Jan/Feb 2026 Chimes
Pastor’s Letter
From the Associate Pastor
This week our Men’s Bible Study began a series on the Gospel of John. As we read through and discussed the first chapter of the gospel, I was struck by its portrayal of John the Baptist. Our group discussed the ways in which the Gospel of John sees the mission of John the Baptist differently than the other gospels do. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John the Baptist is cast in the model of the major prophets of Israel’s past, particularly the prophet Ellijah. In these gospels John is responsible for calling people to repentance, to wakefulness, and to preparedness for the coming kingdom of God (brought by Jesus), much like the prophets that came before him.
In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist explicitly denies being a prophet and rejects the notion that he is Ellijah coming again. Instead, the Gospel of John gives John the Baptist one crucial purpose: to be a witness to the nature and person of Jesus. John the Baptist points to Jesus as the “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
These differences most likely have more to do with the perspectives of the gospel writers than with how John conducted his ministry. Still, thinking about how John is portrayed differently across the gospels does help us consider how we might conduct ourselves by his example.
As you read through the remainder of our newsletter, I invite you to consider how what we do as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church serves to connect us to Jesus. How does our community serve as a witness to the redeeming work of Jesus? How does our community call people to repentance, to the reorienting of our lives? How might our community serve as a prophetic voice in the world?
The various perspectives on John the Baptist’s ministry can be a helpful way of parsing out the kinds of work Christians are called to in the here and now. I believe our church is doing these things in many ways, and we need them now more than ever.
Peace,
Pastor Tim
Read the January/February 2026 Chimes HERE.