The House You're Building

        Orient  John 6:22-69 Today’s scripture reading is best understood connected to the previous section, so feel free to read the entirety of chapter six if it puts it in context.  In this section, Jesus is able to explain the significance of providing a meal for thousands out of one boy’s lunch.  It is the first of the famous “I am statements,” where Jesus speaks in metaphor to compare Himself to an object to teach his followers about Him.  We also find figurative language where Jesus talks about his salvation in abstract terms.  Following a common pattern we’ve seen, His teaching confuses those who miss the spiritual metaphors in His teaching and as a result, many of His followers leave.  The 12 disciples are first mentioned as the core group that will remain with Christ till the end of passion week.     Introduction I love food!  When I first got married, I didn’t know how to cook ...

  Orient  John 6:1-21 Today’s reading contains 2 of the 7 signs in this part of John’s gospel.  The first, done in a huge crowd, calls us to notice the provision of Jesus and is meant to remind the reader of the Exodus motif-how God provided bread for God’s people in the wilderness.  Next time, we will hear Jesus teach about the significance of His provision. The second sign was made just to his disciples and is more commonly known by its parallel passage in Matthew 14 where Peter asks to walk on water as well.   Introduction I’ve been pretty mentally fatigued lately.  I can’t seem to hold much in my head for more than a few minutes and details get lost in a fog.  Most days when I get in my car, I start driving to work--even if I intended to go to the grocery store!  At lunch last week, a coworker of mine was commenting on finally recovering from pregnancy brain and her son is over a year old.  To some extent, I ...