John, the Beloved Disciple

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her,
“Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple,
“Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
– John 19:25-27

John never refers to himself by name in the gospel named for him.  Instead, he calls himself “the disciple Jesus loved”.  Why would John use this monaker?  Did he think Jesus loved him more than the others?  I doubt it.  My personal theory is that John was so powerfully transformed by the sheer fact of Jesus’ love for him, displayed so profoundly on the cross, that his primary identity was “beloved of Jesus”.  No longer was his name, “John”, the most important identification.

I love this about John.

Do we see ourselves in the same profoundly loved place as John?  Do we feel God’s love so deeply that it changes the very essence of who we are and how we desire to be identified?  While Jesus was dying, his words to John and to his mother, Mary, were ones of love and compassion.  Jesus desired to ensure that his mother would be cared for in his absence.  Jesus wanted his beloved disciple to know that he also had a responsibility to care for others.  It is through our own understanding of God’s love for us that we are empowered and able to share God’s love with others.

This Sunday we have a special guest preacher, Rev. Laura Terasaki.  Laura is the Executive Presbyter for Northwest Coast Presbytery.  She will be leading our Elders and Deacons on Saturday for a special Church Officer Training, and then preaching in worship on Sunday.  Please join us as we hear from Rev. Terasaki about the mission of our presbytery and the work of God among us.

New Testament readings through Lent:
March 17 Gospel of John
March 24 Palm Sunday
March 28 Maundy Thursday service at 7pm
March 29 Good Friday service at 7pm
March 31 Easter Sunday

As this Sunday is St. Patrick’s Day, please enjoy a portion of St. Patrick’s prayer:
I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.  Amen.