cross-Pressure
The Apostles’ Creed begins: “I believe in God…” – a statement that was self-evident in the 4th century but now competes with a multitude of beliefs.
Charles Taylor (A Secular Age): Secularism today means belief in God is one option among many, creating a cross-pressured experience where endless spiritual and ideological choices lead to decision fatigue.
The Infinite Library: Searching “Does God exist?” online yields thousands of conflicting responses, reinforcing the sense of disorientation.
Andrew Sullivan: “I Used to Be a Human Being:An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. It broke me. It might break you, too.” (New York Magazine, 2016)
The digital world overwhelms us with information but doesn’t necessarily provide wisdom.
Doubt in a Digital Age
Doubt can arise not because of logical refutation but due to information overload and spiritual exhaustion.
The faithful are tempted toward unbelief.
The skeptic is tempted toward belief.
Biblical Examples of Doubt
John the Baptist’s Doubt (Matthew 11:1-6)
John, a man of conviction, experiences doubt in prison.
The Question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
A Heritage of Questions:
Elijah (1 Kings 19:4) – "I have had enough, Lord... Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
David (Psalm 13:1) – "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?"
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:14) – "Cursed be the day I was born!"
The Disciples (Matthew 28:17) – "When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted."
Thomas (John 20:25) – "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands... I will not believe."
“[It] seems most likely that Matthew recorded John’s struggle with doubt not to condemn John, but to encourage subsequent disciples.” – Craig S. Keener
Doubt is not a sin; it is a common companion on the journey of faith.
John’s Doubt Explored:
Experience: John’s suffering in prison led to questioning.
Expectations: John anticipated a Messiah of judgment, yet Jesus brought healing and grace.
Emotions: Likely felt abandoned, anxious, and uncertain.
A Helpful Diagnostic:
What experiences contribute to your doubt?
What expectations of God are unmet?
What emotions accompany your doubt?
Jesus’ Response to Doubt
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” –Matthew 11:4-6
David Brooks’ Encounter: Faith "tiptoed" into his life through observation rather than argument. (The Shock of Faith: It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be, New York Times, 2024)
Jesus’ final word to John is a blessing for all cautious believers.
“Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matthew 11:6.
“...God bless you, John, if you do not throw the whole thing over because I am a different kind of Messiah than you were expecting.” –Dale Bruner
Advice for Doubters
Take time away from the digital noise.
Clarify what your specific question is.
Explore trustworthy sources
Doubt your doubts.
Redefine success as trust, not certainty.
Integrity – Matthew 5:25-30
Digital Babylon
Developing deeply formed disciples who engage with technology intentionally.
Week 1: Digital Formation – Digital Audit
Week 2: Effects of Digital Consumption – Digital Simplicity & Generosity
Week 3: The Impact of Digital Babylon on Attention – Devote Time to Holy Attention
Sexual Integrity in the midst of a hyper-sexualized digital culture.
A Culture of Pornography
“I had a helicopter mom. I found porn hub anyway” Essay by Isabel Hogben
2020 Study by NIH: 91.5% of men and 60.2% of women in the U.S. have consumed pornography in the last 30 days.
Barna 2020: 75% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women report having consumed pornography.
Sermon on the Mount
Jesus' longest recorded sermon, describing the life He calls His followers to live—distinct, salt-and-light living.
In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus deepens the understanding of Mosaic Law.
Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard it was said" – refers to the Mosaic Law (Exodus 20:14).
"But I say to you" – Jesus reveals the deeper, heart-level requirement of the law.
Jesus extends the command: Lust in the heart is just as sinful as adultery.
“[Jesus is going] underneath the command and gets to the deeper issue of the human heart.” – Tim Mackie
Christianity has a High View of Sex
Sex is a good gift from God (Genesis 1:28).
Marriage: Monogamous marital sex is viewed as sacred in both Jewish and Christian traditions (Song of Solomon, Paul’s letters).
Sexual desire in its right context is beautiful and holy.
Defining the Look
A prolonged, intentional gaze that leads to lust or possession. Lust involves the willful, prolonged look, designed to objectify and dehumanize another person.
“There is a difference: one happens, the other is allowed to happen…. To look at an attractive person can be a drive given in creation; to keep on looking- staring- is a drive given in the fall from creation.” – Dale Brunner
Jesus' Point: Lust is not about natural desire but about dehumanizing another person. Lusting after someone is reducing them to an object for personal gratification.
The Male Audience
In the ancient world, adultery was excused for men but not for women. Jesus challenges this, addressing men directly. He also says, it is not the women’s fault if you are tempted with lust, it is about your [men’s] desires, your heart, your problem.
This message is necessary for women as well, as rates of pornography among women have grown and it has become culturally acceptable and even applaudable to objectify men.
We cannot externally blame our problems of lust or unhealthy sexual desire on others. We must always examine our own hearts and desires; our internal motivations.
Take Decisive Action
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out... If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off…” – Matthew 5:29, 30
Jesus does not literally mean to dismember yourself but uses hyperbole to stress the seriousness of the situation.
Jesus calls for decisive action to remove anything that leads us to sin, even if it’s precious.
“Jesus tells us by his choice of words that he knows our sacrifice for a clean conscience will be very hard and painful. Yet Jesus honors us by thinking we can make the attempt.” – Dale Brunner
Cutting Off and Confession
Cutting Off
Identify anything that leads you to sin (habits, apps, relationships) and take radical action to remove it.
Delete apps
Cancel subscriptions to inappropriate shows.
Radical Measures: Consider deleting social media, using a “dumb phone,” or even getting rid of internet browsers. Maybe get rid of your TV.
Confession
Normalize confession in the Church for it is one of the best things we can offer one another and a community, a generation, a world that desperately wants to be free from their addiction.
Take time to bring darkness into the light by confessing to God and trusted individuals.
In confessing, there is no condemnation, only love, kindness, and support in the community.