1 John 2025
season 05, 03.09 | gaslit at the motel 6!
The early Christian church had a problem: there was little organization or structure to flesh out authority and trustworthiness in leadership circles. As a result, some men were coming in and demanding to be listened to and paid well. John lays out two situations for us that go in different directions and help us to understand when we should listen to a leader and when we are being abused, gaslit, or even worse.
season 05, 03.08 | tour guide of gracey grace
Today closes eight weeks of exploring 1 John. We started with a metaphor, John as Expert Witness, and we end with one as well: Tour Guide. John has led us through highlights and things we need to know about Jesus, including the most important thing we can know: how to find real, eternal life through Him.
season 05, 03.07 | easter: he is(n’t) here
It's Easter - we celebrate that Jesus defeated sin and death as we explore the words of an angel that approached Mary and the other Mary at Jesus's tomb: “He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.” Matthew 28:6, NIV. How does Easter demonstrate the way that Jesus breaks through our fear and suffering to give us real life, real peace, the chance to rise above it all and thrive?
season 05, 03.06 | palm sunday: planned resentment
Today we explore the connection between the expectations of the people as they resist the Roman Empire's grasp on Jerusalem, and the timing of Jesus showing up in town. The resentment that boils up from the people in the wake of their expectation of a king that would lead them to a military victory but instead arrives in humility and love leads to the arrest and death of Jesus. What does it mean for us and what does Palm Sunday teach us?
season 05, 03.05 | i remember you
What's in a name? A lot ... whether the name is of a family legacy, a tribute to a loved one past or present, or an aspirational, even biblical name to be lived into. We explore the metaphor John and other New Testament writers use to talk of our adoption as children of God and what it means for the bigger picture of the way that God wants us to be truly free.
season 05, 03.04 | famous last words
Ever think about the final thing you might say in your time on Earth? If you knew the words would be remembered and might leave a lasting impression, even a legacy - what would you want to say? Today we explore the link between the Silent Years and the words of 1 John 2:12-29.
season 05, 03.03 | as jesus did
We push on in 1 John – looking at what he says about orienting our lives around God's commands. When Jesus said that all commands, all laws and rules boil down to loving God and loving others, how did John understand and teach this? How can we exercise love and forgiveness, putting ithers first in a me-first society?
season 05, 03.02 | all of the lights
John, the eyewitness to Jesus's life on Earth continues his letter to a church of people that he loves by encouraging them (and us) that Jesus is light in a world that is so often dark. He challenges us that our patterns and rhythms can lead us closer to that light in meaningful relationship with Jesus; or towards darkness in sinful ways.
season 05, 03.01 | expert witness
We start our look at 1 John together by talking about how credibility comes from someone that has witnessed an event firsthand. John, as an eyewitness to Jesus and his life on Earth, has much to say about the work that Jesus did and that he continues to do. 1 John is a book that gives us an example of love, friendship, and meaningful relationships to not only implement into life, but make a way of living.