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Jesus remains in Jerusalem in John 3:1-21, not leaving until verse 22 when he returns to the Judean wilderness, perhaps baptizing (see verses 22 and 26; contradicted by John 4:2).  John 3:1-21 records a nighttime (...)

When I served a two-point rural parish, we held the Christmas Eve service in one church and Christmas Day in the other.1 I loved the change in tenor as we moved from the hoopla and (...)

Christmas candles and wintertime in North America compel John’s description of Jesus as Light shining in the darkness to jump off the page and into the preacher’s mouth. For an alternative approach, rather than helping (...)

John 3:16 is one of the best known, most loved verses in the New Testament. It is cited by chapter and verse alone on road signs and on banners in bleachers, a witness to its (...)

From all appearances, it would seem that John knows next to nothing about angels or shepherds, stars or magi. Goodness, he doesn’t appear even to know the name of Jesus’ mother! Why, then, this particular (...)

Whereas the Christmas Eve account was simple narrative, this text can only be viewed as poetic or imaginative. Though there is a story here, it must be teased out from the creative language of the (...)

The central verse in this passage is perhaps the best known Bible verse in the world. John 3:16 shows up in many public places. Hoisted on posters, etched on jewelry, and isolated from this passage, (...)

While John 1:1–14 is the appointed gospel lesson for Christmas Day (Proper III), I prefer to preach on the first 18 verses.1 The Prologue to John’s Gospel is John’s birth story of Jesus. The themes (...)

When I served a two-point rural parish, we held the Christmas Eve service in one church and Christmas Day in the other. I loved the change in tenor as we moved from the hoopla and (...)

Ask someone on the street to quote a Bible verse, any Bible verse, and you may get a blank stare. But ask them to name a Bible verse and you are in business: John 3:16. (...)