GROW! PRAY! STUDY - THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION'S DAILY GUIDE FOR SATURDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2014 "John's vision: God fully restores the world"
Daily Scripture: Revelation 21:1 I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
5 He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” 6 He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life.
Revelation 22:1 He showed me a[a] river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
Footnotes:
a. Revelation 22:1 TR adds “pure”
Reflection Question:
Placed at the end of the Bible's sweeping story, the book of Revelation combined disturbing images of the wickedness of the Roman Empire with glorious pictures of the wholeness and beauty God plans for humans. In the book's concluding chapters, Christians find our ultimate vision and life destination: "God's dwelling is here with humankind."
Have you ever been involved in restoring or reviving something—a piece of furniture, a building, a plant or animal? What was that experience like? John used images such as a city, a river, and a tree to show God's restoring work. What images come to your mind when you think of restoration and wholeness? In what ways have you offered the "water of life" or been the "presence of God" to ease pain, bring healing or make things right? For whom might you do that this week?
Family Activity:
Birthdays are fun times to look back on where we have been and ahead to where we are going. Spend some time talking about birthdays. Ask each family member what he or she enjoys most about birthday celebrations. As Church of the Resurrection begins its capital campaign, it is planning for many, many exciting years ahead. What have been some of your favorite moments in the church? What dreams and hopes do you have for our church? Pray and thank God for Church of the Resurrection. Ask God to guide and bless the church as it enters this important and exciting time.
Today's Prayer:
God of all creation, thank you for all you have done to save me from myself and make me useful in your redemptive work in this world. Utilize me to help your will be done, so that your Kingdom might come on this earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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Insight from Jonathan Bell
Jonathan Bell serves as Director of Mission Ministries at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
Read and Reflect:
(Head)
As a boy, I enjoyed Bible stories. Yet only when I came to appreciate the story of the Bible, the whole Bible, did I begin to understand life’s meaning, and why we are here. Today’s readings from the very last pages of the Bible are the culmination of that story, God’s story. It begins with the first pages of Genesis, which declare, “God created the heavens and the earth.” We learn that, in the beginning, the God of the universe created all that is, with humankind as the centerpiece, and that “God saw everything… and indeed, it was very good.”
It was always striking to me that just five chapters later, we read, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” [emphasis mine]. I imagine we’ve all experienced, or witnessed, moments when we could understand why God questioned the reasons for creating us. But the best part of the story is the fact that God has not given up on us. First with Noah, then Abraham and Sarah, then the people of Israel and their descendants, all the stories of the Bible become part of the story of our wandering and God’s wooing.
With Jesus’ coming, God offers the final redemptive solution to the pain and brokenness we have wrought on ourselves, those around us and all of creation—Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus the Christ. In the life, teaching, death and, most importantly, the resurrection of Jesus, the story’s outcome becomes clear, as the power of God’s sacrificial love triumphs over all our sin, and even death itself. For me, the best part of the story is that God not only saves us from ourselves and all the darkness we find ourselves in, but also saves us for the purpose of re-creating the life and wholeness God always intended.
When Jesus called and sent disciples, when the Holy Spirit’s power founded the Church, God chose to finish the story with us and through us. God chose our hearts and lives as the setting for the story’s climax and the vision John, the author of Revelation, sees. It is a vision of all things made new, made right, made whole, where “crying and pain will be no more.” God says, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” That’s my kind of story. Praise be to God!
Prayer and Meditation
(Heart)
God of all creation, in spite of all we have done to distort your intentions, to damage and
destroy your good work, thank you for not giving up on us.
Thank you for all you have done, not only to save me from myself—my delusions, deceit
and despair—but to make me useful in your redemptive work in this world.
I am nothing without you. But with you, all things are possible. I trust you, with all that I
have and all that I am.
Use me, I pray, so that your will might be done,
so that your Kingdom might come, on this earth as it is in heaven.
Make me new, O Lord, as you make all things new,
as you restore your creation to wholeness,
and let your story end … as it was in the beginning,
and may it all be again, indeed, very good.
Amen.
Be, Do & Go
(Hands)
Sometime today, take 10 minutes and be still. Make a list of things you have done in the past month or two that were solely for the benefit of other people. Draw a star by the ones that might fit into John’s vision of all things being made new, or draw a leaf by those that remind you of the “tree of life,” which bore fruit each month and leaves “for the healing of the nations.” After making this list, say this prayer: Gracious God, for not giving up on me, let this be my offering, with thanks and praise. Help me to know your heart. Teach me your ways. Show me how this list can grow. I am yours. Amen.
For Discussion:
Use this section to help prompt discussion with your spouse, children, small group, etc.
1. Have you ever been involved in restoring or reviving something? A piece of furniture,
a building, a plant or animal? What was that like?
2. John’s vision is filled with imagery—a city, a river, a tree. What comes to your mind
when you think of restoration and wholeness?
3. In what ways have you offered the “water of life” or been the “presence of God” to
ease pain, bring healing or make things right?
4. What dreams and visions for the church do you have? What next steps can you take
to begin making these dreams and visions real?
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