Newer does not equal truer, and many of us suffer from what C.S. Lewis called “chronological snobbery.” We think that our generation is the one that “gets it” and we too quickly dismiss tradition as outdated. God is eternal, appreciates all aspects of time, and has prescribed certain traditions to mark out His people and form us by the practice of them. Communion is one of those practices. Communion connects us to the past while picturing and anticipating our future. In this message, Pastor Ross traces a bit of its history, inviting us to observe it more meaningfully.

Waiting is hard. Especially in trials. In John 11, Jesus purposefully delays yet demonstrates His perfect power and love to a family very dear to Him. What difference would it make if we truly believed that Jesus knows what He’s doing and that He really does love us? In Jesus, we see the God who sees, cares, and rescues.

The Bible is filled with examples of God displaying His love, mercy and power, but for millenia religious and non-religious people have developed hard hearts and refused to see God at work. John 9 shows how blind we can be to God's presence and power - even when it is staring us in the face. Do you see?

Our culture is changing and the issues of our day are different than they were 30 years ago. Nevertheless, the ancient scripture is unchanging, true, and always helpful as we navigate life and its challenging complexities. Whether it’s transgenderism or homosexuality, Jesus’ approach with a woman caught in adultery (and her accusers no less) is helpful to guide us, and the way of Jesus offers a beautiful contrast to the common attitudes of both religious conservatives and secular liberals.

“God helps those who help themselves.” No!!! In this story, we see Jesus approach and heal a man who is totally helpless - physically disabled, socially isolated, and spiritually dead. Like the man, we too are helpless and in need of Living Water, though we too often seek wholeness from “magical waters” and cultural saviors. This story shows, through controversy, that Jesus was not just a good moral teacher but that He claimed equality with the Father. As such, we must not encounter Jesus as our personal assistant, helper or consultant, but as the very Son of God and Lord.

True faith is utter desperation and dependence upon Jesus. We come empty-handed, clinging to Jesus and His word. In this passage, we meet a man with power and position who is nevertheless totally helpless. In response, Jesus warns against seeking signs and rewards his honest faith.

It’s wonderful to receive the gospel “handed down” to us from other believers. But upon receiving the good news, it’s our privilege to grow in our faith personally, knowing the Savior intimately ourselves. That’s the progression we see demonstrated in John 4 with the people of Samaria. Is your faith in Jesus? Or is your faith in someone else’s faith?

In John 4, it seems as if God has a special devotion for the immoral and ashamed as we see Jesus pursue an outcast and promise that everyone who drinks of the Living Water He gives will never be thirsty again. Let the one who is thirsty come.

The most challenging folks that Jesus engaged were the religiously respected and comfortable. Good people tend to be proud of their goodness. The most famous verse in all of Scripture, John 3:16, comes in the context of a dutifully religious man learning that he didn’t need to add more to his resume, he needed to be completely remade.

When Jesus meets a skeptic he doesn’t write him off, he engages him. Nathanael couldn’t believe that the Messiah would come from a place like Nazareth. But when he went and saw Jesus himself, he realized that Jesus loved him and would meet his deepest needs.