Taking Up With John’s Gospel

Dear Caldwell,

As Lent continues into March, we give thanks for Gail’s four-part sermon series and pivot from our new favorite minor prophet, Habakkuk, to begin a walk with John and his Gospel that takes us to Palm Sunday.

Personally, I love John for its use of symbols, signs and metaphor. The so-called Fourth Gospel gives us a look at God in Christ that stands in its own light, apart from the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). Tonight at the Preachers’ Porch, we will take a look at the passage in John that many of us learned as children, John 3:14-21, which includes the familiar “For God so loved the world ….” Let’s talk about what that perhaps-too-familiar passage says to us in these days and whether we can still hear it in fresh ways that put us in touch with God’s deep desire to be with us and for us.

As for our life together beyond the Porch, we have an unusual opportunity. For more than a decade, an organization named NEXT Church has helped lead Presbyterians in ground-breaking ideas and community-building focused on bold mission, rich worship and progressive theology. Each year, the NEXT Conference is a highlight for the staff and several members have also attended over the years.

If there is anything good about this pandemic, it is that this year we can all “go” to the conference for free! It’s full of great workshops and speakers focused on many things Caldwell cares deeply about, including a keynote by Rev. Lenny Duncan, whose book, Dear Church, many of us read together a year ago. The conference spans this Friday and Saturday. Take a look at its program here and register if you’d like to drop in on any of the happenings. Again, it’s free!

Shavon

On Sunday, we will ALL go to the conference’s concluding worship – in lieu of our own. Charlotte’s own Rev. Shavon Starling-Louis, pastor at Meadowlake Presbyterian, will preach. I’ve come to know her through our sharing the leadership of the Presbytery’s Anti-Racism Ministry Team and can testify to her wise teaching and strong preaching. I am sure the worship service will include other elements that will stretch us in good ways. Watch for the links to this worship service later this week.

On Thursday this week, Anne Hunter Eidson leads Vespers. I’m told something special is in the works in lieu of the Porch next week, so stay tuned for more word on that.

Meantime, let us hold each other up in prayer. Sometimes we know what our siblings in Christ are going through. Other times, we do not. What we do know is that we all need the comfort and assurance our Lord provides, which comes though the Spirit and our life together, even when we are apart. As Gail told us Sunday, that is a “yet praise” we can offer in every circumstance.

Thanks be to God.

In Christ,

John