PASTOR'S CORNER

  John 14:12-31   As Jesus continues this time alone with His disciple, we see that a period of leaving is always a painful time of life.   Leaving means: loss, and that stings , whether that be the death of a loved one, or you’re sending your child off to college, or kindergarten, or you’ve lost your health, or your job.  All of these kinds of events, all of these leaving events, they bring uncertainty, they bring vulnerability, they bring pain into our life.  When you’re separated or you leave something, it hurts. And you know that grief comes along with that.   But nothing makes the heart feel better than knowing that help is on the way; especially when you are alone, or you feel that you are all alone.   There is a sense of peace, joy, and a calmness , that overtakes the heart when help is on the way, or when what was leaving returns back.  For example:  The sound of sirens as they approach your burning house, a dist...

  John 14:7-11   The gospel confession is absolutely crucial that we see And that we confess the uniqueness of Christ.   From the beginning of the Christian church , the exclusive character of Christ, the uniqueness of the Son of God, has been at the heart of the gospel confession .  Knowing this, I don’t know about you…. But I find it’s absolutely amazing that we can be so familiar with something, or someone; and yet somehow be ignorant, or insensitive, to those things, and the people around us.   It seems so contradictory to know, and yet not to know, at the same time.   How often have we heard the statement, “I thought I knew everything there was to know about that person? But I’ve discovered I really didn’t know them at all.”  That statement simply reveals that it is possible to know a person, and yet not really notice all of the complex qualities of their personality.   Maybe you struggle with who Jesus is at times...