April 16, 2023 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 20:19–31
We will continue in John this Sunday with John 20:19-31. This passage picks up on Sunday evening, the same day that Jesus called Mary by name and sent her to tell the disciples that she had seen Him. Poor Thomas wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came to them that Easter evening. We have no idea where he was. He could have been out on a walk, or getting a bite to eat. All we do know is that he wasn’t there. When the other 10 disciples told him that they had seen Jesus, he said that he wouldn’t believe it until he had the same chance they had to see him. Thomas wanted to see and touch Jesus, the places where the nails had gone through His hands.
This passage has given Thomas the nickname “Doubting Thomas.” I don’t think that’s quite fair, but there’s no changing it at this point. If nothing else, this passage shows us that there is no shame in having doubts. It’s not dangerous or wrong to ask questions. Christianity is not a leap of blind faith. It is a belief in real events that have been attested to by eye witnesses. This Sunday is for the skeptic, for those who want clear facts and realities in order to believe. After all, as an old professor of mine would say, “The heart cannot rejoice in that which the mind rejects as false.”
He is Risen!
April 9, 2023 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 20:1–18
We will continue in John this Sunday with John 20:1-18 – the resurrection! We get to see the very initial discovery of the open tomb, a foot race to go see it, and a faithful woman who lingers, looking for Jesus, only to be commissioned as the very first person on earth to tell others that He is risen. We are going to dig into this passage to see what God’s Word calls us to
It Is Finished
March 26, 2023 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 19:17–42
This Sunday we continue the passion story with John 19:17-42. John was the only one of the twelve that was with Jesus all the way through the crucifixion. This passage us brings us up close to the scandal and glory of the cross. Matthew recorded that Jesus “cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” John was close enough to hear that Jesus said, “It is finished.” This Sunday we will explore the question: what, exactly, is finished? What did the cross accomplish? Why did Jesus have to die, and why is this seen as his glory in John?
The Glory of King Jesus
March 19, 2023 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 18:28—19:16
This Sunday we step back into the Gospel of John with John 18:28-19:16. After Jesus was arrested in the dark of night, betrayed by Jesus and abandoned by Peter, He was eventually sent from the High Priest’s house to Pontius Pilate. Pilate was the Roman governor responsible for maintaining order in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. And so Jesus was pulled before the governing power of the city. The one whose followers and friends had identified as the Messiah, the Christ, the one in the line of David whom God had promised and had finally come to deliver God’s people, now stood trial.
This passage shows us the clash of two kingdoms with stark clarity. Throughout it we can see that the glory of Jesus is not the same as the glory of humanity, that the kingdom of Jesus is not the kingdom of this world, and that the call of citizens in one kingdom do not have the same values or ends as the other.
Arrest & Betrayal
March 12, 2023 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 18:1–27
The hour has finally come. Jesus and His disciples crossed the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives. They settled into a familiar place, a garden called Gethsemane. Among the olive trees on the hillside, in the dark of night, a group of guards and soldiers arrived, led by the one Jesus had dismissed from dinner, Judas Iscariot. They came to arrest Jesus.
There are only a few details that all four Gospels contain. One of the most prominent is Peter’s actions that night. Peter first tried to defend Jesus, taking a swing at the High Priest’s servant, who John identified as Malchus. And what unfolded next as Jesus was put on trial in the dead of night, was exactly what Jesus told Peter would happen. A nearby rooster crowed in just as Peter denied Jesus for the third time in rapid succession. This is Peter! This is the rock on whom Jesus said He would build His Church. How could he possibly deny even knowing Jesus? This week is an important look at what gets us off track in our own lives as we follow Jesus and, ultimately, provides hope for the times we fail, too.
The High Priestly Prayer
March 5, 2023 • Pastor Bill Riedel
This Sunday we stepped back into the Gospel of John with chapter 17. This chapter is commonly referred to as “The High Priestly Prayer.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke all emphasize Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane in their Gospels, and the failure of the disciples to stay awake with Jesus. John gives us a view into a prayer that Jesus brought to the Father before entering the garden.
It is profound that we get to listen in on Jesus’ final prayer before His betrayal and arrest, the same prayer that His disciples heard that night. In it we see Jesus plead to the Father for Himself and God’s glory, for His disciples, and then for those who will believe in Jesus through the word of His disciples. That’s us! On the night Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He prayed for the Church, all who would believe the testimony of His followers. It’s a prayer we need to hear and to take seriously as we join Jesus in praying for the same things.
The Work of the Spirit
February 19, 2023
This week we get back into it with John 16:1-15. This chapter brings us directly into the night that Jesus was arrested and betrayed. After sharing a Passover meal with His disciples, and dismissing Judas Iscariot, Jesus took time to teach and care for His friends. This “Farewell Discourse” captures Jesus love, care, and hope for His followers. In our passage for Sunday, Jesus talked explicitly about the Holy Spirit, the One He would send as a Helper for the disciples.
The Holy Spirit can feel mysterious and confusing to many of us. For Jesus, the Spirit is the greatest gift that he could possibly send. It is the Holy Spirit who exposes our need for a Savior, who opens our hearts, minds, and ears, and who indwells us with the presence and power of God. This Sunday we will take time to consider the work of the Holy Spirit in our world and in our lives.
Don't Fall Away
November 20, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 15:18—16:4
As Jesus continued His final teaching to His disciples, called the Farewell Discourse, He had just finished a powerful metaphor of the Vine and the Branches, and He called His disciples His friends. Now, in John 15:18-16:4, Jesus makes it clear that following Him is not going to be easy. In fact, after His departure from them, the disciples’ lives are going to be much more difficult. He warns them with the explicit purpose that they won’t fall away. This is a good and timely passage for us. Deconstruction is a major issue right now. If you feel weak, or you’re wrestling with doubts and fear, my hope is that God will speak to your heart directly as we spend time together on Sunday.
Jesus is the True Vine
November 13, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 15:1–17
This Sunday we will continue in our series in John’s Gospel with John 15:1-17. In it we will see the way that Jesus used a powerful and memorable metaphor of the Vine and the Branches. We have a tendency to root ourselves into all kinds of sources of life and encouragement, but Jesus is the true vine. We will explore together what it means to remain or abide in Him.
The Holy Spirit
November 6, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 14:12–31
As the Farewell Discourse continued, Jesus told His disciples that when He left them, they would do even greater works than He had done. That’s a big task! Don’t forget all that they had seen Jesus do. The call to do the Father’s works isn’t left to the disciples to figure out and do on their own, though. Jesus promised that they would have the power and help of the Holy Spirit within them. We will take time on Sunday to see the beautiful calling we have to step into the life and work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Way
October 30, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 13:36—14:11
After calling His disciples, from the very beginning, to follow Him, Jesus now tells them that He is going to a place they cannot follow. Peter, Thomas, and Philip are all confused. Their questions and pushback are helpful for us as we try to understand what it means to follow Jesus.
The Mark of the Christian
October 23, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 13:31–35
This Sunday we begin what is called “The Farewell Discourse” in John. After Jesus washed the disciples’ feet and Judas left the room to go and betray Jesus. These are the final teaching Jesus gave His disciples on his final night with them. These passages contain some of the most important teachings of Jesus, and John recorded it for us. This section has been loved and held by Christians across every context and culture for the last two millennia. I am so excited to begin it together as we look this Sunday at: The Mark of the Christian: Love.
Jesus, Lord & Servant
October 16, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel
After Jesus identified Himself as the Light of the World, who will draw all people to Himself, we see the One who created and sustains all things get down to His knees to wash His own disciples’ feet. All the way through John’s Gospel we have seen different aspects of who Jesus is, like facets of a prism. This passage shows the glory, beauty, and brilliance of Jesus as both Lord of all and Servant of all.
Light into Darkness
October 9, 2022 • Pastor Bill Riedel • John 12:44–50
Chapter 13 takes a turn to the passion of Jesus, taking us into the upper room on Thursday evening as Jesus and the disciples celebrated Passover together. Before we turn to that part of the Gospel, though, we see Jesus cry out. These few verses seem to give a summary of all that has come up to this point in John's Gospel. The world we live in is dark. It is confusing, impossible to navigate, and we stumble our way through most of our lives. Jesus is the hope we have to bring light to the darkness, clarity to the murkiness, and hope to the hopelessness.
