• About Us
    • Our COVID-19 Plan
    • Our Vision
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Our Missions
    • Keep in Touch
  • Grow
  • Bloom
  • Worship
    • Online Worship
    • Messages
    • Pastor's Blog
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • Directory
  • Give
  • Precious Lambs
Gethsemane Church in Raleigh
  • About Us
    • Our COVID-19 Plan
    • Our Vision
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Our Missions
    • Keep in Touch
  • Grow
  • Bloom
  • Worship
    • Online Worship
    • Messages
    • Pastor's Blog
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • Directory
  • Give
  • Precious Lambs

Lenten Readings: Famous Jesus

4/4/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ever meet someone famous?

Sometimes it doesn't go as you plan. You bring a pen. A shiny piece of memorabilia. You hold up your Smartphone to show your capabilities for a quick photo.

And they ignore you. They move along with their bodyguards right past you as if you don't exist.

It's much different than the kind and loving boy-next-door he plays on TV.

In today's reading from John 12, a group of Greeks come looking for Jesus. He was like a celebrity at the time. Famous for his teachings and his miracles. I'm sure they were super excited to meet him. But maybe...it didn't go quite like they planned.

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.  25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.  27  “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  28 Father, glorify your name!”  


Can you imagine? The Greeks meet this celebrity who begins talking about death. A strange metaphor about a seed implying his death and the death of those who follow him. Then, the promise of eternal life.

A little strange.

But what was stranger was what happened next.

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Incredible. Remember this is before the days of the microphone and hefty sound systems. In fact, it's before the days of electricity in general. That means that trickery is right out.
 
The voice from heaven WAS REAL.

More importantly, it meant that what Jesus was talking about was real. God was giving his divine seal of approval to everything that Jesus had said and did!

This means that YES, Jesus would die. YES, Jesus' death would be a payment for sin. YES, he would rise again. YES, those who put their faith in him as their Savior would have eternal life too!

Just as a seed planted into the ground grows up, produces more seeds, and produces more plants, so would Jesus' death and subsequent resurrection produce more seeds of faith and more living plants. So Jesus' would go into the ground, but then he would spring us. His resurrection would then sprout seeds of faith that grew up into eternal life!

BOTTOM LINE: His death and resurrection means that you too will live eternally!

I guarantee this was not what the Greeks expected from this celebrity. Maybe, all they wanted, was a handshake and a selfie.

But Jesus gave them so much more. He gave them hope.
 
He gave us hope.


PRAYER: Dear LORD, help me to see you as more than just an important historical figure. Teach me to see you as the divinely sent Messiah. My true, one, and only God. Help me to put my trust wholly and firmly in you. Amen.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Picture
    Pastor Phil Kiecker and his wife, Julianna love serving the community of North Raleigh.

    Categories

    All
    500
    ACTS
    Adiaphora
    Advent
    All Powerful
    Alone
    Anger
    Anxiety
    Ascension
    Ash Wednesday
    Atheism
    Attitude
    Authority
    Back To Church
    Backwards Thinking
    Baptism
    Barabbas
    Battleground
    Being Selfless
    Believe
    Betrayal
    Bible Study
    Blessed
    Bold
    Bread Of Life
    Breathe
    Building Project
    Caiaphas
    Caring
    Chapel Hill Shootings
    Charleston
    Chosen
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Church
    Clean
    Combative
    Comfort
    Commission
    Commitment
    Compassion
    Complete
    Complicated
    Confession
    Confidence
    Confirmation
    Confusion
    Counter Culture
    Courage
    Creed
    Crucifixion
    Danger
    Dark Arts
    Dear Church
    Death
    Debt
    Deep
    Demons
    Depression
    Disappointment
    Disciple
    Diversity
    Divorce
    Don't Be Afraid
    Doubt
    Drowned
    Easter
    Education
    End Times
    Enough
    Entitlement
    Eternal Life
    #EternalLivesMatter
    Evangelism
    Everyone
    Evil
    EYEWITNESS
    Faith
    Faithful
    #FaithTest
    False Teachings
    Family
    Family Matters
    Father
    Fear
    Fighting Temptation
    Firsts
    Fixer Upper
    Follow
    Forgiven
    Forgiveness
    Foundations
    Freedom
    FRESH
    Friendship
    Fufilling
    GIVE
    Giving
    God
    God & Country
    Godly Wisdom
    God's Family
    God's Great Exchange
    God's Not Dead
    God's Will
    God's Word
    Good
    Good Friday
    Good Shepherd Sunday
    Gospel
    Grace
    Greed
    Grow
    Guilt
    Hallelujah
    Hallowed
    Healing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Heavenly King
    Hell
    Help
    Holy
    Holy Spirit
    Homosexuality
    Hope
    Humility
    Hurt
    Idolatry
    Impossible
    Inclusive
    Intimacy
    Jesus
    Joy
    Judgment
    Last Day
    Leaders
    Lent
    Life
    Light
    Love
    Love One Another
    Lust
    Marriage
    Martin Luther
    Maundy Thursday
    Meditations
    Mercy
    Messiah
    Messy
    Ministry
    Miracles
    Mission Work
    Nehemiah
    NEW
    New Life
    New Year
    North Raleigh
    Opportunity
    Outreach
    Palm Sunday
    Parable
    Patience
    Patriotism
    Peace
    Peer Pressure
    Pentecost
    People Of God
    Plan
    Pontius Pilate
    Popularity
    Pornography
    Prayer
    Prepare
    Present
    Priorities
    Promise
    Prophecies Of Isaiah
    Psalms
    Punishment
    Purity
    Race
    Racism
    Raleigh
    Reformation
    Rejection
    Renewal
    Repentance
    Rest
    Resurrection
    RETURN
    Revelation
    #RiseUp
    Runaway
    Salvation
    Satan
    Savior
    Seriousness
    Serve
    Sex
    Sickness
    Simple
    Sin
    Sola
    Son Of God
    Special
    Stand Firm
    Stranger
    Submit
    Substitute
    Suffering
    Surprising Grace
    Thankful
    Thanksgiving
    The Crowd
    The Joshua Program
    The Kingdom Of God
    The Lord's Prayer
    The Lord's Supper
    The Word
    Time With God
    Transfiguration
    Trapped
    Trinity
    True Heart
    Trust
    #TrustGod
    Truth
    Unfaithfulness
    Unity
    Urgency
    Valentine's Day
    Value
    Victory
    Visions Of The End
    Voting
    Walking Together
    Wisdom
    Work
    Worship

    RSS Feed

Gethsemane Lutheran Church
1100 Newton Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 539-2218
pastor@gathertothegarden.com
  • About Us
    • Our COVID-19 Plan
    • Our Vision
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Calendar
    • Our Staff
    • Our Missions
    • Keep in Touch
  • Grow
  • Bloom
  • Worship
    • Online Worship
    • Messages
    • Pastor's Blog
  • Members
    • Member Portal
    • Directory
  • Give
  • Precious Lambs