According to John, Chapter 7

 John 7

Cancel Culture in the 1st Century CE

It's a little bit odd that while as a religious book, the Bible is already restricted in schools, it's now the conservative, Bible wielding Christians that seem to censor the teachings of Jesus. 
If the teachings of Jesus were written in a modern day book and removed from the name of Jesus, conservative pastors, lay leaders, and politicians would certainly push to have such a book banned and such teachings prohibited as quickly as any CRT or LGBTQ+ affirming books and lessons.

Just as the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day used The Law and fear to control the people, today's conservative Christian leaders use the Bible and fear to control the masses, as well. 
Fear of God
Fear of judgement
Fear of hell

Fear is the tool of those that wish to control and oppress.
And fear needs to silence truth.
The leaders of the Jewish people needed to silence Jesus. They tried to say he didn't fit the prophesies about the coming Christ. In other writings they tried to convince people he was possessed by demons. They refused to acknowledge that his works were from God and good, wholesome, miraculous events.
But even among those that refuse to see truth, truth has a way of making itself known.

The guards that were sent to arrest him came back without him. When they were questioned as to why they didn't arrest him they said that no one has ever talked like he did. They found his teaching to be so compelling and so full of goodness and truth that they disobeyed their orders and refused to take him!

Truth still has its enemies today and those enemies still use fear to control people. But just as the soldiers that confronted Jesus learned they had nothing to fear from him, those that are willing to confront Jesus today will find there is nothing to fear from him.
Where fear seeks to control; Love trusts.
Love gives us the freedom to do the right thing, the good thing, the beautiful thing.
Love also gives us the freedom to be selfish, but trusts us to eventually get it right.

It is weird that I've spent most of my life being afraid of God. Today I believe that the fear of God was placed on me by religions, churches, and men that wanted to keep control of me and others like me. If you want to experience today's conservative cancel culture just speak up against a religious injustice and see how quickly you are silenced. (Ask me how I know.)

In Christ, we have the love and freedom to ask questions. 
We have the freedom to make mistakes.
We have the freedom to not be afraid.
In Christ, we are loved.
And in the love of Christ, we are compelled to love others.

John

According to John, Chapter 6

John 6

Sometimes I have weird thoughts when I'm reading the Bible. Maybe they aren't so weird. Maybe they are just thoughts that nobody is ever going to preach about or teach about.
For example:

When reading the story of the feeding of the 5,000 or the feeding of the multitude, I wonder how many of the people being fed knew what was going on. It's not like there was a huge sound system and electronic jumbotron video screen set up so that everyone could witness the bag lunch being turned into food for thousands. I think that most people just sat down when they were told that they were going to be fed.

If you were one of the poor, hungry people in the crowd that day, you would have taken your seat and accepted your meal when it was passed out. You may have even asked. "Where did all this food come from?"
But would you have believed that this was a kid's sack lunch?
And did you ever wonder why only one kid's mom thought to send along lunch for the day?
Sometimes I think that the event itself was more for the apostles and close followers of Jesus than it was for the crowd of hungry people. The people got fed. The followers that knew the story behind the meal got much more.

When the Apostle John wrote this account to be shared and preserved 50-60 years later, those reading about it (including you and me) don't get any of the food; we get the much more. We get to see the miracle from the apostle's viewpoint. We know about the kid and his lunch of bread and fish. We know that everyone was full and there were baskets of leftovers. 
I'm not sure that most of the people that day got more than a day of listening to Jesus teach and a full belly. The story of the kid's lunch and the miraculous feeding probably spread like a rumor over the next few days. It may have been accepted as truth or it may have been blown off like an ancient conspiracy theory.

I write these things because I think it is important to remember the message of the Bible. There is something different to be learned based on perspective. What John witnessed that day is different than what the last person to be fed witnessed. What someone reading about it decades or even centuries later is also different. 
They got food.
We get food for thought.
So, what do you think?

There is much more to John 6 than this, so be sure to read the whole chapter.
Maybe you have comments or questions on something. Please feel free to add them either by commenting on the blog or whatever social media platform you are reading.

Right now I'm wondering what the bread in Israel tasted like 2000 years ago.
John

Pause for a short rant

I'm pausing on the According to John series today. I'll try to get back to it tomorrow.

I thought I'd offer a few comments on the invasion of Ukraine, but most of what I'm feeling about that has already been said by people far smarter than I. There have also been some pretty dumb things said and I am greatly disturbed by those that are saying them and by those that quietly support the Russian invasion.

Throughout the former guy's Presidency and in the year+ since, there has been talk of a coming civil war here in the US. I believe that the growing divide, both in the overall population and the halls of legislatures (both in the states and in Congress) is already evidence of an existing civil war. Although there has been no declaration of war and there isn't (yet) really an armed conflict, the practices that oppress our citizens and those that oppose them are most definitely engaged in battle. 
The trend towards a violent overthrow of the will of the majority grows everyday and I believe the events of Jan 6, 2020 will be repeated and expanded. There are far too many "good people" that are remaining silent as the underlying violence brews and heats up, far too many that have allowed fascism to grow in our local and federal governments and seem to support its growth world wide.

I believe the time for silently standing by is past. Choose freedom through the democratic process or choose to oppose it. Stop playing the bullshit games of the political machines. The cowardice of not taking a stand is as disgusting as those that are fighting to take the freedoms of others in order to selfishly advance their own power, privilege, and position.

I know that there are few readers that do not agree with my basic political beliefs. I would hope that most readers would agree with my beliefs in caring for one another and finding peaceful, diplomatic (we don't often use that term to describe internal disputes) solutions to our differences. Mostly, I just needed a place to vent some frustration and verbalize my disgust with the violence and oppression that seems to be growing in the world. I am most disgusted by the self-proclaimed Christians that either openly support violence or silently do nothing to oppose it.

In 1 John, the apostle writes that you cannot walk in the light of Jesus and hate your brother. He goes on to say that if you hate your brother, you are not walking with Jesus. You are walking in darkness. 
You may say that you don't hate anyone. But if you are silently allowing the oppression of others, you are as guilty and as hateful as the oppressors and you are walking in darkness with them. If we are to know the followers of Jesus by their love, we can also know those that oppose Jesus by their apathy and hate.

End rant
John

According to John, Chapter 5

Oh boy!
Another chapter filled with some deep theology.
And I am no theologian! 

In the first part of the chapter Jesus addresses how the Jews had taken the Law so severely that they used (or abused) it to the point of making it more important than taking care of each other. The saying "...too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good," comes to mind. 
When our laws, rules, practices, or traditions get in the way of us caring for one another, it's time to re-evaluate what we are really doing and what we are truly believing. 

The second part of the chapter is the deep stuff.
You really need to read this for yourself. 
Jesus talks about his authority and purpose and where they come from. Even though he designates the Father and the Son as separate persons, he really indicates that they are of the same mind and share the same purpose.
Jesus teaches that Moses (The Law) is our accuser. Paul writes about that in Romans.
I suppose it comes in pretty handy to have Jesus both as our judge and as our advocate.

I'm really not up to taking the hours of prep time that I would take to prepare a sermon or to teach a lesson on this stuff. I'm just reading along with the rest of you and trying to figure things out as I go. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and questions on what John is writing about and on what Jesus is teaching. I can't promise any answers to your questions, but might be willing to share some ideas or at least share my own thoughts. 

It occurs to me that I should probably include a link to the passage or chapter I'm writing about.
Here is John 5.
I'll try to remember to put this at the beginning for future posts.

I really don't know if very many are reading along. Post hits are about the same. No comments (or few comments) is also about the same. One or twos chapters per day is pretty easy for devotional Bible reading and a good way to get in the habit of daily reading and thinking about how we (as Christians) might become more like the Christ we claim to follow.
I do encourage your thoughts or questions. Maybe someone else is thinking the same thing or has an answer to share.

John

According to John, Chapter 4

If you know me well or if you've ever heard me preach, you probably already know what I think of John's fourth chapter, at least as far as the story of the woman at the well. It is one of my favorite stories to tell and really vibes well with the evangelist in me. I think it is best summarized by the comments of the villagers toward the end of the passage:

"It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

This is why I think it is important to read the gospels and to find a way to experience God personally. I don't want for you to be compelled to worship my God. I want for you to know and experience the presence of the one and only true God.

The second half of the chapter is about a man that comes to Jesus so that Jesus can heal his son. Jesus does, but he offers the comment that people only believe if they see signs and miracles. 
We might still be a lot like that today.

If our prayers aren't answered the way we think they should be, then there must not be a God.
Or maybe we just don't think that God is a just and loving being -- I mean what kind of loving God would allow Russia to invade Ukraine and kill innocent people? -- and so we don't want to believe in or worship that kind of a god.

I'm not a big believer in miracles, at least not in the way that most people believe in miracles. I do believe that God interacts with us and even intervenes on our behalf, but I think of miracles as events that happen that absolutely cannot be explained as anything other than supernatural. 
I might have been that type of skeptic back in the day. I mean -- I'm pretty much that way still. 

It's hard to explain experiencing God to someone that hasn't. Maybe that's why I like the story of the woman at the well so much. After experiencing Jesus in a personal encounter, her simple invitation to everyone else was, "Come and see a man ... Can this be the Christ?"
I really believe that in reading about Jesus and learning what he taught we can get to know God. And we learned from yesterday's post that knowing God is the beginning of eternal life.

John

According to John, Chapter 3

I decided to just write about chapter 3 in today's According to John post. I also thought that I should change the title to John, According to John, but decided against that. 

There is much more theology and such packed into the third chapter of John's gospel than I'm prepared to unpack in this format. That's pretty much going to be the case throughout this endeavor. My main goal is just to read and reflect and share some thoughts, not to break it down into a Bible study of any kind.

In the beginning of chapter 3 we see the difference I was writing about yesterday. Nicodemus, a leader among the Jews, sees Jesus as having come from God, but does not recognize him as being God.  Part of the exchange between Jesus and this teacher of Israel is probably the most quoted scripture of all time - John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
It's too bad that many have not read (or at least taken to heart) the next verse. 
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

We do tend to spend a lot of time and thought about who is going to hell, don't we? 
We seem to be more interested in sharing the message of condemnation than loving people.
It's weird that even though Jesus didn't come to condemn, the church people I've known are pretty big on the whole condemnation thing. We seem to know a lot about who God hates and condemns. 
If you drink, you're going to hell.
If you're gay, you're going to hell.
If you're pro-choice, you're going to hell.
If you're Catholic, you're going to hell.
If you're not Catholic, you're going to hell.

I can't help but think that Christians must have a pretty powerless god if he came to save the world and yet so many people are going to hell. Could it be that our idea of eternal life is different that what Jesus is talking about?
I think it's pretty fair to say that our idea of eternal life is that we live forever with God when we die. Our souls, our spirits live forever, either in heaven or in hell. We may separate that into eternal life = heaven, and eternal death = hell, but we believe our souls exist for eternity in one state or the other.

But is that what Jesus meant by eternal life?
If we jump ahead to the 17th chapter and look at the priestly prayer of Jesus, Jesus says this (to God the Father):
And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Wait!
What?
Is Jesus saying that eternal life is a present day experience that comes from knowing God and knowing Jesus as the Christ, the co-eternal 2nd part of the Trinity?
Can we experience eternal life (according to Jesus) right now in this very moment?

If I was preaching this message instead of writing it, I would invite you to close your eyes and be still. I would tell you to breathe in deeply and exhale slowly. And I would instruct you to talk to God; to get to know God; to experience God.
And this is eternal life, that they may know you

Welcome to eternity.

Hmmm...?
Just things I think about as I read this stuff.
What do you think?

Chapter 4 next.

John

According to John

I'm starting to read through the gospels (again). It's a pretty good idea for a follower of Jesus to read about the life and teachings of Jesus every now and then. Although I've read through The Gospel According to John and posted daily thoughts in the past, I will not be referring to those thoughts or posts this time around. I hope that my perspectives have evolved a bit over the years, and certainly my life today is a little different from what is was at that time. 

I've chosen to begin with John's gospel instead of one of the other three for a reason. John's perspective is that Jesus is God. The emphasis on the divinity of Jesus is almost absent in the other three stories of the life of Jesus, but John addresses it from the very beginning. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke write that Jesus comes from God, John writes that Jesus is God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
ESV

I used to not care for John's writing much. I said he was a women's writer. All of that poetic crap was too much for my younger macho self. But life's experiences, a little bit of age, and some hard earned wisdom have changed my perspective on his style of writing. I still have a difficult time trying to figure out what he's saying, but I am more appreciative of the perspective that this Jesus is God.
Christianity is weird in the way it claims that there is only One God, but refers to three persons as the Trinity and this Trinity as a single God. Clearly John is referring to more than one person when he writes that the Word (or the Christ/Jesus) was both with God and is God. And then towards the end of chapter 1, the Spirit of God (or Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity) shows up and descends upon Jesus and remains with him. 

I don't pretend to understand all that John is saying, and I certainly don't pretend to understand God. Sometimes I think that God is so big that we simply can't understand nor imagine how big or how grand God is. Looking at the God above us (God the Father), the God among us (Jesus, God in the flesh), and the God within us (the Holy Spirit) might be the only way we can begin to understand that God completely envelops all of creation.

John (the gospel writer) talks about another John (the baptizer) and his encounter with Jesus. John's (the writer) account of the calling of the first disciples is a little different than the other gospel writers' accounts. I don't have a problem with that. We all remember events a little differently as we all have our own perspectives. 

In chapter 2 John writes about the first public miracle of turning water into wine (or grape juice for my well meaning but ignorant evangelical friends) at the wedding in Cana.
John also writes about Jesus clearing the temple of the profiteers and admonishing them for turning the temple into a market place where they cheat those that are coming to sacrifice and worship. Jesus also makes his first prophesy about his death and resurrection -- "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."

I can't come up with anything definitive about heaven and hell, or salvation vs eternal condemnation from these first two chapters. Part of that is that I'm just not very smart. Another part is that I don't think that John meant for us to understand those things just yet. I think he wants us to know that Jesus is not only from God, but is God. That is the perspective we need to have for the rest of his story to make sense.

Chapters 3 & 4 tomorrow.

John

Road Trip!

Does anyone look forward to 12 hrs in the car? It's a little cool for the motorcycle (still below freezing).
I'm not certain that I would say that I'm looking forward to it, but I am not dreading it. I am going to enjoy the alone time through the vast emptiness of Kansas.
It's been a week of people exposure -- maybe not too much, but way more than I've become accustomed to. I've actually been out of the house and around people 4 of the last 5 days. It's like I'm becoming a freaking social butterfly! Or maybe more like a moth that's about to fly into the flame. In any case, it's time to pull up and retreat.

I'll listen to some music, maybe listen to a podcast, make a phone call or two, and mostly drive in the quiet with the highway noise in the background. I should pull into Colorado Springs around midnight and begin a week long visit with our daughter and her critters.

How do you spend your time on the road?
I haven't used audio books because I enjoy reading. I have listened to a few podcasts in the past, but mostly I'm not that cool. I heard there is a big football game today. Maybe I'll find it on the radio and listen for a little while. By this time tomorrow morning I should be fully recharged and ready to interact with a few people if necessary.

Time to get moving.

John

Time to Re-Charge

Tuesday night dinner with our small group, then a couple of hours volunteering at the shelter.
Wednesday afternoon/evening/night spent with a couple of friends.
Thursday night barchurch.

All were enjoyable times and I'm glad we were there, but...
Holy smokes! That's a lot of time with other people!
With the nice weather we've had for the past couple of days I have managed some time to enjoy a couple of cigars on the deck and have most certainly had my quiet times. It's a good thing, too. I sort of envy people that get a charge from being around other people. I don't understand it because spending so much time with others tends to suck the life right out of me.
Maybe that's why I enjoyed working the midshift so much when I was still working. It allowed me to go to work and not be around anybody. It was like bonus recharging time.

I think my outside people exposure is over for the coming days, so I should be able to recover to being my normal leave me alone guy instead of the LEAVE ME ALONE guy that I am fast becoming.

How do you recharge?
Times like this (right now) are good for me -- laptop, coffee, fireplace.
Deck, book, cigar also works.

Times with people can be more or less energy draining depending on the people and the length of exposure. Some events can be pretty energy neutral. Being with some people is almost like sharing energies and that's okay. Some people have an abundance of energy and give it freely. Others are energy hoarders and will suck up everybody's energy that comes near them. 
I suppose we all fall somewhere on the scale of energy takers and givers. As with most things -- I think balance is the key.

John

Did you know...? (stuff about water)

I've been looking into rain harvesting--collecting the rain off my roof into containers to use for watering my garden and flower beds. My roof has both hip and gabled ends and I have a total of five downspouts. I was thinking of 55 gallon drums with added spigots for attaching hoses for each downspout.
The way the roof lines run, one downspout would actually catch much more water than the others, but surely the five 55 gallon drums would be enough, right?

It turns out -- probably not.
For every 1000 square feet of roof surface and 1" of rainfall you can harvest 623 gallons of water! 
No wonder rain harvesting is illegal in many areas that are susceptible to drought. That's a lot of water!

I was having a hard time wrapping my pea brained head around the 623 gallons thing so I thought I'd break it down to something more relatable--one cubic foot. How many gallons in just one cubic foot of water?
The answer is just as mind blowing--almost 7.5 gallons!
Wait! A cubic foot is one and a half times a standard 5 gallon bucket?
Yep. I measured a bucket and the base is about 12" in diameter.

For me, harvesting water isn't that big of a deal since I don't pay for water anyway. We are on a well and the only thing I have to pay for is the electricity to pump the water. Also, we are in an area that gets plenty of rain and the surface area of my roof is but a tiny fraction of the 5 acres we own. Collecting rain water for gardening doesn't really make me more or less self-sufficient than pumping it out of the well. It feels like it should, but it doesn't. 
Once we get our solar panels and battery up (a future project) we'll be much more self-sufficient, but that's still down the road a bit. We have a liquid propane (LP) tank to fuel our furnace, gas range, and fireplace, so unless we make some other conversions, we will still be reliant on the fossil fuel industry. Converting to electric heat would be simple enough, but I really do prefer to cook with gas and the gas fireplace is nice, too. 

Just stuff I learned yesterday.

John

Random Thoughts on Monday Morning

I haven't been very motivated to write lately, at least not motivated enough to organize my thoughts into anything for a blog post. Maybe somebody else could post something for Monday Motivation to help me get out of this writing funk.
Real writers say to write anyway, even if you don't feel like it. Today I'm just throwing out a few random things that I've thought I might write about.

Wordle, Nerdle, and self competition.

According to the game, if you solve the word or puzzle in six tries or fewer -- you win!
So why do we think we haven't done well if it takes us five or six tries? That's a win!
Why do we feel less excited for our win if someone else solved it in fewer tries? Shouldn't we celebrate both wins?
It's weird.

Productivity

I've said that I've become a non-productive member of society. Someone commented that I stay pretty busy with volunteering and church, etc. I really don't. While I do enjoy going to barchurch on Thursdays and church on Sundays, we really haven't gone for in person church very often over the past year or so. My volunteer stuff is generally only one or two days per week and it really isn't that much. Most of my time is spend in solitude. That works for me. It just doesn't do much for society.
Or maybe it is best for society if I keep to myself more!

So what do other people do to be productive members of society? Obviously, our jobs or businesses fill a need in our society. I can't imagine that somebody would pay us for something that wasn't needed or wanted.
What is your daily or regular contribution to society? How are you making a difference?
Consider this a rhetorical question -- sort of. I really would like an answer, but I think it's more important that we each examine that question for ourselves. 
Can I call this thought inspiring question my contribution for the betterment of society for today?

Winter

Have I mentioned I'm not a fan?
I'm trying to be more positive about it and recognize that the season seems to work nature's cycles. I should probably find ways to adapt to the season, as well. Sometimes enduring the season seems like it should be enough, but there isn't much joy in simply enduring. It's kind of like solving Wordle on the sixth and final try -- more like relief than actual joy.
I need to work on that.

Monday Motivation

What have you got for me?
Wait...this is Monday, right?

John

Finding Joy in the Little Things

I'm enjoying my morning coffee by the fireplace today. It's where I begin most winter mornings. It snowed most of the day yesterday and a bit more last night. I looks beautiful outside, but it feels like 0 degrees (-18c) with the little bit of wind. 
The fireplace is a much better option than the deck.

Today's coffee mug is also a reminder of how nice it is not to have to travel cold, snowy conditions to get to work on this wintry morning.
Although the sun is shining today, the high temperature will still be well below the freezing mark. I'm not planning on making a trip into Springfield to work at the cold weather shelter, but I'm glad there are Springfield people that will be there -- both for the normal shelters and for the additional shelters that are opening during this especially cold period of time.

The shelter where I typically volunteer is open to pretty much anyone anyone. We accept both men and women, couple and singles, and we accept pets. Several of our overnight guests have told me that this particular shelter is the one that is a favorite for many of them and there is a bit of anxiety when it comes to signing up and getting assigned to this particular overnight place.
While I am grateful for all of the volunteers at all of the shelters, I am truly amazed by the gracious patience and love that is expressed by the volunteers that I work with directly. I am greatly disturbed that there is such a need in our community. At the same time, I am so impressed by the love and care that is shown by so many volunteers, allies, and donors to seeing that some of the needs of our friends are met each and every day.

Did you know that outside of the US and Great Britain homelessness as we know it really isn't an issue? While poverty certainly exists around the world, homelessness at this scale is somewhat unique to the US. I think it's mostly a cultural thing where other people are more connected to family and community than we are. Perhaps our capitalistic/win at all costs/always be competing attitudes have created an environment where we don't have the time nor the desire to take care of one another. We can't slow down from our quest to be the best and can't be the best if we help those that we perceive ourselves to be competing against.

I don't know how we came to this culture of needing to be better than our fellow humans. I understand the need to be better as in John becoming a better person, but I don't think that needs to mean John being better that anyone or everyone else.
A big part of the problem in a world where we compete against one another is that it is often easier to get ahead by putting (or keeping) others down than by just doing better for ourselves. In athletics we would call it poor sportsmanship. In business we seem to accept it as just doing what it takes to succeed. We don't have to be better than the competition if we eliminate the competition. 
Just as taunting, trash talking, and other forms of poor sportsmanship have become more a part of athletics today, once unethical practices in business, politics, and life in general are becoming more a part of who we are in our communities and culture here in the US. We only want what is best for our individual selves and aren't interested in what's best for our neighbors, our communities, or our country.

The cooperative efforts of the people that work together to bring comfort and care to the unsheltered community in Springfield give me hope. I find joy in partnering with them and truly love the people that we serve. I wish that more people (especially people in government) would realize how much better we all are when we all work together to meet the needs of the entire community.
Wouldn't that be a joyful feeling?

John

Bracing for the Cold

It is going to be cold with the nasty winter weather mix in the coming days. Several inches of "wintery mix" is headed for SWMO. I imagine the stores will be packed with people loading up on the essentials. I am going to have to make a run for coffee as I only have enough for a couple of pots.

While there is a better than average chance that the weather forecasters are wrong by several inches, I am more hopeful that they'll be wrong by several hours and I'll be able to make it home safely from volunteering tonight. The sleet and freezing rain is supposed to start a couple of hours before the morning travel time.
Ugh! 

And while I am worrying about getting home from the overnight cold weather shelter, others will be looking for warm and safe places to weather the storm because they have no homes. There are only a few places where the unsheltered can gather during the day and they will be at capacity in the coming days. A few more churches will be open for overnight shelters in the coming nights to provide shelter for more of the community. 
Wherever you are, if you can help your local shelters with blankets, food, clothes, or monetary donations, please do. We need to take care of one another.

John
#readyforspring