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 we ponder the I AM statement: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Ponder the ways that Jesus is a shepherd. Look up descriptions of a shepherd on the internet. Search for videos on You Tube that show a shepherd and sheep. Ponder how Jesus is a “good” as a shepherd, as opposed to a hired hand.
Word
John 6:37
“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
Meditation: A Perfect Love by Susan Becher Schultz
Perfectionism. That’s the word of the week for me. In the mental health world, perfectionism is often a coping skill learned by a child who grows up in a chaotic environment. It is an attempt by the child to try to do everything right in order to gain approval from their caregiver. In reality, the caregiver has more than likely created a home in which the child doesn’t feel safe to be human and make mistakes. This leads the child to question if they are ever good enough. If they can just be perfect, maybe they can finally receive the approval of their caregiver.
In the words of Brene Brown: “If I look perfect and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgment, and shame.”
Jesus’s words in John 6:37 stand out to me as a safe place. Throughout this passage, people are begging Jesus to give them something, anything to help them do the work it requires to be part of God’s kingdom. But Jesus says this in verse 6:29: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
As soon as Jesus says it, the crowd grumbles and sasses at him. If it’s not something they can work for, achieve at, or do themselves then they can’t comprehend it.
They remind me so much of myself over the past few weeks that it’s humbling. Between my new job and grad school, I’ve been beating myself up over mistakes at every turn. If I can only work harder, achieve more, do it perfectly, then somehow I’ll be worthy. I’ll be in. I’ll be seen.
It’s hard for me to believe in a God who doesn’t ask for perfection. What kind of God doesn’t create chaos, but instead asks less of me? If I can’t control how he sees me, what will he see?
“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”
This verse speaks the words I’ve been needing to hear. I don’t need to bring my best self forward into my faith. I won’t be driven away for something I do wrong. I am loved and accepted not because of how perfect I am, but because of Jesus’s love for me.
He holds the love all of us perfectionists grew up craving, but didn’t receive. A perfect love meant for imperfect humans.
Dear Lord, please remind us of your love when we can’t see anything but our imperfections. Help us to remember that you won’t ever drive us away, even when we feel undeserving of all you’ve given us. Amen.
Prayer
Jesus, you said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” There are so many voices that lure me to danger. Tune my ears to hear your voice. Be good to me. Shepherd me away from trouble and toward green pastures. Amen.
Benediction
May the love of Jesus draw us to himself;
May the power of Jesus strengthen us in his service;
May the joy of Jesus fill our souls;
May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon us always. Amen.