Connected Christianity

Yet again, I am thankful for the honesty of the disciples. If not for them, we might not have one of the key verses to our faith. I love the disciples because they usually don’t get things at first, and regularly ask Jesus to explain some more.
While Jesus is speaking to the disciples the night […]

Since I have heard and read the story in John 13 many times in my life (and even reenacted once in a church drama), Jesus’ kneeling down to wash the disciples’ feet doesn’t surprise me nearly as much as it did them. Although, one verse does jump out at me as I read it this […]

There seems to be some interesting happenings involving churches and money lately.
The first was news that Senator Charles Grassley (Republican-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate’s Finance Committee, sent letters to 6 of the U.S.’s largest megachurches inquiring about their finances. Since those churches regularly take in millions of dollars with little oversight, Sen. Grassley “wonders […]

Since Christmas Day is almost here, I thought I would take a break from going through John like I have been, and look at the Christmas story. The one that Linus recites in A Charlie Brown Christmas Special that we all know. It’s the first 20 verses from Luke chapter 2, and it’s a well-known […]

Jesus seemed to have both a knack and enjoyment for speaking poetically. Many of his statements, teachings, and parables carried a deeper–some might say hidden–meaning. We would call Jesus’ words rich and colorful, but I think it’s safe to assume that much of his original audience would have thought that he was just plain confusing.
Fortunately […]

I just read about a great new book that’s come out: The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus. The author, Peter Gnomes, thinks that too many “Christians” have appropriated what they think the Bible says instead of just listening to the redemptive message Jesus preached. That’s because, according to Gnomes, if we really listened to what Jesus […]

In John 10, Jesus says that as the Good Shepherd, his sheep know his voice. I find that comforting. When faced with a difficult choice, I really want to make the best decision. My inner struggle goes something like this: “What choice do I make? What would God have me do? I want to follow […]

John 8 has a lot of good stuff in it. The latter part of the chapter is a reminder of how radical Jesus’ message was. Verse 31 points out that he was speaking to “the Jews who had believed him.” He wasn’t speaking to a group of skeptics, but God’s own chosen people. Nor was […]

Here is a brief communiqué from the Taizé Community on a subject dear to that community and to this blog: Christian reconciliation. The writer encourages Christians to meet together regularly (monthly or quarterly) for “vigils for reconciliation”: a worthy goal indeed, and one the Taizé Community supports by posting monthly suggested outlines for such a […]

In John 8, while talking about light and darkness, Jesus tells the Pharisees, “I know where I came from and where I am going” (Jn 8:14). That phrase causes my eyes to light up. How wonderful it would be to fully know where you came from and where you are going. To me that signifies […]