Sunday, 15 May 2016 – "Prayer Tip: Jumping in over your head…"
Daily Scripture: John 21:15-17
"Prayer Tip"
This weekend we will be honoring those who are graduating, one of life’s big transitions. Now I must confess: I am super sappy when it comes to transitions in my own life. Honestly, I am just getting over leaving middle school…let alone high school, college or seminary. I deeply miss the people in these communities and get ever so sentimental about the way God formed me while I was in them.
Yet I also notice in myself this strong pull to always be moving on to the “next best thing.” So often I forget to be present to the day I am actually living in and to the people who surround me. At graduation times (high school, college, even graduate school), I think we all have a bit of this tendency within us. Once we graduate, we set goals to get a job, find a partner, possibly have kids. I am already lining up my retirement!
So what does Jesus have to say in these times of change? This graduation season, I want to challenge all of us to slow down and go back to basics.
You may have read some of Robert Fulghum’s writing about how many of life’s really important lessons we learn in kindergarten. So I started thinking: what did I learn as a kindergartener in Sunday School? Of course, Luke 10:27: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ In very simple ways, I think this is exactly what kids are often trying to teach us. For instance, I enjoyed this adorable YouTube clip of the Kid President as he teaches us the “20 Things We Should Say More Often.”
This week I challenge you to do one of the most difficult things: practice being present where you are RIGHT NOW. Whenever you feel yourself anxious to get to the next thing, stop, take five minutes and pray. Ask God to help you feel content and give you peace.[Rev. Katherine Ebling-Frazier, Pastor of Prayer]
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GROW. PRAY. STUDY. WEEKLY GUIDE.
Sunday, May 15, 2016 Second Chances – Stories of Restoration and Redemption
“Jumping In Over Your Head”
Scripture: John 21:15-17
John 21:15 After breakfast, Yeshua said to Shim‘on Kefa, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me more than these?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, are you my friend?” Shim‘on was hurt that he questioned him a third time: “Are you my friend?” So he replied, “Lord, you know everything! You know I’m your friend!” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep!
Monday, 16 May 2016 Matthew 26:31-35, Luke 22:31-34
Matthew 26:31 Yeshua then said to them, “Tonight you will all lose faith in me, as the Tanakh says, ‘I will strike the shepherd dead, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[Matthew 26:31 Zechariah 13:7] 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into the Galil.” 33 “I will never lose faith in you,” Kefa answered, “even if everyone else does.” 34 Yeshua said to him, “Yes! I tell you that tonight before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” 35 “Even if I must die with you,” Kefa replied, “I will never disown you!” And all the talmidim said the same thing., Luke 22:31 “Shim‘on, Shim‘on, listen! The Adversary demanded to have you people for himself, to sift you like wheat! 32 But I prayed for you, Shim‘on, that your trust might not fail. And you, once you have turned back in repentance, strengthen your brothers!” 33 Shim‘on said to him, “Lord, I am prepared to go with you both to prison and to death!” 34 Yeshua replied, “I tell you, Kefa, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.”
John’s gospel said that Jesus early preaching attracted large crowds. But Jesus didn’t trust himself to them because “he didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he knew what human nature was” (John 2:25). As his arrest and crucifixion approached, that extended even to his closest followers. Matthew showed Jesus warning all of his disciples they would
“fall away” from him. In Luke, the warning focused specifically on Peter, who made quite a show of bravado.
• John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, encouraged people to regularly ask (and answer) a set of self-examination questions. The very first one was, “Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am?” How do you see
that at work in the responses of Jesus’ disciples, especially Peter? When do you find the same tug at work in your own life?
• Another of Wesley’s searching questions was, “Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?” When Peter said, “If everyone else stumbles because of you, I’ll never stumble,” how did he illustrate the workings of that competitive dynamic? When are you most tempted to compare yourself favorably with others?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you know my human nature. You know me better than I know myself. Guide me today and every day, shaping and nudging me to become more fully the person you call me to be. Amen.
Peter was not the only one
Tuesday, 17 May 2016 Matthew 26:55-56, Mark 14:48-52
Matthew 26:55 Then Yeshua addressed the crowd: “So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? Every day I sat in the Temple court, teaching; and you didn’t seize me then. 56 But all this has happened so that what the prophets wrote may be fulfilled.” Then the talmidim all deserted him and ran away., Mark 14:48 Yeshua addressed them: “So you came out to take me with swords and clubs, the way you would the leader of a rebellion? 49 Every day I was with you in the Temple court, teaching, and you didn’t seize me then! But let the Tanakh be fulfilled.” 50 And they all deserted him and ran away. 51 There was one young man who did try to follow him; but he was wearing only a nightshirt; and when they tried to seize him, 52 he slipped out of the nightshirt and ran away naked.
Because he was so outspoken and boastful, we sometimes only remember that Peter denied knowing Jesus. The other disciples didn’t even give themselves a chance to say they didn’t know Jesus. They simply ran away! (Many scholars believe the curious detail Mark included about the young man leaving his garment and running away naked was either Mark’s own experience or told to him by the eyewitness source who described Jesus’ arrest for him.)
• Jesus never advocated armed rebellion against Rome or the Temple authorities. He actively moved away from efforts to force him to lead an insurrection (cf. John 6:15). What do you think caused the authorities to so fear him that they sent a large group of armed men to arrest him? In what ways do Jesus’ teachings still challenge (and sometimes threaten) established human ideas of power and strength?
• Jesus questioned the armed men who came to arrest him. He had taught publicly all week in the Temple. When Luke reported Jesus’ words, he added one significant line: “Day after day I was with you in the temple, but you didn’t arrest me. But this is your time, when darkness rules” (Luke 22:53). If the authorities really believed arresting Jesus was right,
why were they going about it when most people were asleep? When you want to keep something out of sight, do you try to assess how legitimate your wish for secrecy is?
Prayer: Lord of all, you already know all of the secrets I try to hide from others. Help me learn
to live in the sunshine of your love, to value honesty and transparency more than secrecy or manipulation. Amen.
Peter: braver than most
Wednesday, 18 May 2016 Luke 22:54-55, John 18:15-18
Luke 22:54 Having seized him, they led him away and brought him into the house of the cohen hagadol. Kefa followed at a distance; 55 but when they had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Kefa joined them., John 18:15 Shim‘on Kefa and another talmid followed Yeshua. The second talmid was known to the cohen hagadol, and he went with Yeshua into the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; 16 but Kefa stood outside by the gate. So the other talmid, the one known to the cohen hagadol, went back out and spoke to the woman on duty at the gate, then brought Kefa inside. 17 The woman at the gate said to Kefa, “Aren’t you another of that man’s talmidim?” He said, “No, I’m not.” 18 Now the slaves and guards had lit a fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it warming themselves; Kefa joined them and stood warming himself too.
The soldiers who arrested Jesus didn’t take him to some kind of public courthouse. The gospels say they took him to the expensive, palatial home of Caiaphas, the high priest. Give Peter credit—he at least tried to live up to his boldly-stated loyalty. Instead of melting away into the darkness, he followed “from a distance,” and entered the courtyard of the high priest’s imposing home.
• Of all the disciples, only Peter walked on water (Matthew 14:28-29). Peter came right out and said Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 8:27-29). Peter insisted that he would go with Jesus “to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). To what extent did Peter show his personal courage and boldness in the crisis of Jesus’ arrest? What was he apparently relying on that led him
to fail, despite his relatively bold actions?
• Physical martyrdom was a more immediate risk for the apostles than it is for us in the USA today. Yet at times serving God still brings risks, social or economic if not physical. In what ways does concern for self-preservation test your faith most strongly, perhaps tugging you away from your allegiance to Jesus? How can you deepen your faith that you are ultimately safer with Jesus than away from him, no matter what happens?
Prayer: Loving Lord, the world that hated and condemned you is still the world I live in. As I
seek to faithfully follow you, teach me how to trust in your eternal protection, and not just my own frail human courage. Amen.
“He cursed and swore, ‘I don’t know this man’”
Thursday, 19 May 2016 Mark 14:66-72
Mark 14:66 Meanwhile, Kefa was still in the courtyard below. One of the serving-girls of the cohen hagadol 67 saw Kefa warming himself, took a look at him, and said, “You were with the man from Natzeret, Yeshua!” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about!” He went outside into the entryway, and a rooster crowed. 69 The girl saw him there and started telling the bystanders, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it. A little later, the bystanders themselves said to Kefa, “You must be one of them, because you’re from the Galil.” 71 At this he began to invoke a curse on himself as he swore, “I do not know this man you are telling me about!” — 72 and immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Kefa remembered what Yeshua had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times.” And throwing himself down, he burst into tears.
Strikingly, all four gospels tell the story of Peter denying Jesus. In this campaign year, we’re
hearing rivals telling negative stories to tear each other down. But Peter was a leader among the early Christians. The gospel writers weren’t trying to tear him down. Pastor Hamilton wrote, “Why did all four Gospel writers feel comfortable telling the story? I believe it was because Peter had told it again and again across the Roman Empire.”1
• In Luke 9:26, Jesus called us to take up our cross. He added, “If any of you are ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes.” What are some ways in which you could be (or have been) ashamed of Jesus in your daily life? Do
you see a difference between being ashamed of Jesus and being tactful or tolerant toward others who do not share your faith?
• Peter had said, “Even if I must die… I won’t deny you.” The rooster reminded him of Jesus’ warning, he realized how little he understood himself, and “he broke down, sobbing.” How did Peter avoid getting stuck in destructive guilt, shame and self-hatred, and move to the healing, cleansing power of God-given sorrow over his failure (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10)?
Have you learned and experienced the difference between those two kinds of sorrow when you fail?
Prayer: Loving Jesus, I want to serve and follow you faithfully. And too often I fail. Preserve me from indifference, but also from destructive guilt that cuts me off from your grace. Amen.
1Adam Hamilton, 24 Hours That Changed the World: 40 Days of Reflection. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2009, p. 87.
“His disciples AND Peter”
Friday, 20 May 2016 Mark 16:1-8, John 21:15-19
Mark 16:1 When Shabbat was over, Miryam of Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov, and Shlomit bought spices in order to go and anoint Yeshua. 2 Very early the next day, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 They were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4 Then they looked up and saw that the stone, even though it was huge, had been rolled back already. 5 On entering the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right; and they were dumbfounded. 6 But he said, “Don’t be so surprised! You’re looking for Yeshua from Natzeret, who was executed on the stake. He has risen, he’s not here! Look at the place where they laid him. 7 But go and tell his talmidim, especially Kefa, that he is going to the Galil ahead of you. You will see him there, just as he told you.” 8 Trembling but ecstatic they went out and fled from the tomb, and they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid., John 21:15 After breakfast, Yeshua said to Shim‘on Kefa, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me more than these?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, do you love me?” He replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I’m your friend.” He said to him, “Shepherd my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Shim‘on Bar-Yochanan, are you my friend?” Shim‘on was hurt that he questioned him a third time: “Are you my friend?” So he replied, “Lord, you know everything! You know I’m your friend!” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep! 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!”
It seems likely that as Jesus’ enemies condemned and crucified him, Peter thought his denial, his failure, would haunt him the rest of his life. Thankfully, unlike Judas (cf. Matthew 27:3-5), he did not succumb to despair in some irreversible way. Perhaps he remembered all the times he had seen Jesus give people second chances. And Jesus had a wonderful second chance to offer to Peter.
• Mark’s resurrection story contained one vital detail. In Mark 16:7, the messenger told Mary Magdalene and the other women, “Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee.” Even though Peter had made a point three times of publicly denying that he even knew Jesus, his name was specifically included in Jesus’ invitation. What does this tell you about Jesus’ grace toward Peter? Can you trust Jesus to treat you
the same way when you fail?
• John 21:17 said, “Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’” Why do you believe Jesus thought it important for Peter to “undo” his triple denial? Have you ever found it painful to face issues that keep you from following God fully? What makes it worth working through that pain with God (and a wise counselor, when necessary) instead of avoiding it?
Prayer: Loving Lord, sometimes your love is a “tough love” (in the best, most healing sense of that term). Thank you for always being prepared to offer me, like Peter, a second chance when I need it. Amen.
What Peter (and the disciples) did with their second chance
Saturday, 21 May 2016 Acts 2:14, 22-36
Acts 2:14 Then Kefa stood up with the Eleven and raised his voice to address them: “You Judeans, and all of you staying here in Yerushalayim! Let me tell you what this means! Listen carefully to me!
22 “Men of Isra’el! Listen to this! Yeshua from Natzeret was a man demonstrated to you to have been from God by the powerful works, miracles and signs that God performed through him in your presence. You yourselves know this. 23 This man was arrested in accordance with God’s predetermined plan and foreknowledge; and, through the agency of persons not bound by the Torah, you nailed him up on a stake and killed him!
24 “But God has raised him up and freed him from the suffering of death; it was impossible that death could keep its hold on him. 25 For David says this about him:
‘I saw Adonai always before me,
for he is at my right hand,
so that I will not be shaken.
26 For this reason, my heart was glad;
and my tongue rejoiced;
and now my body too will live on in the certain hope
27 that you will not abandon me to Sh’ol
or let your Holy One see decay.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will fill me with joy by your presence.’[Acts 2:28 Psalm 16:8–11]
29 “Brothers, I know I can say to you frankly that the patriarch David died and was buried — his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him that one of his descendants would sit on his throne, 31 he was speaking in advance about the resurrection of the Messiah, that it was he who was not abandoned in Sh’ol and whose flesh did not see decay. 32 God raised up this Yeshua! And we are all witnesses of it!
33 “Moreover, he has been exalted to the right hand of God; has received from the Father what he promised, namely, the Ruach HaKodesh; and has poured out this gift, which you are both seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven. But he says,
35 ‘Adonai said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’[Acts 2:35 Psalm 110:1]
36 Therefore, let the whole house of Isra’el know beyond doubt that God has made him both Lord and Messiah — this Yeshua, whom you executed on a stake!”
It was just over a month since Jesus’ Passover crucifixion. Crowds came to Jerusalem again for the feast of Pentecost. And the same Peter who cursed and swore in the high priest’s courtyard that he didn’t know Jesus now boldly said “People of Israel, listen to this…”! What had happened to change Peter, in such a short time? The risen Jesus had forgiven Peter, and
called him to “feed my sheep.” So Peter triumphantly declared, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact” (verse 32).
• Richard Bauckham’s book Jesus and the Eyewitnesses showed that in New Testament times people scorned histories not based on eyewitness evidence. With no film or video, eyewitnesses were crucial. How did “we are all witnesses of the fact” give Peter and the
apostles credibility? Based on what you know about human nature, how likely do you find it that Peter’s boldness was the result of a made-up story about Jesus’ resurrection, rather than an actual event he had witnessed? In what areas do you want to open your life to the same divine power that had transformed Peter?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, your resurrected, living presence transformed Peter. You are still alive, and I ask you to continue the work of transforming me from the inside out. Amen.
Family Activity: The Bible teaches us about who Jesus was and how he helped others. Create a stack of “Jesus Scriptures” for your home. Distribute colorful index cards and pens or pencils along with a Bible to each family member. Ask each person to choose 3-4 favorite
Bible verses or stories about Jesus and write one reference on each card. (Invite very young family members to draw pictures describing the stories or to help other family members with their stacks.) Collect the cards and keep them on the dining table. Before each meal, select a card, read the passage. Pray to become more like Jesus, and thank God for Jesus. Place that card on the bottom of the stack and repeat daily. Add to your stack during the weeks ahead.
Prayer Requests – submit requests at cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Marylou Crum and family on the death of her brother Ramon Robert Harris, 5/7
• Molly Gray and family on the death of her father Michael Davis, 5/7
•Darrel Stiles and family on the death of his father Robert M. “Bob” Stiles, 5/5
• Matt Hansen and family on the death of his father Carl Hansen, 5/4
• Mona Edwards and family on the death of her father Khalid Ahmed, 5/4
•Alice Stark and family on the death of her mother Georgia Fritz, 5/3
•Friends and family on the death of Margaret Owsley, 4/25
•Phillip Thompson and family on the death of his mother Esther Thompson, 4/17
•Bryan Burks and family on the death of his mother Barbara Burks, 4/12
•Ann Grubbs on the death of her mother Helen Beal, 2/29
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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