As we embark on our Lenten journey, we begin by reflecting on the Gospel of John, which opens with the profound declaration that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This passage sets the stage for understanding Jesus as the light that shines in the darkness, a light that the darkness cannot overcome. Lent is a time for us to step into a metaphorical wilderness, much like Jesus did for 40 days, to reflect, simplify, and restore our connection with God. It is not a period of guilt or shame but an opportunity to pause and consider where God is leading us next.

The Gospel of John, written between 80 and 100 CE, offers a unique perspective on Jesus' life and mission. Unlike the synoptic gospels, John presents a different format and content, emphasizing the universal truth of Jesus' life and its implications for us today. A central theme in John is the concept of salvation and atonement, exploring how Jesus restores our oneness with God. One key theory is the incarnation, where Jesus, by becoming human, brings salvation and forgiveness, restoring our relationship with God.

As we delve into John's Gospel, we are invited to consider the darkness that Jesus' light overcomes. This darkness is not just evil or despair but also represents our lostness and disorientation. Jesus, as the light, offers hope, direction, and comfort. John the Baptist, a forerunner to Jesus, calls us to prepare for Jesus' coming, challenging us to be ready to follow Him.

Each disciple in John's Gospel has a unique title for Jesus, reflecting their personal connection and understanding of Him. This invites us to consider our own relationship with Jesus and what He means to us. Are we ready to follow Him, and what aspect of Jesus resonates most with us?

Eternal life, as presented in John, is not just an afterlife promise but a present reality. It is about living with God now, free from the fear of death, and experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. This understanding compels us to invite others into this life-giving relationship with Jesus.

As we enter Lent, let us embrace simplicity and restoration. Instead of giving something up, consider adding practices that draw us closer to God, such as joining a Bible study or serving others. Our church offers various opportunities for reflection and connection, including meditative prayers, conversation areas, and prayer stations during Holy Week. Let us journey together through John, listening to what Jesus, the Word, has to say to us today.

**Key Takeaways:**

1. **Lent as a Wilderness Experience:** Lent invites us into a wilderness space, a time set apart for reflection and restoration. It is not about guilt but about pausing to see where God is leading us next. This period mirrors Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness, offering us a chance to reconnect with God and simplify our lives. [00:45]

2. **Understanding Salvation and Atonement:** The Gospel of John challenges us to explore the concept of salvation and how Jesus restores our oneness with God. The incarnation is one way Jesus brings salvation, by becoming human and living among us, offering forgiveness and a holistic relationship with God. [05:30]

3. **Jesus as the Light in Darkness:** Jesus is the light that overcomes darkness, offering hope and direction. This darkness represents not just evil but our lostness and disorientation. Jesus' light provides comfort and guidance, inviting us to follow Him and find our way. [08:15]

4. **Personal Connection with Jesus:** Each disciple in John's Gospel has a unique title for Jesus, reflecting their personal connection. This invites us to consider our own relationship with Jesus and what He means to us. Are we ready to follow Him, and what aspect of Jesus resonates most with us? [11:24]

5. **Eternal Life as a Present Reality:** Eternal life in John is not just an afterlife promise but a present reality. It means living with God now, free from the fear of death, and experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. This understanding compels us to invite others into this life-giving relationship with Jesus. [14:50]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:45] - Introduction to Lent
- [02:30] - The Gospel of John Overview
- [05:30] - Salvation and Atonement Theories
- [08:15] - Jesus as Light in Darkness
- [11:24] - Personal Connection with Jesus
- [14:50] - Eternal Life in the Present
- [17:30] - Preparing for Jesus' Return
- [20:00] - Embracing Simplicity and Restoration
- [22:45] - Church Activities During Lent
- [25:00] - Holy Week Plans
- [27:30] - Jesus as the Word
- [30:00] - Invitation to Journey Through John

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. John 1:1-9 (NRSV): "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light."

2. John 3:16-17 (NRSV): "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does the Gospel of John say about the relationship between the Word and God? How is this foundational to understanding Jesus' role? [00:00]

2. How does the sermon describe the purpose of Lent, and how does it relate to Jesus' time in the wilderness? [05:30]

3. What are some of the unique titles given to Jesus by the disciples in John's Gospel, and what do they signify about their understanding of Him? [11:24]

4. According to the sermon, how does John the Baptist's role prepare people for Jesus' coming? [08:15]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of Jesus as the "Word" influence our understanding of His divinity and mission on earth? [00:00]

2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the darkness Jesus overcomes is more than just evil? How does this broaden our understanding of His light? [08:15]

3. How does the sermon explain the idea of eternal life as a present reality rather than just a future promise? What implications does this have for daily living? [14:50]

4. What does the sermon suggest about the personal connection each disciple had with Jesus, and how might this influence our own relationship with Him? [11:24]

#### Application Questions
1. Lent is described as a time for reflection and restoration. What specific practices can you incorporate into your life during this season to deepen your connection with God? [05:30]

2. The sermon encourages adding something to our lives during Lent instead of giving something up. What new practice or habit could you start that would draw you closer to God? [22:45]

3. Reflect on the darkness in your life that Jesus' light can overcome. How can you invite His light into those areas this week? [08:15]

4. Consider the unique title or aspect of Jesus that resonates most with you. How can this understanding shape your daily walk with Him? [11:24]

5. Eternal life is presented as a present reality. How can you live more fully in this reality, free from the fear of death, and what steps can you take to share this life-giving relationship with others? [14:50]

6. How can you prepare yourself for Jesus' return, as suggested by John the Baptist's call to readiness? What changes might you need to make in your life to be ready to follow Him? [08:15]

7. The sermon mentions various church activities during Lent. How can you participate in these opportunities to enhance your spiritual journey? [22:45]

I'm ready to provide the 5-day devotional.

our reading today comes from the beginning of the gospel of john we are beginning our journey through lent with the story of jesus life and we start at the very beginning in the beginning was the word and the word was god and the word was with god what came into being through the word was life and the life was light for all peoples the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not extinguish the light a man named john was sent from god he came as a witness to testify concerning the light so that through him everyone would believe the light he himself wasn't the light but his mission was to testify concerning the light here ends our reading let us pray show us your ways lord teach us [00:00:00] (54 seconds)

one with atonement theories is how did jesus restore us to be one with god in our lives again after we had broken with god been disobedient gone off in all sorts of different directions and basically screwed everything up so what makes us at one with god again and what is it that jesus did that brings us back into oneness with god there are four major theories and we're going to look at this a little bit as we go through john this year the first one is the theory of incarnation again i know another churchy word but the incarnation of jesus christ is that jesus came and was incarnate he embodied a human body just like us he became one with us in our daily lives as a human being as flesh and blood living among us for those of you who stop by our sanctuary we actually have a bethlehem star banner up that we usually put up during advent but it is up right now for us to remember [00:04:54] (72 seconds)

Now, when we are going through John, already we have this idea of Jesus as light. Now, when we're thinking about this, I want us to think about the darkness as well. What is darkness that Jesus as light is overcoming? And for John, the writer of John, it doesn't just mean despair and evil and hopelessness, but it also means that we have lost our way. Think about the times that you get lost in the dark. It is really easy to get disoriented, to get turned around and not to know where you're going. [00:07:25] (38 seconds) Edit Clip


Nothing can be sure of in the dark. The promise of Jesus is the light is a hope for us to have direction in our life as well as comfort and forgiveness in our lives. [00:08:03] (13 seconds) Edit Clip


are we ready do we want to be ready and are we going to be ready when jesus shows up now one of the things i noticed at the end of chapter one with this list of the disciples following him that i had not noticed in previous readings is that each of the disciples has a different title for jesus he's rabbi or teacher he's lamb of god he's son of god he's son of man i think as you go through that list and i encourage you to read through the gospel of john during this lenten season we do have a reading list here at church it's also available on our website but as you finish chapter one and you see the disciples deciding to follow what is the title for jesus that is most connected to you is it jesus as healer jesus as comforter jesus as lord jesus as savior jesus as friend [00:09:20] (62 seconds) Edit Clip


each of the disciples had their own reasons for following jesus each of the disciples responded in a different way each of the disciples needed something different from jesus so many of us feel like we are not good enough we don't know the bible well enough we haven't studied enough we haven't been to church enough none of that matters to jesus what jesus cares about is our hearts are we wanting to be in relationship with jesus are we wanting to follow him the disciples were mostly blue -collar tradesmen they were fishermen some of them were a little bit more i guess what we would call white collar today like the tax collector matthew but these people were not scholars they weren't theologians they didn't do all of that rabbi stuff they were living their lives and jesus said come follow me and they kept living their lives they had families we know peter was married because jesus healed his mother -in -law [00:10:23] (62 seconds) Edit Clip


now one more thing i want to touch on as we begin our walk through john is this concept of eternal life for most of us we think of eternal life as something that happens when we die it will be the afterlife after we die we go to heaven we will be with jesus and our loved ones who've gone on before us but as we read through john i want us to start living into a different idea about eternal life for john eternal life is today it is right here right now it is not what's going to happen when we die it's not going to be what's in heaven that's part of it [00:11:43] (39 seconds) Edit Clip


but for john eternal life starts here starts now it means living with god every day it means accepting jesus at this moment and living most importantly without the fear of death jesus has conquered death which means we are eternally in life with him now this is a big part of why we are trying to invite more people to be part of our faith family it's not to grow the numbers of our church for some statistical reports it is because when we are one with god when we receive the grace that jesus offers us through his sacrifice for us however it is that he brings us into oneness with god again we have hope in our lives we have light in our lives we have direction in our lives and there are so many people who are looking for hope and light and direction in their lives that is why we are reaching out that is why we are expanding our ministry to meet more people and invite more people into relationship with jesus christ and into the encouragement and support of the faith family of the church [00:12:23] (81 seconds) Edit Clip

Our reading today comes from the beginning of the Gospel of John. We are beginning our journey through Lent with the story of Jesus' life, and we start at the very beginning:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all peoples. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not extinguish the light."

A man named John was sent from God. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe the light. He himself wasn't the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light.

Here ends our reading. Let us pray:

"Show us your ways, Lord; teach us your paths. Guide us in your truth, for you are God our Savior, and our hope is in you all day long. Amen."

We begin Lent this week. Now, in the Christian tradition, Lent is a 40-day period, not counting Sundays, of reflection, contemplation, simplicity, and restoration—restoring our life in connection with God. The tradition of Lent comes from Jesus' own life. After he was baptized by John the Baptist, he went into the wilderness for 40 days. He was tempted by Satan, but he overcame the temptations and began a three-year period of ministry that culminated with his sacrifice of his life upon the cross and then resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.

So, as Christians have done for two thousand years, we are entering a time not necessarily of penitence and guilt and shame, but a time where we take a little break from our life, where we feel like we are in a little bit of a wilderness space—a space that's a little bit set aside, off somewhere different—where we spend a little bit more time seeing who we are, what we've been doing, and where God would like to walk with us next.

Our congregation has a tradition of the last few years of reading through one of the Gospels to ground ourselves in the story of Jesus' life as we go through this time of reflection during Lent. The Gospel of John was written probably between about 80 and 100 Common Era. We don't know who wrote it, but there was no doubt about it making it into the New Testament when the canon was set down in the 300s. The four Gospels that are in our Bible today were widely copied and widely accepted and used in the Christian churches throughout the Mediterranean world in the early days of the church.

Now, some of you are like, "Yeah, but there are other Gospels. I've heard about them on the internet." Yes, there were other documents telling about the life of Jesus, but these four were considered authoritative. They were trusted; they were widely used by everyone. There was no debate over these four making it into the Bible when the New Testament was agreed upon in the form that we know it today.

Now, John may have been accepted, but John feels very different from the other three Gospels. When you read through it, the other three clearly shared sources. Matthew and Luke clearly used a bunch of Mark. John is set up in a different format; it covers some different information, and so it just feels different as you go through. But all four are important for our understanding of Jesus.

What we really want to look at as we go through John today is how does it explain the meaning of Jesus' life, both for the time period when Jesus actually lived and what is the universal truth in the story that John gives us that we can apply to our lives today.

A big part of reading through John and reading through all the Gospels is wrestling with this idea of salvation. What does it mean that Jesus came to save us? How did that work? Now, this has been an area of great debate and study throughout Christian tradition, and people have come up with something called atonement theories.

Now, you're like, "Yeah, that's a really churchy word." Atonement—just think of it as atone. Atonement theories are how did Jesus restore us to be one with God in our lives again after we had broken with God, been disobedient, gone off in all sorts of different directions, and basically screwed everything up.

So, what makes us at one with God again, and what is it that Jesus did that brings us back into oneness with God? There are four major theories, and we're going to look at this a little bit as we go through John this year.

The first one is the theory of incarnation. Again, I know another churchy word, but the incarnation of Jesus Christ is that Jesus came and was incarnate. He embodied a human body just like us. He became one with us in our daily lives as a human being, as flesh and blood, living among us.

For those of you who stop by our sanctuary, we actually have a Bethlehem star banner up that we usually put up during Advent, but it is up right now for us to remember that we are here now because Jesus was born in a manger at Christmas. We are reminded by the stars that God sent a light to show us the light that would pierce all darkness. The star shows us, leads us to the place where Jesus is, and Jesus brings a new light into our world.

In our reading today, we are reminded that Jesus is at the creation of the world. Jesus is there at the beginning. He was not there in his physical human form, but he was there as the Word, and the Word was light. Now, Jesus didn't exactly exist at the beginning like we think of as the baby in the manger, but think of his essence of being there at the beginning, and then he came to earth as a baby to live among us.

So, one way that Jesus saves us is by being one of us. Through his birth, he brings salvation and forgiveness and restores us to a complete, holistic relationship with God. Now, as we go through John, we'll talk about some of the other theories of atonement and the other ways that Jesus brings restoration to us and to the world.

Now, when we are going through John, already we have this idea of Jesus as light. Now, when we're thinking about this, I want us to think about the darkness as well. What is darkness that Jesus as light is overcoming? For John, the writer of John, it doesn't just mean despair and evil and hopelessness, but it also means that we have lost our way.

Think about the times that you get lost in the dark. It is really easy to get disoriented, to get turned around, and not to know where you're going. Nothing can be sure in the dark. The promise of Jesus is that the light is a hope for us to have direction in our life, as well as comfort and forgiveness in our lives.

Now, John the Baptist was a cousin of Jesus. He was born about six months before Jesus, and he had become a prophet, living out in the wilderness, wearing funny clothes and eating funny foods, and just hollering at people all the time. But his hollering was trying to get people to prepare for the coming of Jesus, to prepare for the light of the world to come into their lives.

This makes me wonder: Are we ready for Jesus? Part of Lent is that we know that Jesus is coming back. Are we prepared for Jesus to show up again? What if he showed up at your house for lunch today after church? What if he showed up at work this week? Are we ready? Have we listened to John the Baptist's message to be prepared for Jesus to show up?

And if Jesus shows up and says, "Hey, follow me," are you ready to do that? Am I ready to do that? We read in the first chapter how a number of disciples met Jesus and took off with him. Are we ready? Do we want to be ready? And are we going to be ready when Jesus shows up?

Now, one of the things I noticed at the end of chapter one with this list of the disciples following him that I had not noticed in previous readings is that each of the disciples has a different title for Jesus. He's rabbi or teacher, he's lamb of God, he's son of God, he's son of man.

I think as you go through that list—and I encourage you to read through the Gospel of John during this Lenten season—we do have a reading list here at church; it's also available on our website. But as you finish chapter one and you see the disciples deciding to follow, what is the title for Jesus that is most connected to you? Is it Jesus as healer, Jesus as comforter, Jesus as Lord, Jesus as savior, Jesus as friend?

Each of the disciples had their own reasons for following Jesus. Each of the disciples responded in a different way. Each of the disciples needed something different from Jesus. So many of us feel like we are not good enough. We don't know the Bible well enough; we haven't studied enough; we haven't been to church enough. None of that matters to Jesus. What Jesus cares about is our hearts. Are we wanting to be in relationship with Jesus? Are we wanting to follow him?

The disciples were mostly blue-collar tradesmen. They were fishermen. Some of them were a little bit more, I guess, what we would call white-collar today, like the tax collector Matthew. But these people were not scholars; they weren't theologians; they didn't do all of that rabbi stuff. They were living their lives, and Jesus said, "Come, follow me," and they kept living their lives. They had families. We know Peter was married because Jesus healed his mother-in-law at one point.

Our lives are enough. Who we are is enough to follow Jesus. So, are we ready to follow, and what Jesus is it that we're looking for to connect with?

Now, one more thing I want to touch on as we begin our walk through John is this concept of eternal life. For most of us, we think of eternal life as something that happens when we die. It will be the afterlife. After we die, we go to heaven; we will be with Jesus and our loved ones who've gone on before us.

But as we read through John, I want us to start living into a different idea about eternal life. For John, eternal life is today. It is right here, right now. It is not what's going to happen when we die; it's not going to be what's in heaven. That's part of it, but for John, eternal life starts here, starts now. It means living with God every day. It means accepting Jesus at this moment and living, most importantly, without the fear of death. Jesus has conquered death, which means we are eternally in life with him.

Now, this is a big part of why we are trying to invite more people to be part of our faith family. It's not to grow the numbers of our church for some statistical reports; it is because when we are one with God, when we receive the grace that Jesus offers us through his sacrifice for us—however it is that he brings us into oneness with God again—we have hope in our lives, we have light in our lives, we have direction in our lives.

And there are so many people who are looking for hope and light and direction in their lives. That is why we are reaching out; that is why we are expanding our ministry to meet more people and invite more people into relationship with Jesus Christ and into the encouragement and support of the faith family of the church.

So, as we prepare to enter this season of Lent, let us hold onto simplicity. Let us look for restoration. For many of us, we know of the tradition of giving something up, such as meat or chocolate or swearing during Lent. But I encourage us this year: what if we add something to our lives instead of giving something up? What if we spend more time with God? What if we are more aware of God's creation and presence each day?

So, I encourage you to read the reading plan. Perhaps join a Bible study group. We've got a men's group that meets on Thursday mornings. We've got a Serendipity women's group that meets on Wednesday afternoons every other week. Thursday, not as early as the men's group, but Thursday midday, we have a Bible group that is reading through John together. There's also a podcast available online with audio and video options for reading through the Bible.

But maybe instead of studying, you're being called to add service to your life. Maybe there's a neighbor that you can reach out to every week. Maybe you're being called to give a little something extra during this time of Lent.

In our life together here in the church, we are making some adjustments on our Sunday mornings. We are putting up some meditative prayers in the sanctuary for people to have a time of reflection. Before our worship service starts, we've added some conversation areas in our lobby so that people can gather and chat and catch up with each other in the lobby before coming into the sanctuary. And then we can have more of a focus on our time with God in our sanctuary.

During Holy Week, we are going to set up some prayer stations in the sanctuary. We will invite you on Palm Sunday to stick around after the service and use the prayer stations. They will also be available throughout the week. So, that's the week of April 13th for anyone who wants to come in while the church is open to use the prayer stations.

And then on Thursday evening, we're going to combine our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday traditions into an Easter vigil—a time of waiting, a time of reflection to prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday morning. So, that will be Thursday, April 17th. There will be a foot washing and communion to remember the Last Supper as it is told in the book of John.

As we finish up our introduction to John today, during the midweek Bible group, Vicki brought in a wonderful quote from a kid, and she shared it with the group. The question was, "Why is Jesus the Word?" This is the big start to John: Why is Jesus the Word?

A child said, "Because Jesus is all God wanted to say to us." We worship God the Father, God the Son, and Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit. We do not worship the Bible. The Bible is a book that was written and edited by humans working with God, inspired by God, but the Bible is not God. Jesus is the Word. The Bible is a tool that points us to God. Jesus is the complete Word that God wanted us to know and to live with.

I invite you to journey with us as we read through John this season and see what Jesus has to say to you today. Amen.