Gospel of John | Part 6 | Crisis | Jon Sprouse

Crisis
Gospel of John: That You May Believe
March 27, 2022

I’ve traveled outside the United States a fair amount. One thing that has been fascinating to me is how different cultures relate to time. The first time I traveled to Honduras, it quickly became a joke among our team that we were on “Honduran” time because the local Honduran leader we were working with was always running about an hour later than he told us to be ready! In Lima, Peru, for our first international worship conference, we set the start time for 9 AM. We were ready and waiting, but people in Lima don’t do mornings! At least not that early. Their approach to time is different than what we expected and planned for. In many cultures around the world, the pace is slower, meals take longer, rest is part of the daily rhythm.
 
Americans, on the other hand, are notoriously impatient. We have instant oatmeal for breakfast, communicate by instant messaging, grab fast food for lunch, download documents or directions instantly to our devices, make dinner in our Instant-pot or air fryer, then entertain ourselves with video on-demand before swallowing something to help us instantly fall asleep. Our pace is fast - we want everything now; there is no time to waste or to wait.
 
 In Lamentations 3:25-26 we read: “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Did you catch that? Let me say it again: The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
 
We are at the mid-way point in our sermon series through the Gospel of John. This week we’ll be taking a look at a story that reveals the difference between God’s timing and our own. No matter what culture you live in, hoping, seeking, waiting for something that you desperately want or need can be incredibly challenging. Can we really trust God’s timing? Even when it looks like hope is lost and He has let us down? I encourage you to join us this Sunday as we consider the truth that we can trust God’s plans and timing, even - or perhaps especially - when it seems out of sync with our own.