-------
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Matthew 28:16 So the eleven talmidim went to the hill in the Galil where Yeshua had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him; but some hesitated. 18 Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.”
-------
When his disciples watched Jesus die on the cross, they feared they had lost his presence forever. Matthew’s gospel condensed all Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances into this one passage. But in it, he made the vital promise that “I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age” (verse 20). John’s gospel expanded on that—Jesus said the Holy Spirit was his presence with them (cf. John 14:16-18). The Holy Spirit, Jesus’ personal presence with each of us not just sometimes but every day, is a beautiful, supportive gift!
• Scholar William Barclay wrote, “They were sent out—as we are—on the greatest task in history, but with them there was the greatest presence in the world.” * What helps you to remember, and live into, Jesus’ promise that “I myself will be with you every day”? How can Jesus’ presence help you to love those in your circle of influence naturally and winningly?
• Scholar N. T. Wright said, “It is basic to the most elementary New Testament faith that Jesus is already ruling the whole world…. The claim is not that the world is already fully as Jesus intends it to be…but that he is working to take it from where it was—under the rule not only of death but of corruption, greed and every kind of evil—and to bring it, by slow means and quick, under the rule of his life-giving love. And how is he doing this? Here is the shock: through us, his followers.” ** How, on your most ordinary days, can you join in bringing the world under Jesus’ rule? How does his promise to always be with you make you brave?
Prayer: Lord God, right now, as I pray this prayer, you are with me. Thank you—and tune my heart and mind to more clearly sense your presence to guide, comfort and strengthen me. Amen.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 2 Chapters 11–28 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 378. ** N. T. Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 16–28. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 207.
-------
Wendy Connelly
Wendy Connelly is wife to Mark, mom to two kids and a seminary student at Saint Paul School of Theology. She teaches classes at Resurrection Downtown and hosts an interfaith podcast, which you can subscribe to at TheLiftPodcast.org.
One September day in 2009, struggling with faith, I sat in my little monastic cell (my car), pouring out my soul. “Jesus, if you’re real, show me. I want to believe. I’m knocking, and you promised to open the door. Here’s your chance.”
This irreverent ultimatum didn't irk God; rather, it seemed to set off a string of experiences in which I encountered the love and pursuit of Jesus, through people. Strangers, all.
Within the month, I was approached by a middle-aged woman at a writer’s conference named Heather who found me in a crowded classroom, and announced, “This might seem strange, but I felt like Jesus wanted me to tell you how much he loves you. I’ve been seeing your face and praying for you all morning.”
That November, two other strangers approached me on the same day, with similar messages. The first was a well-dressed woman with a pixie cut at Scooters named Priss, who grasped my arm suddenly as I waited quietly in line, and said, “Oh honey, the Holy Spirit’s all over you right now.” That morning, she prayed an “anointing prayer” with her hand atop my head in the back corner. I felt a warm, tingly energy flow through my head into my entire body. Later in the same day, waiting to order lunch at Panera, a man named Corey also pulled me aside in line, said he had “a sixth sense, or what some call a gift of prophecy,” and that Jesus had a project for me and was doing something in my life!
I was overwhelmed by these three serendipitous events, and particularly curious about the palpable anointing experience during Priss'--the second stranger's--prayer. I went back to Scooters several times in the months that followed, trying desperately to locate Priss again. I wanted to know about her faith, and why her prayer had so physically affected me. Unfortunately, the baristas hadn’t seen her, and despite continued prayers—“help me find her, God; I need to talk to her”—I couldn’t figure out how to reconnect.
The following spring, 2010, I was in Panera, typing on my computer when another stranger—a man in his 70s, named Hoss—interrupted me and struck up a conversation. He said he couldn’t explain why, but he felt "compelled" to talk to me, as if by a higher power. On another occasion, we spoke again, and I mentioned the string of spiritual strangers who approached me, like him, out of nowhere…Heather at the writer’s conference, Corey at Panera, and Priss at Scooters. When I said Priss’ unusual name, Hoss’ eyes grew wide. “That’s the name of my ex-wife,” he said. He gave me her full name.
With this information, my curiosity piqued, I did a Google search, and located a picture. It was Priss, the exact woman I had been searching for and praying to find, whose anointing prayer had filled me with the energy of the Holy Spirit. It was no wonder I had never located her despite all my efforts over several months: she had moved out of state the previous December! Hoss put us in touch via phone, and Priss remembered praying over me, and became a spiritual mentor.
Many other stunning coincidences have happened since, and a host of other strangers with messages from God have approached me in the most unlikely places--the Kauffman Center, a toy store, coffee shops and airplanes. Despite all I’ve witnessed, much like Jesus’ own wishy-washy disciples, I am still a fumbling believer plagued by doubts, wounds and disillusionment. But I can testify that Jesus’ loving Spirit is alive and active in this world, mysteriously present through people.
Knock on Jesus' door, and you never know who will greet you in disguise.
Wendy ConnellyWendy Connelly is wife to Mark, mom to two kids and a seminary student at Saint Paul School of Theology. She teaches classes at Resurrection Downtown and hosts an interfaith podcast, which you can subscribe to at TheLiftPodcast.org.
One September day in 2009, struggling with faith, I sat in my little monastic cell (my car), pouring out my soul. “Jesus, if you’re real, show me. I want to believe. I’m knocking, and you promised to open the door. Here’s your chance.”
This irreverent ultimatum didn't irk God; rather, it seemed to set off a string of experiences in which I encountered the love and pursuit of Jesus, through people. Strangers, all.
Within the month, I was approached by a middle-aged woman at a writer’s conference named Heather who found me in a crowded classroom, and announced, “This might seem strange, but I felt like Jesus wanted me to tell you how much he loves you. I’ve been seeing your face and praying for you all morning.”
That November, two other strangers approached me on the same day, with similar messages. The first was a well-dressed woman with a pixie cut at Scooters named Priss, who grasped my arm suddenly as I waited quietly in line, and said, “Oh honey, the Holy Spirit’s all over you right now.” That morning, she prayed an “anointing prayer” with her hand atop my head in the back corner. I felt a warm, tingly energy flow through my head into my entire body. Later in the same day, waiting to order lunch at Panera, a man named Corey also pulled me aside in line, said he had “a sixth sense, or what some call a gift of prophecy,” and that Jesus had a project for me and was doing something in my life!
I was overwhelmed by these three serendipitous events, and particularly curious about the palpable anointing experience during Priss'--the second stranger's--prayer. I went back to Scooters several times in the months that followed, trying desperately to locate Priss again. I wanted to know about her faith, and why her prayer had so physically affected me. Unfortunately, the baristas hadn’t seen her, and despite continued prayers—“help me find her, God; I need to talk to her”—I couldn’t figure out how to reconnect.
The following spring, 2010, I was in Panera, typing on my computer when another stranger—a man in his 70s, named Hoss—interrupted me and struck up a conversation. He said he couldn’t explain why, but he felt "compelled" to talk to me, as if by a higher power. On another occasion, we spoke again, and I mentioned the string of spiritual strangers who approached me, like him, out of nowhere…Heather at the writer’s conference, Corey at Panera, and Priss at Scooters. When I said Priss’ unusual name, Hoss’ eyes grew wide. “That’s the name of my ex-wife,” he said. He gave me her full name.
With this information, my curiosity piqued, I did a Google search, and located a picture. It was Priss, the exact woman I had been searching for and praying to find, whose anointing prayer had filled me with the energy of the Holy Spirit. It was no wonder I had never located her despite all my efforts over several months: she had moved out of state the previous December! Hoss put us in touch via phone, and Priss remembered praying over me, and became a spiritual mentor.
Many other stunning coincidences have happened since, and a host of other strangers with messages from God have approached me in the most unlikely places--the Kauffman Center, a toy store, coffee shops and airplanes. Despite all I’ve witnessed, much like Jesus’ own wishy-washy disciples, I am still a fumbling believer plagued by doubts, wounds and disillusionment. But I can testify that Jesus’ loving Spirit is alive and active in this world, mysteriously present through people.
Knock on Jesus' door, and you never know who will greet you in disguise.
-------
"Our response: 'I will bless you every day'”
Thursday, 12 October 2017
Psalm 145:1 (0) Praise. By David:
(1) I will praise you to the heights, my God, the king;
I will bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you;
I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is Adonai and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is beyond all searching out.
4 Each generation will praise your works to the next
and proclaim your mighty acts.
-------
Most of us have days when gratitude and praise come hard, when we “just don’t feel like giving thanks,” don’t we? This psalm expressed gratitude and praise as a matter of choice, not of how that day felt: “I will bless you every day.” The commitment to daily praise was based on a purposeful focus on praising God’s mighty works. That was important to transmit to the next generation.
• If you don’t already have one, take steps to establish a daily habit of praising and blessing God. Examine the tools you already use to remind you of appointments and commitments, as well as your life rhythms. Create a “praise God every day” reminder in whatever tool works best for you. Depending on your patterns, you might want to include time to praise and bless God when you awake, on your commute to or from work or school, during your lunch hour or as you go to bed.
• We often gain insights by re-writing a psalm into language that fits today’s world. Read all of Psalm 145 (it’s only 21 verses). Use your imagination, and rewrite this psalm into an advertisement or brochure that lays out reasons for serving God. Humor is fine, but do not make the exercise a joke. Ask God to guide your thoughts as you creatively praise your maker.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, it’s Thursday, not Sunday. Help me to praise and bless you today, to start or continue doing that every day, and not just when I go to church. Amen.
-------
-------
"Sharing about Jesus every day"
Friday, 13 October 2017
Acts 5:40 After summoning the emissaries and flogging them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Yeshua, and let them go. 41 The emissaries left the Sanhedrin overjoyed at having been considered worthy of suffering disgrace on account of him. 42 And not for a single day, either in the Temple court or in private homes, did they stop teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Yeshua is the Messiah., 16:4 As they went on through the towns, they delivered to the people the decisions reached by the emissaries and the elders in Yerushalayim for them to observe. 5 Accordingly, the congregations were strengthened in the faith and increased in number day by day.
-------
It was remarkable that the apostles, after a beating, “left the council rejoicing because they had been regarded as worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the name.” But in some ways, what followed was even more remarkable: “Every day they continued to teach and proclaim the good news.” Acts 16:5 also made the point that sharing the good news of Jesus was an everyday occurrence for the early Christians.
• When was the last time you told another person about a new restaurant, an entertaining movie, a helpful cleaning service, an impressive car you test drove or bought or (if you’re a parent) something great your kids did? Does sharing that kind of news on an everyday basis feel more natural and acceptable than sharing about what Jesus means in your life? If so, what might change that?
• “Public beatings were meant to shame…those so beaten. The person would be stripped and given a maximum of 39 lashes in a public place.” * In the U.S.A. today, we never see formal public beatings like the apostles suffered. In what ways do people at times face shaming for their sharing of Jesus? Have you ever faced treatment meant to shame you? Can you join the apostles in continuing to share every day?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, one sign of this world’s brokenness is the way that some people try, every day, to shame your followers. Give me the apostles’ courage and trust in you if I face that kind of behavior. Amen.
* HarperCollins Christian Publishing. NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Kindle Locations 248207-248208). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
-------
-------
“The person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day”
Saturday, 14 October 2017
2 Corinthians 4:16 This is why we do not lose courage. Though our outer self is heading for decay, our inner self is being renewed daily. 17 For our light and transient troubles are achieving for us an everlasting glory whose weight is beyond description. 18 We concentrate not on what is seen but on what is not seen, since things seen are temporary, but things not seen are eternal.
-------
The apostle Paul knew firsthand about “the worst” in our world. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 he listed many difficulties he had faced. Those hardships took enough of a physical toll that the apostle said, “We always carry Jesus’ death around in our bodies so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:10). The apostle could have found reasons to think about giving up a life of serving Christ by counting his scars. Instead, he spoke of a daily reality that kept him going: “the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day.” Every ordinary day walking down a road, making tents or working with leather (cf. Acts 18:3), riding on a ship, or sitting in a prison cell, his connection with God kept Paul’s spirits renewed and encouraged.
• Scholar William Barclay wrote, “From the physical point of view life may be a slow but inevitable slipping down the slope that leads to death. But from the spiritual point of view life is a climbing up the hill that leads to the presence of God.” * How much daily focus do you give to maintaining your physical well-being? How much to nurturing your connection with God? What changes, if any, can you make to ensure that the person you are on the inside is being renewed every day?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I want strong muscles, and good lab results when I get checkups. Help me to desire with even greater eagerness a strong connection with you, one that renews me every day. Amen.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Letters to the Corinthians (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975, p. 201.
Family Activity: Even religious families who believe in God often find themselves in their daily routines placing other things above God. As a family, review your calendar and budget. Examine how your family spends its time and money. Ask, “How well do our budget and schedules reflect that we worship God?” Discuss what changes you can make to live more God-centered lives every day. Create a “God is #1” poster or collage and include pictures and words reminding you to place God first. Spend time in prayer as a family, asking God to help you release that which holds you back from truly placing God first in your lives, not just on Sunday but every day.
-------
-------
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Steve Williams and family on the death of his wife Anne Williams, 10/3
•Debi Nixon and family on the death of her aunt Anne Williams, 10/3
• Larry Pandjaris and family on the death of his wife Cheryl Pandjaris, 10/1
•Connie Roberts and family on the death of her sister Cheryl Pandjaris, 10/1
•Brian and Scott Setley and families on the death of their mother Judy Setley, 10/1
• John and Susan Casaert and family on the death of their daughter Laura Casaert, 9/30
• Jerry Sommerville and family on the death of his wife Kim Sommerville, 9/27
•Sean McDowell and family on the death of his father David McDowell, 9/27
•Valerie Davis and family on the death of her mother Barbara J. Brown, 9/26
•Steve DeZeeuw and family on the death of his mother Ella DeZeeuw, 9/17
-------
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
-------
©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment