God adores us
For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Wells's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and blog content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.
The three readings for this Sunday have few obvious connections. But they do each point to forms of holiness: Genesis points to vocation, Romans points to faith, and John points to rebirth.
In this week's Century lectionary column, I talk about how most laypeople seem to feel utterly unworthy of the designation "disciple." They are all too aware that they don't fit the bill as far as doing the right things (professionally or puritanically), thinking the right things (doctrinally or politely) or feeling the right things (religiously or interpersonally). It's not wrong for the church to hold up an ideal of how Christians do and think and feel--but most pastors are well aware that their people are chiefly conscious of their failure to come anywhere close to the ideal.
