Heavenly Father, We praise you the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. You have never abandoned your Creation. You have set your plans and purposes in place from the beginning. You have persisted in the revelation of your glory. You are the origin of all life, all truth, and all love. Thank you for the grace that has brought us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thank you for revealing your life and love in Jesus Christ your Son.
He is before us and so we praise you. He is after us and so we aim our lives at Him. We know every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to your glory forever and ever.
You are also present with us: Our good shepherd, the lover of our souls, the author and perfecter of our faith, and the God who saves us.
You are with us in our tears. We have lost the illusion of invincibility. You are with us in our fears. We have lost the thin promises of our self-designed security.
O Immanuel — God with us. Our only assurance — you are behind us and before us and above and below us all the days of our lives.
Grant your church courage today as are scattered to homes and shelters to meet you in that space and to order our lives according to your grace. Grant us the full-bodied maturity of Jesus to acknowledge our own weakness, to mourn with those who mourn, and in the moment to also rejoice with those who rejoice.
We lift up to you places and people ravaged with the Coronavirus and by the constraints of the lockdown: Italy, Iran, India, Ecuador, Spain and New York City. Grant us perseverance and patience to weather this storm with you.
And so we pray together in Jesus Name as He taught us. (Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one; for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Prepared by Craig O’Brien for the Origin Church Weekend Broadcast
To be fair I should tell you what you don’t see in the picture.
What you don’t see in all my beautiful posts from yesterday is that on Sunday, 5 April, something in my soul cracked and my 12 year old told her mother “I’ve never seen daddy cry before.”
My body was wracked by gut-wrenching, breath-stealing sobs that would not be contained.
The dam broke.
I hate covid-19.
I hate the stress of wanting to do better and feeling woefully inadequate for everything that matters because of love:
husbanding-parenting-householding-pastoring-friending-broadcasting-distancing-togethering-financing-interneting-zooming-learning-teachering-homeschooling-discipling-tracking-the-church-that-has-scattered-to-the-four-corners of the globe-goodbying-grocery-shopping-without-getting-sick-and-dying-praying-staying-healthy-securing-the-broken-in-garage-from-more-thieves-teching-wondering-about-parents-who-are-isolating-planning-producing-content-leading-comforting-mobilizing-communicating-partnering-staying-on-mission-serving-my-neighbours-without-making-them-sick-empathizing-and-i’m-supposed-to-do-something-great-in-isolation-right?-comparing-and-knowing-i’m-not-supposed-to-AND-wanting-to-be-an-expert-but-the-only-thing-i’m-an-expert-at-is-being-me-and-i’m-not-doing-that-very-well-right-now-ing.
I’m already sick of all the gurus telling me how to do this. If I get another email from a church specialist telling me or even offering how to do better… Oh wait that’s all I’m getting these days — FROM EVERYBODY! How to do better.
I’m angry about that too.
Enough.
And yet there in the midst of my deluge of grief: hugs from my family; assurances—it’s ok we are all trying; Psalm 46:1 offered by the 12 year old; and “He Will See You Through” from Rhiannon Giddens album ‘There Is No Other’ with Francesco Turrisi. (Listen to it below)
One of the most soul-sucking lies creeping into our minds is the idea that God does not see us. I find the lie at work throughout the Scripture and even in my own life. This lie is particularly damaging when it comes to prayer — the heart of our relationship and conversation with God. The lie must not be allowed to abide. But — have you ever felt that way?
I have and it’s one of the reasons I find encounters like the one in John 1:43-51 so encouraging for our relationship with God.
John 1:43-51
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.“Come and see,” said Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”50Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”51He then added, “Very truly I tell you (all) will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
The Snapshot — Nathaniel’s Testimony
This snapshot begins with Jesus getting ready to leave the Jordan and head back to Galilee. The discipleship moves abound! Some of the new friends of Jesus are going to go with him. And Philip looks for Nathanael so he can come too and get to know the Messiah. But Nathanael is a skeptic so he questions — “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
I love Jesus. You know it’s “to the glory of kings to overlook an offence!” Jesus skips the insult and goes right to the heart.
“Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Ha! With Nathanael what you see is what you get. If he opens his mouth he is going to let you know what’s in there.
And God He knows what’s in there.
That’s what makes Jesus’ response to Nathanael’s question so dramatic and awe-inspiring. Nathanael asks, “How do you know me?” and Jesus answers, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
Now Nathanael had not found a quiet spot under the fig tree just to sleep. He was probably there to pray, to have a conversation with God. And here’s Jesus making the claim — I saw you there. I know you here. And now Nathaniel’s whole view of Jesus is shifting. He declares, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
Jesus affirms Nathanael’s faith saying you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” And then He added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Jesus’ words remind me of Jacob’s experience in Bethel. (Genesis 28:10-22) Jacob was on the run to seek security needed because his deceitfulness had enraged his brother Esau. At Bethel God shows up in a dream as he sleeps. A stairway between heaven and earth is shown to Jacob at his head. The messengers of the LORD are going up and down it. The LORD speaks to Jacob right there saying “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you where you go, and I will bring you back to this land I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Jacob’s experience tell us “He sees you when you sleep.” Nathaniel’s experience tells us He sees you when you pray.
Let’s put Jacob’s history together with what Jesus just told Nathanael. This is amazing. Jesus is telling Nathanael you are going to see greater things than me just seeing you when you pray because I open up the kingdom of God of earth. Jesus is not just the King of Israel — He is the King in the Kingdom of God through which all nations will be blessed.
I believe the Apostle John is telling us Nathaniel’s testimony because he wants us to know that The King has come and it’s Jesus. Not only that — The King Jesus — He is God — He sees you when you pray. He knows what’s in your heart.
Prayer in the name of Jesus is not a exercise in futility or just self-improvement. Prayer is the participatory prelude to seeing the kingdom of God on earth. He knows us and has grace for us. He sees us and opens heaven to converse with us. No matter where you are praying He is with you. If you are on the Coronavirus frontlines or in the Coronavirus self-isolation He sees you, He is with you.
He sees you when you pray.
Let’s pray!
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come, your will be done — on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one; for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a part of the movement Jesus started. If you are new to this movement you may have heard church people talk about discipleship.
A disciple is literally a student-follower. When we talk about discipleship we are not talking about life in a classroom. Rather we are talking about a life in relationship with Jesus — in real time and in real life.
The text for today is John 1:35-43 — Pause now and read it.
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39 “Come,”he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon
.40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which when translated is Peter).
This passage has all kinds of discipleship moves:
John has disciples; but he keeps pointing to Jesus: “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples then leave John and follow Jesus. Jesus turns around and sees them following and asks, “What do you want?” The two disciples call him Rabbi and ask, “Where are you staying?” Jesus says, “Come and you will see.” Jesus spends the day with them. One of the disciples, Andrew goes to find his brother, Simon. Andrew announces the possibility that Jesus is the Messiah they have been expecting. Andrew brings Simon to see Jesus. Jesus looks at Simon and says, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated is Peter).
So many discipleship moves here. For the Church in the world we keep pointing to Jesus. We are not looking for disciples for ourselves. We are actually discipling people to Jesus. Jesus is The Disciple-Maker. I believe Jesus is still doing what he does in this text and we get to be a part of it.
Three Discipleship Moves we make with Jesus
Jesus keeps asking: “What do you want?” — This is the first direct word we have from Jesus in the Gospel of John. A question: What do you want? Every disciple of Jesus must answer this question. Do I really want to be with Jesus. What are the desires and affections of my heart?
Jesus keeps spending time with people: He invites those who wonder about Him and what He is up to in the world, to “Come and see.” — Every disciple of Jesus must settle into being with Jesus and being where Jesus is taking them in the world.
Jesus keeps changing lives: Every disciple of Jesus must be in relationship with the One who can change their character from shifting sand (this is what the name “Simon” portrays) to being a person with a rock-solid and well defined core (this is what the name “Cephas” or “Peter” portrays).
As friends of Jesus we keep pointing people to him. Sometimes they must “leave us” to follow Jesus for themselves. We may experience some grief in that. But, we can rejoice because we are together in the Fellowship of the Lamb. That’s what its like to really be the church. We must always anticipate and rejoice in the allegiance of each disciple to Jesus. It’s this freedom in discipleship that calls the church back from being cultish, controlling and toxic. It’s this movement in discipleship that spreads the Gospel around the world and in each generation.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, We come to the fellowship of Jesus the Lamb by your invitation. Thank you for this grace. Transform our lives and make us solid people who are able to join you in the life-changing movement of redemption and love. We want to be with you! Grant us the courage and the capacity that John the Baptist had to treat people as friends who belong to Jesus.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Take time now to write your own prayer and response to God from this text.
When it comes to the things of God, God must reveal Himself. He is doing this all the time. Often we miss Him, and we need someone to point and say — Look!
Here’s our text for today: John 1:29-34
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”
John the Baptist is pointing to Jesus with humility and hope. He is clear. John is a faithful prophet. He is fulfilling the work of God by testifying to what he has seen.
Each statement by John about Jesus deserves more reflection, but for now let’s capture them and see them with John. Every statement from John’s mouth is packed with power to disrupt the mind and heart.
These would have been disturbing statements to declare about anyone. Remember John is on the other side of the Jordan from Jerusalem. He is on the fringes and folks have been coming out to him to see what’s going on. Now the pinnacle of what’s going on from his perspective is about to happen.
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look…” So let’s look with John the Baptist. Look!
Look! Jesus is The Lamb of God.
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (verse 29)
Look! Jesus is the one who “was before me.”
“This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” (verse 30)
Look! Jesus had to be revealed to John and now Jesus is being revealed to Israel.
“I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” (verse 31)
Look! Jesus has the Spirit of God abiding with him.
“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.” (verse 32)
Look! Jesus is going to baptize people with the Holy Spirit.
“The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” (verse 33)
Look! Jesus is God’s Chosen One.
“I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (verse 34)
Wow! John says that when we look at Jesus the man, we see the preexisting one, coming from God according to His purposes, to sacrificially offer Himself and take away the sin of the world and then He will include people in the communion of God by baptizing them with the Holy Spirit!
Wow!
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father,
Oh how we need your revealing work to continue! Come Holy Spirit and disrupt our dark minds and hearts. Let our minds be shaken to consider the glory of Jesus again. Let our affections be disturbed that we might embrace Jesus fully. Oh Lord we would see Jesus and receive Him as the Lamb of God — take away our sin. We would receive Him and the gift of communion with You. Immerse us in your Spirit that we may see and testify of Jesus as well. Thank you for granting this grace to us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Take a moment to pause and write your own prayer of response to God.
