July 6 - "Living Water"

It is in Christ that some Samaritans discovered the God they worshipped. One of the most striking features of today’s story is that it is Samaritans who are the first to really “get it,” to be fully clued-in. They believe his word; they believe him. Not his astounding feats, to which the Jewish crowds have been drawn, but to Jesus’ words. The Samaritans have heard and believed and, hence, understood that Jesus is not merely a Jewish Messiah, but the “Savior of the world,” echoing Jesus’ own words to Nicodemus: “For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (3:17). 

July 13 - "Washed Feet"

​The foot-washing scene is one of the most well-known stories from the gospel of John. If we asked Christians the point of the story, we’d probably first hear about it being an example of serving one another, especially those who we think are our “lessers.” Some might go further as seeing in the story what it really means to love one another. All this is found in the story. Jesus himself says his washing of the disciples’ feet is an “example” of what the disciples should do. Indeed, it certainly is. But there is an even larger point that we are to led by the opening verses of the story. A close, informed reading of the first three verses helps us to see that this story is first and foremost about the self-revelation of Jesus.

July 20 - "Water into Wine"

​The changing of water into wine is a sign to the power that stands behind the miracle and is, explicitly, a signpost to the identity of Jesus. 

July 27 - "The Giver of Life"

​What is better news than the giving of life? From beginning to end, the Bible reveals that God is the giver of life. Thus, not surprisingly, there are many stories of death overcome, even if only for a time, culminating in the ultimate defeat of death, in the resurrection of Jesus. Paul writes that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). 

August 3 - "Respite"

​ Jesus’ times away were not simply meant for solitude. Rather, these were times to be with his Father and to pray. Jesus, you see, was divine but he was also fully human with the same need for rest or, more pointedly, Sabbath that you and I have, even if we ignore God on this. Sabbath, rest, and prayer are not just for us, they were for Jesus as well. 

August 10 - ​"Healing"

​True healing goes further than our physical ailment to the restoration of relationships. 

August 17 - "Another Changed Life"

​Success can feed our delusions of self-reliance and independence. Wealth and status can cause us to believe our own press, that we actually are kings of the world. But the path of discipleship leads us toward the recognition that we are dependent upon God, that all our treasured stuff and the success that bought it, is a gift from God. This is why many Christians come to true faith in Christ at a difficult time, when it seems that we’ve been afflicted by life, when all our delusions of independence have been shattered.