Adeste Fideles

"Missing the prophetic mystery of Jesus' birth means missing God-with-us, God beside us- God becoming one of us. Missing out on Jesus changes everything." The Advent Conspiracy
I missed out on Jesus a lot when I was growing up. For me Christmas time, especially at church, meant being forced into a ridiculous shepherd or an angel costume and having to recite cheesy lines about baby Jesus being born in a stable. Even as I god older and the Christmas pageants came to an end I still missed out on Jesus every Christmas. For me Christmas became that time of year when I would be forced to  exchange absolutely meaningless and thoughtless gifts with people that I couldn't stand and was thankful that I only saw the once a year.
In the past two years Christmas has become so much more for me, especially this past Christmas. This past Christmas was the first one without my best friend calling me to sing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" as only he could.  The past two years I have started paying more attention to Jesus and less attention to the gifts and the annoying family members.
I'll admit that this year I bought more gifts than I have in a long time; but I have also been paying more attention to Jesus.
Jesus was  a Rabbi who called his disciples from all walks of life, something he still does. Jesus' disciples missed the point of his teachings many times, something we still do. Jesus never stopped believing that his disciples were good enough he still believes that we are good enough.
What if this year, instead of just singing the words to the carols, we listened to the words and took the time to really think about them?
"O come thou day spring come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here disperse the gloomy clouds of night and deaths dark shadows put to flight rejoice rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel." O Come O Come Emmanuel
"...Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother and his name all oppression shall cease...." O Holy Night
"Good news of great joy for every woman, every man, this will be a sign to you a baby born in Bethlehem....." My Soul Magnifies the Lord (Chris  Tomlin)
"...Hallelujah the King is here given for all men for today the Holy Son of God is born in Bethlehem...." Born in Bethlehem (Third Day)
This Christmas take some time away from the cookies and the presents and think about who that baby born in Bethlehem so many years ago is to you.

go in PEACE. live PEACE. be PEACE.

The Math of God's Love

I haven't had the best week, in fact a lot of things changed this week: 1. i made the decision to move out of my grandparents house for good 2. ended an unhealthy relationship 3. made the decision to not date for the next six months in order to focus on myself and school. However there was one thing that didn't change this week, how much God loves me.
I am a nerd and I have a minor in mathematics for no reason. So it was only a matter of time before I came up with a numerical answer to how much God loves us.
In math there are constants and variables. Constants are unchanging and constant while variables are constantly changing.
I grew up in a church where the amount of love that God had for me would change depending on my actions. In this case God's love was a variable. Now I know that God's love is a constant.
Time for math!!
Example 1 : Growing up with God's love being a variable
A= number of cookies snuck from the cookies jar in a week
B= number of times I picked on my little sister week
C= number of times I lied about having homework
D= number of times I didn't tell someone about Jesus
G= God's love for me

(A+B+C)^2D=G
so if:
- i took 4 cookies
-picked on my sister 20 times
-lied about homework 3 times
-didn't evangelize 10 times

(4+20+3)^2(10)=G
(27)^2(10)=G
(729)(10)=G
7290=G

*I know that that is a big number but the goal is to be as close to 0 as possible

Example 2: My life now with God's love as a variable
A= number of times I skipped class in a week
B= number of days I didn't read my Bible
C= number of times I curse in a week
D= number of times I didn't evangelize in a week
E= number of times I failed to love my neighbor in a week
G= God's love for me

(A+B+C)^2DE^3=G

so if:
i skipped class 2 times
didn't read my bible at all
cursed 100 times
didn't evangelize 50 times
neglected to love my neighbor 12 times
(2+7+100)^2(50)(12)^3=G
(109)^2(50)(12)^3=G
(11881)(50)(1728)=G
1.0265184x10^9=G

*according to this God shouldn't even know that I exist

Example 3: Growing up with God's love as a constant

A= number of cookies snuck from the cookies jar in a week
B= number of times I picked on my little sister week
C= number of times I lied about having homework
D= number of times I didn't tell someone about Jesus
G= God's love for me

G≥ (A+B+C)^2D
G≥ (4+20+3)^2(10)
G≥(729)(10)
G≥ 7290

Example 4
G ≥(A+B+C)^2DE^3
G≥(2+7+100)^2(50)(12)^3
G≥(11881)(50)(1728)
G≥1.0265184x10^9

So why ≥ and not =, it is simple; no matter what we do God loves us, "Only let's live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached" (Phillipians 3:16) and we will never fully understand the depth of her love for us.

For those of you who don't like/ aren't good at math what I'm trying to say is that no matter what we do and no matter what we are going through God's love is constant and unchanging.

go in PEACE. live PEACE. be PEACE.

The "Perfect" Church Part 2

Today I learned that more people read my blog than I realized. I learned this because I got a call from the not so happy pastor of the "mega" church I attended last summer. He wasn't very please with my conclusions about mega churches (I guess the truth hurts even when you are rich). 

He told me to think about what I would do if one day I was the pastor at a mega church that had billions of dollars in the bank and that my salary was millions of dollars. 

Challenge accepted.

Here is the list (not in any particular order) of what I would do if I had that much money at my disposal.

1. I would pay off my student loans and my credit card debt

2. I would give the members of the congregation who had debt money to pay of their debt

3. I would give members of the local community money to pay off their debt

4. I would end world hunger (pretty sure if all the churches that have an insane amount of money coming in every week worked together world hunger would no longer be a problem)

5. Build a house (not a mansion) for the homeless people in the local community

6. Donate money and supplies to local food pantries, soup kitchens, and at least until the houses are built homeless shelters

7. Make sure that everyone in the community has enough food, heat, etc (pretty much enough of the basics)

8. Fund health clinics in the developing world with a focus on maternal and children's health

9. Lobby congress to fix the education system in this country and eventually around the world

10. Make sure everyone in the developing world had access to health care and clean water

11. Buy shoes for every child in Africa via Tom's

12. Lobby congress to fis the screwed up health care system in this country

13. Maybe buy myself a new car

14. Maybe buy myself a house

15. Maybe buy myself Louis Vinton luggage (because that is what every pastor needs)

Please note that I didn't mention the color of the carpet, building a church addition that isn't needed and wasting money on a sound system that no one knows how to use.

The "Perfect" Church

There are a few things in life that frustrate me.  Ok, there are a lot of things in life that frustrate me. Recently one thing in particular has been very frustrating (you may or may not be aware of the fact that  I want to go to seminary and become a pastor one day); too many people make the assumption that I want a mega church that has millions if not billions of dollars in the bank.
I'm saying that I don't want to be the pastor at a mega church and I'm saying that I don't want to be a pastor at a church that is financially secure. What people don't seem to understand and I what I find frustrating is that I don't want to be a pastor because of the salary.
I would rather have a congregation of homeless people who truly love God, a budget of $0 a month, a salary of $0 a month than a mega church full of people who live in mansions, a budget of millions of dollars a month, and salary of millions of dollars a month, and people who really don't know what it means to be in a relationship with God because they are to busy strengthening their relationship with money.
I grew up in a small church that for being a small church has an impressive budget,  but people don't know what it is like to live in love. I briefly attended one of the "mega" churches back home, but I didn't form relationships with people.
For me the "perfect" church is comprised of people who let their lights shine so bright sunglasses are a necessity when being in the same room together. The "perfect"church is comprised of people who don't criticize others just because they receive some sort of welfare. The "perfect" church is comprised of people who strive spread the love of Jesus like peanut butter like I do on bread (all the way to the edge of the bread) or in this case the ends of the earth. The "perfect" church sees a need in the community and they fix it, no one thinks about replacing the church carpet (which probably doesn't need to be replaced) they just see a hungry family and buy them food.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that for me the "perfect" church is comprised of people who have made the decision to be peanut butter in a world made of bread.


go in PEACE. live PEACE. be PEACE.

I Don't Know What People See

I don’t know what people see when they look at me, but I know what they don’t see.

When people look at me they don’t see the sixteen-year-old girl who was afraid to go home from summer camp because her mother and her mother’s boyfriend abused her.

When people look at me they don’t see the high school student who struggled with an eating disorder.

When people look at me they don’t see the nine year old girl found out that the man she has called “daddy” all of her life isn’t her biological father.

When people look at me they don’t see the high school senior who almost ran away to California with her boyfriend after graduation.

When people look at me they don’t see the nervous eighteen year old who sat in a Starbucks waiting to meet her dad who she hadn’t seen in nine years.

When people look at me they don’t see the college freshmen whose step-mom kicked her out of the house because of her sexuality.

When people look at me they don’t see the emotional damage caused by growing up in a church where questions weren’t allowed, where fear and hate were constantly preached from the pulpit, where children were taught that God’s love is conditional.

When people look at me they don’t see the twenty year old college junior who more than anything in the world just wants to sit down and eat dinner with her family at their new house which she has never seen.

What about God? What does God see when she looks at me?

When God looks at me she doesn’t see the girl who didn’t believe in her for four years. She doesn’t see the girl who spent countless Sunday’s going through the motions. When God looks at me she doesn’t see the girl who forgets to pray, who doesn’t read her Bible everyday. When God looks at me she doesn’t see the girl who can be very judgmental and has temper that can be very scary for the person on the receiving end.

In his song, I Am New, Jason Gray says,

I am not who I was I’m being remade. I am new. I am chosen and holy and I’m dearly loved. I am new…Forgiven, beloved, hidden in Christ, made in the image of the giver of life. Righteous and holy, reborn and remade accepted and worthy this is our new name.

When God looks at me she sees the college student who is loud and opinionated. When God looks at me she sees the future college graduate, the future pastor, and the future mother. Most importantly when God looks at me she sees her daughter whom she loves unconditionally.

Today I am getting baptized. Today I am showing the world that I am ready to take part in something greater than myself. Today I am joining the church. Today I am joining a new family full of people who support me and encourage me. Today I am joining a new family where I am not judged and where I don’t have to fear being kicked out.

Today God and the world are seeing a twenty year old college junior show the world she is ready to be a part of something greater than herself, by getting baptized. Today God and the world are seeing me get baptized because after struggling for many years I am finally in an amazing, loving relationship with God.

Today God and the world are seeing me become a part of a huge family that supports and encourages me. Today God and the world are seeing me join a huge family that will never disown me and that will always welcome me home with open arms.

A Look Back

As the 10^th anniversary of September 11^th approaches I can’t help but think of where I was when it happened and more importantly how those events changed the world and the Church.

I was in fifth grade that September. We had had just finished taking a math test and the class clowns were chasing each other around the room, somehow they managed to turn the TV on. We all thought that it was a movie, we just sat there in our seats waiting for our teacher to shut the TV off but he never did. Instead he walked out of the room, before he left he told all of us to stay in our seats. We were all  excited, sure we had the best 5^th grade teacher ever, but being able to watch a movie in the middle of the day was not something we were accustomed to. A few minutes later he came back into the room and asked us if we knew what we were watching, we had no idea. Before he could say anything else the principle came over the loud speaker and told us that recess had been canceled and that that no one was to turn on the TV’s in their classrooms. We all realized that something was wrong, we waited for our teacher to shut the TV off but he never did. Instead he explained to us that what we were watching wasn’t a movie. He told us about the Muslim terrorists, but none of us understood what he was talking about. When I was in fifth grade the only things we cared about were gel pens and Harry Potter. When I got home my mother sat my little sister and me down and told us about the Muslim terrorists, she called them “towel heads”, had killed Americans. That Sunday in church the sermon was about Muslims; they were demon possessed, their god commanded them to kill Christians, and that we should not be friends with them.

Everyone talks about how 9/11 changed America, but no one talks about how 9/11 changed the Church. The events of September 11, 2001 were horrible and many innocent lives were lost as a result, but the events that happened shortly after and continue to happen are even more horrific.

Ever since 9/11 the church I grew up in and churches like it have committed many acts of terror. A terrorist is defined as one who employs terror. Telling children that all Muslims want to kill them terrifies children. Telling adults that Muslims want to kill them and their children terrifies adults. Pastors across America have been spreading terror to members of their congregations. Sadly many of the members have followed in the footsteps of their leaders.

Countless Mosques have been vandalized. Countless Muslims have been harassed, many physically, by “Christians”. Many people have closed their minds when it comes to the Islamic faith and anything associated with it. When the community center, the purpose of which was to bring peace, was proposed to be built a few blocks away from Ground Zero, “Christians” showed up with signs saying, “All I need to know about Islam I learned on 9/11.” What if it was a church that was being built there instead and Muslims showed up with signs that said, “All I need to know about Christianity I learned from the Crusades.” or “All I need to know about Christianity I learned from Fred Phelps.”

Jesus came to bring peace to all people. To be a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus. To be a Christian is to be a peacemaker. Protesting things that bring peace is not being a Christian. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”

go in PEACE. live PEACE. be PEACE.

A Rebel With a Cause

Lately we have heard a lot about rebels in the news. These rebels use force and fear in an attempt to get what they want. The prophets of the Old Testament spoke about a different kind of rebel. They said that this rebel would not use force and fear in an attempt to get what he wanted.

·      Isaiah 9:1-7

“Nonetheless, those who were in distress won’t be exhausted. At an earlier time, God cursed the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but later he glorified the way of the sea, the far side of the Jordan, and the Galilee of the nations. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in a pitch-dark land light has dawned. You have made the nation great; you have increased its joy. They rejoiced before you as with joy at the harvest, as those who divide plunder rejoice. As on the day of Midian, you’ve shattered the yoke that burdened them,
the staff on their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. Because every boot of the thundering warriors, and every garment rolled in blood will be burned, fuel for the fire.
A child is born to us, a son is given to us, and authority will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be vast authority and endless peace for David’s throne and for his kingdom, establishing and sustaining it with justice and righteousness now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of heavenly forces will do this.”

·      Isaiah 11:1-9

“A shoot will grow up from the stump of Jesse; a branch will sprout^[a] from his roots. The LORD’s spirit will rest upon him,
a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of planning and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
He will delight in fearing the LORD. He won’t judge by appearances, nor decide by hearsay. He will judge the needy
with righteousness, and decide with equity for those who suffer in the land. He will strike the violent^[b] with the rod of his mouth;
by the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. Righteousness will be the belt around his hips, and faithfulness the belt around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; the calf and the young lion will feed together, and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze. Their young will lie down together, and a lion will eat straw like an ox. A nursing child will play over the snake’s hole;
toddlers will reach right over the serpent’s den. They won’t harm or destroy anywhere on my holy mountain. The earth will surely be filled with the knowledge of the LORD, just as the water covers the sea.”

·      Isaiah 52:13-15, 53

“Look, my servant will succeed. He will be exalted and lifted very high. Just as many were appalled by you, he too appeared disfigured, inhuman, his appearance unlike that of mortals. But he will astonish many nations. Kings will be silenced because of him, because they will see what they haven’t seen before; what they haven’t heard before, they will ponder. Who can believe 
what we have heard, and for whose sake has the LORD’s arm been revealed? He grew up like a young plant 
before us, like a root from dry ground. He possessed no splendid form for us to see, no desirable appearance. He was despised 
and avoided by others; a man who suffered, who knew sickness well. Like someone from whom people hid their faces, he was despised, and we didn’t think about him. It was certainly our sickness that he carried, and our sufferings that he bore, but we thought him afflicted, struck down by God and tormented. 
He was pierced because of our rebellions and crushed because of our crimes. He bore the punishment that made us whole; by his wounds we are healed. Like sheep we had all wandered away, each going its own way, but the LORD let fall on him all our crimes. He was oppressed and tormented, but didn’t open his mouth. Like a lamb being brought to slaughter, like a ewe silent before her shearers, he didn’t open his mouth. Due to an unjust ruling he was taken away, and his fate—who will think about it? 
He was eliminated from the land of the living, struck dead 
because of my people’s rebellion. His grave was among the wicked, his tomb with evildoers, though he had done no violence, and had spoken nothing false. But the LORD wanted to crush him and to make him suffer. If his life is offered^[d] as restitution, he will see his offspring; he will enjoy long life. 
The LORD’s plans will come to fruition through him. After his deep anguish he will see light,^[e] and he will be satisfied. 
Through his knowledge, the righteous one, my servant, will make many righteous, and will bear their guilt. Therefore, I will give him a share with the great, and he will divide the spoil 
with the strong, in return for exposing his life to death and being numbered with rebels, though he carried the sin of many and pleaded on behalf of those who rebelled.”

·      Micah 5:4-5

Like a shepherd taking care of his sheep, this ruler will lead and care for his people by the power and glorious name of the LORD his God. His people will live securely, and the whole earth will know his true greatness, because he will bring peace.

·      Zechariah 9:9-10

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion. Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem.
Look, your king will come to you. He is righteous and victorious.
He is humble and riding on an ass, on a colt, the offspring of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem. The bow used in battle will be cut off;
he will speak peace to the nations. His rule will stretch from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.

The rebel that the OT prophets speak about is Jesus.  Unlike today’s rebels Jesus fought against an empire without a sword. Jesus fought against a corrupt and flawed religious system with love and compassion. Jesus openly fought against the powerful in front of them.

·      Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well. When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. When they force you to go one mile, go with them two. Give to those who ask, and don’t refuse those who wish to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.”

·      Luke 6:37-42

“Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good portion—packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing—will fall into your lap. The portion you give will determine the portion you receive in return. Jesus also told them a riddle. A blind person can’t lead another blind person, right? Won’t they both fall into a ditch? Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, but whoever is fully prepared will be like their teacher. Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s or sister’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? How can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Brother, Sister, let me take

the splinter out of your eye,’ when you don’t see the log in your own eye? You deceive yourselves! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s or sister’s eye.”

Not only does he challenge the teachings of the Jewish religion he breaks down social barriers.

·      Matthew 8:5-13

“When Jesus went to Capernaum, a centurion approached, pleading with him, “Lord, my servant is flat on his back at home, paralyzed, and his suffering is awful. ”Jesus responded, “I’ll come and heal him.”But the centurion replied, “Lord, I don’t deserve to have you come under my roof. Just say the word and my servant will be healed.I’m a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and the servant does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was impressed and said to the people following him, “I say to you with all seriousness that even in Israel I haven’t found faith like this. I say to you that there are many who will come from east and west and sit down to eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.” Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you just as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very moment.”

·      Mark 2:13-17

Jesus went out beside the lake again. The whole crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he continued along, he saw Levi, Alphaeus’ son, sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Levi got up and followed him. Jesus sat down to eat at Levi’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples. Indeed, many of them had become his followers. When some of the legal experts from among the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, “Why is he eating with sinners and tax collectors? ”When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners.”

·      Luke 5:27-31

“Afterward, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at a kiosk for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Levi got up, left everything behind, and followed him.  Then Levi threw a great banquet for Jesus in his home. A large number of tax collectors and others sat down to eat with them. The Pharisees and their legal experts grumbled against his disciples. They said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do.”

·      Luke 7:36-50

One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him. After he entered the Pharisee’s home, he took his place at the table. Meanwhile, a woman from the city, a sinner, discovered that Jesus was dining in the Pharisee’s house. She brought perfumed oil in a vase made of alabaster. Standing behind him at his feet and crying, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured the oil on them. When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw what was happening, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. He would know that she is a sinner. Jesus replied, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher, speak,” he said. “A certain lender had two debtors. One owed enough money to pay five hundred people for a day’s work. The other owed enough money for fifty. When they couldn’t pay, the lender forgave the debts of them both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the largest debt canceled.” Jesus said, “You have judged correctly.” Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your home, you didn’t give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has poured perfumed oil on my feet. This is why I tell you that her many sins have been forgiven; so she has shown great love. The one who is forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other table guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this person that even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

·      Luke 19:1-10

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through town. A man there named Zacchaeus, a ruler among tax collectors, was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but, being a short man, he couldn’t because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to that spot, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down at once. I must stay in your home today.” So Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus.Everyone who saw this grumbled, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” Zacchaeus stopped and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much.”Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this household because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ The Human One^[a] came to seek and save the lost.”

·      John 4:4-26

Jesus had to go through Samaria. He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink. His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food.The Samaritan woman asked, “Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.) Jesus responded, “If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water! ”Jesus said to her, “Go, get your husband, and come back here.” The woman replied, “I don’t have a husband.” You are right to say, ‘I don’t have a husband’,” Jesus answered. “You’ve had five husbands, and the man you are with now isn’t your husband. You’ve spoken the truth.” The woman said, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.” Jesus said to her, “I Am—the one who speaks with you.”

·      John 13:34-35

“I give you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, so you also must love each other. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, when you love each other.”

I am not going to point fingers because the Good News isn’t about making people feel guilty. But take some time and think about this quote, “For a growing number of people in our world, it appears that many Christians have come to support some of the very things that Jesus came to set people free from.”