It’s easy for Christians to fall into a rut: Church is a thing you do, prayer is a box to check, and faith seems far from “the real world.” This fall we let Jesus himself confront our ruts. “Do you believe this?” he asks (Jn. 11:26).
To believe in Jesus is to experience him. It’s more than logic, argument, and doctrine. It is intimate knowledge of God himself. This fall, let Jesus himself speak to you in his seven “I AM” statements in the gospel of John. How is he changing you? What response is he inspiring in you? To believe in him changes everything.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Ponder:
Today, ponder the I AM statement: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Find, or think about, a plant with branches. Consider all the parts: vine or trunk, branches, leaves, fruit, etc. Ponder what it means to abide in Jesus as a branch remains in a vine. Ponder what fruit Christ wants you to bear.
Word
John 20:29
“Jesus said to Thomas, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”
Meditation: You’re in the Bible by Pastor Jeff Cloeter
There are times in Scripture when you show up. Yes, you are in the Bible. You may be removed by two millennia, but nonetheless Jesus has seen fit to put you in the story.
Thomas was absent the first time the risen Jesus showed off his transformed body to the disciples. When he returned, they told him, “We have seen the Lord.” Although outnumbered ten to one, Thomas could not bring himself to believe the word of his brothers.
What happened next is comical. Jesus returned a week later. The elephant in the room was Thomas, the one who said, “Unless I see the nail marks . . . Unless I put my hand on the scars, I will never believe.”
I imagine a grin on Jesus’ face as he extended his hands to reveal the scars. Could there have been a chuckle when he pulled back his robe to show the mark on his side? Thomas had no defense, no grounds for resistance. He melted, “My Lord, and my God!”
Then Jesus talked about you. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” You have not had the privilege (yet) of physically touching Jesus Christ. Still, you are reading or listening to this meditation. Why? At some point Jesus has made his case to your heart. He compelled you into believing. You have heard the words of Jesus, wrestled with them, and surrendered to them.
Sure, you may have your doubting days, but Jesus finds a way to prove himself to you in every season. You are under the spell of his grace. Frail as you are, you are one of “those who have not seen and yet have believed.” You have yet to find such love. You have a feeling that even if you wanted to turn and run, he would chase you down. You are left to join Thomas in confessing, “My Lord, and my God.”
Sit with this awesome wonder: You are in the Bible, included in God’s salvation story.
Risen Jesus, my Lord and my God. I have yet to see you with my eyes, and yet I know you as if I have touched you. I have only you to thank for such belief. I cannot bring myself to it on my own. I offer you my life as an instrument that others might come to believe you. Use me as you see fit. Amen.
Prayer
Jesus, you said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” I am nothing without you. Be my source. Fill me with life so that I may grow and produce fruit that is pleasing to you. Amen.
Benediction
Bless us, O God the Father, who has created us.
Bless us, O God the Son, who has redeemed us.
Bless us, O God the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies us.
O blessed Trinity, keep us in body, soul, and spirit unto everlasting life. Amen.