The Daily Guide grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States - Thursday, 07 April 2016 - "A somber call to follow"
Daily Scripture: John 21:18 Yes, indeed! I tell you, when you were younger, you put on your clothes and went where you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate the kind of death by which Kefa would bring glory to God. Then Yeshua said to him, “Follow me!”
Reflection Questions:
When Peter first chose to follow Jesus, he couldn’t possibly have realized all that Jesus' call meant. Now he’d seen Jesus go to the cross. And now Jesus told him that he would yet have the chance to live up to his words in John 13:37(“I’ll give up my life for you”). With the cost of following him clearly in view, Jesus repeated the same simple, sweeping call: “Follow me.”
- Though there have been (and are today) brave martyrs for Christ, the vast majority of Christ-followers through the ages have not had to die for their faith. Rather, Jesus asks us to “die” to ways of thinking about life and faith that are inconsistent with his life and example. How eager or reluctant are you to follow Jesus into a changed way of thinking and living that will show God’s glory to those around you?
- “[Jesus] said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” Most of us don’t know what the future holds, what kind of death we’ll die. We do know that we will all die, that it’s not a matter of “if” but “when.” How can you and God make the most of each day of the rest of your life? What does it mean for you to “glorify” God?
Lord Jesus, “Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee.” I recite the words at church. Please help me to mean them. Amen.Insights from Janelle Gregory
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist.
One thing I love about living in the Midwest is experiencing all four seasons. One thing I don’t care for is when we experience all four of them in one week! Just a couple of weeks ago, it was gloriously sunny one day. There were families in the parks, walkers in the neighborhoods, and I was out-and-about wearing sandals. The next day? SNOW!! That Mother Nature – she’s got a nasty sense of humor. Around here, you never know what you’re going to get weather-wise.
And so it is with life – there are sunny seasons when we are experiencing joy and anticipation. There are snowy seasons when everyday functioning is a little more difficult. And there are stormy seasons when you just can’t get out from under the beating rain and blustering wind. There are seasons of saying goodbye and seasons of new life. And yes, just like the weather these can all come within the span of a week.
We can’t control the weather, and we can’t control a lot of what life brings us. There are unavoidable times when we will face extreme difficulties and challenges. That’s just how it goes. We know these times are coming. We look at John 21:18-19 when Jesus is talking to Peter about Peter’s eventual death.
Put yourself in Peter’s sandals for a second:
Peter: Hey, Jesus! It’s great to see you!
Jesus: Listen, Peter – I just want to give you a heads up on something. It’s looking like you are going to die in a horrible way, most likely crucifixion. How do you feel about doing that upside-down?
Can you imagine getting that kind of life-weather forecast? There is an F5 tornado coming your way. I don’t know about you, but if I were Peter, I’d be tempted to hightail it to somewhere a little less tumultuous. I’m sure Jesus knew this, and that’s why he had to follow-up his prediction with the two words that Peter would need to hear, “Follow me.”
Now imagine Peter: “Follow you? Into the storms?!! Are you crazy?!!”
And it does seem crazy that he would do this, but there are a couple of things that we have to keep in mind. First, the storms are going to come no matter what. We can’t outrun them. And secondly, we have to remember the context in which Jesus was talking to Peter. This wasn’t Jesus just hanging out with Peter as they were fishing one day, giving him the bad news. This was after Jesus had been resurrected. He had already gone through the darkest storm, being tortured and crucified himself. He had faced his own horrific death, and he had come out victorious through his resurrection.
Understanding this lets us hear Jesus’ words differently. “Follow me” is now heard as “The storms of life are going to hit you hard, but follow me – there is hope and life after the storm.”
Peter could have tried to outrun his storm on his own, but he wisely listened to the words of his friend. He chose to follow Jesus. And because of this choice, the Christian Church was established. We have our faith, because Peter chose to follow.
I don’t know what storms you are facing or what storms are yet to come, but take encouragement knowing that there is hope after those storms. There is death, there is darkness, but there is also hope and resurrection. The resurrected Christ spoke to Peter just as he speaks to all of us today, “It’s going to get rough, but there is life ahead. I’m alive, and I’m here to help guide you through this darkness. Follow me.”
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
One thing I love about living in the Midwest is experiencing all four seasons. One thing I don’t care for is when we experience all four of them in one week! Just a couple of weeks ago, it was gloriously sunny one day. There were families in the parks, walkers in the neighborhoods, and I was out-and-about wearing sandals. The next day? SNOW!! That Mother Nature – she’s got a nasty sense of humor. Around here, you never know what you’re going to get weather-wise.
And so it is with life – there are sunny seasons when we are experiencing joy and anticipation. There are snowy seasons when everyday functioning is a little more difficult. And there are stormy seasons when you just can’t get out from under the beating rain and blustering wind. There are seasons of saying goodbye and seasons of new life. And yes, just like the weather these can all come within the span of a week.
We can’t control the weather, and we can’t control a lot of what life brings us. There are unavoidable times when we will face extreme difficulties and challenges. That’s just how it goes. We know these times are coming. We look at John 21:18-19 when Jesus is talking to Peter about Peter’s eventual death.
Put yourself in Peter’s sandals for a second:
Peter: Hey, Jesus! It’s great to see you!
Jesus: Listen, Peter – I just want to give you a heads up on something. It’s looking like you are going to die in a horrible way, most likely crucifixion. How do you feel about doing that upside-down?
Can you imagine getting that kind of life-weather forecast? There is an F5 tornado coming your way. I don’t know about you, but if I were Peter, I’d be tempted to hightail it to somewhere a little less tumultuous. I’m sure Jesus knew this, and that’s why he had to follow-up his prediction with the two words that Peter would need to hear, “Follow me.”
Now imagine Peter: “Follow you? Into the storms?!! Are you crazy?!!”
And it does seem crazy that he would do this, but there are a couple of things that we have to keep in mind. First, the storms are going to come no matter what. We can’t outrun them. And secondly, we have to remember the context in which Jesus was talking to Peter. This wasn’t Jesus just hanging out with Peter as they were fishing one day, giving him the bad news. This was after Jesus had been resurrected. He had already gone through the darkest storm, being tortured and crucified himself. He had faced his own horrific death, and he had come out victorious through his resurrection.
Understanding this lets us hear Jesus’ words differently. “Follow me” is now heard as “The storms of life are going to hit you hard, but follow me – there is hope and life after the storm.”
Peter could have tried to outrun his storm on his own, but he wisely listened to the words of his friend. He chose to follow Jesus. And because of this choice, the Christian Church was established. We have our faith, because Peter chose to follow.
I don’t know what storms you are facing or what storms are yet to come, but take encouragement knowing that there is hope after those storms. There is death, there is darkness, but there is also hope and resurrection. The resurrected Christ spoke to Peter just as he speaks to all of us today, “It’s going to get rough, but there is life ahead. I’m alive, and I’m here to help guide you through this darkness. Follow me.”
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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