John #1: The Word, The Life, The Light (John 1:1-5) - a podcast by Rob Woodrum & Others

Have you seen the “He Gets Us” ads?  I really like them, personally. At first I was skeptical, as I tend to be about these sort of things – but looking into it a bit, it’s really grown on me. I poked around their website ( hegetsus.com ) and deeply appreciated what I read.

One quote that really resonated with me was this: “Throughout our shared history, Jesus has represented the ultimate good that humankind is capable of aspiring to. And though some no longer believe in God, most are still compelled by the idea of a person capable of unconditional love for others despite their differences. But many of us simply cannot reconcile the idea of that person with the way our culture experiences religion today. Whether it’s hypocrisy and discrimination in the church, or scandals both real and perceived among religious leaders, or the polarization of our politics, many have relegated Jesus from the world’s greatest love story to just another tactic used to intensify our deep cultural divisions. “

I think it touched me so because it highlights what I perceive as a deep deficiency in the American Church. We need more immersion in Jesus. We are followers of Christ – His words, actions, priorities and values should dominate our thinking on any current issue we face.

That’s why I’ve committed to God that while I still have breath and a place to preach, I’m going to keep coming back to the story of Jesus.

All that to say…we’re going to start a new series this Sunday, going chapter by chapter through the Gospel of John, and I’m beside myself with excitement!

It is vital that we not approach the Gospel of John like a textbook or a documentary. John’s gospel isn’t intended to educate us as it is to introduce us to….well, to God.

John will, in essence, be saying through his account – “If you want to know who God is, or what He is like, take a long look at Jesus.”

That’s what we will set out to do. Through John’s selected vignettes, we will get a different view of Jesus, and a deeper appreciation for what the Gospel is all about.

This Sunday we’ll be reading John 1:1-5, the prologue. Instead of a genealogy or a jump into the action as the other gospels do, John begins with a poem. And what a poem.

What other famous passage of Scripture starts with “In the beginning…”? What significance might that have for John’s account of Jesus?

John begins by talking about the Word – eternal, creator, light and life. He will later identify the Word as Jesus. The Greek word for…well, word, is Logos – and we’ll get into how both the Jewish people and the Greek world understood what logos meant – it’s pretty interesting!

In just the first few verses of this amazing book, we’ll discover hope and wisdom and strength for life…if we look for it in JESUS! I really hope you can join us for this study – any time we take time to look deeply at Jesus, it will be life-changing!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

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