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Happy Thursday to you (assuming you are reading this on the day we sent it to your inbox). Hope your week is going really, really well.
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Today, Erin kicks off a new email-only series entitled One Thought. In this series, Erin will walk through John 1:1-14 a verse or two at a time, sharing one simple thought to help you grow spiritually. We hope it is an encouragement to you!
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The Word
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One Thought from John 1
For this inaugural One Thought series, I have selected John 1:1-14 as our passage.
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A couple of weeks ago, one of our teens in the Riverwood Youth Group asked a question about John 1:1. I was so inspired by this teen's pursuit of understanding Jesus, I decided we'd all benefit from a deeper look at this poetic passage of Scripture.
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So here is this week's verse with my "one thought."
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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
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Preachers like me sometimes refer to the Bible as "the Word." And it is! Second Timothy 3:16 tells us God breathed the Scriptures into existence through human authors, thus making the Scriptures "God's Word."
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But at the same time, the Apostle John says God's Word is more than just the Bible. In the first two verses of chapter 1 of his Gospel, John talks about God's Word as though it is a person. And it is! From the context, it's clear this "Word" is Jesus. For Jesus, as God the Son, was with God (the Father) in the beginning because He is God as a member of the Trinity.
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But how is Jesus the Word and the Bible the Word?
Jesus, as the author of Scripture, lived out the teachings of Scripture perfectly. In other words, He embodied the very ideas, truths, and realities of the Bible. If the Scripture somehow could take on human form, it would be Jesus.
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Yet, don't get confused - the Bible itself is not God. It is from God. It is truth that is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness. But that truth isn't God Himself; it is to point us to Jesus, as well as make us more like Jesus. For God to be God, He has to have personhood. The Bible doesn't have personhood. If it did, though, it would be Jesus, who does have personhood.
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So this week's One Thought: Jesus is the perfect Word of God, living and thinking how you and I could not. It is this perfection that allowed Him to be the perfect, willing sacrifice for our sin. May this One Thought help you worship Him today!
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Want more than one thought on this week's passage? Let this blog post take you deeper...
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Riverwood Swag
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Need an early Christmas present idea? Head to our online clothing store where you can purchase some Riverwood apparel. (Samples are hanging up in the Riverwood lobby.) The store closes on Oct. 30; then you can pick up your items at Riverwood a couple of weeks later.
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New Arrival
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Cullan Thomas Corcoran arrived on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Congratulations to the proud parents, Tim & Sara, and big siblings: Bennet, Claire, and Mariah. Please be praying for strong and clear lungs for Cullan so he can go home!
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Bless the Community
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Official trick-or-treating night in Waverly falls on the 31st this year. If you're planning on staying home, we encourage you to consider ways you can bless your community as they are out and about that night!
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Just For Fun
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