ON THE COVER:
John Speaks My Language
by Pastor Ben Cieslik
I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but I do. I
can’t help it. I try to love them all equally but I just don’t
feel the same way about the others. The oldest does hold
a special place in my heart. I love his earnestness and
his intensity. He comes in a close second for me, but at
the end of the day it’s the youngest who always delights
and challenges me. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t fit in
with the other three. His stories are a little quirky, they’re almost otherworldly
sometimes, and yet there are these moments when he can cut through the
ethereal and find a way to really connect with me. I just feel like he gets me. Try
as I might, I’ll just never have the same kind of relationship with Matthew or
Luke, even Mark. John speaks my language.
Between now and Easter we’ll be making our way through John’s gospel. At times
we’ll be moving pretty quickly through big sections of the book. At other times,
particularly in Lent, we’ll be diving deeper and exploring the richness of John’s
witness to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. All along the way I expect we’ll be
confused, challenged and, hopefully, delighted by the God we encounter in these
stories. We’ll encounter a brilliance, a genius that defies our expectations of how
things are supposed to work and invites us to take a look
at the world around us from a different perspective.
We'll encounter
As I think about the world we’re living in, I think there’s
nothing that could be more necessary, a willingness to
let go of our certainty and perhaps begin to see things
differently.
a brilliance,
a genius
that defies our
expectations
of how things
are supposed
to work.
Starting on January 4, I’m going to be offering a time
to engage with this book of the Bible that I love on
Thursday nights. We’ll gather at the Minneapolis
campus from 7:30-8:45 pm. We’ll read and laugh. We’ll
ask questions and wonder about this odd little book. At the end I hope you’ll
begin to love it as much as I do. Please register online at bethlehem-church.org, or
call 612.312.3400. I look forward to encountering the genius of Jesus who comes
to us in this story over the next few weeks.
SAVE THE DATE!
Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities
ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, February 3, 9:30 am at the Minneapolis campus
Join us as we celebrate the past year and hear about what's to come in 2018.
Ministry reports, financials and budgets will be reviewed and approved.
2
God spoke once and all creation came
into being. God spoke again, writes
John, and the Word became flesh. The
angels may have thought it a strange
idea but God’s creative genius knew it
was the best way for us to encounter
the Holy in our midst. Beginning in
January we’ll work our way through
the Gospel of John, learning from
Jesus and listening for God’s Word for
us in this moment of time. The genius
of...
January 7:
John 1:19-34
Baptism
January 14:
John 1:35-51
Invitation
January 21:
John 3:1-21
Surprise
January 28:
John 4:1-42
Worship
Next CONNECT deadline:
January 10, 2017
[email protected]
CONNECT newsletter online
bethlehem-church.org