As Jesus begins his public ministry, he is approached by two disciples. He asks a deceptively simple question: “What are you looking for?” At one level, the question asks why they are walking after him. But fundamentally, this is the existential question asked of any potential disciple: What do you seek when you come to follow Jesus?
Worship with Holy Communion this week: Saturday 5:00 p.m. in the chapel
Sunday – 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship
9:30 a.m. Sunday School/Adult fellowship
10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship
January 4-5, 2014
John 1:35-51
Key Verses: “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’” John 1:35-36
Time: 27-30 CE
Background: The book of John begins with John’s testimony about Jesus. John was preaching repentance and baptizing in the wilderness when Jesus began his ministry. Some of John’s followers began following Jesus.
A key point in today’s reading came when new followers asked Jesus, “Where are you staying?” or “abiding”? In the reading, Jesus invited a number of disciples to follow and abide with him. The more time people spend together, the more they begin to emulate one another. By abiding with Jesus, the disciples were being invited to learn to emulate Jesus in a most intimate way. We too, can emulate Jesus in intimate ways when we abide with him.
Community: What group or groups of people in your community influence the behaviors of your community? Are these influences positive or negative? What could you do to impact the group or groups in a positive way?
At Home: In what ways do you abide with Jesus? How do you emulate him? How much time do you spend with Jesus throughout your week? What could you do to set aside more time simply to abide with Jesus this week?
Read This Week:
Monday, Jan 6, Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel, Psalm 66:1-5
Tuesday, Jan 7, Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel, Psalm 66:6-7
Wednesday, Jan 8, Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel, Psalm 66:8-12
Thursday, Jan 9, Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel, Psalm 66:13-15
Friday, Jan 10, Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel, Psalm 66:16-19
Saturday, Jan 11, Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel, Psalm 66:20
Next Week: Sunday, Jan 12, Wedding at Cana, John 2:1-11
