Asbury Church

Sometimes it seems that people have this idea of Jesus as a lifeguard who exists mainly just to blow his whistle at people. Everyone is doing fine and things are moving along fine, and then Jesus shows up and yells, “No running!"

What John 3:17 tells us, however, is that this is dead wrong: Jesus didn’t come to condemn, but to save!

The truth is, the world is *currently* lost, currently in the water, thrashing and desperate, and Jesus comes to pull people from death to life. He’s like a lifeguard diving in again and again, trying to save as many people as he can.

Our role in this—to tell the drowning world that there is hope, and that Jesus saves.

Why would Jesus choose to reveal His Glory at a wedding?

Why is the Gospel of John the only writer to document Jesus’ first sign/miracle?

More importantly, why would “Water to Wine” be the first of His signs as He prepared for His journey to the Cross?

What significance did this sign play for those at the wedding?

Why does this sign matter to us today?

Jesus calls Phillip, and then Phillip turns around and tells Nathanael about Jesus.

Nathanael is not interested and raises an objection to believing in Jesus.

What Phillip says next is the *perfect* response:

“Come and see.”

“You are going to die.” The very fact that those words strike us as hard or offensive just shows how much we need to hear them! The recent California wildfires have got me thinking—those fires burned what was in their path. Rich or poor, black or white, liberal or conservative—the fires didn’t care, but just burned.

That’s how death is—it is coming for us all. Are we ready?

In the prologue to his Gospel, John tells us that Jesus gives all who trust him a way through death. Let’s talk about it.

I’ve challenged every Asburian to commit to bring at least one person to Christ in 2025. I’ve been struck by the simple language of John 1:8 (referring to John the Baptist):

"He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”

That’s our role, too—to point people to the light.

But, where do we begin? How do we do this?

It starts with a simple question: “How are things going?”

We’re told that John the Baptist was sent by God to bear witness to the light. In other words, his entire purpose was to point people to Jesus.

It’s the same for us—God has given us today so that we’ll use it to point people to him. Why is that so hard for us?

On Christmas Eve I saw something happen that perfectly illustrates the situation in the American church. What I saw has made me commit to a particular resolution for 2025.

What about you?

For our last service of 2024, we celebrated a service of Lessons and Carols. What a great way to end the year!

Luke mentions the shepherds, and Matthew the Magi, but when John begins his Gospel, he begins at the very beginning: “In the beginning was the Word….”

And then John says something that is absolutely startling:

"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him” (John 1:9-10).

In other words, the most important thing that has ever happened happened, and everyone missed it!

It’s just like Pieter Bruegel painted it in his great masterpiece “Census at Bethlehem.”

It’s my favorite painting ever, and on Christmas Eve 2024 I talked about why.

The Lord is going to do what the Lord is going to do. But, my unbelief has consequences, particularly on the people around me. How might things have been different if Zechariah had trusted the angel?

Christmas Carols are like theological fruitcake—they are crammed full with good things. In the case of our beloved carols, they are teaching truth, but we have to actually listen.