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Day 40 - A bit more than breakfast

Reading: John 21:1-25

There’s a lot going on in this final chapter in John’s gospel.  Fishing, no fish, then lots of fish, an unexpected swim, breakfast and a very important conversation.

It’s Jesus’ restoration of Peter that intrigues me the most. Breakfast is over and Jesus starts to speak.  I wonder whether the disciples had a sense of anticipation every time Jesus began a conversation? Waiting for the next story, challenge or insight.

This time it’s a chat one-on-one with Peter who had let him down so badly just before he was crucified. In chapter 13 Peter has said loudly and emphatically that he would follow him wherever, and lay down his life for Jesus. But he went on to blatantly deny him.  Not just once but three times. And now Jesus is wanting to give him a chance to make amends.

If I want my kids to take in something important I’m saying I usually repeat myself several times.  I’m convinced they know how to nod even when they have no idea what I’ve said! I want to make sure they’ve really heard me. Even if they say, “Muuuum you’ve said that already!” it’s worth doing to make sure they’ve actually taken it in.

Jesus asks the same question three times – Peter do you love me? One for every denial. He gives Peter a chance to make up for each disowning, and to make sure he properly hears that he is restored.

Knowing we can be restored is the most wonderful truth. Jesus offers forgiveness and a fresh start. He restores us from shame, anger, guilt and pain. This is our God. This is the Jesus that the whole of this gospel has been celebrating. 

By way of forgiveness Jesus gives Peter a job to do - feed my sheep. He receives a fresh commission. 

I’m so glad to have given my life to the One who forgives, restores, and then calls me to go on serving him.

Response

Worship Jesus for the forgiveness and restoration that he can bring.  You can receive that from him, right here, right now.

Ellen

Day 39 - The extended biography

Reading: John 20:1-31

Do you enjoy other people’s stories?

I like reading biographies. I enjoy them because they are real life stories. They fascinate me because they add pieces to the jigsaw of my knowledge of history. I’m challenged to be more determined by the accounts that I read. I am warned by them as I see human flaws emerge. I learn from them of mistakes that I should avoid (but often commit). 

But I notice a difference in the biography that continues in today’s verses.

In every other biography I’ve ever read, the account of the individual ends no later than their death.  Certainly, some will provide an analysis of the influence of the person, and that influence may extend beyond their death, but the story of their life ends when their life ends.

But in John chapter 20 we discover the biography with a difference. Jesus lives even after he died. John, the author, doesn’t waste his time arguing that this is true. He knows it because he was there. But he does tell the story of how it influenced and changed some of the disciples in such a way that their lives become evidence themselves.

Mary Magdalene, Peter, John, the remaining nine disciples, and then, of course, Thomas. 

Some of my computer-using friends will jump on the bandwagon of a virus rumour and circulate it to everyone without checking it out first.  Thomas would have brought a dose of cynicism and asked for a reality check.  So I can understand Thomas.  But I also note that in the presence of Jesus, he didn’t need to know all of the answers, because he was in the presence of THE answer.

And the promise for you and me?  Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 

Response

Thank you, Father, for the blessing of belief now before we see Jesus in heaven.

Ian

Day 38 - Faith displaying opportunities

Reading: John 19:38-42

We read today of Joseph’s, up to now perhaps, unseen courage as he approaches Pilate to secure the release of Jesus’ body so that Christ might be afforded a proper Jewish burial.

Accompanied by Nicodemus, Joseph takes Jesus’ body and has it prepared for burial with an amount of herbs and spices equivalent to what would have been the norm for a royal burial.

Joseph and Nicodemus, both members of the Sanhedrin, would have found it difficult to publically support Jesus’ cause openly prior to his death. However their tremendous courage and attention to detail demonstrate that they were clearly aware of the significance of Jesus and wanted to bury him as befitted a king, rather than leaving him out in the open to decay, as was often the case with criminals that had been put to death by crucifixion.

This account really helps remind me that what Jesus experienced was a real death that put an end to his earthly human existence.

We can probably all recall times when we’ve witnessed injustice or situations that have required someone to step in and stand up for what is right.  Joseph and Nicodemus could well have been accused of being a day late, however we know that there was a bigger picture at stake and that they did have the faith and courage to secure Jesus’ body from Pilate when they could have easily just melted away into the background. My prayer is that as we live with Christ’s amazing story on our frontlines we can’t help but have that steadfast faith that displays itself in a very natural way to others around us.

Response

Lord Jesus, you died that I might live forever in your kingdom of peace and righteousness. Strengthen my faith to know the power of your resurrection and to live in the hope of seeing you face to face for ever.

James

Day 37 - Things are not as they seem

Reading: John 19:17-37

My favourite university lecturer, and the most brilliant man I've ever had the privilege to know personally, was a humble, unassuming guy with the unlikely name of John Smith! His office was a jumble store of papers, an administrator’s disaster zone which gave the impression of a life out of control, but which in reality disguised a very orderly mind and a man who was very much on top of his work.

To the casual observer John 19 has all the appearances of a chaotic situation. Jesus is powerless, nailed to the cross, an object of ridicule. And yet, there are lots of little signs that indicate that this situation is far from being out of control. The notice nailed to the cross informs the passers-by that this IS the King of the Jews, contrary to the wishes of the Jewish leaders. The soldiers think they are in charge of the crucifixion, as indeed they are in one sense, but they are also unwittingly fulfilling the prophecies from of old. It’s Jesus who takes charge of the arrangements to see that his mother is cared for, and it is Jesus, ultimately, who gives up his spirit when he is satisfied that the job is done.

From start to finish this passage, despite the surface appearances of chaos, has a strong stamp of God’s sovereignty over events. Things are not as they seem. And what a comfort that is to me, today, when I look around me at scenes of apparent chaos. Whether it is global chaos or the chaos in my own life, I can be confident that, in the words of the hymn, “God is working his purpose out as year succeeds to year.”

One day that purpose will be revealed, and God’s work will be plain to see. It’s a day “that shall surely be, when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.” It’s a day when, once more, Jesus will say, “It is finished!”

Response

Who do you know who would be encouraged to be reminded that God is in control? Why not contact them, and help them find strength in God through this passage or that well-known hymn?

Roger

Day 36 - Getting our own way

Reading: John 18:28-19:16

The account of Jesus’ arrest and show trial may be very familiar to us. Reading this account can be tough because we know what Jesus went through, suffering a fate we all deserved. But through it all we can see Jesus is in control, focussed on fulfilling God’s plan and not flinching from it in spite of what lay ahead.

In our passage today we see the Jewish religious leaders trying to get Pilate to do their dirty work for them and convict Jesus of a crime – any crime – for which the death penalty was prescribed. Over a number of hearings Pilate finds Jesus has not committed any crime, never mind one deserving of the death penalty. But despite being the top Roman official in Judea he fails to exert his authority and eventually hands Jesus over to be crucified.

We may well shake our heads in disbelief at the scheming of the Jewish leaders, seeking to have Jesus convicted of a crime, and culminating in the chief priests saying, “We have no king but Caesar”! Clearly this degree of cruelty is not something we can relate to. And yet the Jewish leaders did not get up that day and decide to have Jesus killed. Their actions had been brewing for many months. I am reminded of the words James writes about temptation and sin: “After desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:16). I suspect we can all relate to those words to some degree. Are we ever tempted to dress up something we want as something God wants to give us – a better paid job? An expensive new gadget maybe? Or anything that makes us look more important to other people? We all try to get our own way at times, in spite of knowing where that can lead. We know God’s way is far better and we know what it cost Jesus to open that way for us. May his Holy Spirit help us to live God’s way.

Response

“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

Chris

Day 35 - Betrayed by a friend

Reading: John 18:12-27

Imagine the feeling of betraying your best friend – not just once but three times, and then realising that it had all been predicted (John 13:38) when you had just declared your undying affection! Then, as if to compound your feelings of guilt, your friend dies before you have the opportunity to seek forgiveness.  We can only guess at Peter’s state of mind – his total desolation, his cry of anguish. “What have I done?” With the benefit of hindsight we know that this is not the end, yet it must have seemed so to Peter. 

I suspect that all of us, in some way, experience betrayal or perhaps remember times when we ourselves have betrayed a friend. It seemed quite harmless, it was ‘only’ a choice piece of gossip, but we allowed ourselves to quietly assassinate a friend’s character. It might even be that we have experienced betrayal within our own marriage or even been the one who betrayed a loved one.  When we look at how it all turns out for Peter we realise yet again how the big picture takes time to be revealed. Only our heavenly Father knows what the future holds. Further on in John’s gospel we learn that Peter is reinstated and his betrayal forgiven. For the Christian, guilt is not meant to burden us for life: it is there to point us towards seeking forgiveness, from God first, and then from any that we have offended. After all, every time we sin we betray our relationship with God, yet he offers us forgiveness again and again through the sacrifice that Jesus made. 

Response

Father, teach us how to forgive as you forgive us. Help us to release those who have betrayed us and set us free from all that prevents us from living life to the full by accepting the grace and peace that Jesus offers.

Peter

Day 34 - Security well placed

Reading: John 18:1-11

One of my school reports once commented, “Victoria will do better when her knowledge and understanding match that of her enthusiasm!” I wonder if Peter’s would have been similar?

In John’s gospel we don’t get the prequel scene written in the other gospels; of Jesus’ agony in the garden of Gethsemane and the narrative of the disciples falling asleep. It makes it more poignant then to read today’s verses in the light of those other accounts. Jesus’ closest friends had not grasped what was about to happen, and in true Peter style he jumps in, both feet first.  We could concentrate on so many things from this passage; Jesus’ obedience to his Father, his willing submission, the dramatic impact on the soldiers as Jesus declares who he is, or the disciples’ reaction to his arrest.  But, reading it I kept coming back to verses 8-9 and Jesus’ compassion for his flawed friends, even in the midst of his agony.

As Jesus faces his earthly enemies in the garden, knowing that he is about to be handed over to the one true enemy and separated from his father on the cross, his priority is the safe-keeping of his disciples. Jesus was fully aware of the suffering he was about to endure and yet his thoughts are for his friends. “That caring heart is our security,” writes B. Miles. “He takes our place, absorbing our guilt and all its implications, that we might go free.”

Response

Regardless of our own failings, doubts or fears, as his stumbling followers, our security is Jesus.  He has chosen to fight for and win our freedom, promising his Father, “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” (verse 9)

Victoria

Day 33 - Pray, pray, pray

Reading: John 17:1-26

When I used to ask my little grandson, “What did you do at church today?” he’d say, “Pray, pray, pray!” One reason to pray stands out for me. Jesus prayed and prayed often. This is Jesus’ longest recorded prayer. Jesus prays for himself, his disciples and for all believers.

Jesus asks to be glorified, not for his sake, but for his Father. Whatever we do, we should do it for God, not ourselves. That should give us the incentive to do it well and to only do things God wants us to do. He talks about the work God gave him to do (verse 4) God has given us work he wants us to do too and equipped us to do it with our unique characters, abilities and weaknesses.

Jesus then prays for his disciples. We are given pointers to discipleship – accept and obey God’s Word; be certain that Jesus is the Son of God, sent by the Father.

Jesus asks for protection for his disciples – from the world and from Satan – a reminder of the unseen, spiritual aspect of our lives. But Jesus doesn’t want his disciples isolated from the world. No, they must remain and be different, living out the truth, which is God’s Word. And as a result they will find joy (verse 13), despite the hatred of the world (verse 14), and they will be sanctified, set apart for God’s use (verse 17), for all eternity (verse 2).

Then Jesus prays for all believers, which includes us. How great is that? Jesus prays for us! The over-riding theme is unity – with God, with Jesus, with one another. To get it, we need to let God and Jesus take control, be in us. Then people will notice the difference and that will point to Jesus. Finally, in verse 26 Jesus promises to continue to help and be in us. He does that in many ways, through the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word and, of course, through prayer.

Response

Pray for yourself. Ask what work you can do for God today and this week. How can you make a difference for God?

Tom

Day 32 - Are you ready?

Reading: John 16:16-33

It seems to me that this passage is part of the biggest and most significant half time team talk of all time. 

Jesus is fully aware of what was facing him and he had begun to prepare the disciples for some difficult times ahead. Indeed, they would face fear as Jesus was arrested, distress and pain as they watched Jesus being crucified, the life-changing experience of the resurrection and later the responsibility of sharing the gospel which would bring persecution and suffering.

As Jesus begins to reveal the bigger plan, the disciples fail to grasp the significance of his words. Their feet are firmly rooted in the here and now and they flounder and struggle with a lack of deeper understanding. “What is he talking about?” is their response, one that is a common human experience.  How hard it is for us to sometimes see beyond the situations that we are currently in.

I take encouragement from Jesus’ patient response, his honest answer that the disciples will know sadness, suffering and hostility, but that a time was coming when they would have direct access to the Father in prayer, a Father who loved them, would answer them and turn their sadness into gladness. Just as a mother forgets the suffering of childbirth, once her baby is born. This picture took me back to the birth of my own daughters. I experienced two difficult deliveries that were immediately forgotten when I held my beautiful daughters for the first time.  I wonder if the disciples looked back on this conversation in later years and suddenly ‘got it’, or if this conversation remained a mystery that they tried to unravel or even struggled with at points during their lives.

Response

May we know the inner assurance that Jesus offers and be able to hold onto it during times of hardship. May we experience the love of our Heavenly Father, and know what it is to receive his peace.  Amen.

Louise

Day 31 - Saying goodbye

Reading: John 15:26-16:15

There are many different ways of dealing with goodbyes – especially when we know it could be a forever goodbye. Some people embrace, cry and hug, whereas others prefer to keep it brief and not get emotional. I remember when leaving my friends in Brazil that many of them couldn’t understand why I couldn’t stay and although I understood why I needed to come back I flew home crying.

Jesus’ followers were struggling to understand why Jesus was soon to leave him. They didn’t understand what he was going on to do and that ‘it is for your good that I am going away’ (verse 7). The reason Jesus could say this was not only because of what he was going on to achieve in his crucifixion and resurrection but because he was promising to leave the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth and testimony and their personal advocate. The disciples were ‘filled with grief’ and struggling to take on board the words of Jesus, or understand the implications of always having the Holy Spirit with them.

I often think what if Jesus was here, forgetting that by his Spirit he is. Although not physically visible this is no less wondrous than having the physical Jesus among us. May you be reminded today that the advocate, the helper, the Holy Spirit is with you and in you, that he wants to guide you into all truth, help you to testify about Jesus and glorify Jesus.

Response

Thank you Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit to help us, empower us, guide us and testify about you. Please fill me with your Spirit today and make me aware of him all day long. Amen.

Andy

Day 30 - Good news, bad news

Reading: John 15:17-25

I remember seeing a herd of buffalo being attacked by a pride of lions. The lions identified the weakest calf and went in for the kill.  The mother of the calf tried to protect her offspring and eventually the rest of the herd joined her, made a ring around her and protected the calf and mother, eventually fighting off the pride.

Hate is a strong word that we tend to avoid using if possible, but Jesus is very open about it (verse 19): “That is why the world hates you.” Why?  Because Jesus has chosen us out of the world.

Jesus starts verse 18 with, “If the world hates you.” It is not inevitable that the world will hate us, but as we read on, it seems to be a very likely thing, so we should not be surprised when it happens.  Jesus is saying, if you’re mine, life will be tough at times – that is the bad news.

The first bit of good news is that there are good reasons for this hate: Jesus has chosen us (verse 19), we are becoming like him (verse 20), and they recognise Jesus in us (verse 21).

Jesus is the light to the world. He shows up the sin that men try to cover up. It’s no wonder, then, that they hate him and a little worrying if we don’t receive similar treatment at times.

The second bit of good news is found at the beginning of the passage (verse 17). Jesus commands us to love one another so that when we are hated, we have a safe and secure place to go, back to family, who will love us, lick our wounds, defend us and provide a secure environment for our recovery.

Are we hated?  Remember Jesus said “If”, but if we are not, is the opposite true? Are we loved by the world instead?

Response

Do we truly provide a loving, secure family environment for our fellow brothers and sisters? This is something we are commanded to do – it’s not an option. How can I do this better?

Guy

Day 29 - “Remain in me…”

Reading: John 15:1-16

The word remain means to abide, stay in the same place or condition, or continue to be.  It also makes us think of words like holding fast, being safe and secure in a position and not letting go. That is the picture that the Lord Jesus Christ portrays to us in this passage about the vine.

I inherited a small greenhouse and a vine when I moved house. I am sorry to say that after many years I have still not learned how to be a vinedresser or have followed the old Pears Cyclopaedia advice on how to train vines so that they look like the beautiful specimens in the Victorian greenhouses at West Dean Gardens. I do not water or feed it, but I do find that a good prune of the branches does produce better fruit. Last year after a vigorous prune in the winter and warm weather in the summer the vine did produce a good harvest of black grapes in September.

In this passage Jesus is the true Vine and we are the branches shooting out in all directions from the main stem. Jesus supplies all the nutrients from deep within to flow up through the branches. The branches depend upon him and the purpose for which the branches exist is to bear fruit. We have to ask ourselves what kind of fruit and how much fruit do we bear? The passage warns us that the vinedresser, God the Father, will prune the branches to produce more fruit but that whole branches will be cut off and removed altogether if no fruit is produced.

It is therefore important that we remain in him (verse 4), that his words remain in us (verse 7), and that we remain in his love (verse 9). We also have to obey his commands (verse 10) and love one another (verse 12). What will be the harvest of that remaining? We will receive answers to prayer (verse 7), know joy in him (verse 11), be his friends and not servants (verse 15) and bear fruit that will last (verse 16).

Response

Let us pray today that we will remain in Jesus and bear much fruit for him.

Susan

Day 28 - Challenges and promises

Reading: John 13:36-14:31

Today’s reading is full of both challenges and promises from Jesus.

We base so much of what we do together as a church on the significance of Jesus’ word when he says:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Also, in today’s passage there are three main questions which Jesus asks different disciples, and I find myself asking how I would answer these questions.

Taking them in reverse order, Jesus asks Philip (14:9-10), “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?”

Essentially, Jesus asks, “Don’t you have enough to trust in me?”

I remind myself that I have more than enough to go on in order to confidently place my trust in Jesus.

Secondly, Jesus also asks a leading question to the disciples together (14:2), “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?”

I read these words and imagine Jesus saying to me, “If there was more you needed to know about heaven, in order to trust me and to not let your hearts be troubled, don’t you believe I would have told you?”

So, I remind myself that Jesus has given enough promises and pointers about the future that I need not live with a troubled heart today.

Thirdly Jesus asks Peter (13:38), “Will you really lay down your life for me?”

I have left this question to last because it is the hardest. I read this question and remind myself of the need to prioritise following Jesus above everything else and to lay down my life for him again today.

Response

Review these 3 questions and offer Jesus your answers.

Ken

Day 27 - Marks of discipleship

Reading: John 13:18-35

I sometimes travel up to London by train on my own and one of the ways I pass the time (often longer than planned due to Southern Rail!) is to look around at my fellow passengers or listen to their conversations and look for clues to try to work out a bit more about them, what they do or where they are going for the day and so on. I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes having read Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories many times over, so maybe I fancy myself as a bit of an amateur detective!

Reading this passage made me think, “What clues are there about us that people around us might see that would mark us out as a Christian?” And I’m not thinking about fish badges on lapels or on the backs of car windows!

The account of Judas and the prediction of his betrayal in this passage shows us that there are certain things that people might naturally assume are good identifying marks of discipleship for Christians:  knowing a lot about Jesus; spending time with  his followers; and  even ministry for Jesus. Of course as Christians we should want to do all these things in whatever form that looks like, but it made me think that others could also do all these things ... after all, Judas did!

Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The early church took Jesus’ command to heart and displayed love as a mark of their discipleship. Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, writing about a century after the gospel of John was written, said that Roman society took note of Christians loving one another and would comment, “Behold, how they love one another!” 

Could the same be said of us at CBC?  Quite a challenge isn’t it, especially as this may well involve loving those in our church family that we find more challenging!

Response

How can we demonstrate our love for Jesus through the way we love one another in our church family? Let’s pray that those looking on are able to say the C21 equivalent of “Behold, how they love one another!” 

Paul

Day 26 - A living parable

Reading: John 13:1-17

On a recent trip to Zimbabwe a very poor family invited us into their home.  They told us what an honour it was to have us there and offered us some of their precious ‘sadza’ (white maize meal) to eat which they could barely afford to share.  Before eating (with our fingers!) they came with bowls of water to wash our hands.  With no running water in the house this precious water was also a gift they couldn’t really afford.

The sadza was bland, sticky and hard to swallow. I don’t like it…what if I get ill… smile Ellen, smile….

But the way in which it was given showed hearts that wanted to serve us as guests. People who had so little wanting to give. I left feeling very humbled indeed. And very challenged.

This passage in John 13 is about servanthood.  Jesus is back in Jerusalem for a final Passover and as part of the meal he washes his disciples’ feet. Jesus is doing here what a servant would do. Foot washing was common practice; on arriving at a home the servants would wash the dirty and dusty feet of the guests as they arrived.

What makes Jesus’ action so extraordinary is that he is their Lord and teacher. No one of such stature would stoop so low as to serve in this way. But Jesus wanted to demonstrate what true greatness is. And he is also demonstrating what his life and death were all about. At this Passover meal Jesus is pointing to himself as the true Passover lamb.  Jesus was to sacrifice his life as the ultimate act of service.

Jesus speaks in verse 15 about giving his followers a pattern to copy. Just as he served others, so are we to serve. To point with our lives and actions to Jesus.

What does it look like us to be servant hearted today? It almost certainly won’t be footwashing, or serving sadza. How can we show genuine love and service to people around us so that they sense and see what our God is like?

Response

Reflect on Jesus’ great example of servanthood and ask him for opportunities to serve him by serving others today. 

Ellen