DWELL: John 9

This Sunday we head back to the chapters we've missed in John, when Jesus spent a long night in conversation with his disciples, after the last supper and before his arrest in the garden. When we don’t know where we’re going, we need a map or a guide. In John 14, Jesus will assure his followers that he is the way, truth, and life. Plus he will introduce the third member of the Trinity as their new guide—and ours as well.

We’re at the final chapter of John, but not the final week of our Dwell series just yet. There are a few chapters we skipped that we’ll go back and read in May. Today in John 21, we peek in on a conversation between Jesus and Peter, and it’s all about second chances. Our goal is to find encouragement in Peter’s story: knowing that Jesus always sees more in us than our lowest moments. He knows our potential and offers us a second chance at living into our true purpose.

It’s a day to celebrate: resurrection is here! Today we get to the culmination of Jesus’ life on earth: the empty tomb, the defeat of death, the start of something new. We’ll walk through the wonder with the first witnesses of this miracle. And we’ll give ourselves permission to be as baffled as the disciples were—because sometimes taking in the mystery of Jesus takes time. Studying John 20, we’ll look at Jesus’ caring interaction with each person, meeting them in the learning styles that fit them best. We’ll also find reassurance that Jesus still shows up where we are today to help us grow in our own belief.

Today we arrive at the darkest part of Jesus’ life on earth: the cross. Yet as we've read throughout the book of John, we know that this was, indeed, Yahweh's plan all along. Through artists and authors and the pages of history, we'll still find glimmers of light that shine in all the darkness. Today we’ll be reading the end of John 18 through John 19.

We welcome one of our elders, Steve Carr, will bring our Sunday message as we view the journey of two of Jesus’ followers, the decisions they made, and how it impacted the rest of their lives. We’re jumping ahead to Jesus’ arrest in John 18 this week to stay in step with Jesus’ final week and our own Easter preparation. Don’t worry: we’ll return to a deep dive on Jesus’ formative words in John 14-17 after Easter. 

In John 13, Jesus shocks his disciples with the lowly task of washing their feet at the Passover meal, and the meaning goes deeper than we might expect. We’ll also sit in Jesus’ perspective for a bit, as he anticipates the hurt to come by two of his closest friends.On this fifth Sunday of the month, we welcome Echo Kids in elementary school to stay with us through our full worship service this Sunday.

It was a lot for people to grasp back then—it’s still a lot now. Yet we’ll try to connect some dots for ourselves so that we can see the seeds Yahweh planted long, long ago are still growing in our own lives today.

How do we grieve as people who have hope? We can learn by looking at the example of Jesus, Martha, and Mary in today’s story of death and resurrection. We’ll be studying John 11, the seventh and final miraculous sign that this gospel reveals from the ministry of Jesus.

This week's study from John 10 is about warm and fuzzy sheep. Yet there are layers of hidden messages within Jesus' words, offering hope to some and reproach to others.Come sit in the hopeful message of Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

In today’s Scripture study of John 9, we see Jesus heal a man in another wondrous sign, while the surrounding religious leaders are poised to attack everyone involved. The debate leads to a conversation about those who can truly see. We’ll consider Echo’s value of Commission and how we are being sent as a church to share Jesus’ light. Stay til the end to hear a special challenge to encourage our missions partners.