LESSON
Our sermons for Lent are based on texts from the Gospel of John, which is a Gospel full of literary devices that help paint a picture of who Jesus is.
One of these is the rich use of metaphor. The Gospel begins by proclaiming that Jesus is the Word made flesh, which invites us to consider that, maybe, somehow, in Jesus, God is speaking into the world that God so loves in a definitive way. Jesus–his person, his life, his work, his death–they all tell us something about the character of God…and we are invited, in the words of one of our church’s confessions, to recognize him as “the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.”
If Jesus is the Word of God that we are called to trust, it is interesting to look out for how he talks about himself in John. He uses so many metaphors, saying things like, “I am the bread”, and, “I am the light of the world.” I wonder what these self-descriptions of Jesus mean to you? Like bread, has trusting Christ nourished you, or slaked your thirst? Like a branch attached to a living vine, have you received life from him in some way? Like a light that brightens a dark space, has knowing Jesus helped you see in a new way, maybe with more perspective, clarity, or hope?
If you’re reading along with us this season, consider how Jesus speaks about himself…and what it means to you.
WRITTEN BY | Rev. Anna Dickson