I AM

The turn of the new year brings a new sermon series at Asbury: I AM

Specifically, we are looking at the seven I AM statements of Jesus in John:

I AM the bread of life

I AM the light of the world

I AM the gate

I AM the good shepherd

I AM the resurrection and the life

I AM the way, the truth, and the life

I AM the true vine

When this series was first brought up as an idea, I thought it sounded great to have a Christologically focused series. Quickly, I discovered that a series like this is very difficult to articulate. A series like this is steeped in good amount of heady theology. The first week (I AM the bread of life), I tried to set up the whole series by remembering the Moses story of Exodus 3. It turns out that trying to explain I AM WHO I AM as a 7 minute part of a 25 minute sermon is very difficult!

Throughout this series, I want to continually point to Exodus 3 ( the revelation of I AM WHO I AM), because Jesus is I AM. But however mysterious we may find I AM WHO I AM, we find description (even flesh) in Jesus. I think of Paul’s words “He is the image of the invisible God.” I AM WHO I AM is utterly mysterious, but in Jesus I get a glimpse of mystery made flesh. In Jesus, I AM is explained to me in terms of metaphors I do understand: bread, light, gates, etc.

“We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only” (John 1:14).