The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Weekly Devotions: Grow Pray Study Guide “Where I am you will be too” for Saturday, 20 January 2018
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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Saturday, 20 January 2018
John 14:1 “Don’t let yourselves be disturbed. Trust in God and trust in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many places to live. If there weren’t, I would have told you; because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will return to take you with me; so that where I am, you may be also. 4 Furthermore, you know where I’m going; and you know the way there.”
5 T’oma said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Yeshua said, “I AM the Way — and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.
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Unlike Hindus, Christians do not believe that when this life ends (after however many cycles), we are united with the divine Brahman like a drop of water in an ocean. Rather, “we have a chance to see God face-to-face, to be known and to know those who have gone before us.” * In John 13:36, Jesus told his disciples, “Where I am going, you can’t follow me now, but you will follow later.” Jesus’ disciples seem to have been frightened by his talk of going away. So he added, “Don’t be troubled…. My Father’s house has room to spare.” He promised that he would return, and when he did his followers could always be with him. Archeologists say most homes in Galilee were small, with one room, two at most. But Jesus’ comforting image of the afterlife was a huge, warm family home where God always has room to spare.
• Madeleine l’Engle’s A Wind in the Door imagined a setting in which her young hero Meg demanded to know “Where are the ones who saved me?” The answer was, “Where doesn’t matter.” ** When Thomas asked where Jesus was going, Jesus said that he was going “to the Father”—a person, not a place. He emphasized that God, the personal God, was/is completely trustworthy. Our key to being untroubled about what comes after this life is trust. Have you ever struggled with the question of “where” you or a loved one goes after death? What has helped you learn to trust that “safe with God,” wherever that is and however that works, is the ultimate key that Jesus taught us to have peace?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the assurance that there will always be room for me in your Father’s house. Keep my feet steady on the path that leads to that eternal home. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, Christianity and World Religions. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005, pp. 46.
** L'Engle, Madeleine, A Wind in the Door (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet Book 2), (p. 185). Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). Kindle Edition.
Family Activity: The major world religions value serving others as part of their faith. As Christians, with Jesus as our example, we share God’s love by serving others. How does your family work together to serve others? How does each person serve individually? Could you discover and commit to some new ways of serving? Ask an older child or youth to research some ways to volunteer in your area. He or she could explore the church website (www.cor.org, then choose your campus) for service opportunities that fit your family. Also consider brainstorming some less-structured ways to serve others with God’s love such as helping others in your neighborhood or at school. At a family gathering, ask the “researcher” to present these opportunities to the rest of the family. Ask God’s guidance as you discuss the possibilities. Choose one or two ways your family can share God’s love by serving others.
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George Lahood
George Lahood is a freshman at Blue Valley Northwest, a student leader for 5th grade Wild Ones, and an active member of rezlife student ministries.
I was born into Christianity, and did not really have much say in the matter. I went to church but never really paid attention or listened to what my church leaders had to say. It wasn’t really until this summer when I was being nudged towards God. At the time, I didn’t know what this gut feeling was, but I now have come to figure out it was God himself. It is mind-boggling to think that in a world of 7.6 billion people God reached out to me.
I always thought of religion as something I had to do. Church was a place I had to go, praying was something I had to do. But under that mindset, you can never have the true relationship God hopes for. Maybe the older you get the more you start to make sense out of it. I have so many people in my life say, “God is amazing--having a life with Christ in it is wonderful.” When I was ten I would have brushed that aside, but now I really am getting to understand the thing I hear over and over again: “Adults are always right.”
The more I grow in my faith the more I feel God’s love and the caring he has for us. John 14:1 says to trust in God. I interpret this in multiple ways. The first way is trust what God has already said in Scripture. I do this by going to Bible study every week, and reading from the Bible. The second way is trust in what the right people tell you to do because God is leading them. I have started to love going to church and listening to sermons. It is even more incredible when I can apply it to my life. The third way is maybe what I think is the most important, trust in what God tells you to do. Trust in the gut instincts you have which may be the Holy Spirit. Trust all your conversations with God, even at the darkest moment in your life, when you feel nothing can ever be the same, trust that little voice telling you everything will be better. Being a teenager can be hard, and having the ability to trust in God has shaped my life remarkably. My view of life has evolved so quickly in the time I have been an active Christian. I am more confident, trusting, caring, and well-rounded as a person in general.
God is our strength, love, joy, and faith. He is your most trusted friend, someone who is there for you at all times. He is never too busy, too tired, too bored, too angry, too sad, or even too scared to help you. He is your stepping stone to a wonderful future, he is the bridge bringing darkness to an end, he is the light bulb in a dark room. Wherever you are, he is there too.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
George LahoodGeorge Lahood is a freshman at Blue Valley Northwest, a student leader for 5th grade Wild Ones, and an active member of rezlife student ministries.
I was born into Christianity, and did not really have much say in the matter. I went to church but never really paid attention or listened to what my church leaders had to say. It wasn’t really until this summer when I was being nudged towards God. At the time, I didn’t know what this gut feeling was, but I now have come to figure out it was God himself. It is mind-boggling to think that in a world of 7.6 billion people God reached out to me.
I always thought of religion as something I had to do. Church was a place I had to go, praying was something I had to do. But under that mindset, you can never have the true relationship God hopes for. Maybe the older you get the more you start to make sense out of it. I have so many people in my life say, “God is amazing--having a life with Christ in it is wonderful.” When I was ten I would have brushed that aside, but now I really am getting to understand the thing I hear over and over again: “Adults are always right.”
The more I grow in my faith the more I feel God’s love and the caring he has for us. John 14:1 says to trust in God. I interpret this in multiple ways. The first way is trust what God has already said in Scripture. I do this by going to Bible study every week, and reading from the Bible. The second way is trust in what the right people tell you to do because God is leading them. I have started to love going to church and listening to sermons. It is even more incredible when I can apply it to my life. The third way is maybe what I think is the most important, trust in what God tells you to do. Trust in the gut instincts you have which may be the Holy Spirit. Trust all your conversations with God, even at the darkest moment in your life, when you feel nothing can ever be the same, trust that little voice telling you everything will be better. Being a teenager can be hard, and having the ability to trust in God has shaped my life remarkably. My view of life has evolved so quickly in the time I have been an active Christian. I am more confident, trusting, caring, and well-rounded as a person in general.
God is our strength, love, joy, and faith. He is your most trusted friend, someone who is there for you at all times. He is never too busy, too tired, too bored, too angry, too sad, or even too scared to help you. He is your stepping stone to a wonderful future, he is the bridge bringing darkness to an end, he is the light bulb in a dark room. Wherever you are, he is there too.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• Joe Nesselhuf and family on the death of his wife Jolene Nesselhuf, 1/9/18.
• Sue Hess and family on the death of her husband Mike Hess, 1/6/18.
• Elsie Pickett and family on the death of her husband Jim Pickett, 1/5/18.
• Sue Scott and family on the death of her husband Greg Scott, 1/5/18.
• Theresa Hayes and family on the death of her mother Alpha Koonce, 1/5/18.
• Ashly Cooley and family on the death of her grandmother Alpha Koonce, 1/5/18.
• Randall, Fred, and Dave Rock and families on the death of their sister Denise Rock, 1/4/18.
• Shelley Hatton and family on the death of her father Jerry Drews, 1/4/18.
• Ashley Zugelter and family on the death of her husband Allen Zugelter, 1/3/18.
• Clarence and Margo Zugelter and family on the death of their son Allen Zugelter, 1/3/18.
• Kerry and Paula Drake and family on the death of their son-in-law Allen Zugelter, 1/3/18.
• Ed Bokern and family on the death of his brother Bob Bokern, 1/2/18.
• Marcie Jasper-Neal and family on the death of her grandmother Marcene Jasper, 1/2/18.
• Joline Rinard and family on the death of her husband Syd Rinard, 12/31/17
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Christianity vs. Hinduism
Diffen › Philosophy › Religion › Hinduism
Comparison chart
| Christianity | Hinduism | |
|---|---|---|
| Place of origin | Roman province of Judea. | Indian Subcontinent |
| Place of worship | Church, chapel, cathedral, basilica, home bible study, personal dwellings. | Temple (Mandir) |
| Practices | Prayer, sacraments (some branches), worship in church, reading of the Bible, acts of charity, communion. | Meditation, yoga, contemplation, yagna (communal worship), offerings in the temple. |
| Use of statues and pictures | In Catholic & Orthodox Churches. | Common |
| Belief of God | One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. | Many gods, but realize that they all come from Atman. |
| Founder | The Lord Jesus Christ. | Not credited to a particular founder. |
| Goal of religion | To love God and obey his commandments while creating a relationship with Jesus Christ and spreading the Gospel so that others may also be saved. | To break the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation, and attain salvation. |
| Life after death | Eternity in Heaven or Hell, in some cases temporal Purgatory. | A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached. |
| Clergy | Priests, bishops, ministers, monks, and nuns. | No official clergy. Gurus, Yogis, Rishis, Brahmins, Pundits, priests, priestesses, monks, and nuns. |
| Human Nature | Man has inherited "original sin" from Adam. Mankind then is inherently evil and is in need of forgiveness of sin. By knowing right and wrong Christians choose their actions. Humans are a fallen, broken race in need of salvation and repair by God. | Depends on sects. |
| Scriptures | The Holy Bible | Vedas, Upanishad, Puranas, Gita. Smrti and Sruti are oral scriptures. |
| Literal Meaning | Follower Of Christ. | The followers of Vedas are called as Arya, noble person. Arya is not a dynasty, ethnicity or race. Anyone who follows the teachings of Vedas is considered Arya. |
| Means of Salvation | Through Christ's Passion, Death, and Resurrection. | Reaching enlightenment by the Path of Knowledge, the Path of devotion, or the Path of Good Deeds. |
| Marriage | A Holy Sacrament. | Man may marry one woman. However, kings in mythology often married more than one woman. |
| Holy days/Official Holidays | The Lord's Day; Advent, Christmas; New Year, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, every day is dedicated to a Saint. | Diwali, Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. |
| Original Language(s) | Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. | Sanskrit |
| Geographical distribution and predominance | Europe, North and South America, and Australia and New Zealand. | Mainly in India and Nepal. |
| Confessing sins | Protestants confess straight to God, Catholic confess mortal sins to a Priest, and venial sins straight to God (Orthodox have similar practice) Anglicans confess to Priests but considered optional. God always forgives sins in Jesus. | Repentance for unintentional sins are prescribed, but intentional sins have to be repaid through karmic consequences. |
| Followers | Christian (followers of Christ) | Hindus. |
| View of other Dharmic religions | N/A | They believe that Buddhists, Jains, & Sikhs should reunite with Hinduism(which is the original Dharmic religion). |
| View of the Buddha | N/A. | Some Hindu sects claim Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu. Others believe he was a holy man. |
| Goal of Philosophy | Objective reality. Worship of God who created life, the universe, and is eternal. Christianity has its own philosophy, found in the the Bible. That philosophy is Salvation from sin, through the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. | Salvation, freedom from the cycle of birth and reincarnation. |
| About | Christianity broadly consists of individuals who believe in the deity Jesus Christ. Its followers, called Christians, often believe Christ is "the Son" of the Holy Trinity and walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father"). | Devotion to the various gods & goddesses of Hinduism. |
| Symbols | Cross, ichthys ("Jesus fish"), Mary and baby Jesus. | Om, Swastika, etc. |
| Belief | The Nicene Creed sums up Christian belief in the Holy Trinity. | Diverse beliefs depending on sects. |
| God's role in salvation | Humans cannot save themselves or ascend on their own to a higher level. Only God is good and therefore only God is able to save a person. Jesus came down from Heaven to save mankind. | Beliefs vary by sect. Upanishads (scripture) say God chooses who gets salvation. Salvation is attained via good deeds and righteousness (following the "dharma" and avoiding sin) |
| Religious Law | Has existed among Catholics in the form of canon law. | Dharma shastras |
| Day of worship | Sunday, the Lord's Day. | Orthodox schools prescribe three prayer times a day: at dawn, noon and dusk. |
| Place and Time of origin | Jerusalem, approx. 33 AD. | Indian Subcontinent, beginning with the Vedic civilization circa 3000 BC |
| Branches | Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. | Shaivism and Vaishnavism |
| Use of Statues | Forbidden in Protestant denominations; icons are used in Catholic & Orthodox denominations. | Allowed |
| Authority of Dalai Lama | N/A. | N/A. |
| Promised Holy one. | Second Coming of Christ | Kalki, the 10'th avatar of Vishnu. |
| Second coming of Jesus | Affirmed. | N/A. |
| Status of Vedas | N/A. | Vedas are generally regarded as sacred in Hinduism. Post-Vedic texts like the Gita are also revered. |
| Status of Muhammad | N/A. | N/A. |
| Names of God | God, Gud, Gott, Deo, Dios. Jehovah, YHWH, Eli Elohim, Allah, (depending on language Christians are of every language and culture around the world) | Brahman and many other names in other languages |
| Prophets | Prophets in the Bible are venerated. | No prophets, but Rishis could be considered equivalent in Vedic times. Avataras of Vedic God are different from human reincarnations, but could be considered equivalent to Christian idea of God in flesh. |
| Views on other religion | Christianity is the True Faith. | Believe all religions have some truth in them. |
| Position of Mary | Mother Of God. | N/A. |
| Belief of God | One God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. | The deity often varies from sect to sect. Smarta/Monists sect believes Everything is God. There are monotheistic sects also. |
| Population | Over a billion adherents worldwide. | 1 Billion. |
| Views on the afterlife | Eternity in Heaven or Hell; some believe in temporal suffering in Purgatory, before admittance into Heaven. | A constant cycle of reincarnation until enlightenment is reached after which moksha is attained. |
| View of other Abrahamic religions | Judaism is regarded as a True religion but incomplete (without Gospel, and Messiah) Islam is regarded as a false religion, Christianity does not accept the Qur'an as true. | Hinduism is a Dharmic religion, not an Abrahamic religion. |
| Rites | Seven sacraments: Baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, holy orders, matrimony (Catholic and Orthodox). Anglicans: Baptismand Eucharist. Other denominations: Baptism and communion. | Some Hindus believe in a "thread ceremony" for men. |
| Religion which atheists may still be adherents of | No. | Charvakas and Sankyas are atheistic groups in Hinduism. |
| Use of statues, images | some denominations regard It as forbidden and Idolatry. Anglicans and Lutherans allow pictures but forbid venerating them. Catholics encourage pictures and statues and venerate them. Orthodox encourage pictures and venerate them. | Common. |
| Birth of Jesus | Virgin Birth, through God. | N/A. |
| Virtue(s) in which religion is based upon | Love. | Follow dharma (righteouness), eternal law. |
| imams identified as | N/A. | N/A. |
| Death of Jesus | Death by crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Will return. | N/A. |
| Identity of Jesus | The Son Of God. | N/A. |
| Jesus | Son Of God. | N/A. |
| Definition | Disciple of Jesus Christ. | The word Hindu has geographical significance and was used originally for those people who lived beyond the river Sindhu or the region watered by the river Indus. Hindus themselves, call their religion "Sanatana Dharma, " meaning "Eternal Law." |
| Virtue on which religion is based upon | Love. | Follow righteousness. |
| Position of Abraham | Father of the faithful. | N/A. |
| sects | Catholic, Protestant, & Orthodox. | Vaishnava, Shaivaya, & Shaktism. |
| Abrahamic Lineage | Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. | N/A. |
| Authority of Pope | Leader and overseer of the Catholic Church. his authority is completely rejected by Protestants, and is viewed by Orthodox as first among equals. Orthodox and Protestants reject Papal infallibility and Papal supremacy. | N/A. |
| View of God | One God, Who Is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. | Monists believe only Brahman exists, Pantheists believe all things/entities are God, Monotheistic sects consider God as immanent and transcendent and different from others. The Nasadiya Sukta even explores creation-ex-nihilo. |
| Promised Holy One | Second Coming Of Christ. | Kalki, the 10th Avatar of Vishnu |
| Status of Brahman | N/A | God |
| Status of Brahma | N/A | Creator |
| Status of Shiva | N/A | Destroyer |
| No. of Gods and Godesses | 1 God | 33 Crore (330 million) |
| Related Religions | Islam, Judaism, Baha'i faith | Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism |
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