---
Daily Scripture:
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
Prayer Tip:Hebrews 12:1-2: "All these many people who have had faith in God are around us like a cloud. Let us put everything out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God."
---
This week we had a chance to celebrate All Saints Day. This is a chance for us to remember all of those who have come before us and are now joined with God in heaven. When we examine the saints, we see a vast array of gifts and talents. Saint Teresa of Calcutta spent her life dedicated to the poor and the sick. Saint Francis of Assisi was a peaceful animal lover while Saint Joan of Arc had a fiery spirit and led armies into war.
These saints are spread over centuries and did their works for God in different countries, using different methods. What would have happened if, instead of following their calling from God and using their spiritual gifts, they simply tried to emulate someone else? They would have never had the same impact on the world. St. Catherine of Siena said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
I hope you will take some time this week in prayer reflecting on who God called you to be. Think about what unique gifts he has given to you and pray for new ways to use them in your daily walk.
Dear Lord,
We thank you for the saints that have come before us and the diversity in each one. Every sunset, sunrise and person has been uniquely crafted by your loving hands. Help us embrace the differences in ourselves and others. We pray that your gifts will not be unused and that we will have the courage to live the life you have called us to live.
Help us set the world on fire with your love. Amen. (Ashly Cooley, Counseling & Support Ministries)
Read today's Insight by Ashly CooleyAshly supports the Congregational Care ministry at Resurrection Leawood. She works primarily with our Counseling and Support ministries.
Like this post? Share it!
---
You might also like
- “The Lord of heavenly forces is with us!”
- “You are being made into a holy priesthood”
- “Not ashamed of the gospel”
- “While we were still sinners Christ died for us”
- “God’s justice” and “God’s righteousness by his grace”
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
"Reformation – 500 Years and Counting 'Semper Reformanda'”
Scripture: Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
---
"Always reforming, returning to our merciful God"
Monday, 6 November 2017
Isaiah 55:6 Seek Adonai while he is available,
call on him while he is still nearby.
7 Let the wicked person abandon his way
and the evil person his thoughts;
let him return to Adonai,
and he will have mercy on him;
let him return to our God,
for he will freely forgive.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways,” says Adonai.
---
Even during his lifetime, many people worked with Martin Luther as he led “the Reformation” in Germany and beyond. As issues arose, they at times reached differing beliefs, and a variety of faith communities trace their beginnings to that time. It wasn’t long before they recognized that “reform” was not a one-time process, but continually needed. Isaiah 55 speaks to all God’s people in all times. No one human institution, however lofty its motives, will always get everything totally right.
• Isaiah 55, likely written after Israel returned from exile in Babylon, observed that God acts in wonderfully merciful ways very different from the patterns we are used to. How does Isaiah’s picture of the gap between God’s mercy and our ways of relating speak to your heart? Are there persons (or groups of people) to whom you do not want to show mercy? Are you convinced that God’s ways are indeed different from, and higher than, ours?
Ø In Psalm 103:10 we read that God “doesn’t deal with us according to our sin.” Do you, like Luther or Wesley, sometimes feel that your sin (specific or general) leaves you not deserving God’s mercy and love? Have you, like the reformers, grasped and internalized that God’s mercy is not connected to “deserving,” but to God’s love and your need?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that your ways are not my ways. Because of that, I can rely on your great mercy, which reaches me in ways I’d struggle to extend to myself. Amen.
---
---
"Reforming on big issues without nitpicking judgment"
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you., 23:23 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah — justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to — without neglecting the others! 24 Blind guides! — straining out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
---
Jesus, far from always being somber and serious, often used humorous images to make a point vivid. He painted the absurd picture of someone with a log in their eye criticizing and trying to remove a splinter in another person’s eye. In more somber language, he challenged Pharisees who carefully measured out a tenth of small herbs while ignoring “justice, peace and faith.” During the Reformation and since, Christians have too often split over one small difference while ignoring the many common convictions they share.
• What kinds of psychological “payoffs” often make it feel better to criticize others than to admit and face up to our own challenges? In what ways can recognizing the payoffs from that tendency serve as the first step in changing our behavior? What spiritual practices
have you found that strengthen you to resist the inner urge to judge others?
• Has someone ever judgmentally attempted to remove a “speck” from your “eye?” Did that experience draw you closer either to the other person or to God? How did that experience differ from a time when someone graciously and compassionately offered you insights about your life in a way free from any “holier than thou” dynamics?
Prayer: O God, please help me to see any “logs” in my own eyes, any “camels” I am willing to swallow. Keep me free from judgmental feelings of superiority to others. Amen.
---
---
"Paul’s plea for gospel-based unity"
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Philippians 2:1 Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any compassion and sympathy, 2 then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves — 4 look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own., 3:3 For it is we who are the Circumcised, we who worship by the Spirit of God and make our boast in the Messiah Yeshua! We do not put confidence in human qualifications, 4 even though I certainly have grounds for putting confidence in such things. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for putting confidence in human qualifications, I have better grounds:
a. 5 b’rit-milah on the eighth day,
b. by birth belonging to the people of Isra’el,
c. from the tribe of Binyamin,
d. a Hebrew-speaker, with Hebrew-speaking parents,
e. in regard to the Torah, a Parush,
f. 6 in regard to zeal, a persecutor of the Messianic Community,
g. in regard to the righteousness demanded by legalism, blameless.
7 But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage. 8 Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah Yeshua as my Lord. It was because of him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah 9 and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust., 4:1 So, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, my dear friends, keep standing firm in union with the Lord.
2 I beg Evodia and I beg Syntyche to agree with each other in union with the Lord.
---
Two apparently influential women in the Philippian church, Euodia and Syntyche, seem to have come into some kind of conflict. The apostle Paul used that as an opportunity to teach the entire church important lessons. In chapter 2 he described the state of mind in which, ideally, all Christians relate to one another. In chapter 3, he told about his own shift from religious arrogance to humble trust in Christ. Only then did he directly appeal to the two feuding women to find common ground “in the Lord.”
Ø The young Pharisee Saul had all the human credentials—“proper” birth, great education, and even persecuting Christians. What family heritages, human accomplishments and credentials are you proudest of? If preserving any of them ever conflicted with heeding God’s call on your life, what would you choose? What basis for self-worth (other than relying on his own accomplishments) did Paul claim? To what extent are you able to find your value where he did?
• Facing death (at the hands of a Roman executioner), Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Does it sound like Paul was sad about “throwing away” his promising career to follow Jesus? In what ways has your commitment to Christ given you the kind of sense of purpose Paul showed?
Prayer: Lord God, I’m no less loved by you than the greatest saint, and no more loved by you than the most miserable sinner. Help that to be more than enough for me, as it was for your servant Paul. Amen.
---
---
"Jesus on the foundation for all true reform"
Thursday, 9 November 2017
Matthew 22:34 but when the P’rushim learned that he had silenced the Tz’dukim, they got together, 35 and one of them who was a Torah expert asked a sh’eilah to trap him: 36 “Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?” 37 He told him, “‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’[Matthew 22:37 Deuteronomy 6:5] 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’[Matthew 22:39 Leviticus 19:18] 40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”
---
Scholar William Barclay noted that there were two schools of thought among rabbis. Some believed “there were lighter and weightier matters of the law…great principles which were all important to grasp.” Others “held that every smallest principle was equally binding.” * When asked, Jesus was clear about that—he saw some principles as far more vital than others, central to understanding God’s will. Loving God and loving your neighbor are the greatest
commandments, Jesus said, pivotal expressions of God’s will.
• Christians “get it wrong” when we defend any other idea we see as “truth” in ways that keep us from loving God totally, and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus clearly taught (as reported in all three Synoptic gospels) that any other truth or orthodoxy has value only as it leads us to more fully love God and neighbor. Have you ever seen “truth” presented in ways that were unloving to neighbors, and ultimately even to God?
Ø Jesus said that everything the Bible teaches, all the truths we know about what God wants, “depend” on the two commands he quoted. How would you explain to someone else what makes these two commands so essential? Can you recall any instance when some belief you held led you to be unloving, maybe even without realizing it at first?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to truly love you with all my heart, all my mind, all my being. And as an outgrowth of that, help me to love my neighbor as I love myself, to live my life in accord with your great commandments. Amen.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Mark (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 294.
---
---
"Humility before God: essential for all lasting reformation"
Friday, 10 November 2017
1 Peter 5:1 Therefore, I urge the congregation leaders among you, as a fellow-leader and witness to the Messiah’s sufferings, as well as a sharer in the glory to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is in your care, exercising oversight not out of constraint, but willingly, as God wants; and not out of a desire for dishonest gain, but with enthusiasm; 3 also not as machers domineering over those in your care, but as people who become examples to the flock. 4 Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive glory as your unfading crown.
5 Likewise, you who are less experienced, submit to leaders. Further, all of you should clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, because
God opposes the arrogant,
but to the humble he gives grace.[1 Peter 5:5 Proverbs 3:34]
6 Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up.
---
Peter called on early Christian converts (and us) to find the freedom that comes from humility with each other and trust in God. Too often, we’re tempted (like many church reformers at some
point in their life) to link the idea of “reform” with “We have to do everything my way.” But Peter said “no” to that idea. Relate to each other humbly, he wrote, and trust your anxieties to God.
Ø Do you believe it is possible to act with confidence (in a church ministry or reform movement, your work, your family, or just your own life) out of humility rather than pride? What attitudes or actions does it take to make that a reality? How can mutual humility
smooth dealings between followers and leaders, or between people on different sides of a difficult (but not central to the faith) issue?
• James 3:13-15 named “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition” as being the reverse of the humility that comes from wisdom. Have you ever seen qualities like bitter jealousy or selfish ambition damage interactions between you and others, especially if you are dealing with a disagreement? How does humility guard your mind and heart from these hurtful ways of thinking?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, maybe I need a new mental “outfit.” Help me every day, in all my contacts, to clothe myself with humility toward the other people with whom I deal. Amen.
---
---
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God"
Saturday, 11 November 2017
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
---
This passage named central truths all Christians hold in common. These are the foundation for God’s new community—a community united, despite its members’ many differences, by their loyalty to the same God. Yet before, during and since the Reformation, Christians have
disagreed (and often divided) for many reasons—from circumcision in New Testament times to the “right” form of baptism or communion in Reformation Europe to slavery in American history and ordaining women among Methodists in the middle of the 20th century. Today, some honest Christians on all sides of the issue argue that the United Methodist church must divide over the issue of same-sex marriage. But, as with all the other issues, we all serve the same God. Many Methodists believe we can disagree on this issue without needing to divide (visit unitingmethodists.com for more information about the “Uniting Methodists” movement).
• Methodism’s founder John Wesley often echoed Ephesians 4. In the introduction to his Notes on the New Testament, he wrote, “Would to God that all the party names, and unscriptural phrases and forms, which have divided the Christian world, were forgot: and that we might all agree to sit down together, as humble, loving disciples, at the feet of our common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to transcribe his life in our own!” In his sermon titled “Catholic Spirit”, he asked, “"Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?... Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences." * If more Christians
through the ages had followed Ephesians 4:1-6, as well as Wesley’s counsel, do you believe the church would be stronger and more respected, or weaker? For what reasons?
Prayer: Loving Jesus, guide your people all over the earth. Guide me. As the world looks at your followers, help us to so conduct ourselves that words like “peace,” “unity,” “humility” and “love” will be the main descriptors that come to minds. Amen.
* To read Wesley’s entire sermon on unity, visit www.umcmission.org and search Sermon-39-Catholic-Spirit.
Family Activity: Through portraits of biblical characters and God’s followers of today, the Leawood stained glass window tells the story of God’s transforming love for all people in past, present and future generations. See how many people you can identify and whose stories you can share. Discuss how your life and your family’s life displays God’s love for all people. Gather some family pictures and with words, phrases, drawings, and magazine cutouts design your own artistic expression of God’s love. Find a special place in your home for your family’s creation. Consider a title for it such as “Our family shares God’s love with all!” Thank God for His love. Ask God to help you continue to tell the story of his amazing, faithful love.
---
---
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Mary Haines and family on the death of her aunt Patricia Grey (Twilley) Stone, 10/30
• Nancy Nance and family on the death of her brother Jess D. Paul, Jr., 10/26
• Anne Sanders and family on the death of her cousin Marilynn Roche, 10/21
• Diane and Tom Slezak and family on the death of Diane’s mother Cora Magdaleno, 10/19
"Always reforming, returning to our merciful God"
Monday, 6 November 2017
Isaiah 55:6 Seek Adonai while he is available,
call on him while he is still nearby.
7 Let the wicked person abandon his way
and the evil person his thoughts;
let him return to Adonai,
and he will have mercy on him;
let him return to our God,
for he will freely forgive.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways,” says Adonai.
---
Even during his lifetime, many people worked with Martin Luther as he led “the Reformation” in Germany and beyond. As issues arose, they at times reached differing beliefs, and a variety of faith communities trace their beginnings to that time. It wasn’t long before they recognized that “reform” was not a one-time process, but continually needed. Isaiah 55 speaks to all God’s people in all times. No one human institution, however lofty its motives, will always get everything totally right.
• Isaiah 55, likely written after Israel returned from exile in Babylon, observed that God acts in wonderfully merciful ways very different from the patterns we are used to. How does Isaiah’s picture of the gap between God’s mercy and our ways of relating speak to your heart? Are there persons (or groups of people) to whom you do not want to show mercy? Are you convinced that God’s ways are indeed different from, and higher than, ours?
Ø In Psalm 103:10 we read that God “doesn’t deal with us according to our sin.” Do you, like Luther or Wesley, sometimes feel that your sin (specific or general) leaves you not deserving God’s mercy and love? Have you, like the reformers, grasped and internalized that God’s mercy is not connected to “deserving,” but to God’s love and your need?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that your ways are not my ways. Because of that, I can rely on your great mercy, which reaches me in ways I’d struggle to extend to myself. Amen.
---
---
"Reforming on big issues without nitpicking judgment"
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Matthew 7:1 “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!
6 “Don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw your pearls to the pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, then turn and attack you., 23:23 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah — justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to — without neglecting the others! 24 Blind guides! — straining out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
---
Jesus, far from always being somber and serious, often used humorous images to make a point vivid. He painted the absurd picture of someone with a log in their eye criticizing and trying to remove a splinter in another person’s eye. In more somber language, he challenged Pharisees who carefully measured out a tenth of small herbs while ignoring “justice, peace and faith.” During the Reformation and since, Christians have too often split over one small difference while ignoring the many common convictions they share.
• What kinds of psychological “payoffs” often make it feel better to criticize others than to admit and face up to our own challenges? In what ways can recognizing the payoffs from that tendency serve as the first step in changing our behavior? What spiritual practices
have you found that strengthen you to resist the inner urge to judge others?
• Has someone ever judgmentally attempted to remove a “speck” from your “eye?” Did that experience draw you closer either to the other person or to God? How did that experience differ from a time when someone graciously and compassionately offered you insights about your life in a way free from any “holier than thou” dynamics?
Prayer: O God, please help me to see any “logs” in my own eyes, any “camels” I am willing to swallow. Keep me free from judgmental feelings of superiority to others. Amen.
---
---
"Paul’s plea for gospel-based unity"
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Philippians 2:1 Therefore, if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah, any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any compassion and sympathy, 2 then complete my joy by having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and mind. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but, in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves — 4 look out for each other’s interests and not just for your own., 3:3 For it is we who are the Circumcised, we who worship by the Spirit of God and make our boast in the Messiah Yeshua! We do not put confidence in human qualifications, 4 even though I certainly have grounds for putting confidence in such things. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for putting confidence in human qualifications, I have better grounds:
a. 5 b’rit-milah on the eighth day,
b. by birth belonging to the people of Isra’el,
c. from the tribe of Binyamin,
d. a Hebrew-speaker, with Hebrew-speaking parents,
e. in regard to the Torah, a Parush,
f. 6 in regard to zeal, a persecutor of the Messianic Community,
g. in regard to the righteousness demanded by legalism, blameless.
7 But the things that used to be advantages for me, I have, because of the Messiah, come to consider a disadvantage. 8 Not only that, but I consider everything a disadvantage in comparison with the supreme value of knowing the Messiah Yeshua as my Lord. It was because of him that I gave up everything and regard it all as garbage, in order to gain the Messiah 9 and be found in union with him, not having any righteousness of my own based on legalism, but having that righteousness which comes through the Messiah’s faithfulness, the righteousness from God based on trust., 4:1 So, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and my crown, my dear friends, keep standing firm in union with the Lord.
2 I beg Evodia and I beg Syntyche to agree with each other in union with the Lord.
---
Two apparently influential women in the Philippian church, Euodia and Syntyche, seem to have come into some kind of conflict. The apostle Paul used that as an opportunity to teach the entire church important lessons. In chapter 2 he described the state of mind in which, ideally, all Christians relate to one another. In chapter 3, he told about his own shift from religious arrogance to humble trust in Christ. Only then did he directly appeal to the two feuding women to find common ground “in the Lord.”
Ø The young Pharisee Saul had all the human credentials—“proper” birth, great education, and even persecuting Christians. What family heritages, human accomplishments and credentials are you proudest of? If preserving any of them ever conflicted with heeding God’s call on your life, what would you choose? What basis for self-worth (other than relying on his own accomplishments) did Paul claim? To what extent are you able to find your value where he did?
• Facing death (at the hands of a Roman executioner), Paul wrote, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Does it sound like Paul was sad about “throwing away” his promising career to follow Jesus? In what ways has your commitment to Christ given you the kind of sense of purpose Paul showed?
Prayer: Lord God, I’m no less loved by you than the greatest saint, and no more loved by you than the most miserable sinner. Help that to be more than enough for me, as it was for your servant Paul. Amen.
---
---
"Jesus on the foundation for all true reform"
Thursday, 9 November 2017
Matthew 22:34 but when the P’rushim learned that he had silenced the Tz’dukim, they got together, 35 and one of them who was a Torah expert asked a sh’eilah to trap him: 36 “Rabbi, which of the mitzvot in the Torah is the most important?” 37 He told him, “‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’[Matthew 22:37 Deuteronomy 6:5] 38 This is the greatest and most important mitzvah. 39 And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’[Matthew 22:39 Leviticus 19:18] 40 All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”
---
Scholar William Barclay noted that there were two schools of thought among rabbis. Some believed “there were lighter and weightier matters of the law…great principles which were all important to grasp.” Others “held that every smallest principle was equally binding.” * When asked, Jesus was clear about that—he saw some principles as far more vital than others, central to understanding God’s will. Loving God and loving your neighbor are the greatest
commandments, Jesus said, pivotal expressions of God’s will.
• Christians “get it wrong” when we defend any other idea we see as “truth” in ways that keep us from loving God totally, and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus clearly taught (as reported in all three Synoptic gospels) that any other truth or orthodoxy has value only as it leads us to more fully love God and neighbor. Have you ever seen “truth” presented in ways that were unloving to neighbors, and ultimately even to God?
Ø Jesus said that everything the Bible teaches, all the truths we know about what God wants, “depend” on the two commands he quoted. How would you explain to someone else what makes these two commands so essential? Can you recall any instance when some belief you held led you to be unloving, maybe even without realizing it at first?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to truly love you with all my heart, all my mind, all my being. And as an outgrowth of that, help me to love my neighbor as I love myself, to live my life in accord with your great commandments. Amen.
* William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Mark (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 294.
---
---
"Humility before God: essential for all lasting reformation"
Friday, 10 November 2017
1 Peter 5:1 Therefore, I urge the congregation leaders among you, as a fellow-leader and witness to the Messiah’s sufferings, as well as a sharer in the glory to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is in your care, exercising oversight not out of constraint, but willingly, as God wants; and not out of a desire for dishonest gain, but with enthusiasm; 3 also not as machers domineering over those in your care, but as people who become examples to the flock. 4 Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive glory as your unfading crown.
5 Likewise, you who are less experienced, submit to leaders. Further, all of you should clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, because
God opposes the arrogant,
but to the humble he gives grace.[1 Peter 5:5 Proverbs 3:34]
6 Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up.
---
Peter called on early Christian converts (and us) to find the freedom that comes from humility with each other and trust in God. Too often, we’re tempted (like many church reformers at some
point in their life) to link the idea of “reform” with “We have to do everything my way.” But Peter said “no” to that idea. Relate to each other humbly, he wrote, and trust your anxieties to God.
Ø Do you believe it is possible to act with confidence (in a church ministry or reform movement, your work, your family, or just your own life) out of humility rather than pride? What attitudes or actions does it take to make that a reality? How can mutual humility
smooth dealings between followers and leaders, or between people on different sides of a difficult (but not central to the faith) issue?
• James 3:13-15 named “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition” as being the reverse of the humility that comes from wisdom. Have you ever seen qualities like bitter jealousy or selfish ambition damage interactions between you and others, especially if you are dealing with a disagreement? How does humility guard your mind and heart from these hurtful ways of thinking?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, maybe I need a new mental “outfit.” Help me every day, in all my contacts, to clothe myself with humility toward the other people with whom I deal. Amen.
---
---
"One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God"
Saturday, 11 November 2017
Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.
2 Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in all.
---
This passage named central truths all Christians hold in common. These are the foundation for God’s new community—a community united, despite its members’ many differences, by their loyalty to the same God. Yet before, during and since the Reformation, Christians have
disagreed (and often divided) for many reasons—from circumcision in New Testament times to the “right” form of baptism or communion in Reformation Europe to slavery in American history and ordaining women among Methodists in the middle of the 20th century. Today, some honest Christians on all sides of the issue argue that the United Methodist church must divide over the issue of same-sex marriage. But, as with all the other issues, we all serve the same God. Many Methodists believe we can disagree on this issue without needing to divide (visit unitingmethodists.com for more information about the “Uniting Methodists” movement).
• Methodism’s founder John Wesley often echoed Ephesians 4. In the introduction to his Notes on the New Testament, he wrote, “Would to God that all the party names, and unscriptural phrases and forms, which have divided the Christian world, were forgot: and that we might all agree to sit down together, as humble, loving disciples, at the feet of our common Master, to hear his word, to imbibe his Spirit, and to transcribe his life in our own!” In his sermon titled “Catholic Spirit”, he asked, “"Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion?... Herein all the children of God may unite, notwithstanding these smaller differences." * If more Christians
through the ages had followed Ephesians 4:1-6, as well as Wesley’s counsel, do you believe the church would be stronger and more respected, or weaker? For what reasons?
Prayer: Loving Jesus, guide your people all over the earth. Guide me. As the world looks at your followers, help us to so conduct ourselves that words like “peace,” “unity,” “humility” and “love” will be the main descriptors that come to minds. Amen.
* To read Wesley’s entire sermon on unity, visit www.umcmission.org and search Sermon-39-Catholic-Spirit.
Family Activity: Through portraits of biblical characters and God’s followers of today, the Leawood stained glass window tells the story of God’s transforming love for all people in past, present and future generations. See how many people you can identify and whose stories you can share. Discuss how your life and your family’s life displays God’s love for all people. Gather some family pictures and with words, phrases, drawings, and magazine cutouts design your own artistic expression of God’s love. Find a special place in your home for your family’s creation. Consider a title for it such as “Our family shares God’s love with all!” Thank God for His love. Ask God to help you continue to tell the story of his amazing, faithful love.
---
---
Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Mary Haines and family on the death of her aunt Patricia Grey (Twilley) Stone, 10/30
• Nancy Nance and family on the death of her brother Jess D. Paul, Jr., 10/26
• Anne Sanders and family on the death of her cousin Marilynn Roche, 10/21
• Diane and Tom Slezak and family on the death of Diane’s mother Cora Magdaleno, 10/19
-------
©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