Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Friday, 12 September 2014 "This is my Son—listen to him"

Leawood, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Friday, 12 September 2014 "This is my Son—listen to him"
Daily Scripture:  Matthew 17: Sunlight Poured from His Face
1-3 Six days later, three of them saw that glory. Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Then they realized that Moses and Elijah were also there in deep conversation with him.
4 Peter broke in, “Master, this is a great moment! What would you think if I built three memorials here on the mountain—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah?”
5 While he was going on like this, babbling, a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and sounding from deep in the cloud a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight. Listen to him.”
6-8 When the disciples heard it, they fell flat on their faces, scared to death. But Jesus came over and touched them. “Don’t be afraid.” When they opened their eyes and looked around all they saw was Jesus, only Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
Although there are always dimensions that remain mysterious, we serve a God who desires to be known. God's self-revelation, God's word, comes to us in various ways—through nature (cf. Psalm 19), through inner messages (cf. 1 Kings 19:11-13), through the sweeping story of the Bible (cf. Hebrews 4:12). But most of all, God spoke through Jesus, saying to us as to the disciples on the mount, "Listen to him."
Matthew seems to have written his gospel in terms that would speak particularly to Christ-followers with Hebrew backgrounds. Moses, the great lawgiver, and Elijah, the prototypical prophet, were two people the Hebrews saw as especially reliable. What symbolic point might Matthew have had in mind in reporting God saying of Jesus, in the presence of those two great leaders, "Listen to him"?
When this happened, Peter, James and John (as shown by Peter's rather inane suggestion—when Luke wrote the story in Luke 9:33, he said Peter "didn't know what he was saying") were still struggling to understand what Jesus was all about. In what ways do their later lives as apostles suggest that they did, indeed, "listen" to Jesus? How has "listening" to Jesus changed your life for the better?
Today's Prayer:
God, you gave the command for us to listen to Jesus. Guide me that I may read the gospels, and the other witnesses to Jesus, more attentively and more personally. Amen.
Insight from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
Today’s passage led me to visit with Mr. Iculate, expert in the field of Communication with the consulting firm, Hear, Understand & Heed. (H.U.H. for short.)
DL: Mr. Iculate, what are some challenges to communicating effectively?
Iculate: Please call me Art. First, we have to make sure the channels of communication are free & clear. Like the old story of the guy complaining to his doctor that he can’t hear out of one ear. When asked, “Which ear?” The guy responds, “2014.”
Secondly, we have to make sure the intended audience can comprehend the message. We don’t want misunderstandings like the elderly wife who told her mathematically oriented husband to put the shepherd pie in the oven for 20 minutes at 140 degrees:
Finally, is the audience willing to receive the message? Like the preacher’s story of his microphone going on the fritz mid-sermon – after many fits & starts, he asks if it is working now. A guy in the back shouts, “I still can’t hear you.” A gentleman on the front row stands & says, “I can hear him fine. I’ll trade seats with you.”
DL: Today’s passage offers us a clear directive from God “to listen to Jesus.” How can we be a good audience to hear our Savior’s message for us today?
Art Iculate: The same principles of good communication in relationships & companies apply to our bond with God as well. First, stop talking. Like a small boy with a new walkie-talkie, you need to release the “talk” button at some point & be still & listen for God. Remember, talk is cheap, because Supply always exceeds Demand.
Secondly, prepare yourself to listen. Eliminate distractions & focus on what God is trying to say to us as we read Scripture & listen to sermons. We did a survey a while back on the effectiveness of conference calls and found that 65% of the participants on a con-call do other work while in the midst of the call. (47% use the bathroom during a con-call; cordless phones are such a mixed blessing.) Multi-tasking and effective listening are incompatible.
Finally, we tell our clients to empathize with the speaker. Listen with the genuine intention of understanding His message, rather than listening with the intent to respond. Set aside preconceived notions. Consider the texts from God’s perspective. Don’t let a specific word choice distract from His overall message & tone. Don’t interrupt with your own ideas before He has completed His thought. It takes patience to truly listen. As the Coasters sang, “Yakkety Yak, Don’t Talk Back.”

DL: As we wrap up, I have to ask you about your company’s name & mascot.
Art Iculate: The company name came from having 2 teen-age boys in the house. I had just expounded at great length on a pearl of priceless wisdom and they both responded with, “Huh?” So, our mascot evolved from this experience to remind us that even the greatest Message the world has ever known doesn’t mean a thing if we aren’t listening.
DL: So, we should be “all ears” when it comes to hearing God. THANKS for your time.
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