22/05/2026
We live in what philosophers call a "disenchanted" world.
For most of human history, people looked out at the world and saw it shimmering with spiritual reality. The mountains, the stars, the changing of the seasons—they were all pointing to something beyond themselves. The universe was an enchanted place, charged with divine meaning and purpose.
But today, we’ve largely lost that. We are told that the universe is just matter in motion. Just atoms and empty space. We are told that any meaning to be found in life is entirely up to you to construct for yourself. But here is the problem, and perhaps you’ve felt it: living in a flat, purely material world is exhausting. Because no matter how modern or secular we become, we still have this unquenchable ache for transcendence. We still long for beauty, for justice, for a love that isn't just a biological survival mechanism. We are starving for meaning, but we’ve locked the door to the pantry.
Into this exact tension steps the Gospel of John.
Over the next several weeks, we are going to be walking through this remarkable book in a series we are calling The Word Made Flesh: Encountering Jesus in a Disenchanted World.
Throughout this series, we are going to look at the people who encountered this Jesus in the Book of John. We’ll meet a cynical intellectual named Nicodemus, a socially outcast woman at a well, a grieving sister, a paralyzed man who had lost all hope. And what you will see, again and again, is that Jesus completely subverts their expectations. He doesn't offer them religious advice. He doesn't offer them a moral program. He offers them Himself.
Whether you are here today as a committed Christian, or you are deeply skeptical of religion but aching for something more than this disenchanted world has to offer—I invite you to come and see. Let’s look at this Jesus together.
