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Jun 2019
John likes symbolism, as even a surface reading of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ will readily show. But John’s Gospel has its allusions and symbols too. One of these we find in the jaw-dropping declaration of John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The word “dwelt” in this verse (Greek, σκηνόω) wants to pull us back to the Old Testament wilderness wanderings of Israel where......
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May 26, 2019
A New Creation, A New Garden
“In the beginning was the Word,” is the sublime opening sentence of John’s Gospel. Like the beautiful, yet anxious, faint opening notes of Beethoven’s Ninth symphony, they can barely hold themselves back from the glorious...
May 19, 2019
A Bigger Jesus: Introducing the Gospel of John
Last month (April 27, 2019) my wife Mary and I – along with our grandchildren Jacob and Bella – witnessed the most significant event to occur in Somerset Massachusetts in the last hundred years: the...
May 06, 2019
Does Less = More?
We all know the feeling. We’re driving down the road and a red ‘dummy’ light illuminates the dashboard. It looks like a child’s drawing of an engine. Fun! So, you call your mechanic; ‘Bring it...
April 29, 2019
Ten Distractions to Watch Out For!
This week we’re thinking about things that can keep us from experiencing the “newness of life” which the Apostle Paul says belongs to us as those who have died, been buried and are now risen...
April 08, 2019
Considering Jesus, Our Passover Lamb
Our blogs usually focus upon issues of practical discipleship: ‘How can I more effectively follow Jesus?’ But, as we approach Holy Week – Palm Sunday is just days away – I’d like us to turn...
April 01, 2019
Spiritual Relapse
A few weeks back, our brother Chris Dulude sent me an essay he’d written about a recent spiritual struggle. He’d noticed some distance creeping in between him and his Lord. I found the piece so...
March 25, 2019
The Shoe Factory
There’s an illustration I heard many years ago. I’m sorry, but I don’t know who wrote it. It tells the story of shoe factory and it goes something like this … Imagine that there’s a...
March 18, 2019
Puzzled Looks from Inside the Warehouse
If you love God’s Word – I mean really love it – you have no doubt encountered other Christians who are decidedly less enthusiastic about it than you are. They may love the fellowship and...
March 11, 2019
Stealing Beauty from True Christian Giving
I love the way Paul speaks to the Corinthians about their participation in the collection he was taking up for the impoverished saints in Jerusalem: “I am not saying this as a command, but I...