John Archives - Invitations to Ascend

August 31, 2020October 12, 2020

May I never miss when you are speaking

As those of you who have followed this blog for some time will know, I have been making my way, albeit slowly, through the book of John this year. But now I find myself nearing the end. And so as I was reading, John chapter 20, this week the following passage leapt out at me.

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).
John 20: 11-16

July 1, 2020October 6, 2020

To kneel in the dust

Today I am struck yet again by the gentleness, compassion and humility of Jesus. I am still in John, and not much further on than when I wrote this post, for I don’t read the Bible quickly. I have done so in the past, I have skimmed large portions of Scripture rapidly. But, I find that approach hard to maintain, and in doing so, I am bombarded by so much that needs careful thought, prayer and consideration that I struggle to find anything to come away with. In the presence of so much to think about, I end up with little to hold on to.

Therefore, I have found that I have to take time. To sit, to dwell and to contemplate. So I move slowly. Sometimes I sit with the same few verses for days, maybe even weeks. I have learnt that it is okay to do this and to not feel guilty for not covering vast quantities of Scripture. But, instead, to let the Spirit speak to me where I am.

June 17, 2020September 18, 2020

The invitation and the gift

Those of you who have been following closely may be aware that I have been sitting with the gospel of John lately. I love this gospel. I love the way John talks about Jesus. The way he portrays him, what he shows, the interactions that Jesus has with people. It seems to me that John lingers over these in a way that is different from the other gospels. And Jesus’ relationship with Mary and Martha, but with Mary, in particular, is developed in this gospel. The famous interaction between the sisters and Jesus is recorded in Luke 10:38-42, and John, I suppose, being fully aware of that fact does not recount that again. Instead, he picks up their story and develops it further.