Daily Scripture: Revelation 22:1 Next the angel showed me the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 Between the main street and the river was the Tree of Life producing twelve kinds of fruit, a different kind every month; and the leaves of the tree were for healing the nations — 3 no longer will there be any curses. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will no longer exist, so they will need neither the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because Adonai, God, will shine upon them. And they will reign as kings forever and ever.
12 “Pay attention!” [says Yeshua,] “I am coming soon, and my rewards are with me to give to each person according to what he has done. 13 I am the ‘A’ and the ‘Z,’ the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
14 How blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they have the right to eat from the Tree of Life and go through the gates into the city!
Reflection Question:Unlike some philosophies and faiths, Christians do not see history as an unending cycle, but rather as a story moving to a grand and glorious conclusion. The last tree in our window represents the Tree of Life, which Revelation used to signify God making right all that has gone wrong. And Jesus has promised all who follow him access to that life-giving tree!
The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery expressed well the symbolism in our stained glass window design: "The name of the tree [of life] tells us its essential meaning: it is an image of eternal or unending life….being barred from the tree of life pictures the perfection and bliss that the human race lost through its sinfulness….if the tree of life is an image of loss and nostalgia to which we look back, it is also an image of hope to which the Bible looks forward. It reappears at the end of the Bible in the visions of Revelation.…It is an image of immortality and eternal life in heaven, a reward for those who have their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 22:14)." What do you most look forward to when God makes all things new? What does it mean for you to "wash your robe" in order to be a part of God's family?
Family Activity:
A magnificent stained glass window will be a part of the new sanctuary at Resurrection. Through portraits of biblical characters and God's followers of today, the window will tell the story of God's love for all people in every generation past, present and future. How do your life and the life of your family display God's love for all people? Gather some family pictures and along with words, phrases, drawings, and magazine cutouts design your own artistic expression of God's love. Find a special place in your home to place your family's creation. Consider a title for it such as, "God's love shines through us!" Thank God for His love. Ask God to help you continue to tell the story of His amazing and faithful love.
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are the Lord who spans this world and the next. I don't want my life limited to this broken world; I want to be a part of your glorious new world. I once again claim and honor you as Lord of my life. Amen.Insight from Bryan Cisler
Bryan Cisler serves as the Digital Media Specialist at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.
This weekend is the groundbreaking of our new building at Resurrection. When I read today’s scripture I can’t help but see the parallels. As you watch the groundbreaking, try to imagine all the events that are going to take place during this building’s life span. There will likely be several scientific breakthroughs in how we produce and store energy that will spark a new wave of human innovation. There might be a tragic event that will test our strength. There could be a new civil rights event – even as forward thinking as we think we are – that will challenge how we view the world. For all of the people who walk through our building in the next hundred years, how will their experiences shape the way they react to these events? Will it be different than if they had never stepped in at all? Will they use their faith to make Kansas City feel more like the Tree of Life described in today’s scripture?
Obviously, it takes more than a building to change people’s hearts. It’s what they see, hear, and experience in the building that will shape how they act outside of it. Allow yourself to dream about what we can do in the present to joyfully serve with our time and talents, that willcontinue to pave the way for God to work through the countless number of lives that will enter this sacred space. Even if we aren’t around long enough to experience the fruits of what futuregenerations accomplish at Resurrection, as the Greek proverb goes, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Church of the Resurrection
This weekend is the groundbreaking of our new building at Resurrection. When I read today’s scripture I can’t help but see the parallels. As you watch the groundbreaking, try to imagine all the events that are going to take place during this building’s life span. There will likely be several scientific breakthroughs in how we produce and store energy that will spark a new wave of human innovation. There might be a tragic event that will test our strength. There could be a new civil rights event – even as forward thinking as we think we are – that will challenge how we view the world. For all of the people who walk through our building in the next hundred years, how will their experiences shape the way they react to these events? Will it be different than if they had never stepped in at all? Will they use their faith to make Kansas City feel more like the Tree of Life described in today’s scripture?
Obviously, it takes more than a building to change people’s hearts. It’s what they see, hear, and experience in the building that will shape how they act outside of it. Allow yourself to dream about what we can do in the present to joyfully serve with our time and talents, that willcontinue to pave the way for God to work through the countless number of lives that will enter this sacred space. Even if we aren’t around long enough to experience the fruits of what futuregenerations accomplish at Resurrection, as the Greek proverb goes, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
Church of the Resurrection
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
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