Scripture: John 17:14-19

I gave your word to them and the world hated them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. I’m not asking that you take them out of this world but that you keep them safe from the evil one. They don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. I made myself holy on their behalf so that they also would be made holy in the truth.

Consider:

One of the hardest parts of parenting, for me, is I know things my children do not yet know. That little baby is born without any knowledge or expectations - or experiences - to shape its life yet, but you as a parent know all of the milestones which are before them. Maybe other parents didn’t look at their baby and then worry about their teenage years - but I wouldn’t be surprised if so much of our parental worry isn’t actually anticipating the heartbreak we know is to come.

What I pray for them most of all is not an escape from the hard experiences of life which shape them, but that they will be able to face them with strength of heart and solid character which will allow them to come out whole on the other side.

When Jesus prays, he doesn’t ask for God to make their path straight or easy. In fact, he explicitly says he prays God doesn’t remove them from the cares and concerns of the world. Instead his prayer is for us to come out the otherside of those hard times with our hearts and mind whole, more able to trust God to lead us through them.

Our lives on this earth are precious and bumpy. Jesus’ prayer for us is not to avoid those bumps, but to go over them or through them or under them, knowing the promise of life which comes after the potholes.

Respond:

Look back on a time when the world seemed extra challenging or difficult for you to navigate. What was your prayer during that time? Maybe write down an example of something you would have asked God during that time.

Now, consider re-writing the prayer in light of Jesus’ prayer for you - not to avoid the time of trial, but to go through it with God’s help. How might your prayer look or sound different?

Pray:

Lord, help me trust You when Your plans feel confusing or painful. Teach me to believe you will help me go over the mountaintop to the other side, heart and soul intact, trusting even more in your favor. Amen.

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Scripture: John 16: 1-7

I have said these things to you so that you won’t fall away. They will expel you from the synagogue. The time is coming when those who kill you will think that they are doing a service to God. They will do these things because they don’t know the Father or me. But I have said these things to you so that when their time comes, you will remember that I told you about them.

“I didn’t say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to the one who sent me. None of you ask me, ‘Where are you going?’ Yet because I have said these things to you, you are filled with sorrow. I assure you that it is better for you that I go away. If I don’t go away, the Companion won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.

Consider:

In this passage, Christ is preparing the disciples for something they never wanted to experience: His departure. For them, His physical presence meant safety, clarity, and direction. The thought of losing Him filled them with grief.

Jesus acknowledges this grief and sense of loss. He has led the disciples through and around and into an entirely new theological era and mindset. He isn’t blind to the very human reaction of losing a friend, a mentor, a teacher right at the time it feels he is needed most.

But then He says something surprising: “It is for your good that I am going away.”

How could His leaving possibly be good?

Jesus explains that His departure would make way for the coming of the Holy Spirit, which opened up the door of this new faith to everyone. While Jesus had been physically present with them, the Spirit would come to dwell within believers everywhere. Instead of God walking beside a few disciples in one place, the full expanse of God’s love would take up a place in the hearts of all who follow Christ, not just a few lucky enough to SEE Jesus.

Sometimes God’s work in our lives also feels like loss. A season ends, a door closes, or something familiar is taken away. Like the disciples, we may only see the absence. But God often uses those moments to bring about something deeper that we could not experience otherwise, and it will serve us well to keep watch for the unexpected thing.

Respond:

Think on a time where you experienced a sense of loss over something. Are there things you see now that you could not see then about how God was guiding you toward something new? Have you experienced a loss or change that actually strengthened your faith rather than weaken it? Think on that experience for a moment today.

Pray:

Lord, help me trust You when Your plans feel confusing or painful. Teach me to believe that even in what feels like loss, You are working for good. Amen.

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Scripture: John 17:6-9

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

Consider:

On the stairwell of my house growing up was an faded picture in a ornate gilt frame. In it was a picture of a man we called “faded 50’s Jesus” - it was the back side of Jesus’ head with long flowing brown locks, neatly trimmed beard, with a long, floor length tunic and sash. He’s sitting on a rock overlooking the city, hands folded in prayer.

As kids we made a lot of fun of Mom’s honestly kind of tacky portrait hanging in the middle of the stairwell. Every once in a while we’d bump into it going down the stairs and Jesus would sway back and forth precariously, a little bit of a roller coaster ride for the Holy One to enjoy. We hoped it added a little spice to his day.

Looking back on that picture as an adult, I still think it’s kind of tacky. However, I also think it is a powerful image because in it Jesus is not doing anything but looking over the world and praying. There’s no preaching, feeding or healing, just prayer. Prayer long and abiding, constant for the beloved children of God.

I wonder if we don’t give prayer a little bit of a short shrift. I wonder if we don’t think of prayer as too idle, not “accomplishing” anything, not productive enough to focus on.

And yet, in this last prayer of his earthly life, Jesus promises to do nothing but pray. Nothing but watch over his disciples. Nothing but sit and look over the city.

Maybe prayer should be moved up the spiritual discipline food chain, because if Jesus is content to do it for the rest of time on our behalf, we can spend a few moments each day looking over the city with him.

Respond:

What does prayer look like for you? If you haven’t found a sustainable prayer life, try a different method. Maybe sitting and talking to God doesn’t work for you, but taking a walk and talking to God does. Maybe walking doesn’t work, but painting does.

Try on a few different styles of contemplation and see if you can find the one that “fits” your life and attitude the best, so you can create and sustain a meaningful prayer life.

Pray:

Lord, help me to pray. That’s it. Just help me to see and remember how important prayer is for the shaping and guiding of my life and to see time spent with you as important, valuable, and essential to our daily life. Amen.

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Scripture: John 16:17-22

His disciples said, “See! Now you speak plainly; you aren’t using figures of speech. Now we know that you know everything and you don’t need anyone to ask you. Because of this we believe you have come from God.”

Jesus replied, “Now you believe? Look! A time is coming—and is here!—when each of you will be scattered to your own homes and you will leave me alone. I’m not really alone, for the Father is with me. I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”

Consider:

I once worked with a Pastor who was obsessed with the euphemisms we use when someone dies. You know, the ones like “Passed Away” or “Went to be with Jesus”. He understood why people use them - it’s polite and kind and gentle, we think - so we say things like “they’ve gone to a better place” or “Went home to be with Jesus.” And by obsessed, I mean he kept a list of the ones he considered most outrageous to which he added every time he ran across a new one in an obituary. It wasn’t unusual to find him in his office, holding a newspaper, yelling, “They died. Why don’t they just say that they died?”

We do try to soften the impact of hard times in loved ones lives by talking around it or avoiding it altogether. When someone is very sick or has died, we get paralyzed by our fear of saying the wrong thing or hurting someone’s very tender heart. That impulse comes from a place of kindness and compassion, but in trying to make it easier for them (and us) it adds a layer of shame over what it is already a difficult truth.

The actual effect of this clouded language is to actually make things worse. Adding a veil over the often painful truth doesn’t make it less, but instead adds to awkwardness and uncertainty. What people most often want is the kindness of acknowledging the truth of their circumstances.

The disciples here are actually relieved Jesus finally told them what was to come in plain, understandable language. Jesus had spent a lot of time trying to soften the blow and make it easier for them to face the uncertain future by speaking in metaphors and allusions. It only made them more confused.

When Jesus tells them the truth straight out it actually brings relief and peace. We always do better with the plain truth, spoken in kindness and love.

Respond:

Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.

* Left Column (The Veil): Write down 3–5 euphemisms or “soft” phrases you’ve used recently—or had used on you—regarding a difficult situation (death, job loss, illness, or even a personal failure).

* Right Column (The Plain Truth): Beside each one, write the “plain truth” version in the simplest, kindest language possible.

Look at your Right Column. Take a deep breath and read those “Plain Truth” statements out loud. Notice your physical reaction.

* Does it feel heavier, or do you feel a slight release of tension?

* Does the “Plain Truth” give you a clearer starting point for prayer or action than the “Veil” did?

* Reflect: Why does the plain truth feel like relief (as it did for the disciples) rather than a burden?

Pray:

Lord of Truth,

Forgive me for hiding behind soft words because I am afraid of the weight of the reality. My “kindness” is often just my own discomfort in disguise.

Give me the courage of the plain truth. Help me to stop softening the blow in ways that leave others feeling isolated. Grant me the relief the disciples felt: the peace of hearing things as they truly are.

I thank You that You meet me in the unvarnished reality of my life, not in the euphemisms I use to cover it up.

Amen.

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Scripture: John 16:23-28

In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Consider:

In two different sections of the gospel of John, Jesus talk about the change which will come in the relationship between humanity and God. You see, forever and ever, the people needed a mediator, some person or event or ritual to give them access to God. No one could speak to God unless it was in the form of a burning bush, or voice from the clouds, or in one of the more memorable promises in scripture, through the mouth of a talking donkey.

Here talks about his ability to remove that barrier between us and God. Prayer is open for everyone.

Many American Chrstians have been told a different story from this passage then the one Jesus likely intended - primarily that the “gifts” God will give you - if you just ask him - are monetary. You see preachers on the television telling you if you donate $10 more dollars to their ministry then surely God will bless you with a car or big house or large burly truck. Other times you see “faith healers” who are exploiting the deepest wishes of the sick and infirm telling them if they just believed more - in the form of monetary donations of course - this person can make them well.

If you asked Jesus what he thought about those televangelists, the first thing he would say is probably “huh? What’s a tv?”. Then, he’d shake his head and reply - “you humans, missing the point again.”

Jesus’s promised blessings are never material items, never more of what you wished you had, or something designed to give you wealth or fame. Instead, God’s blessings come in deeper and richer forms. A restored relationship with a friends. More meaningful connections at church. A more fulfilling career - and blessings which carry farther and wider than a shiny new truck.

So you can ask God for both the little things and the big things - then wait for the unexpected blessings which come in surprising and more meaningful ways than you might expect!

Respond:

How do you count your blessings? The old song from Holiday Inn reminds us that “when we are tired, we should count our blessings instead of sheep.” That way the last thing we remember is the blessings of our day and not all the complaints.

So - tonight when you lay down in bed, try making a list of all the little - and big - ways God has blessed you in the last few days. I bet you fall asleep counting those blessings.

Pray:

Lord, help me remember all the ways you offer blessings. Remind me of the little and suprising ways you show up when I ask - and all the ways you have sent those splashes of colors my way this day. Amen.

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Scripture: John 16:17-22

Some of Jesus’ disciples said to each other, “What does he mean: ‘Soon you won’t see me, and soon after that you will see me’ and ‘Because I’m going to the Father’? What does he mean by ‘soon’? We don’t understand what he’s talking about.”

Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, so he said, “Are you trying to find out from each other what I meant when I said, ‘Soon you won’t see me, and soon after that you will see me’? I assure you that you will cry and lament, and the world will be happy. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman gives birth, she has pain because her time has come. But when the child is born, she no longer remembers her distress because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. In the same way, you have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and you will be overjoyed. No one takes away your joy.

Consider:

I’d like to take issue with my friend Jesus here in this situation because he’s doing a little bit of what some women call “Mansplaining”. He makes an outrageous claim about childbirth - namely that women forget the pain of childbirth because after the child is born she now has a baby which helps her to forget the pain. Which just goes to show you Jesus never sat in a room full of mothers while the children are in another room. Those mothers are swapping birthing stories - including the number of hours of labor - with the same gusto as someone who climbed the cliff of Normandy. They don’t forget the pain - it’s just that the baby is worth it. (And it’s also true that the adrenaline and endorphins of actual childbirth do make you feel less pain right after the birth, but talk to a mother about the days and weeks after and I promise you’ll hear a different story!)

There is deeper truth embedded in that reflection - which, of course there is because it’s Jesus. And that truth is this - we can do hard things. We can climb mountains and birth babies and run into burning buildings. Human beings are remarkably robust and courageous. We are so strong and so capable and so able to endure pain and suffering.

But sometimes we forget that endurance and resilience we’ve developed in the past because, for whatever reason, the hard things we’ve done before seem much smaller in the rear view mirror. I actually once had a veteran tell me that during World War II he survived on grass - literally eating grass from actual fields where they were walking - in the same tone he’d told me about buying shoes that morning. We forget how amazing and strong we are and all the obstacles we’ve overcome to reach this point.

You can do wonderful things. In fact, God is already doing something wonderful in you. Sometimes we just forget how strong and courageous we can truly be.

Respond:

Sit down for a minute and make a list of all the hard things you’ve overcome in the last month. Maybe make it two. Or maybe it’s the last year or in your whole life, whatever time period makes sense to you.

Then, next to each item, make a note of one act of bravery or courage you did in the course of that hard thing. Did you keep your mouth shut when your boss was being a jerk? Write it down!

Then take a minute and notice how many amazing thing you were able to do. Instead of diminishing it or making it smaller than it was, give yourself a moment of credit to remember how awesome you are - and how hard that obstacle was to overcome! Celebrate your success.

Pray:

God, I know you are amazing and awesome, but sometimes I doubt that I am able to do the hard things or can overcome the difficult spots in the road ahead. Help me to remember all the times and places you’ve helped me be courageous in the past, not as wounds but as badges which celebrate how far I’ve come on this journey. Remind me of my strength. Amen.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com

Scripture: John 16:8-12

When he comes, he will show the world it was wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment. He will show the world it was wrong about sin because they don’t believe in me. He will show the world it was wrong about righteousness because I’m going to the Father and you won’t see me anymore. He will show the world it was wrong about judgment because this world’s ruler stands condemned.

I have much more to say to you, but you can’t handle it now.

Consider:

The publishing industry has a saying - “If it bleeds, it leads” - which basically means people like bad news. In more modern methods of publishing, like this very platform on which you are engaging with this devotion, they’ve even invented a new idea called “a/b testing”, which allows you to post the same material with two different headlines. And guess which headlines usually wins? The one that is most outrageous, most complicated, most painful or terrifying. The old “If it bleeds, it leads” still applies in the age of YouTube it seems.

And, if we are honest, the articles we tend to click on are the ones with the most outrageous headlines. “Local boy saves puppy” just doesn’t seem to draw the same amount of attention as it’s opposite.

But, while we love bad news when it’s happening to other people when the bad news is coming our direction, we tend to close our eyes and block our ears. We enter into a state of denial and shock, trying to avoid the bad news all together. But try as we might to ignore it, the bad news doesn’t actually go away. In fact, trying to avoid it makes it worse.

Jesus has been trying to get the disciples to hear bad news for about 6 chapters at this point and you can see him growing more and more frustrated. First, the disciples deny it’s coming, then they try to convince Jesus he’s wrong, then they get despondent at which point Jesus tries to smooth it over by saying, “Here’s why is won’t be so bad - someone else will come and help you!”

We can’t avoid hard things by pretending they aren’t happening. The bravest and most courageous act in most circumstances is to just step up and face the news, whether or not it’s easy to hear. Once we’ve made that courageous step, the helper does almost always show up - in the form of a friend to support you, the appearance of an inner resolve, or calm, courageous acceptance.

Respond:

What news have you been trying to avoid? Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, and, when you feel ready, allow yourself to own the truth of your circumstances. Let it deep into your heart and mind, identifying the feelings which come with it - without judging them or dismissing them. When you are ready, open your eyes. What do you notice about your body, your heart, and your mind?

Repeat this process whenever you start to feel overwhelmed and notice how your mind and heart change over time. Maybe it will help you feel more calm and centered, or it will light a fire for change, or it will allow you to face the future with confidence.

Pray:

God, help me be brave and courageous. When the headlines are printed about my day and the circumstances of my life, help me click on both the happy ones and the hard ones. Allow me to develop the centered, secure heart which can face each story with openness and willingness to see the helper come. I know you will send one. Amen.

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com

Scripture: John 15:22-27

If I had not come and spoken to them,they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Consider:

Our culture teaches us asking for help is a last ditch effort - the moment of last resort when you’ve exhausted both yourself and all your possible options. Asking for help means you’ve given up trying - to fix the problem, to heal the situation, to fix the gap in you that makes it impossible for you to just do it yourself.

I run into the situation from time to time when it comes to opening jars in my kitchen. Last night, as I was making our weekly pizza, I went to open the pizza sauce jar. Try as I might, the jar lid would. not. open. Though my husband was sitting a mere 5 feet away and would have been able to pop it open in a few seconds, I stubbornly struggled and wrenched on this lid. Then, I pulled out the old standby trick - hitting the rim of the jar lid with a spoon. It breaks the seal, making it easier to open. Eventually my daughter looked at me and said “Do you want me to get Dad and see if he can open it?”

Every “I am woman hear my roar” bone in my body literally exploded at all at once.

But my stubborness had only made it much harder to open the lid, because now not only was it not open, but the jar lid was bent making it much harder to grip. And, despite all my maneuvering, the sauce was still stubbornly inside of the jar. If I had relented and asked for help from the beginning when I couldn’t open it the first time, we’d have had pizza much earlier.

It’s ok to ask for help. It’s also ok to make someone else take help - as Jesus does in this picture. When our own stubbornness gets in the way, we could also acccept help from a friend who steps in a brings us a casserole, instead of saying “no, it’s ok. I can stop at the store” as our mind frantically whirls through our calendar.

I think we all have a lot to learn on both ends of this spectrum. But it begins when we stop making “help” a four-letter word.

Respond:

When was the last time you accepted help without guilt, shame, or self—judgement?

It’s time to practice. Reach out to someone you trust and ask for help with one small item or task in your life - even if you don’t reallly think you need it! Growing a muscle takes time and consistency, so start small and see what happens!

Pray:

God, I so often start off my prayers with the words “help me.” But I wonder how ready I am to actually recieve the help you offer? Open my heart and remove the shame, guilt, and judgement I feel when I admit I can’t do everything. Set aside my pride and allow me to be thankful for the gift of friends who will show up when I am vulnerable enough to ask them. Amen.

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Scripture: John 15:12-17

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Consider:

Remember that book which came out … gosh … maybe 30 years ago - Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten? (I think that was the title?). The premise of the book was simple - the basics of what we need to know to live a fulfilled, happy life we learn in the sandbox and on the carpet circle during Kindergarten. Share with your friends, be kind, pay attention to the teacher. Don’t talk when it is not your turn.

This commandment - Love one another as I have loved you - is one we all learned in the equivalent of Church Kindergarten. It’s the first thing we teach our kids. Jesus loves me this I know - so I should love my neighbor as myself.

It’s always amazed me the ways we adults can create loopholes in what is a very straightforward commandment. We apply all this qualifying adjectives. Well, we say, I don’t have to love that person because they are a jerk. Or - the “hard love” equivalent - I’ll love that person when they learn to pull their own weight and lift themselves up by their own bootstraps. Or “Cruel to be kind” style of love where we shame and demean people so they will shape up and fly right. We put all these caveats and conditions on love so we don’t have to change our own point of view or sacrifice anything for the sake of those we deem unlovable.

There are no loopholes in Jesus’s commandment. Love is the center, the root of his story. There is no version of authentic Christianity that isn’t grounded in the purpose of bearing fruit by planting love - not the hard kind or the conditional kind, but the kind of love that requires sacrifice because it’s asks something from us to give it.

No qualifying adjectives to change it or shape love into something more comfortable.

There are no loopholes. No exceptions.

Respond:

Where do you put conditions on your love? Is there a person in your life to whom you find it particularly difficult to show God’s love?

What would need to change in your own attitude to offer them the kind of love Jesus offers to you?

I invite you to sit for a minute or two in that uncomfortable space between the knowing and the offering, naming the gap between your feelings and actions towards this person.

Then - don’t do anything. Don’t make a phone call or send a note. Just live for a few days in the tension to see what ideas might pop up for you. When you feel ready, then you can decide how to move forward with love and purpose.

Pray:

Lord, I confess the conditions I place on my love and the gaps where my heart remains closed. As I sit in this uncomfortable tension, transform my attitude to mirror Your grace. Remind me love has boundaries but not strings. Help me see others through Your eyes until I am ready. Amen.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com

Scripture: John 15: 8-11

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Consider:

I was listening to a podcast last night as I got ready for bed. In the podcast, there were three generations of sports reporters, one from the 90s, one who rose up during the 00’s, and one who is getting his feet on the ground in the last few years. The oldest one was reminiscing about meeting his sports writing heroes - the guys who covered Ali vs. Foreman or the epic New York Jets win in Super Bowl III. These men were heroes in his eyes, the men he wanted to be when he started working.

The second podcaster said - I know this will make you uncomfortable, but you are that guy for us. We looked up to you the way you looked up to those guys. You were the person we wanted to grow up to be.

I could audibly hear how uncomfortable that made the oldest writer. You could physically hear this discomfort in the silence. This man could wax poeticallly about the men he looked up to, could not to accept similar words of praise. It was too much for him to handle.

How are you at accepting words of love or affection? Jesus promises here to love you always, all the time. From birth to death and into the life everlasting, Jesus’ words of love echo throughout your life time.

My guess is that brings you more discomfort than comfort. It makes you more uneasy than fulfilled. We are not very good at accepting words of love or affirmation.

But what if those words are true? What would happen if we let them sink into our hearts and our souls? I bet we’d find they give us strength and courage to face the day.

So, hear those words to you - and sit with them. Jesus loves you.

Jesus loves you.

Respond:

Think back on the last time someone showed you words of affirmation or affection. How did you respond? Did you hear them as true, or dismiss them because it made you uncomfortable or too vulnerable?

Write down three ways someone has shown you love in your recent memory. Then, allow those words to sink into your heart and muscles and bones. How does it feel? Do they feel true?

Because they are. Let them become the lens through which you see yourself.

Pray:

Dear God, we have heard the words, “Jesus loves me” so many times, yet we let the narrative of shame and guilt cloud our vision. Help us to hear those words as true. Let them sink into our heart and our bones to become the way we see ourselves today and everyday. Amen.

These posts will always be free, however, if you find them meaningful and would like to consider supporting our online outreach, you can donate using this link.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wfpc.substack.com