Red-Letter Days
When something important is coming up on the calendar, a commonly-used metaphor labels that a Red-Letter Day. Maybe it’s an interview of some kind; or an important meeting with a co-worker, client or school administrator; or perhaps a task that would seem insignificant to many, but to you it means everything. With the upcoming football season getting closer each passing day, fans of all variety of teams know which games on their team schedule are red-letter ones; the games so important they could make or break the season. Red-letter days are the most influential ones in determining what kind of journey we will have.
In the bible, the red-letter words are the ones that Jesus spoke. That is, some versions of the bible have printed the words of Jesus in literal red letters. In the Gospel of John, many of them are spoken in the second person (whether singular or plural), as though Jesus is speaking them directly and personally to us. His red-letter words are not ones of criticism, shame and judgment, but ones of encouragement, support and grace; words only able to be spoken by a loving inner-parent whose purpose it is to help us accept the gift of God that we are to the world. But they are also words of challenge. They inspire us to imagine the Kingdom of God dwelling among us and to participate in the building of it. In this sense, the red-letter words are not just for us, but for the world through us.
For the month of August, we will explore some of Jesus’ red-letter words and days we are calling Red-Letter Days. The information we cover on these August Sundays are meant to start us off on the right foot as we kick-off another academic and church-program year.
August 4
There’s No Such Thing as a Dumb Question
John 1:35-41
Memory Verses – John 1:38-39a
August 11
Enough is Enough
John 2:1-11
Memory Verses – John 1:50-51
August 18
The Commandment of Greatness
John 10:11-16
(the Great Commandment from another perspective)
Memory Verses: John 10:11, 16
August 25
Oh Freedom!
John 11, 12, 15 (selections)
Memory Verses (John 12:24; 15:2b)