Word Made Flesh:: John 1

You may think that pastors are equally comfortable with all books in the Bible, but not so much. 

The Gospel of John makes me uncomfortable. I much prefer the overlap and safety of Matthew, Mark and Luke ad how they talk about the Jesus story. 

If you're not familiar, the book of Mark is likely the earliest written and its stories are almost entirely repeated in Matthew and Luke. There are subtle shifts in how they tell these stories, but the details are largely all the same in the 3 books. And then John comes in and blows the whole thing up. There are stories in John that aren't in the other 3 books. It tells the stories differently and the focus from the beginning is the divinity of Christ. 

When you read and teach out of Matthew, Mark and Luke the overlap helps you more quickly know where the story is going. You pick up patterns faster because the stories sounds familiar, even when you're in a different book. 

If I'm honest, I like the security that familiar stories offer. I feel more in control when I can anticipate the direction, even when the story itself is uncomfortable. Looking at a story that is largely known in unfamiliar ways throws off my equilibrium. I have to get used to being uncomfortable.

My hope throughout the entire message series on John is that we commit to celebrate the discomfort of it all. Jesus came and brought disruption for the sake of real and lasting peace. We need to have parts of our own lives disrupted so that real peace can ever take root. 

If you feel like you're pretty familiar with the story of Jesus, but are lacking peace in certain areas in your life, then maybe there's a disruption in the story of Jesus you haven't experienced before. I hope you'll join us starting this Sunday!