TabLET Talk Faith stories from Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd December 29, 2020 By Karen Walhof The month of December offers several significant commemorations or lesser festivals highlighting key people or events in the history of the church. As we prepare for the Savior’s coming, we celebrate these church leaders who gave their lives to share the Good News. John, Apostle and Evangelist Observed on December 27 John was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebedee and Salome. His brother was James, another apostle. He has been identified as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Elder, and the Beloved Disciple. Tradition says that he outlived the remaining apostles and that he was the only one to die of natural causes. John, along with Peter and James, was a witness of several events in Jesus’ ministry that other apostles did not witness – e.g., the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the Transfiguration, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. John alone among the apostles remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross on Calvary, alongside numerous women. Following the instruction of Jesus from the cross, John took Mary, the mother of Jesus, into his care. After Jesus' ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, John together with Peter took a prominent part in the founding and guidance of the church. He remained in Judea and the surrounding area. Paul, in opposing his enemies in Galatia, recalls that John explicitly, along with Peter and James, were referred to as "pillars of the church." Church tradition has held that John is the author of the Gospel of John and four other books of the New Testament – the three epistles of John and the book of Revelation. .