Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

John was passionate about Jesus. So much so that he discarded the preliminaries in his writings and delivered to us the main course about the unique humanity and supernatural divinity of this God of ours. He starts his reflection about his encounter by declaring that Jesus was pre-existent as the word which was with God the father, came among us as the miraculous child born of a virgin with the remit to bring grace and truth to us: up close and very personal (John 1:14-18). John presents a Jesus that is passionate about righteousness and Justice (2:13-25), compassionate to those on the margins (4:1-29 & 8:1-11) and had a real genuine love for those who entertained and cared for his physical needs (John 11:28-37 & 38-44 and 12:1-8). This Jesus was God in touching distance. He was not a god out there [transcendent], looking down ready to zap us if we put a foot wrong, but a God who cares, felt what we felt and was willing to forgive us time and time again if we repented and “sin no more”[immanent].

This God man that John introduces us to; walks on water but turns it into wine so that wedding guests would not be disappointed; Allows a woman to wash his feet with her hair then washes all his followers feet and dries them with his apron. Opens the eyes of a man born blind and castigates the religious leaders for being spiritually blind; and finally send his disciples into the world to find, feed and restore all God’s lost sheep. What a depiction of the only saviour of the whole world, Jesus. Thanks you John!