Reading John

As the calendar turns over to mark the start of a new calendar year, inside our congregation we make a turn also. Our worship at The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church is guided by the Narrative Lectionary, a selection of Scriptures that take us through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation over a four-year period. Each fall we immerse ourselves in Old Testament texts that guide our worship. And at Christmas time we make a turn, entering into one of the Gospels. This year, our Gospel is the Gospel of John. John’s Gospel will remain our focus until just after Easter. 

John’s Gospel offers a shocking alternative to the day-to-day life-taking that many of us endure in real-time through violence, loss of life, demeaning words, health issues, financial strain, or chronic stress. Others of us are exposed to life-taking by proxy through news streams and social media. Either way, whether we realize it or now, we are impacted.

Thankfully, John points to another way, a much better way, a way of Light and Life through Jesus. 

Jesus brings light, he does not extinguish it.

Jesus brings life to all the earth and all people.

Jesus is Light and Life in a world that knows death all too well. When he was a young child, Mary and Joseph fled with him to Egypt because King Herod, the ruler of the time, wanted to kill Jesus – to take Jesus’ life. Herod was a jealous ruler, a self-centered ruler, and one who feared of anyone who might challenge him for the throne. In his anger and fear Herod killed many young children. (See the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2 for the full account.) 

But visitors to Jesus, Mary and Joseph – the magi – took action to preserve life. It seems we, like the magi, are given the opportunity to set our intentions in this New Year to do the same – to follow Jesus, and to bring light, and preserve life (all life, and all lives, for God loves the entire world, John tells us in John 3:16!!) in Jesus’ name. 

If you are seeking light and life, if you are seeking Good News, I invite you into the Gospel of John. Join us weekly here on this site for an exploration of scripture each Friday, in worship on Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary, or at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoons and/or 6:30 p.m. on Monday evenings for Bible study. Or set aside some time to read through the Gospel of John on your own, or play it through an app for Scripture. However you enter into it, the Gospel of John offers the Light and Life of Christ to a weary world. What a wonderful gift for the New Year, and for these winter months ahead!



Jaime Clark-Soles offers a most simple prayer in her book Reading John for Dear Life. It goes like this:

God of life, light and love, help us to know your truth, the truth that sets us free.

Jesus who is Light came for you that you might have Life.

Blessings on your New Year!