John Message 8
New Life from God through Jesus
John 5:18-5:48
Recently I had a conversation with one of the guys who attends Peace and among the things that John and I have in common is that we both have suffered a life-threatening illness … in his case, a stroke caused by a hole in his heart that he had since birth but never knew about. We talked about how our respective experiences have heightened our appreciation for the gift of life. Yet I also realize that this kind of awareness and gratitude will help but does not necessarily guarantee that John and I will live our lives to their fullest. It’s what almost every person wants in his or her heart of hearts … to not just exist but to truly live. But in American society today there is great confusion on this issue. Who is to say what is truly a good life? While we can say with some certainty that living the “high life” will not result from drinking a particular beer, given the vast array of individual differences, who is to say what the path is to the good and rich life?
Bible Chapters for February 22 -28
- Isaiah 43:16-28
- Acts 1:1-26
- I Corinthians 9:1-27
- Philippians 3:1-21
Catch the Wave
Many times at Peace you’ll hear someone talk about taking a journey of faith … maybe likening it to an adventure on the river. For many years, the logo of Peace Church even incorporated a river image to drive the point home.
John Message 7
Signs of Life for the Hurting
John 4:43-5:18
We live in a world full of signs (series of slides). Sometimes we suspect that it’s not just occasional drivers who are under the influence of something … but sign-makers as well. Sometimes it’s a serious flaw in assumptions … like expecting illiterate people to read the signs. Sometimes we can find a logical and humorous connection in seemingly unrelated items (celebrating a “shotgun wedding” seems logical to me). Sometimes there is a bit of biting humor in the signs. And then finally some signs make perfect sense even though on the surface they are nonsense.
Bible Chapters for February 15 – 21
- John 5:15-47
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-58
- Ephesians 2:1-22
- 1 John 5:1-21
Bible Chapters for February 8-14
- Isaiah 61
- Matthew 12
- John 4
- John 5
John Message 6
New Life for an Outsider
John 4:1-42
Crossing Lines
I don’t care what the lines are … racial, ethnic, economic, religious, political … it takes courage to step over the lines and engage with others. It doesn’t mean that our differences go away or that we necessarily see the world the same, but it gives opportunity for relationship and conversation … and these can and often do bear fruit.
Free But Not Cheap
What an invitation from God in Isaiah 55:1-2! We who are thirsty are told to come and drink. We who have no money can have wine and milk without cost. We can have the richest of fare from the hand of God and be truly satisfied. The piling up of food and drink metaphors in Isaiah 55 point to the abundance of God’s grace and love ready to be poured out on us … a promise that we believe was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It is Christ the Water of life who can wash us of our sins and give us life with God. It is Christ the Bread of life who can feed us with wisdom and truth which will satisfy our minds and souls.
John Message 5
New Life for an Insider
John 3:1-21
Often times, we think of what I will call “fandom” as primarily a matter of heritage and location. So if you grew up in say Ashwaubenon, WI (next door to Lambeau field), I’d anticipate that you would be a Packer fan. If you grew up in Bloomington, Minnesota, I’d understand you being a Viking fan. If you grew up in Ypsilante, Michigan, I’d both understand and sympathize in your being a Lion fan. Now if you grew up in Ashwaubenon and you were rooting for Bret Favre last Sunday, then I’d consider you … despicable … (just kidding, sort of).
