Hi Church,

This Sunday we continue our journey through the Gospel of John. Last Sunday, I mistakenly referred to the sermon to listen for the introduction last year, the proper date is April 16th. Check it out to learn some of the hopes and intention behind this sermon series. You can also listen to last week’s sermon for some of the “desired outcomes.”

As we move through this series I want to encourage to richly dwell in the Gospel of John. You can do this a couple of different ways:

1. Read and reread the Gospel. We’ll focus on the end of John 11 to the book’s conclusion, but you can fruitfully read the entire thing. You might make it a spiritual practice to read it once a week. Listening to the text counts too! Or watch these videos from the Bible Project. 

2. Consider one of these devotionals or commentaries on the Gospel.

3. Listen to this John-related playlist that Krista put together! 

4. Make a point of tracking with the sermons and the questions we are sharing each week in the enews. Speaking of which, the text this Sunday is John 11:45-57. What do you notice about fear and its role in this passage? 

Biblical scholar Frederick Dale Bruner has argued that John 17, Jesus’ famous “High Priestly Prayer,” is in fact a development on the “Lord’s Prayer” as it is found in Matthew. Bruner concludes this argument by suggesting John wrote Jesus’ prayer in chapter 17 with these connections in mind, in the hopes that his hearers and readers would learn to pray the Lord’s prayer with greater depth. As we journey through this remarkable telling of the Word Made Flesh, may our communion with him similarly deepen greatly. 

Grace and peace,

Peter+ 

PS. The annual COTC Men’s Retreat is this weekend. Please join me in praying for this time to be fruitful and fun for all participants. We are talking about “friendship,” may we grow in friendship with one another and with Jesus.