Loose Ends

Once again, the sermon is history and I come to the realization that I left out something significant. While I laid out John's structure of his gospel; 7 signs, 7 sermons and 7 "I am" statements, I failed to connect Jesus "private" sign with his following "public" action in John 2.

Remember those stone pots for ceremonial cleansing? Remember they were empty? They symbolized the condition of Judaism at the time and Jesus turning the water for ceremonial cleansing into wine begins the contrast between the emptiness of the hoops the Pharisees made people jump through and the life and Joy that Jesus offered.

While it is symbolic in 2:1-11 it is literal in John 2 13-16 when Jesus goes to the Temple and finds that it has been turned it into a Den of theives, a place of business as opposed to a "House of Prayer" (Mt. 21)

As I consider this, I began wondering "In what way have I cheapened what God is offering with mere 'religiosity'?" In what ways do we trade an authentic relationship with God for mere insufficient substitutes?

What say you?

By the way, what do you suggest I do to make this sermon series more effective/helpful?