Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 5 November 2014 "Jesus' forerunner: 'Bear fruit!'"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 5 November 2014 "Jesus' forerunner: 'Bear fruit!'"
Daily Scripture:  Matthew 3: Thunder in the Desert!
1-2 While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called “the Baptizer,” was preaching in the desert country of Judea. His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”
3 John and his message were authorized by Isaiah’s prophecy:
Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6 John dressed in a camel-hair habit tied at the waist by a leather strap. He lived on a diet of locusts and wild field honey. People poured out of Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordanian countryside to hear and see him in action. There at the Jordan River those who came to confess their sins were baptized into a changed life.
7-10 When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference? It’s your life that must change, not your skin! And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.
Reflection Questions:
The desert of Judea is harsh and bleak. The people who created the famous Dead Sea Scrolls lived in a part of this desert, near the coast of the Dead Sea. The blunt prophet John, Jesus' forerunner, came from this rugged land. He heralded the Messiah's nearness, and because he baptized those who repented, he became known as John the Baptist.
In verse 2, the phrase "Change your hearts and lives" translates the single Greek word metanoietei. It's often translated just "repent," but the Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew noted that the word "does not mean simply ‘to be sorry about' or ‘to regret,' but rather involves a change of both attitude (or heart) and of conduct." In what ways has a change of attitude or heart showed itself in changed conduct in your life?
In verses 9-10, John challenged those who thought their ethnic or religious heritage alone could make them close to God. Have you ever known (or been) someone who hoped that family tradition or church affiliation could take the place of a living, life-changing personal connection with God? Do religious as well as non-religious people need to hear and heed John's call to repent?
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as I consider living as you call me to live, making the changes that might involve, I feel some fear. But I feel excitement stirring, too! Give me the boldness of John to step into the adventure you began 2000 years ago. Amen.
Insight from Angela LaVallie
Angela LaVallie is the Worship Logistics Program Director at Resurrection. She oversees preparing the Sanctuary for worship, supports Vibe worship and volunteers in the Student Center, provides oversight for Holy Communion at the Leawood campus, and assists with worship logistics at conferences.
How can we be a voice in the “wilderness” and turmoil of the present day? Not necessarily by always preaching Jesus’ return in words but by living in such a way that people see he is already among us.
Verse 4 of today’s passage of scripture says that John the Baptist wore clothes made of camel’s hair. This was an important fact because it showed that, as a prophet, he didn’t care what people thought of him and wasn’t concerned with comfort but with the message he was called to share.
The author and poet Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Now, that’s not to say that we shouldn’t watch what we say and do, but we must be very careful to intentionally share Christ’s love in such a way that people feel it.
This can be really tricky because the most loving thing isn’t always going to make people happy. I don’t have any concrete answers about how to share Christ’s love in such a way that people will receive it as loving. I do know it starts with Christ. The more time we spend in prayer and scripture, getting to know him and learning to listen for his voice, the better we’ll be at knowing how best to share his love. And the more we share his love, not condemnation and judgment, the more likely we are to introduce others to him.
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