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A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

by | Apr 11, 2019 | 2019 Lenten Series

Day 32 (Thursday, April 11, 2019)

Read

John 16:25-27


25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26 On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”

Reflect

‘Why bother with prayer?’ Jesus’ words here lay an important foundation. We have the promise of a better understanding of God because Jesus and his Spirit have now spoken plainly about the Father. Further, we see that our prayers are effective because we can pray in the name of Jesus. We also enjoy a new experience of God because Jesus has opened the way to a new and intimate relationship with his Father – the Father himself loves you.

It is easy to underestimate the significance of these words. We overlook the fact that with the clearer understanding of God from the New Testament, we are much more likely to pray for the things that delight him and that he has promised to give us. Also, we forget that when we pray in the name of Jesus, we are praying to the one who has direct access to God. Further, we forget the privilege we have in speaking to God as Abba, Father. Like children confident in a parent’s love, we can enjoy a vital and personal relationship with the very best, most loving and most powerful of parents in the universe.

In this chapter, Jesus sets out implications of the drama that was about to unfold – his death, his resurrection, his departure and the coming of the Spirit. He wants us to know that if we consider prayer to be useless and a waste of time, we need to think again. If we think that prayer is a waste of breath, then we are living as if Easter and Pentecost had never occurred. We become spiritual paupers when we refuse the riches of God’s promises which are available to us.

Prayer

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: do not leave us desolate, but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to where our Savior Christ has gone before, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for evermore. Amen. (BCP, Sunday after Ascension)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 16:16-33

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 31 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

by | Apr 10, 2019 | 2019 Lenten Series

Day 31 (Wednesday, April 10, 2019)

One of the great mysteries for many about Christianity is the death of Jesus Christ. It also puzzled the disciples.  

During the hours before his arrest and death, Jesus sought to comfort them by telling them that he would not leave them bereft: he would send the Comforter who would also have a role in the wider world as the Advocate. The presence of this Comforter and Advocate was highly significant, for without his (the Spirit’s) involvement, Jesus’ disciples could not have fulfilled their special calling (for example, John 14:26). But nor would men and women come to respond to God’s good news unless God’s Spirit was active.

By way of background it is important that we remember Jesus’ words to his Jewish audience: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” (John 4:48). He was saying that he objected to performing signs because he knew what was in the hearts of people who asked for them: in their pride they thought they had a right to evaluate him, testing his credentials.

Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 1:22 Paul writes of the non-Jewish mind-set: Greeks desire wisdom, … The non-Jewish world may not have asked for signs, but they considered their philosophers to be smart enough to explain the world and life. If God existed, he would need to fit into their philosophical, scientific or political framework.

But God in his wisdom knows our propensities and, in his mercy, provided and continues to provide the very Advocate we need to open our eyes to the truth.

Read

John 16:4-11


4 (Jesus said…) ‘But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.’

Reflect

During the Passover meal Jesus told his disciples that he was going away but that he would not be leaving them alone. In fact his going would mean the coming of the Comforter, the Advocate. The disciples’ silence is palpable (16:5). They were devastated.

Yet through his death, which from a human perspective looks like failure, God has built a movement that will continue forever. In these hours before his crucifixion – which happened the following day – Jesus told his disciples that God would be awakening an unbelieving world to its spiritual need.

Jesus speaks of God’s Spirit as an Advocate: his work is like that of a prosecutor laying charges, though not in a court of law but rather in the human heart. The Spirit convicts the world of sin, defined now, not as failure to keep the Ten Commandments, but failure to acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. The Spirit also convicts the world of righteousness, defined by the moral goodness of Jesus’ life. Where human courts condemned Jesus, God has declared him righteous, giving him life.

Further, the Spirit alerts the world to the reality of judgment. And this is not some remote maybe. God’s Messiah has come and his kingdom is established. He has already confounded the attempt by powers of evil to usurp God’s rule. Everyone now has a choice to make – to side with the defeated enemy or commit to the victorious Jesus.

Jesus challenges us to draw comfort from God’s Spirit at work in our own lives, and to pray for the Spirit to work with mercy in the lives of people around us.

Prayer

God our Father, whose will is to bring all things to order and unity in our Lord Jesus Christ; grant that all the peoples of the world, now divided and torn apart by sin, may be brought together in his kingdom of love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (1978 AAPB)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 16:1-15

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 30 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

by | Apr 9, 2019 | 2019 Lenten Series

Day 30 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)

Read

John 15:26-27


26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

Reflect

We read here (John 14:26) of Jesus’ specific promises to his disciples concerning the coming of the Advocate or Comforter – the Holy Spirit. Significantly, he promises that the Spirit of truth would not only come into the disciples lives, but would also enable them to have accurate recall and right interpretation of all that he had done and taught. Jesus develops this by setting out more clearly the functional relationship within the Trinity. The Spirit’s work is to implement the will and the purpose of both God the Father and God the Son.

So Jesus explains God’s larger plan. The Father, having sent his eternal Son, the Word of God, into the world, now reinstates him in heaven in a new way, enthroned in glory. The Spirit of God, the Advocate, or Comforter, is now sent to replace him in the lives of his people.

Jesus here brings us one of the clearest statements about the true nature of God: He is One, existing in three persons, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son chooses to do the will of the Father and the Spirit chooses to do the will of both the Father and the Son.

The Spirit who came to Christ’s disciples, now comes to bring us a ministry of comfort and encouragement in the place of Christ. In the same way that the ministry of Christ as Comforter was important to the first disciples, so also was the ministry of the Holy Spirit as their Comforter. In the same way, as the work of Christ is essential for us, so too is the work of the Spirit – teaching us the truth and trustworthiness of God’s Word that was preached and written down, prompting and motivating us to walk with Jesus in the light of it.

Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given us your servants grace by the confession of a true faith to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and by your divine power to worship you as One: we pray that you would keep us steadfast in this faith and evermore defend us from all adversities; through Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, Trinity Sunday)

Daily Reading Plan

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 29 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

by | Apr 8, 2019 | 2019 Lenten Series

Day 29 (Monday, April 8, 2019)

Read

John 15:1-11


1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

Reflect

The prevailing ethos of today, that the individual is the most important person in the world, inspires a self-interest and self-love that too often neglects the worth and needs of others, especially of those deemed unlovely.

How against the grain is Jesus’ teaching in John 15. He speaks of himself as the true vine and those who follow him as the branches that are to produce the fruit of love. In the past, God had planted Israel as a vine (Psalm 80:8-11), but it had produced the bad fruit of injustice and distress (Isaiah 5:7).

God in Christ was about to prune and make clean a new people through Jesus’ death (John 10:18). Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet symbolized this cleansing – a promise authenticated by Jesus’ word, showing it was true.

So Jesus teaches us that when we truly abide in him and he through his Spirit in us, we will bear the fruit of self-forgetfulness: serving and doing good works for one another, including the unlovely. Paradoxically, when we love and serve one another in this way we will discover satisfying, unexpected joy. This will glorify God.

Furthermore, others will see it and be drawn to it; for deep down everyone is looking for satisfying relationships. How often do we ignore opportunities to serve and create unnecessary tension in small matters, whether at church, at work or in our household. Jesus teaches us, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”

Prayer

Lord God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: mercifully accept our prayers, and because through the weakness of our mortal nature we can do nothing good without you, grant us the help of your grace, so that in keeping your commands we may please you both in will and deed, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, Trinity 1)

Daily Reading Plan

Read again John 15:1-11. Take some time to meditate on what it means for you to abide in Christ and be adopted as one of God’s children.

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 28 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

by | Apr 6, 2019 | 2019 Lenten Series

Day 28 (Saturday, April 6, 2019)

Read

John 14:25-31

25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.”

Reflect

We said earlier that there was a dark sense of foreboding hanging over Jesus’ first followers. He had told them he was going away – and they understood he was going to die. He spoke of them as orphaned children, bereft and destitute. He did not offer glib platitudes about death but promised a Counselor (literally, Comforter). Jesus’ teaching on the Spirit of God here is not about individual gifts, but about the personal presence of the Spirit of God in the life of each person who belongs to him.

The disciples would have understood the Spirit’s presence in Jesus’ birth (his conception) and in his work (his teaching and miracles) in Old Testament categories (And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, Isaiah 11:2). Now Jesus spoke of the Spirit as a Person who would come into the life of everyone who followed him. The Spirit would be the counselor, comforter, helper of God’s people individually and personally.

He is not Someone at our beck and call, but rather the powerful person who comes to us from God himself to help us by reminding us of the truth of God’s Word – in times of grief, when life is difficult, when others are mocking or persecuting us, or simply in our day-to-day walk with God.

No wonder Jesus could say, “My peace I leave with you.” Even though we cannot see him, Jesus is present with us through his Spirit. We are never alone.

Prayer

Lord God, without you we are not able to please you; mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, Trinity 19)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 14:15-31

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? Day 32 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

A Spiritual Re-Awakening…? day 27 Lenten Readings & Reflections through John’s Gospel

by | Apr 5, 2019 | 2019 Lenten Series

Day 27 (Friday, April 5, 2019)

Read

John 14:1-7


1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Reflect

At the end of John 13 a dark cloud hung over Jesus’ disciples. For three years they had followed him, increasingly confident that he was God’s promised king. But at the Passover meal he had told them he was going away. “Don’t be troubled,” he said. “Believe in God, believe also in me… I go to prepare a place for you.”

Thomas’s response expressed a frustration we can all feel: “Lord, we do not know where you’re going…” Jesus’ reply is breath-taking, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He didn’t say, ‘I’ll show you the way’ but rather, ‘I am the way’; he didn’t say, ‘I’ll tell you the truth’ but, ‘I am the truth’; he didn’t say, ‘I’ll give you eternal life’ but, ‘I am the life’.

At the heart of the universe is not a theory of unification, but a person. The only way we can make sense of our human existence is by recognizing the one who is the Truth – the Word of God incarnate.

This is not fantasy. John candidly reports that Thomas thought for a while it was. He didn’t believe the other disciples when they said they had seen Jesus risen from the dead. But then when he saw him he responded, My Lord and my God. Were those first followers dreaming? Six weeks later Peter preached the first Christian sermon less than two miles from Jesus’ tomb, yet no one contradicted his claim that the tomb was empty. In tough times we can remember Jesus’ words, “Believe in God, believe also in me.”

Prayer

Almighty God, we confess that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, so that we may be defended from all adversities that may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts that may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, Lent 2 – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 14:1-14