Pastor John Wright

I have developed an interesting practice – not intentionally, of course, but one that I think it good for me. On Tuesdays I’m regularly preaching downtown at the Salvation Army – this is a wonderful congregation. I have to read the Scriptures with them in mind. Yesterday in the early morning, a man in a wheel chair was stabbed right across the street. We all recognized that this could easily have been us. One hears the Scriptures differently when one hears them as part of a congregation where many live without the protection of shelter, locks, and doors.

Then I have to listen to the Scriptures for Bible Studies, already informed by my first listening on Tuesdays. Here I shift to pastor with a biblical scholarship background. The earlier reading is taken up, not annulled, but heard differently in light of Tuesdays. Because of the responsibilities of the pastoral team recently, I’ve also, as I’m sure you know, done more preaching than usual. To read the Scriptures for proclamation as a senior pastor again takes up the earlier readings. The readings “haunt me” throughout the week. Just the repetition keeps them on my mind, even when I want to think about something else.

I hope that constancy in the bible studies finds something similar happening to you. These texts help us see life truly. They aren’t objects to master but words to live within – sometimes hard words, but good for us to hear lest we get trapped in our own self-deception.
I think that it might be good to begin with the gospel reading this week, and then move towards the OT and end with the 1 Peter passage. It seems to me that the 1 Peter passage leads to very good reflections about who we really are.

John 14:1-14

The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the eternal Word of God who becomes flesh and dwells among us. His sojourn on this world reveals God to us in His body; His Resurrection returns him to the Father. Perhaps a good way to read this passage is to ask how does what Jesus says make understandable Jesus’ instruction to “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” What particular things does Jesus say to lift “trouble” from our hearts?

How does Jesus respond to Philip’s question? How can it be that Jesus shows the Father? What is the relationship between the Father and the Son? How does Jesus’ response fill out “do not let your hearts be troubled?”

Deuteronomy 6:20-25

Why is it significant that the passage is given to answer the children? Why would one respond to a question about “rules” with a story? What is the point of the story? How does our story, told in John 14 above, help to tell our story? How does what we do in our life only take on meaning in light of God’s redemption in the resurrection of Jesus?

1 Peter 2:1-10

Why does this passage begin with getting away from the negative? Why these negatives? What precisely do such things do to groupings of people? Most likely, the image of “tasting” is an image drawn from the Lord’s Supper. How does longing for “pure, spiritual milk” help one to “grow into salvation”?

How is Jesus described? What is the relationship between the image of Jesus and the exhortation for us? What is it that we have become in Christ? It might be good to read Exodus 19:1-6. What is it to be “a people”? What is our purpose?

So much circulates in these passages. Story, Jesus as the revelation of the Father, the mission of the church. How does the initial exhortation to “not let your hearts be troubled” find its end in the exhortations and descriptions of 1 Peter 2. How have you experienced these words as true?

Have a wonderful evening!