Grow! Pray! Study! Daily Guide from the United Methodist Church
of the Resurrection - Friday, 31 January 2014 – "By his wounds you were
healed"
Daily Scripture: 1 Peter 2: 21 For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you
should follow in his steps.
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was
found in his mouth.”
23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he
suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges
justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,[a] so that, free
from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds[b] you have been
healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to
the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Footnotes:
a. 1 Peter 2:24 Or carried up our sins in his body to the tree
b. 1 Peter 2:24 Gk bruise
Reflection Questions:
1 Peter showed some of the key ideas the early Christians used
to express the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross. (Again, these are first
century documents, not creeds negotiated centuries later.) Peter said Jesus was
our example in endurance and trust in God when suffering comes. But he also
alluded to Isaiah 53:5 as he declared that Jesus "carried in his own body
on the cross the sins we committed"—that he in some vital sense bore our
guilt.
In what ways does Jesus' example of self-giving love and
courageous determination in the face of evil inspire you and shape your way of
life? Are there aspects of Jesus' example that feel beyond your reach? How have
you learned to tap into Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit to give you power to
live differently?
What burdens of guilt do you carry? What wounds and hurts haunt
you and continue to disrupt your peace? The early Christians regularly turned
to Isaiah's promise that "by his wounds we are healed" as a key
descriptor of the impact of Jesus' death on their lives. In what ways have you
found the healing Jesus offers? In what ways can you open yourself to let that
healing more fully reshape your life?
Today's Prayer:
O God, I ask you to fill my heart with your healing, peace and
freedom from guilt. I thank you that Jesus' death made that possible, and I ask
you to energize me for living by helping me see the ways Jesus is my example.
Amen.
Friday, 31 January 2014 – Insight from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes,
guides a 6th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a
men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
I was watching an infomercial the other evening that I think can
help us better understand today’s Scripture.
Wait. You watched an
entire infomercial? -Editor. The
batteries in my television remote went dead & we didn’t have any
replacements. Needless to say, I was
p-r-e-t-t-y shaky the rest of the day.
They should pass a law requiring TV remote controls to have a warning
light or better yet a gauge alerting you if your battery power is low. No one should have to live like this. –
DL Um.
You know in the big scheme of things….Oh, never mind. – Editor
It was an ad for the GuiltGrinder 4000 TM. I logged onto their Facebook page to learn
more about the particulars of their product.
Here’s my chat with the inventor, Gill Teey.
DL: Why do you see a need for the GuiltGrinder 4000 TM?
Gill: I got the idea from reading the Bible. In Leviticus, we learn about the tradition of
the scapegoat. The High Priest would
figuratively place the “sins of the community” upon the goat & it would be
banished to the wilderness. This was a
tangible sign that these transgressions had been completely eradicated.
DL: Interesting…
Gill: But wait there’s
more. Similarly, we know in the days of
the Temple, that our Jewish friends offered multiple sin offerings to God that
gave a follower a concrete symbol of his forgiveness.
Today, many devout Christians know that God has absolved them of
their sins, but may not feel like they have been pardoned. The GuiltGrinder 4000 TM can provide a
reminder that we are permanently freed of the shackles of our sins of yesterday
& can begin today anew.
DL: I see your point, but does it cheapen the forgiveness
process?
Gill: Oh, I hope not. We
cannot forget that when we fall short of God’s hopes & desires for our
lives that we have made a serious error.
I always liked the book, “Whatever Became of Sin?” by Dr. Karl Menninger
of Topeka, Kansas (A shout-out to our 4 Facebook followers in the Capitol
City!). In his book, Dr. Karl discusses
the watering down of the concept of sin to just natural impulses, modest
transgressions, or even just a difference of opinion.
But sin is bigger than that.
It separates us from the presence of God. I think back to the story of the Garden of
Eden & I can’t help but think of the sadness God felt. He loved visiting with His children in the
cool of the day and just hearing about all they had done & what they were
going to do tomorrow. When Adam &
Eve forced His hand & had to leave, God must have grieved deeply.
Using the lingo of our business we might think of it like
this: God’s grace is free. The Shipping & Handling had an incredible
cost. However, God didn’t send this gift
C.O.D.; He has willingly paid for it in full & up front. As a result, we definitely do not want it to
be unused & “Returned to Sender”. So, we should act now. We should wholeheartedly accept this
unmerited gift in all humility & rejoice in its promise of a new life. Don’t just take my word for it; ask the
millions of satisfied Christians.
So, how many GuiltGrinder 4000s TM would you like? Or maybe you’d like our InsectZapper 1.0
(“Only available on the web.”) or perhaps the MagicSpin Mop (“Cuts mopping time
in half!”)?
DL: Say, if I get two MagicSpin Mops, we wouldn’t spend any time
mopping at all. That would be a perfect
Valentine’s Day gift for my wife, Doris.
Gill: Um. We do have a
show airing on February 15 on how to grow your own bouquetof roses in a
terrarium. You might want to go ahead
& set your DVR.
DL: Why?
Gill: Oh, never mind.
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United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, KS 66224 United States
(913)897-0120
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