“Johnesis”, continued: Echoes and Answers in Genesis 9 and John 2:

The Flood… Salvation… the New Covenant (rainbow)… the World’s Fresh Start… Water into Wine Jesus… the Wedding @ Cana…  Water into Wine… the New Covenant (in His blood)… the World’s Fresh Start… Salvation

I really think we are on to something here. The connections between Genesis and John continue as we consider the Flood and its aftermath and Jesus and His first miracle.

After the land dried up, we learned that God has removed a curse on the ground (yea!) which led Noah to try his hand at farming. We are told that he planted a vineyard and made wine. (If you read the whole story, you’ll find that he indulged in excess… and serious consequences for the future of mankind followed.) The water came… followed by the wine. The curse is lifted.

Now, fast forward several thousand years to Cana in Galilee. Jesus is at a wedding, apparently a pretty big shindig. During the feast they run out of wine. Mary knows something about her son which no one else there knows. He has power, power over the natural order of things. She urges him to act and like any doting son, he gives in. Water becomes wine. The families are not shamed. The curse is lifted.

When writing Genesis, Moses wants to teach God’s people about their Lord’s providential provision and their appropriate responses to it, so he tells of when water became wine.

When writing his gospel account, John wants to teach God’s people about their Lord’s providential provision and their appropriate responses to it, so he tells of…

… you get the picture. There is so much here; let’s dig in.

Fall Festival Tonight!
Festivities start @ 5:00 (don’t be late!)
Hot dogs, drinks provided. Bring yummies  if you can. Otherwise, just come. (Maps in foyer.)

PRAYER GATHERING WEDNESDAY @ 7:00

Prayer for Advocate Bromenn/OCTOBER: Emergency Room

Operation Christmas Child: Ask Sara Corteville or Molly Waugh for details.

Q&A about our new direction for Youth and Children’s Ministry
next Sunday (Oct. 31) right after the morning service.

FOCUS!!!!
Next “What Does Jesus Want from Jacob’s Well Community Church” Focus Group at Dave and Sue’s meets Sunday, Nov. 7 @ 6:00. First 15 (or so) who sign up will take part. Dinner provided.  Cary Hendricks will lead the discussion.

Thanksgiving banquet is coming!!!

Sermon: October 17, 2010

Listen to the sermon below from October 17, 2010:

[audio:jacobswell_dberry_101710.mp3]

The Cross and the Crescent: How shall the children of Abraham live in peace?

A Jesus-like approach to Muslims.

Our speaker this morning, John MacLean, and his family have lived in the Middle East for 13 years, most recently in Beirut, Lebanon, where they have many Muslim Arab and Christian Arab friends.  They are involved in interfaith dialog in the Middle East and here in America.  Given some of the ways that Muslims in America have been treated and talked about, John wants to encourage American Christians to interact with Muslims in Jesus-like ways.

See John’s blog (www.mac6.org) for more info about his views of interfaith relations and approach to interfaith dialog.

Here are some snippets from John’s blog…

Who am I and why do I have a blog? (more exploratory answer – in progress)

Who am I?  I am, or seek to be, an English teacher, a husband and father, a thinker, a person of faith, a cross-cultural explorer, a communicator, a peacemaker, and other things.  There are also many rather diverse things that I have done – tower-rigging, radio announcing, managing IT, studying Arabic, living and teaching in three Middle Eastern countries, learning to fly a plane, riding a bicycle around Zanzibar, hiking in Greenland, chatting with Liberians about shamans, exploring Kenya with my good Indian/Kenyan friend Sunil in his ancient Fiat, . . .

Thinking about this can be both satisfying and challenging.  I genuinely enjoy / have enjoyed the diversity and variety.  It has been great fun (most of the time), and, more importantly, I really like who I have been able to become as a result.  At the same time, because it has not been a straight track, I have not “gotten as far” as many of my friends.

In the fall I will be starting a PhD program in English Studies at Illinois State University.  I will also be teaching freshman English courses there.  My professional interests include: efficient and effective response to student writing; effective peer review of writing; best use of group and team work; and intercultural and interfaith relations and dialog.  Other interests and hobies include philosophy, theology, the Middle East, reading, hiking, camping, swimming, and photography.

Prayer for Advocate Bromenn/October: Emergency Room

FROLICKING FALL FESTIVAL: Sunday, October 24, 5:00-after dark

Operation Christmas Child: One shoebox with happiness, hygiene and holiness for one child who otherwise has no Christmas. Jesus comes to the kids this way.