Hope Alliance Bethlehem

Thomas is famously and wrongly demeaned for doubt. In fact, what Jesus warns Thomas about is how to process doubt. We are all constantly moving either toward belief or unbelief. So it matters profoundly where we intentionally place ourselves to engage our questions. The church is meant to be a place where we can ask honest questions and pursue the resurrected Jesus together.

As Mary stands outside the tomb, twice she is asked, "Why are you crying?" Of course she is upset about Jesus, but also about what she has lost - a new life and a new identity. But with the sound of her name from the lips of Jesus, everything changes. Mary's identity is settled, her eyes are opened to see a bigger pictures and she is given a renewed vocation as a wit

The resurrection of Jesus is not just a Christian doctrine or even simply a fact. It is the central truth to a whole new reality of life. The resurrection of Jesus means new creation. Ever the master storyteller, John makes poignant connections between the original creation and the implications of Jesus resurrection. Sin and death are defeated. Shame is gone and God is near again.

As Jesus welcomed the disciples to the table, he also bowed low to humbly wash their feet. But it wasn't feet he was actually offering to wash. It was hearts. Jesus has invited everyone to his table, but in order to be with him we have to be washed clean. This would ultimately happen on the cross for anyone who would confess him as Savior. Do you understand what he was done fo

Upon his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus embraces the hoped fo- posture of an incoming Messianic king of Israel. However, as John has reminded us form the beginning, Jesus follows God's plans not those of men. And so, Jesus comes on a donkey announcing peace not judgment and spreads his arms open wide to the whole world, not just the Jewish nation. He accomplishes this mission of

As much as Jesus loved Lazarus, he also hates death and all the chaos it brings to our lives and world. Yet, he cares for Martha and Mary in very specific ways to meet their personal needs. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus is engaging a direct battle with death (and sin) which will cost him his very life. Ultimately, Jesus raises Lazarus so he can take his place in the tomb

Jesus is moved by his love for Lazarus and his sisters to help him. However, if that is true, then why did he make the strange choice to wait a few days before going to them? He wants people to believe. Not just in the future or the abstract, but believe in him. When Jesus says that he is the resurrection, he is boldly declaring that he is God and he is pulling the future final kin

Sheep are at their core incredible helpless and incredibly valuable. That's why they need a shepherd. As humans, we inherently know that we are sheep in need of a sheered. The question is which shepherd will we give ourselves to? As the Good Shepherd, Jesus reminds us that we already belong to him. He has named us and leads us because he loves us, even to the point of laying d

John sets Jesus' miraculous healing of a blind man right in the midst of the continuing unbelief of the religious leaders. Their pride left them unable to see the scope of the human problem and unable to see Jesus for who he is. This is spiritual blindness, a far more crippling disability than that of the man. Jesus was offering healing to both, but it is only experienced thro

When Jesus tells his Jewish audience that they can experience freedom, they are quick to dismiss him. As children of Abraham, they are already free. However, Jesus tells that that they are enslaved to sin. This is the human condition. But true freedom can be found when we remain in Jesus' teaching. He shows us who we are and how we are meant to live.