Leeds Vineyard

Abundant Life 

In the ancient words of Deuteronomy (13:19-20) God gives us a choice:

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Over the course of 2022 our theme is Life – what it is, where it comes from, where it goes. We are bidden to choose Life and Jesus promises us that He came to give us Abundant Life (John 10:10). We are learning that we are “loved and known and expected” - and this gives us a framework with which to examine crucial questions:

What does Life mean for a follower of Jesus? How can it be abundant? How do we live abundantly lives, full and rich and satisfying and purposeful - and which overflow in giving life to others – not the life of selfish excess coveted by our culture?

Knowing that life is sacred, how do we grapple with the ethical issues about the beginning and ending and spending of lives?

Our main scriptural text for the year will be the gospel according to John – so you may want to plan that into your daily readings or set aside some special time to read it (it is a fantastic read and I’ll write about “how” to read it in due course – don’t wait for that though). If you would like an introductory commentary I would recommend Tom Wright’s John For Everyone Part 1 and Part 2. Tom offers a small portion of the book each day with a helpful segment of teaching along with his own up-to-date translation. 

David Flowers