Today’s Readings: Psalm 135; 1 Samuel 5:1-12; John 14:15-24; 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; Psalm 115
Six weeks ago, we kicked off a confirmation class for some of the 13 & 14 year olds at our church. We spent the first three sessions exploring each expression of the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We paid close attention to images that sprung out of each expression that helped us explore various aspects of God. In focusing on God, for instance, we found a variety of images used in Scripture ranging from God as sun and shield to God as mother hen. In focusing on Jesus, we found a variety of other images used as well. These images ranged from Jesus as Lamb of God to Jesus as King. And in focusing on the Holy Spirit, once again we found there were a whole different set of imaged. These images ranged from the Holy Spirit as Advocate to the Holy Spirit as Counselor. As we finished our third session, each of the participants stepped back and saw that one of the beauties of our Christian tradition is that each expression of God adds another level or layer to our understanding of God. One of my very favorite images of God was used in the section on the Holy Spirit – and that image was taken directly out of today’s passage from the Gospel of John. That image? Friend. Today, I want to introduce something knew to my blog to highlight the power of that image. I want to include a link to a song that captures some of the sentiments Jesus was getting at when he said, “I will talk to the Father, and [the Father] will provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you…” The song is James Taylor’s rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend”. As you listen to it, I hope you’ll experience your relationship with God in new ways. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kkPeEGlJgY. Til next time…
Six weeks ago, we kicked off a confirmation class for some of the 13 & 14 year olds at our church. We spent the first three sessions exploring each expression of the Trinity: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We paid close attention to images that sprung out of each expression that helped us explore various aspects of God. In focusing on God, for instance, we found a variety of images used in Scripture ranging from God as sun and shield to God as mother hen. In focusing on Jesus, we found a variety of other images used as well. These images ranged from Jesus as Lamb of God to Jesus as King. And in focusing on the Holy Spirit, once again we found there were a whole different set of imaged. These images ranged from the Holy Spirit as Advocate to the Holy Spirit as Counselor. As we finished our third session, each of the participants stepped back and saw that one of the beauties of our Christian tradition is that each expression of God adds another level or layer to our understanding of God. One of my very favorite images of God was used in the section on the Holy Spirit – and that image was taken directly out of today’s passage from the Gospel of John. That image? Friend. Today, I want to introduce something knew to my blog to highlight the power of that image. I want to include a link to a song that captures some of the sentiments Jesus was getting at when he said, “I will talk to the Father, and [the Father] will provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you…” The song is James Taylor’s rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend”. As you listen to it, I hope you’ll experience your relationship with God in new ways. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kkPeEGlJgY. Til next time…
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