Jon C. Swanson's Blog, page 301

Water and wine with Jesus and John.

John 2:1-11

“What was the first time we saw through the skin and saw a glimpse of something more?” The old man shifted slightly on the chair. “That’s easy. Water into wine.”

“We’d had conversations with him. He shocked Nathaniel with his mind-reading or whatever it was. But at the wedding, it was clear that there was something more.

“We were sitting at the table, enjoying the party. We knew the bride, teased the groom about his good fortune. We asked Jesus whether he’d made the furniture. Peter...

Sharing can be fasting.

We usually talk about fasting during Lent. So it seems wrong to talk about fasting when we are supposed tocelebrate Advent by looking at the meals around Jesus. But I want to suggest we can understand fasting as sharing rather than as giving up.

Usually, fasting is giving something up. When I think of giving up food or coffee (shudder) or media, I think about my suffering. And I think about the credibility I build.

But Isaiah redefines fasting. He quotes God saying,

“Is not this the kind of fast...

Locusts and wild honey

Luke 3

When I was a kid learning about John the Baptist, we learned that hewasn’t really a Baptist, though my mom secretly wished he was, being Baptist herself. We learned that he worn burlap bags, because that was the roughest fabric we had. And we learned that he ate locusts and wild honey, which was excitingly gross for kids.

I mean, who eats locusts and wild honey? (This was back in the sixties. We ate Spaghetti-o’s and Sugar Pops. The more processed the food was, the better.)

Now, his diet...

First Sunday of Advent: Hope

Luke 1

It was a quiet Sunday lunch. No one was talking much; we were lost in our own thoughts.

“His name is John,” she said. I looked up. Elizabeth went on. “Before Zechariah wrote on that tablet, I said it. But no one wanted to take the mother’s word.” She paused. “I’m not surprised. A godly woman without children wasn’t a reputable source for wisdom.”

It was still a quiet Sunday lunch, but no one was anywhere else. We waited.

“When Zechariah came home from Jerusalem, he looked different, hopefu...

Thanks giving day.

On Sunday, we’re starting an Advent series that will run through Christmas. I decided to spend some time today being grateful.

Thank you for spending some time here. I am grateful and humbled when I hear that something I said clicked. Most times, it clicked with me first.

Thank you for being patient with my digressions about running, about family, about great ideas that trail off. I believe that all parts of our lives are areas for growing, but I understand that there is a risk of too much self...

For challenging thanksgiving mornings.

First published November 28, 2013

This is for the people who are struggling with Thanksgiving Day. The rest of you can move along. There is nothing here to see.

Jesus stood on the hillside with five barley loaves in his hand. It wasn’t an armload of bread. A kid was able to carry them easily on a long walk, five loaves in some kind of bag along with a couple fish.

Jesus takes the loaves and fishes and feeds 15,000 people.This story is pretty familiar. All four Gospel writers talk about it. I’m n...

A thanksgiving argument.

First published November 6, 2013

I have a suggestion for those of you who like to create controversy. Next time someone asks you to read something thankful from the Bible, like before you eat at Thanksgiving, say, “I have the perfect poem. David wrote this.”

Then read Psalm 35.

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.”

If you are a fourteen-year-old like Aiden or Caleb, reading those words would serve as a provocation to their siblings: “Dad, I d...

What to do the next morning.

First published May 24, 2011

You make a new commitment. You watch a friend die. You finally decide. You screw up. You get the award. You finish the book. You make the call. You answer the call. You finish. You start. You can’t figure it out. You didn’t get to sleep. You won. You lost.

Then it’s the next morning.

The success is dulled. The commitment, foggy. The future seemspermanently distant, unaffected by whatever you might do today.

If this doesn’t sound familiar, go refill your coffee and get...

In training.

Rob says that running in the rain makes you feel indomitable. I think it makes you wet. But that may be the same thing.

Here’s what I do know. If I ever need to, I can run 5K (3.1 miles) if the temperature is 24 degrees (F). I can even run 5K if the temperature is 18 degrees (F). And, if the weather is 50 degrees and raining, I can also run 5K.

I didn’t know any of those things un...

a weekend permission list.

First published April 25, 2009.

Rest. You get to do that.

Pray. You get to do that.

Trust. You get to do that.

Sleep. You get to do that.

Laugh. You get to do that.

Weep. You get to do that.

Ask. You get to do that.

Love. You get to do that.

Repent. You get to do that.

Thank. You get to do that.

Sing. You get to do that.

Kiss. You get to do that.

Work. You get to do that.

Talk. You get to do that.

Lament. You get to do that.

Question. You get to do that.

Come. You get to do that.

Go. You get to do that.

Read. Y...