WATCHWORD:
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.
6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:1-14
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him. 21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22
Meditation:
John, a Bit of History
Our Bible study group had just finished the study of Genesis, and we were in agreement that the experience had been good and deepened our knowledge and understanding of this foundational Book of God’s Word. We then turned our attention to what would be next. Two suggestions were offered and, by consensus, we decided on the Book of John.
We know that John and his brother James were fishermen, in partnership with their father, Zebedee, in the region of Galilee. Their home was probably near the town of Bethsaida, but they favored the marketplace at Capernaum for their catches.
It was in Capernaum that the brothers Zebedee, along with friends Andrew and his younger brother, Simon, first met Jesus. Jesus had come from Nazareth, bought property outside of Capernaum and built a home. It was here that John and many others gathered, over a period of a year or more, to listen to the Lord and learn from Him.
It was probably not a surprise to the brothers, or to their father, that when Jesus came and invited them to go with him to visit towns surrounding the Sea of Galilee, that they “left their nets” and followed, immediately.
From small beginnings, easy conversations, friendships develop, friendships that turned into followers, that turned into discipleships. On that day, when they were called, Andrew, James, John, Simon Peter, and Matthew, the first five, of the 12 apostles, began an Odyssey that would make them witnesses throughout Jesus’ ministry, to the Cross, the Resurrection and the birth of faith.
Of the 12, eleven would die under various, violent circumstances. John, who was the youngest of the disciples, outlived them all, dying of old age, in AD 98. He probably was in his late eighties.
As you read the above passage from the first chapter of John, you can sense the deep love that John had for Jesus. John had an all-inclusive witness to Jesus’ life and ministry, and saw Him for who He was, the Son of God, God incarnate.
From small beginnings; a little house outside Capernaum, casual, blessed conversations, seeds planted, lives lived. Lessons for each of us, how our faith is nurtured and shared. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Sometimes sharing faith or belief, or even taking a stand against what others may say or believe, takes us beyond our ability to respond. I offer this as an example:
When Khrushchev pronounced his famous denunciation of Stalin, someone in the Congress Hall is reported to have said, “Where were you, Comrade Khrushchev, when all these innocent people were being slaughtered?”
Khrushchev paused, looked around the hall, and said, “Will the man who said that, kindly stand up!”
Tension mounted in the hall. No one moved.
Then Khrushchev said, “Well, whoever you are, you have your answer now. I was in exactly the same position then as are you are now.”
Closing Prayer:
O God of many nations, God of the nations of indigenous people who nurtured and cherished this land for centuries before it was taken away, O God of the nations who generously shared their people with us over the last 400 years, O God of all our people: rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. Pour out your spirit upon us and cleanse our nations of fear and hatred. Fill us with compassion and peace and a thirst for justice. Give our nation a new beginning in your Grace. We pray in the name of the Holy Trinity, One God. Amen
