Why do I see more in the Gospel of John this time than I have seen in the last five times I have read it? I am not reading it alone. I am reading with others in my church. Our church is reading one chapter a day from the Gospel of John over 21 days (see the link in my last post). I am not thinking about particular people in my church as I read, but when I read I am just seeing more. Why?
Maybe I am paying attention better? Maybe I just know that I am not alone. Maybe it reminds me that my Spiritual life isn't just about me, my Bible and the Holy Spirit. I don't know. I do know that following Christ with others is just better.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
In the garden
As a church we are going through a 21 day challenge where we are reading through the gospel of John one chapter a day (http://21daysinjohn.blogspot.com/). This has led me to look deeper at John 15. Jesus' heart for his disciples and his concern for them in his impending departure is clearly evident. He gets them centered on who he is as the vine and who they are as branches. "If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing."
But Jesus must speak to the painful experience of being pruned. The disciples will experience pruning from the hand of the father. That is the cutting back of growth that is not aligned with the father. This can take an unlimited number of forms of sufferings, hardship or set back--at least in our eyes. Yet, the rose gardener knoww that unless the rose bush is pruned, it will choke itself on its own branches and thorns and will never reach its full potential of beauty. It is easy to be the pruner on a rose bush, but hard to be the one under the pruner's scissor. I believe that out of the pain of pruning comes the temptation to disconnect from the vine. That drives Jesus repeated calls for his followers to remain.
He says remain in me and then breaks it down into two categories: remain in my words and remain in my love--remain in my grace and remain in my truth. We remain in his words by listening to his words through our experience of pruning. We remain in his love by obeying (trusting his love through faith), and in particular, obeying his command for us to love one another.
When we are being pruned, it is so tempting for us to disengage and to isolate. Yet, the only way through the experience is faith and faith in action. So, in the pruning season, we must lean into his word even more and lean into our fellowship with others even more. That is NOT easy--yet it is the call to discipleship. We trust the love of the father to allow him to remove parts of our lives without our permission knowing the pruning will make us more fruitful.
Yet, none of us have enough faith for this. When we are in the vine, we are grafted into a community. We must always be on the look out to be sure that no one among us begins to disconnect under the weight of the pruning (Heb 3:13). Depression, addiction, despair, distraction are all awaiting the attention of those who want to avoid the pruning hand of the father. So when we follow Christ in community we are not just remaining in his word for the sake of our own obedience, but we remain in his love for one another, loving each other and reminding one another of the gently, kind hand of the Father.
But Jesus must speak to the painful experience of being pruned. The disciples will experience pruning from the hand of the father. That is the cutting back of growth that is not aligned with the father. This can take an unlimited number of forms of sufferings, hardship or set back--at least in our eyes. Yet, the rose gardener knoww that unless the rose bush is pruned, it will choke itself on its own branches and thorns and will never reach its full potential of beauty. It is easy to be the pruner on a rose bush, but hard to be the one under the pruner's scissor. I believe that out of the pain of pruning comes the temptation to disconnect from the vine. That drives Jesus repeated calls for his followers to remain.
He says remain in me and then breaks it down into two categories: remain in my words and remain in my love--remain in my grace and remain in my truth. We remain in his words by listening to his words through our experience of pruning. We remain in his love by obeying (trusting his love through faith), and in particular, obeying his command for us to love one another.
When we are being pruned, it is so tempting for us to disengage and to isolate. Yet, the only way through the experience is faith and faith in action. So, in the pruning season, we must lean into his word even more and lean into our fellowship with others even more. That is NOT easy--yet it is the call to discipleship. We trust the love of the father to allow him to remove parts of our lives without our permission knowing the pruning will make us more fruitful.
Yet, none of us have enough faith for this. When we are in the vine, we are grafted into a community. We must always be on the look out to be sure that no one among us begins to disconnect under the weight of the pruning (Heb 3:13). Depression, addiction, despair, distraction are all awaiting the attention of those who want to avoid the pruning hand of the father. So when we follow Christ in community we are not just remaining in his word for the sake of our own obedience, but we remain in his love for one another, loving each other and reminding one another of the gently, kind hand of the Father.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
More thoughts on Facebook, part 2
Is Facebook just an extension of how I already view community? If I duck real relationships in person, Facebook will probably become this shallow play land with me in the middle. But if I have built real relationships over time, Facebook could keep me in touch with those real relationships and even suppport the ongoing influence of those relationships in my life.
Take Edwin Tennefoss for example. He just found me and now we are friends on Facebook. Edwin and I met in 1992 when I was learning about God and Christ was becoming more and more real to me. That was the year when Ed and I met and we saw God do amazing things. This is a connection that transcends time. Ed and I haven't been in touch really for fifteen years and he only really knows me from back then. My friendship with him transcends a few seasons of my life.
My connection Ed reminds me how real God is because it reminds me of what God has done in the past when I met Ed. When I interact with Ed through Facebook I am brought back to remember all that I saw God do in, through and with me and Ed that year. That is a good thing if I allow it to be. It could be a bad thing if I allow it to be. Does this mean that Facebook and technology like it is morally neutral?
Take Edwin Tennefoss for example. He just found me and now we are friends on Facebook. Edwin and I met in 1992 when I was learning about God and Christ was becoming more and more real to me. That was the year when Ed and I met and we saw God do amazing things. This is a connection that transcends time. Ed and I haven't been in touch really for fifteen years and he only really knows me from back then. My friendship with him transcends a few seasons of my life.
My connection Ed reminds me how real God is because it reminds me of what God has done in the past when I met Ed. When I interact with Ed through Facebook I am brought back to remember all that I saw God do in, through and with me and Ed that year. That is a good thing if I allow it to be. It could be a bad thing if I allow it to be. Does this mean that Facebook and technology like it is morally neutral?
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