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other discussion questions, or substitute other questions for the marked ones, at their discretion.
Each day this week we’re sharing one tip from Robert Emmons, “Ten Ways to Become More Grateful.” November 17,
2010 from Greater Good Magazine. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_ways_to_become_more_grateful1/
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"Giving thanks every day"
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Psalm 96:1 Sing to Adonai a new song!
Sing to Adonai, all the earth!
2 Sing to Adonai, bless his name!
Proclaim his victory day after day!
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Make a Vow to Practice Gratitude. Research shows that making an oath to perform a behavior increases the likelihood that the action will be executed. Therefore, write your own gratitude vow, which could be as simple as “I vow to count my blessings each day,” and post it somewhere where you will be reminded of it every day. * If we associate expressing gratitude to God only with “worship,” we might think that gratitude is a once-a week experience. Psalm 96 anticipated much of the modern psychological research we’ve reviewed
during this series, as it invited us to express gratitude for God’s saving work “every single day.” The apostle Paul similarly urged Colossian Christians to “overflow with thanksgiving” and “be thankful people” (cf. Colossians 2:7, 3:12-17).
• “96:2 the news: The Greek word that translates the underlying Hebrew is usually translated as ‘good news’ or ‘gospel.’ See Isaiah 52:7, where ‘good news’ is also associated with the proclamation of God’s rule.” * What are some ways (besides standing on a street-corner handing out tracts) you can share the good news of God’s saving work every day?
Ø Some of us are musically gifted, and we like the idea of “sing to the Lord a new song.” Others, of course, tend to suffer in silence through the singing parts of worship, whether traditional or
contemporary. Regardless of our musical aptitude or tastes, what is the heart attitude expressed by the poetic imagery of singing to the Lord a new song? How can all of us join in that spiritual experience?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, many more of us sing in the car or the shower than we do in public. Help my heart to overflow with inner songs of gratitude to you, no matter what kind of singing voice I have. Amen.
* Each day this week we’re sharing one tip from Robert Emmons, “Ten Ways to Become More Grateful.” November 17, 2010 from Greater Good Magazine.
** J. Clinton McCann, study note on Psalm 96:2 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 946-947 OT.
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Janelle GregoryJanelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist. Janelle finds that her heart is constantly wrestling with the truth that she needs a Savior, and the times when she's at her very best are when she's just too tired to put up a fight.
What do you think your non-religious friends or family members think about Christianity? Unfortunately, the first things that come to mind for me are not pretty: hypocritical pastors; strict school nuns; pushy street evangelists; watered-down, feel-good spirituality; a holier-than-thou presence; a general inconvenience. I hear things like, “Christians are bullies,” “Christianity is irrelevant,” or “I wouldn’t want to be associated with them.”
The unfortunate part of this picture of the faith is that I get it. It’s not as if I don’t see the hypocrites or that I haven’t ever felt judged by other Christians. I see the dark side that others are seeing. Sadly, there are times when I have been the dark side. This often causes me to feel shame for being a Christian. It’s difficult to be excited about sharing my faith with others when I am embarrassed by how it is represented. Therefore, I often don’t. I shrink from talking about my faith with others, holding on to what I believe for myself.
There’s an issue with this. Why would I so strongly believe in a faith if it was all about the dark side? I don’t come to worship every week thinking I’ll be judged. I don’t seek out the wisdom of hypocritical pastors. I don’t pray to a powerless, feel-good God. That’s not what I believe. That’s not why I believe.
I believe because I love Jesus. I love the forgiveness of sins. I love the hope of the Kingdom. I love the community of believers. I love the power of God. I love the resurrection. I love the transformation of the world. I love the wooing of the Spirit. I love the eternal story and our opportunity to be a part of it. The gospel is GOOD NEWS! It is good news for me, it is good news for you, and it is good news for our non-religious family and friends.
I’m not saying that being a Christian is always easy or always convenient. God often challenges me to do things that are out of my comfort zone or that shatter the comfort zone completely. Being a Christian can be difficult, it can be risky, but it is always good.
The gospel with its goodness is available to us and available to all. The value of the gospel should not be viewed with the economic approach of supply and demand. Just because there is an endless supply, this should in no way decreases its demand. We all need the gospel all the time. This is true for everyone we know and all we encounter. God freely and eagerly invites everyone into his glorious gospel. How grateful we should be for such good news and how delighted we should be to share it!
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"Thanks for God’s forgiveness, healing, rescue and faithful love"
Friday, 1 December 2017
Psalm 103:1 (0) By David:
(1) Bless Adonai, my soul!
Everything in me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless Adonai, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits!
3 He forgives all your offenses,
he heals all your diseases,
4 he redeems your life from the pit,
he surrounds you with grace and compassion,
5 he contents you with good as long as you live,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
6 Adonai brings vindication and justice
to all who are oppressed.
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Watch your Language. Grateful people have a particular linguistic style that uses the language of gifts, givers, blessings, blessed, fortune, fortunate, and abundance. * Sometimes even without a conscious intention (perhaps influenced by what we hear others saying), we adopt a "linguistic style” full of words like earned, deserved, produced, accomplished and achieved. There is nothing wrong with being conscientious workers, of course. But when the psalmist said, “Let my whole being bless the Lord,” it was not because of a belief that God should be grateful for what he had done, but because of gratitude for what God had done for him.
• Verses 3-4 strongly suggest that the psalmist had been through a hard time, perhaps a severe illness from which he could not deliver himself. What reasons for gratitude and praise has God helped you find in the wake of your painful experiences? How can you grieve life’s tragedies, personal or communal, and yet stay open to God’s healing Spirit and God’s pledge of a future free of terrible tragedies?
• 1 John 1:8 says “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” How does the first phrase of verse 3 in this psalm show that the psalmist felt no need for denial or deception about sin? How do God’s grace and compassion create a space in which moral honesty, with ourselves, others and God, is cleansing, rather than scary? In what area(s) are you particularly
grateful for God’s forgiveness?
Prayer: O God, grow my comfort and enjoyment of language that recognizes you, and not my own merits, as the ultimate source of so much of the good in my life. Thank you for your many gifts to me. Amen.
* Each day this week we’re sharing one tip from Robert Emmons, “Ten Ways to Become More Grateful.” November 17, 2010 from Greater Good Magazine.
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"Giving thanks to God eternally"
Saturday, 2 December 2017
Revelation 7:9 After this, I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands; 10 and they shouted,
“Victory to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!”
11 All the angels stood around the throne, the elders and the four living beings; they fell face down before the throne and worshipped God, saying,
12 “Amen!
“Praise and glory, wisdom and thanks,
honor and power and strength
belong to our God forever and ever!
“Amen!”
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Go Through the Motions. If you go through grateful motions, the emotion of gratitude should be triggered. Grateful motions include smiling, saying thank you, and writing letters of gratitude. * A prisoner of conscience wrote the book of Revelation. The Romans exiled him for his faith on the small Mediterranean island of Patmos, isolated from the Christian churches he led and loved (cf. Revelation 1:9). Yet he produced (and somehow sent from the island) a work of awesome vision and praise. At its heart was the scene of “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” in the courts of heaven praising Jesus as the self-giving, saving Lamb of God. Gratitude isn’t limited to this life or this world, Revelation said. Gratitude to our God and Savior is the vocabulary of eternity.
Ø Jesus called his followers to have the same positive impact on our world as light in a dark place, or salt on flavorless food (Matthew 5:13-16). In what ways is your life brighter (not flawless, but brighter!) because of God’s love, forgiveness and presence with you? In what ways does the promise of an eternity of praise and gratitude shine into your life, your heart from day to day? How can you refract the light of God’s eternity in ways that brighten the lives of others, and add zest and joy to their world? Ask God to direct you to at least one person for whom you can be God’s gratitude-inspiring presence in this holiday season.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I offer blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might to you forever and always. (And when I don’t, please remind me.) Amen.
* Each day this week we’re sharing one tip from Robert Emmons, “Ten Ways to Become More Grateful.” November 17, 2010 from Greater Good Magazine.
Family Activity: Play “Penny Praise!” Get one or two rolls of pennies from the bank. (Warning: Pennies are a choking hazard, so if you have very small children in your home, use an item larger than pennies.) Hide individual pennies all over the house, in the car, in shoes, backpacks, etc. Gather the whole family, set a timer for two minutes, and go on a penny hunt, with each person finding as many pennies as possible. Every time someone finds a penny, they shout out a praise to God for something or someone they are thankful for. Your house will be filled with voices shouting praises to God simultaneously! When the timer sounds, come back together. Have everyone share the number of pennies they found and name a few of
the praises they shouted. Some pennies are probably still hiding, so continue the game all week, with everyone shouting a praise whenever they find a penny. Thank God for all the reasons to praise Him!
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Mary Fry and family on the death of her aunt Lavon Hill, 11/18
• Margaret Dack and family on the death of her sister Lola Charlene Prather, 11/18
• Gisele and Mike Shore and family on the death of their son Danny Shore, 11/14
• Ralph Waters and family on the death of his wife Jo Ann Waters, 11/14
• Carol Horsch and Debra Tidmore and family on the death of their mother Jo Ann Waters, 11/14
• Family and friends of Connie Hines on her death, 11/11
• Lacey Finley and family on the death of her father Paul Kaberline, 11/9
• Judy Bass and family on the death of her brother-in-law Donald R. “Don” Rogers, 11/8
• Family and friends of Georgia Walker on her death, 11/6
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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