Lyrics for the Easter Sunrise Baptism Service.

In the end, many Samaritans believe—not just because of the woman’s words, but because they meet Jesus themselves. And through that encounter, they declare: “This man really is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)

John 4:4 – “Now He had to go through Samaria…”

John 3:22-36 begins with a moment of tension between John the Baptist’s disciples and Jesus, who had begun baptizing people in the region nearby. John’s disciples come to him, worried. Crowds were gathering around Jesus. People were going to him to get baptized instead of John. Their influence was shrinking. Their visibility was fading.

What’s really at stake in John 3:16? It cannot simply be about our accommodations for the afterlife, but about the kind of people we’re becoming. The kind of world we’re creating. The kind of love we embody.

The story of Nicodemus in John 3 is more than just a late-night conversation. It’s a challenge—a call to see the world through the eyes of Christ rather than the lens of power, status, or religious tradition.

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” (Jn 2:13–16).

John’s Gospel is an invitation—not to a rigid system, but to a faith always moving toward Jesus.

Evil is overcome through the power of suffering love.

Over the course of 2025, the missions board will be highlighting 10 missional habits that foster the values of Service and Community.

In Revelation 22, we’re shown a river that flows endlessly, bringing life and healing to all it touches. Beside it stands the tree of life, bearing fruit in every season. This image paints a picture of what the church is meant to be: a people who bear the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness—even in times of turmoil.

John describes a city descending from heaven—a gift from God, not something we build ourselves.

Revelation addresses a deep human frustration: Why does God’s justice take so long?