The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 27 February 2016 - “Whoever hears my word and believes…has passed from death into life”
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 5:19 Therefore, Yeshua said this to them: “Yes, indeed! I tell you that the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; whatever the Father does, the Son does too. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he does; and he will show him even greater things than these, so that you will be amazed. 21 Just as the Father raises the dead and makes them alive, so too the Son makes alive anyone he wants. 22 The Father does not judge anyone but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all may honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever fails to honor the Son is not honoring the Father who sent him. 24 Yes, indeed! I tell you that whoever hears what I am saying and trusts the One who sent me has eternal life — that is, he will not come up for judgment but has already crossed over from death to life! 25 Yes, indeed! I tell you that there is coming a time — in fact, it’s already here — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will come to life. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has given the Son life to have in himself. 27 Also he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Don’t be surprised at this; because the time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice 29 and come out — those who have done good to a resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment. 30 I can’t do a thing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is right; because I don’t seek my own desire, but the desire of the one who sent me.
31 “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not valid. 32 But there is someone else testifying on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he is making is valid — 33 you have sent to Yochanan, and he has testified to the truth. 34 Not that I collect human testimony; rather, I say these things so that you might be saved. 35 He was a lamp burning and shining, and for a little while you were willing to bask in his light.
36 “But I have a testimony that is greater than Yochanan’s. For the things the Father has given me to do, the very things I am doing now, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.
37 “In addition, the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice or seen his shape; 38 moreover, his word does not stay in you, because you don’t trust the one he sent. 39 You keep examining the Tanakh because you think that in it you have eternal life. Those very Scriptures bear witness to me, 40 but you won’t come to me in order to have life!
41 “I don’t collect praise from men, 42 but I do know you people — I know that you have no love for God in you! 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you don’t accept me; if someone else comes in his own name, him you will accept. 44 How can you trust? You’re busy collecting praise from each other, instead of seeking praise from God only.
45 “But don’t think that it is I who will be your accuser before the Father. Do you know who will accuse you? Moshe, the very one you have counted on! 46 For if you really believed Moshe, you would believe me; because it was about me that he wrote. 47 But if you don’t believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”
Reflection QuestionsThis extended discourse (typical in John’s gospel) almost sounds as though Jesus was on trial—and, in one sense, he was. He said he had many witnesses to show that he was who he said: his works, John the Baptist, his Father, and the words of Scripture. In verses 24-25, we find an important part of John’s message. He quoted Jesus using the present tense: “I assure you that whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me HAS eternal life…HAS passed from death into life.” Eternal life was not someday—for John, it began now.
- Jesus told his critics that they had been reading the right book, but reading it in the wrong way (John 5:39-40). Read rightly, he said, the Scriptures testified of him. How, when, where, and for what purpose(s) do you read the Bible? (To learn more about how to read the Bible well, see Pastor Hamilton’s book Making Sense of the Bible.) John’s gospel regularly put “eternal life” in the present tense (cf. John 3:36, 6:47, 54, 10:28, as well as today’s reading). How have you “passed from death into life”? What is one area of life in which you are sensing the presence of eternal life right now?
Lord Jesus, I choose to pass from death into life right now. Thank you for assuring me that I do not need to wait for the end of my earthly life before I can begin living as your transformed child. Amen.
Family Activity
Buy two cake mixes and the ingredients with which to make them. As a family, prepare the treats by following the instructions with one box, and making up the directions for the other box. (Add too much or too little milk or oil, forget the eggs, etc.) Bake both cakes. When the cakes come out of the oven, use your senses of sight, smell and taste to explore the differences between the cakes. Which one turned out better? Why? Compare this outcome to our life with God by discussing the importance of following God’s directions for us. How and why is it best for us to choose God’s guidance and will? Pray and ask God to help you know God’s direction and follow it.
---------------------Insights from Darrell Holtz
Darrell Holtz serves as Program Director for Adult Curriculum and Writing at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection.I have the privilege of leading a new Grow Night class we call “Meet Your Bible.” Anyone is welcome, but the class is particularly meant to give people who aren’t very familiar with the Bible an overview of both the Old and New Testament Scriptures, along with some insight into the kinds of tools found in a good study Bible (like, but not limited to, the CEB Study Bible) to deepen a reader’s understanding of the Bible’s message.
I’ve had the chance, once again, to experience the truth of the old saying that “the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.” Practically every week, as I prepare for another Tuesday evening session, I gain greater awareness of the spiritual power that courses through the Bible. Practically every week, I’m reminded of how important it is that we read the Bible, not blindly or thoughtlessly, but with our minds and our hearts fully engaged in listening for what God wants to say to us.
Today’s Scripture holds many beautiful truths Jesus taught. In just one of them, he corrected some of the biggest Bible “experts” who ever lived. Here’s how Eugene Petersen rendered the passage in The Message:
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want” (John 5:39-40).
I try to convey Jesus’ message–“These Scriptures are all about me!”–by sharing with “Meet Your Bible” participants that, ultimately, the “hero” of every story, of every part of the Bible is not Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, Luke, etc. As we read the Bible, the hero of the story is always God. If we read with the correct focus, the focus Jesus taught, then we find God
–patiently, persistently working with whatever human material is available
–never giving up
–embodied (“incarnate”) in Jesus – Jesus IS God
–always with us in the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit IS God
–reigning triumphant, and always with God’s people in restored closeness, at the story’s end
So, as long as Resurrection gives me the opportunity, the honor, of writing and teaching and sharing, I pray that God will help me to convey as clearly as possible what Jesus wanted so urgently to convey to the people of his day–“These Scriptures are all about me!” And I pray you’ll find him as you read the Bible every day, during Lent and beyond.
I’ve had the chance, once again, to experience the truth of the old saying that “the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.” Practically every week, as I prepare for another Tuesday evening session, I gain greater awareness of the spiritual power that courses through the Bible. Practically every week, I’m reminded of how important it is that we read the Bible, not blindly or thoughtlessly, but with our minds and our hearts fully engaged in listening for what God wants to say to us.
Today’s Scripture holds many beautiful truths Jesus taught. In just one of them, he corrected some of the biggest Bible “experts” who ever lived. Here’s how Eugene Petersen rendered the passage in The Message:
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want” (John 5:39-40).
I try to convey Jesus’ message–“These Scriptures are all about me!”–by sharing with “Meet Your Bible” participants that, ultimately, the “hero” of every story, of every part of the Bible is not Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, Luke, etc. As we read the Bible, the hero of the story is always God. If we read with the correct focus, the focus Jesus taught, then we find God
–patiently, persistently working with whatever human material is available
–never giving up
–embodied (“incarnate”) in Jesus – Jesus IS God
–always with us in the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit IS God
–reigning triumphant, and always with God’s people in restored closeness, at the story’s end
So, as long as Resurrection gives me the opportunity, the honor, of writing and teaching and sharing, I pray that God will help me to convey as clearly as possible what Jesus wanted so urgently to convey to the people of his day–“These Scriptures are all about me!” And I pray you’ll find him as you read the Bible every day, during Lent and beyond.
---------------------The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 26 February 2016 - “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk”
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him; 16 and on account of this, the Judeans began harassing Yeshua because he did these things on Shabbat.
17 But he answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I too am working.” 18 This answer made the Judeans all the more intent on killing him — not only was he breaking Shabbat; but also, by saying that God was his own Father, he was claiming equality with God.
Reflection Questions
Many people in Jesus' day thought the pool of Bethesda (or Bethsaida) had healing power. It hadn’t worked for the man Jesus met—he’d been there for 38 years! Jesus asked him, “Do you WANT to get well?” He told the Pharisees, busy enforcing their understanding of the Sabbath command as forbidding even trivial “work,” that godly acts of blessing and healing were fully compatible with the Sabbath rest. God’s healing, sustaining work goes on full-time.
- In what ways did the question “Do you WANT to get well?” and the command “Get up” both invite and empower the man to open himself to God’s power to make his healing possible? Is there any part of your life in which Jesus is asking you, “Do you want to get well?” In what ways have you been healed and freed as you take part in Jesus' new creation?
- Jesus’ intention in this story was not to deny the importance of the work-rest rhythm the Sabbath commandment taught. It was to create a clearer sense that the rest to which God calls us is not always total inaction. God’s rest may involve taking part in God’s renewing, refreshing work. When have you been involved in an activity to bless others that left you rejuvenated and recharged for your regular routine?
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want to “get well.” Please keep on creating in me the whole new quality of life John called “eternal life.” Empower me to daily choose you and your kingdom. Amen.
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Insights 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.Being an armchair archaeologist, I’ve long been fascinated by the study of archaeology & how it can add background & context to our study of the Bible. Today, I thought we could “visit” with Dr. Xavier Cavation about Jesus’ healing of the paralytic.
DL: What is it like to be an archaeologist?
X. Cavation: Well, it isn’t as glamorous as the movies portray. For example, I have never worn a pith helmet & I rarely punch out Nazi’s during my digs. Since we archaeologists do enjoy dating other people so much, it is hard to be in a long-term relationship and, sadly, our career paths are mostly in ruins.
DL: I had no idea. So what is your view on today’s passage?
X. Cavation: I love this story. John gives us so much detail; it is like candy for any scholar of the Biblical era. We know Jesus is in Jerusalem for a Jewish festival; adding credence to Jesus’ contention that He came to fulfill the law – not destroy it. He is at a pool called Bethesda that is surrounded by 5 colonnades near the Sheep Gate.
This site was first excavated in 1888. Early scholars contended that John’s description was error-filled or just invented. For example, the 5 colonnades didn’t make sense. There would be a colonnade on each side of the pool, but there weren’t any 5-sided pools known from that era.
This theory was challenged during a dig at the site in 1956 when archaeologists unearthed a rectangular pool with a portico on each side AND a 5th one dividing the pool into 2 compartments. We have also gathered evidence that the generations post-Christ, believed this same pool had healing powers for their ailments.
DL: What is your take on this miraculous healing?
X. Cavation: It is true. The Jewish leaders unwittingly provide the corroboration to the miracle. They confront a man, known to be invalid for 38 years, for walking around & carrying his mat on the Sabbath. He plainly tells them that he was told to do this by the man who had healed him. Yet, they don’t confront the authenticity of the miracle; rather, they challenge Jesus on the side issue of working on the Sabbath. (This may seem odd to us today, but remember the Jewish community’s identity back then revolved around 3 practices: circumcision, food laws, & honoring the Sabbath.)
DL: So what does this miracle mean for us today?
X. Cavation: There are two parties to every miracle. Jesus asks the man if he wants to be healed. Jesus cannot heal our brokenness if we don’t want to change. Secondly, Jesus tells our friend to get up. The man could have just said it was impossible; but he still tried. Likewise, we may view some task before us as impossible (having a heart for forgiveness, braving a mission trip, or even sharing our faith with a friend), but nothing is impossible with God. Finally, the man’s mat had been his personal burden for 38 years. (Oh, how he must have loathed that mat as he stared at it day after day.) Yet, with Jesus’ encouragement our friend’s burden became manageable & no longer defined him. Regardless of our ailment(s), we never have to suffer alone.
DL: Thanks for your time. Before we go, what has been your most unusual find?
X. Cavation: I was on a Mayan dig site in Central America. I was hoping to find their infamous calendar; however, it turned out to be just an ancient Mayan colander.
DL: Oh.
X. Cavation: Yeah. All it said was “pour in corn & drain.” That was the worst case of Irritable Trowel Syndrome I ever had.
DL: Ugh.
X. Cavation: Oh well, that’s archaeology. Sometimes your “great find” is just humerus:
Insights from Courtney Felzke
DL: What is it like to be an archaeologist?
X. Cavation: Well, it isn’t as glamorous as the movies portray. For example, I have never worn a pith helmet & I rarely punch out Nazi’s during my digs. Since we archaeologists do enjoy dating other people so much, it is hard to be in a long-term relationship and, sadly, our career paths are mostly in ruins.
DL: I had no idea. So what is your view on today’s passage?
X. Cavation: I love this story. John gives us so much detail; it is like candy for any scholar of the Biblical era. We know Jesus is in Jerusalem for a Jewish festival; adding credence to Jesus’ contention that He came to fulfill the law – not destroy it. He is at a pool called Bethesda that is surrounded by 5 colonnades near the Sheep Gate.
This site was first excavated in 1888. Early scholars contended that John’s description was error-filled or just invented. For example, the 5 colonnades didn’t make sense. There would be a colonnade on each side of the pool, but there weren’t any 5-sided pools known from that era.
This theory was challenged during a dig at the site in 1956 when archaeologists unearthed a rectangular pool with a portico on each side AND a 5th one dividing the pool into 2 compartments. We have also gathered evidence that the generations post-Christ, believed this same pool had healing powers for their ailments.
DL: What is your take on this miraculous healing?
X. Cavation: It is true. The Jewish leaders unwittingly provide the corroboration to the miracle. They confront a man, known to be invalid for 38 years, for walking around & carrying his mat on the Sabbath. He plainly tells them that he was told to do this by the man who had healed him. Yet, they don’t confront the authenticity of the miracle; rather, they challenge Jesus on the side issue of working on the Sabbath. (This may seem odd to us today, but remember the Jewish community’s identity back then revolved around 3 practices: circumcision, food laws, & honoring the Sabbath.)
DL: So what does this miracle mean for us today?
X. Cavation: There are two parties to every miracle. Jesus asks the man if he wants to be healed. Jesus cannot heal our brokenness if we don’t want to change. Secondly, Jesus tells our friend to get up. The man could have just said it was impossible; but he still tried. Likewise, we may view some task before us as impossible (having a heart for forgiveness, braving a mission trip, or even sharing our faith with a friend), but nothing is impossible with God. Finally, the man’s mat had been his personal burden for 38 years. (Oh, how he must have loathed that mat as he stared at it day after day.) Yet, with Jesus’ encouragement our friend’s burden became manageable & no longer defined him. Regardless of our ailment(s), we never have to suffer alone.
DL: Thanks for your time. Before we go, what has been your most unusual find?
X. Cavation: I was on a Mayan dig site in Central America. I was hoping to find their infamous calendar; however, it turned out to be just an ancient Mayan colander.
DL: Oh.
X. Cavation: Yeah. All it said was “pour in corn & drain.” That was the worst case of Irritable Trowel Syndrome I ever had.
DL: Ugh.
X. Cavation: Oh well, that’s archaeology. Sometimes your “great find” is just humerus:
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The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Thursday, 25 February 2016 - “The second miraculous sign”
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 4:43 After the two days, he went on from there toward the Galil. 44 Now Yeshua himself said, “A prophet is not respected in his own country.” 45 But when he arrived in the Galil, the people there welcomed him, because they had seen all he had done at the festival in Yerushalayim; since they had been there too.
46 He went again to Kanah in the Galil, where he had turned the water into wine. An officer in the royal service was there; his son was ill in K’far-Nachum. 47 This man, on hearing that Yeshua had come from Y’hudah to the Galil, went and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Yeshua answered, “Unless you people see signs and miracles, you simply will not trust!” 49 The officer said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Yeshua replied, “You may go, your son is alive.” The man believed what Yeshua said and left. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him with the news that his son was alive 52 So he asked them at what time he had gotten better; and they said, “The fever left him yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon.” 53 The father knew that that was the very hour when Yeshua had told him, “Your son is alive”; and he and all his household trusted. 54 This was a second sign that Yeshua did; he did it after he had come from Y’hudah into the Galil.
Reflection Questions
Right after the story of reaching the Samaritans, John underscored Jesus' inclusive caring by telling of his “long-distance” healing of a royal official’s ill son. The man probably worked either for Herod and/or the Romans, but that didn’t bother Jesus. But for John this wasn’t just a random “healing” story. This, he said, was “the second miraculous sign Jesus did” (verse 54).
- The crux of this story came in verse 50: “Jesus replied, ‘Go home. Your son lives.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and set out for his home.” How did this royal official find enough confidence in Jesus to believe and set out for his home? Are there areas of life in which it’s a challenge for you to trust Jesus' love and caring for you and your needs?
- In his prologue, John said, “The light came to his own people, and his own people didn’t welcome him” (John 1:11). Jesus told Nicodemus, “God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes” (John 3:8). When you have welcomed Jesus and the light he brings to your life, how have you seen God work in unexpected ways in your life? In the lives of others, including people you might not think would be open to that?
Today’s Prayer
Jesus, you touched and changed Nicodemus in his righteous robes, the outcast woman at the well, the royal official in his courtly garb. Wherever I fall in that spectrum, I trust you to touch and renew me—and through me, others who are thirsty for you. Amen.
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Insights from Janelle Gregory
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist.Bad assumptions are an easy mistake to make. For instance, you probably thought this post was written by Janelle. In fact, it was written by her husband, Brandon. (Surprise!)
Speaking of assumptions, I was working on the family computer a few weeks back when my son walked into the room.
“What are you doing?” he asked me.
“The computer’s not working,” I said. “I’m trying to fix it.”
“It’s probably because I play too much Minecraft,” he said.
“No, that’s not it.”
“It’s probably because that controller is plugged in,” he said, pointing at a controller on the ground.
“No, that’s not it either.
“It’s probably because that program is open.”
He continued to point at things that were happening at the same time as the computer’s bad behavior, none of them being the actual cause.
People are funny. We’re hard-wired to look for causation patterns. When two things happen together, we frequently assume a causal relationship between the two. Social psychologists will remind us that correlation is not causation, but that doesn’t stop us from spotting the correlation and making assumptions.
In the example with my son, when given a problem, he began looking around at his immediate surroundings to look for a possible cause. But we’re adults. We don’t do that. Right?
Question: How many times have you wanted a friend to come to know God, so you invited them to church? If you do this more often than not, you’re doing the same thing as the man in today’s passage. He had seen God at work before, and it had always happened in a very particular way.
Just like Jesus can heal from anywhere–he doesn’t have to be next to the sick person–God can work anywhere. People can experience God anywhere. That’s not to say that inviting someone to church is a bad thing–the church can be a great place to experience God. But we can falsely make the assumption that people can only meet God in churches. See? Correlation is not causation.
Where we frequently fall into this trap is in our prayer life. We can assume that God will answer our prayers the same way he has in the past. God points in a direction, we pick a destination. God points at a person, we pick the kind of relationship we want to have. We do this based on our experiences; but the reality is that God is bigger than any pattern we can conceive. He is not bound by any laws or rules–his ways are higher. Remember, God can act anywhere, and answer our prayers in totally unexpected ways. We have to be open to listening even once we think the path becomes clear, because the path usually ends up looking a lot different than we initially imagine it to be.
Speaking of assumptions, I was working on the family computer a few weeks back when my son walked into the room.
“What are you doing?” he asked me.
“The computer’s not working,” I said. “I’m trying to fix it.”
“It’s probably because I play too much Minecraft,” he said.
“No, that’s not it.”
“It’s probably because that controller is plugged in,” he said, pointing at a controller on the ground.
“No, that’s not it either.
“It’s probably because that program is open.”
He continued to point at things that were happening at the same time as the computer’s bad behavior, none of them being the actual cause.
People are funny. We’re hard-wired to look for causation patterns. When two things happen together, we frequently assume a causal relationship between the two. Social psychologists will remind us that correlation is not causation, but that doesn’t stop us from spotting the correlation and making assumptions.
In the example with my son, when given a problem, he began looking around at his immediate surroundings to look for a possible cause. But we’re adults. We don’t do that. Right?
Question: How many times have you wanted a friend to come to know God, so you invited them to church? If you do this more often than not, you’re doing the same thing as the man in today’s passage. He had seen God at work before, and it had always happened in a very particular way.
Just like Jesus can heal from anywhere–he doesn’t have to be next to the sick person–God can work anywhere. People can experience God anywhere. That’s not to say that inviting someone to church is a bad thing–the church can be a great place to experience God. But we can falsely make the assumption that people can only meet God in churches. See? Correlation is not causation.
Where we frequently fall into this trap is in our prayer life. We can assume that God will answer our prayers the same way he has in the past. God points in a direction, we pick a destination. God points at a person, we pick the kind of relationship we want to have. We do this based on our experiences; but the reality is that God is bigger than any pattern we can conceive. He is not bound by any laws or rules–his ways are higher. Remember, God can act anywhere, and answer our prayers in totally unexpected ways. We have to be open to listening even once we think the path becomes clear, because the path usually ends up looking a lot different than we initially imagine it to be.
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The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Wednesday, 24 February 2016 - “The fields are already ripe for the harvest”
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 4:1 When Yeshua learned that the P’rushim had heard he was making and immersing more talmidim than Yochanan 2 (although it was not Yeshua himself who immersed but his talmidim), 3 Yeshua left Y’hudah and set out again for the Galil. 4 This meant that he had to pass through Shomron.
John said Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (verse 4). That wasn’t a geographic requirement—most Jews chose a route that bypassed Samaria. (Click here to see a map that shows the three routes.) John was describing a spiritual necessity. Jesus had a “divine appointment” to meet a woman even the Samaritans no doubt shunned. He offered her “living water,” and her response made her the first witness to Jesus in John’s story. (Click here to see a moving 5-minute contemporary rendering of the story from John 4.)
Lord Jesus, you aren’t willing to settle for just my head and hands. You seek my heart, too—and, sometimes with fear and trembling, I offer it. I offer all of me to you again today. Amen.
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 4:1 When Yeshua learned that the P’rushim had heard he was making and immersing more talmidim than Yochanan 2 (although it was not Yeshua himself who immersed but his talmidim), 3 Yeshua left Y’hudah and set out again for the Galil. 4 This meant that he had to pass through Shomron.
5 He came to a town in Shomron called Sh’khem, near the field Ya‘akov had given to his son Yosef. 6 Ya‘akov’s Well was there; so Yeshua, exhausted from his travel, sat down by the well; it was about noon. 7 A woman from Shomron came to draw some water; and Yeshua said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” 8 (His talmidim had gone into town to buy food.) 9 The woman from Shomron said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for water from me, a woman of Shomron?” (For Jews don’t associate with people from Shomron.) 10 Yeshua answered her, “If you knew God’s gift, that is, who it is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink of water,’ then you would have asked him; and he would have given you living water.”
11 She said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket, and the well is deep; so where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Ya‘akov, are you? He gave us this well and drank from it, and so did his sons and his cattle.” 13 Yeshua answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life!”
15 “Sir, give me this water,” the woman said to him, “so that I won’t have to be thirsty and keep coming here to draw water.” 16 He said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” 17 She answered, “I don’t have a husband.” Yeshua said to her, “You’re right, you don’t have a husband! 18 You’ve had five husbands in the past, and you’re not married to the man you’re living with now! You’ve spoken the truth!”
19 “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet,” the woman replied. 20 “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that the place where one has to worship is in Yerushalayim.” 21 Yeshua said, “Lady, believe me, the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Yerushalayim. 22 You people don’t know what you are worshipping; we worship what we do know, because salvation comes from the Jews. 23 But the time is coming — indeed, it’s here now — when the true worshippers will worship the Father spiritually and truly, for these are the kind of people the Father wants worshipping him. 24 God is spirit; and worshippers must worship him spiritually and truly.”
25 The woman replied, “I know that Mashiach is coming” (that is, “the one who has been anointed”). “When he comes, he will tell us everything.” 26 Yeshua said to her, “I, the person speaking to you, am he.”
27 Just then, his talmidim arrived. They were amazed that he was talking with a woman; but none of them said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water-jar, went back to the town and said to the people there, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done. Could it be that this is the Messiah?” 30 They left the town and began coming toward him.
31 Meanwhile, the talmidim were urging Yeshua, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he answered, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.” 33 At this, the talmidim asked one another, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 Yeshua said to them, “My food is to do what the one who sent me wants and to bring his work to completion. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then the harvest’? Well, what I say to you is: open your eyes and look at the fields! They’re already ripe for harvest! 36 The one who reaps receives his wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the reaper and the sower may be glad together — 37 for in this matter, the proverb, ‘One sows and another reaps,’ holds true. 38 I sent you to reap what you haven’t worked for. Others have done the hard labor, and you have benefited from their work.”
39 Many people from that town in Shomron put their trust in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all the things I did.” 40 So when these people from Shomron came to him, they asked him to stay with them. He stayed two days, 41 and many more came to trust because of what he said. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer trust because of what you said, because we have heard for ourselves. We know indeed that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
Reflection QuestionsJohn said Jesus “had to go through Samaria” (verse 4). That wasn’t a geographic requirement—most Jews chose a route that bypassed Samaria. (Click here to see a map that shows the three routes.) John was describing a spiritual necessity. Jesus had a “divine appointment” to meet a woman even the Samaritans no doubt shunned. He offered her “living water,” and her response made her the first witness to Jesus in John’s story. (Click here to see a moving 5-minute contemporary rendering of the story from John 4.)
- Jesus offered “living water” (in common usage, the term meant fresh, clean water, not stagnant water that had stood in a cistern). He said, “The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life” (verse 14). What choices have helped make your walk with Jesus one that “bubbles up into eternal life”? In what ways are you able to let that joyous, bubbling quality show as you live your life?
- The woman expressed the vague hope that someday the Messiah could answer her questions. “‘I am he,’ said Jesus. ‘You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further’” (verse 26, The Message). How would you express the biggest questions or issues in your life? In what ways has trusting Jesus helped you come to peace about some or all of those issues?
Lord Jesus, you aren’t willing to settle for just my head and hands. You seek my heart, too—and, sometimes with fear and trembling, I offer it. I offer all of me to you again today. Amen.
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Jennifer Creagar facilitates the Prayer Ministry and coordinates the Financial Care and Assistance ministries. She is married, has three great kids and three perfect grandchildren who she loves spending time with, and she enjoy writing and photography.
In John Chapter 4, Jesus travels through Samaria on his way back to Galilee. It wasn’t the usual way for a Jew to make that trip (they used to avoid Samaria whenever possible), but there was a reason Jesus made this detour. Lives were about to be changed through his encounter with a woman he would meet there. The Samaritan woman Jesus meets at Jacob’s Well intrigues me, because I see in her the same traits that make us all so very human, especially the longing to be connected – to be known.
This woman was most likely a social outcast. Fives time she was married–connected to a husband and a family and a home–and five times she was cast away from that relationship and those connections. When she meets Jesus at the well, she has settled for whatever protection and connection she can get from a man who doesn’t even care enough to marry her. She has come to the well at noon, in the heat of the day, when all the other women are not likely to be there. She probably passed them as they sat together in the shade taking time for rest and community while she walked to the well. She knew she wasn’t welcome. She is adrift and isolated by things she has done and things that have happened to her.
And then here is this man, a stranger and a Jew, hanging out at the well and he wants to talk to her. What he says interests her enough that she continues the conversation. He tells her about the gift of God and living water, about eternal life. Then he tells her about the details of her life, and reveals himself as a prophet and more. He plainly tells her that he is the Messiah she and her people have been waiting for, just as the Jews have.
What intrigues me most about this woman is that, when she leaves to tell her story, she doesn’t run down the street shouting “I just met the Messiah!” She says, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!” What touched her most, more than even the words about living water and eternal life, was that this man knew her. He was connected to her in a way she couldn’t even understand, but knew was true. Jesus reached out and touched her in her humanity, and then she was ready to hear and believe that he was her Savior. Over the next two days, many more people experienced Jesus themselves and came to believe.
We are all marginalized, different or outcast in some way, and Jesus reaches out from his holy identity and tells us that he knows us. What’s more, he wants us to know him! Jesus doesn’t come to us as some encased-in-gold deity who watches and judges from afar. He wants to know us and tell us about ourselves. He wants to give us the gift of knowing and being known by God – “a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (4:14).
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The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Tuesday, 23 February 2016 “God so loved the world”
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 3:1 There was a man among the P’rushim, named Nakdimon, who was a ruler of the Judeans. 2 This man came to Yeshua by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know it is from God that you have come as a teacher; for no one can do these miracles you perform unless God is with him.” 3 “Yes, indeed,” Yeshua answered him, “I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
In chapter 3, John’s story introduced Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and returned to John the Baptizer, the great prophet. Nicodemus’ authority came from religious status attained through strict outward piety. John the Baptizer’s authority grew from the way his God-given message pointed to the coming Messiah’s greatness, not to himself. His humble joy at Jesus’ “increase” (verse 30) was an example of the inner rebirth Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus.
Lord Jesus, help me to remember that my "greatness" and "joy" come from you. Give me more of your willingness to connect even with people like Nicodemus who might at first seem like “enemies.” Amen.
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 3:1 There was a man among the P’rushim, named Nakdimon, who was a ruler of the Judeans. 2 This man came to Yeshua by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know it is from God that you have come as a teacher; for no one can do these miracles you perform unless God is with him.” 3 “Yes, indeed,” Yeshua answered him, “I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 Nakdimon said to him, “How can a grown man be ‘born’? Can he go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time?” 5 Yeshua answered, “Yes, indeed, I tell you that unless a person is born from water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. 6 What is born from the flesh is flesh, and what is born from the Spirit is spirit. 7 Stop being amazed at my telling you that you must be born again from above! 8 The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it’s going. That’s how it is with everyone who has been born from the Spirit.”
9 Nakdimon replied, “How can this happen?” 10 Yeshua answered him, “You hold the office of teacher in Isra’el, and you don’t know this? 11 Yes, indeed! I tell you that what we speak about, we know; and what we give evidence of, we have seen; but you people don’t accept our evidence! 12 If you people don’t believe me when I tell you about the things of the world, how will you believe me when I tell you about the things of heaven? 13 No one has gone up into heaven; there is only the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moshe lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; 15 so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only and unique Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being utterly destroyed. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but rather so that through him, the world might be saved. 18 Those who trust in him are not judged; those who do not trust have been judged already, in that they have not trusted in the one who is God’s only and unique Son.
19 “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. 20 For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed. 21 But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that his actions are accomplished through God.”
22 After this, Yeshua and his talmidim went out into the countryside of Y’hudah, where he stayed awhile with them and immersed people. 23 Yochanan too was immersing at Einayim, near Shalem, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to be immersed. 24 (This was before Yochanan’s imprisonment.)
25 A discussion arose between some of Yochanan’s talmidim and a Judean about ceremonial washing; 26 and they came to Yochanan and said to him, “Rabbi, you know the man who was with you on the other side of the Yarden, the one you spoke about? Well, here he is, immersing; and everyone is going to him!” 27 Yochanan answered, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to him from Heaven. 28 You yourselves can confirm that I did not say I was the Messiah, but that I have been sent ahead of him. 29 The bridegroom is the one who has the bride; but the bridegroom’s friend, who stands and listens to him, is overjoyed at the sound of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must become more important, while I become less important.
31 “He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth and talks from an earthly point of view; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies about what he has actually seen and heard, yet no one accepts what he says! 33 Whoever does accept what he says puts his seal on the fact that God is true, 34 because the one whom God sent speaks God’s words. For God does not give him the Spirit in limited degree — 35 the Father loves the Son and has put everything in his hands. 36 Whoever trusts in the Son has eternal life. But whoever disobeys the Son will not see that life but remains subject to God’s wrath.”
Reflection QuestionsIn chapter 3, John’s story introduced Nicodemus, a Pharisee, and returned to John the Baptizer, the great prophet. Nicodemus’ authority came from religious status attained through strict outward piety. John the Baptizer’s authority grew from the way his God-given message pointed to the coming Messiah’s greatness, not to himself. His humble joy at Jesus’ “increase” (verse 30) was an example of the inner rebirth Jesus spoke of to Nicodemus.
- John said Nicodemus came to Jesus "by night" (verse 2). When he cleansed the Temple, Jesus challenged the Pharisees’ power and authority. Nicodemus may have needed the darkness to keep other Pharisees from seeing him with Jesus. That night, Jesus invited Nicodemus to live in the light of God's kingdom. Their talk changed Nicodemus (cf. John 7:45-52; John 19:38-42). In what kinds of darkness did you come to Jesus? How has God brought you from the darkness into the light?
- When John the Baptizer’s followers saw Jesus' growing ministry as a "threat," the prophet said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven...[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease" (verses 27-30). Where do you find your source of "joy" and "greatness"? Does John’s counter-cultural model of what matters most in life challenge you to rethink any of your attitudes or actions?
Lord Jesus, help me to remember that my "greatness" and "joy" come from you. Give me more of your willingness to connect even with people like Nicodemus who might at first seem like “enemies.” Amen.
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Courtney Felzke is Pastor of Silver Link. Resurrection’s Silver Link Ministry serves senior adults who become unable to fully engage in the life of the church, including those who are physically frail or suffering from dementia. Courtney seeks to maintain a connection with all such Resurrection participants through pastoral care and worship.
As I read the GPS for today, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of us have strengthened our relationships with Jesus as we’ve gone through dark points in our life.
I was one who was baptized as a baby, confirmed in 8th grade, and active in youth group in high school. I came to know Jesus early in life, but it wasn’t until I found myself in a place of darkness that I felt as though I truly came to KNOW Jesus. I remember how much my relationship with Jesus strengthened in this dark time in my life when I felt lonely, confused, helpless, and frustrated with myself. I struggled to express to my friends and family what I was feeling, so I leaned greatly on God during this time in my life. I remember saying breath prayers over and over again; praying “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It was in my place of darkness, that I truly came to know the light and life in which Jesus offers. As I prayed these breath prayers I felt God’s peaceful presence with me. When I felt lonely and sad God would remind me that I wasn’t alone, that I needed to simply express all I was feeling to God. God was the constant in my life when all else around me was changing.
I know when we’re in times of darkness it may be hard to turn to God. In fact, our dark places may cause us to be angry with God. However, I would encourage us to turn to God in these times–even if this means yelling at God. God can handle yelling and anger. The important part is turning to God. I truly believe we can strengthen our relationship with God even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. Reach out to God, let God help you through whatever it is you might be going through. If we’re open and receptive to receive all that God has to offer, God will bring light and life to even the darkest of situations.
Insights from Roberta Lyle
As I read the GPS for today, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of us have strengthened our relationships with Jesus as we’ve gone through dark points in our life.
I was one who was baptized as a baby, confirmed in 8th grade, and active in youth group in high school. I came to know Jesus early in life, but it wasn’t until I found myself in a place of darkness that I felt as though I truly came to KNOW Jesus. I remember how much my relationship with Jesus strengthened in this dark time in my life when I felt lonely, confused, helpless, and frustrated with myself. I struggled to express to my friends and family what I was feeling, so I leaned greatly on God during this time in my life. I remember saying breath prayers over and over again; praying “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It was in my place of darkness, that I truly came to know the light and life in which Jesus offers. As I prayed these breath prayers I felt God’s peaceful presence with me. When I felt lonely and sad God would remind me that I wasn’t alone, that I needed to simply express all I was feeling to God. God was the constant in my life when all else around me was changing.
I know when we’re in times of darkness it may be hard to turn to God. In fact, our dark places may cause us to be angry with God. However, I would encourage us to turn to God in these times–even if this means yelling at God. God can handle yelling and anger. The important part is turning to God. I truly believe we can strengthen our relationship with God even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. Reach out to God, let God help you through whatever it is you might be going through. If we’re open and receptive to receive all that God has to offer, God will bring light and life to even the darkest of situations.
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The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Monday, 22 February 2016 “He revealed his glory”
To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 2:1 On Tuesday[John 2:1 Greek: the third day, equivalent to Hebrew yom shlishi] there was a wedding at Kanah in the Galil; and the mother of Yeshua was there. 2 Yeshua too was invited to the wedding, along with his talmidim. 3 The wine ran out, and Yeshua’s mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 Yeshua replied, “Mother, why should that concern me? — or you? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings, each with a capacity of twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Yeshua told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 He said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the man in charge of the banquet”; and they took it. 9 The man in charge tasted the water; it had now turned into wine! He did not know where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. So he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This, the first of Yeshua’s miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil; he manifested his glory, and his talmidim came to trust in him. 12 Afterwards, he, his mother and brothers, and his talmidim went down to K’far-Nachum and stayed there a few days.
Lord Jesus, I’m awed to realize that the same power that changed water into wine is transforming my life. Fill me to the brim with the high-quality life you came to give your people. Amen.
[1 Adam Hamilton, John: The Gospel of Light and Life. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015, p. 35.]
---------------------To support the goal of reading the whole gospel of John during Lent, some of the daily readings are longer than typical for the GPS. We encourage you: have an extra cup of coffee, use your lunch break—find a way to hang in there and read the entire gospel.
Daily Scripture: John 2:1 On Tuesday[John 2:1 Greek: the third day, equivalent to Hebrew yom shlishi] there was a wedding at Kanah in the Galil; and the mother of Yeshua was there. 2 Yeshua too was invited to the wedding, along with his talmidim. 3 The wine ran out, and Yeshua’s mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 Yeshua replied, “Mother, why should that concern me? — or you? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now six stone water-jars were standing there for the Jewish ceremonial washings, each with a capacity of twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Yeshua told them, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 He said, “Now draw some out, and take it to the man in charge of the banquet”; and they took it. 9 The man in charge tasted the water; it had now turned into wine! He did not know where it had come from, but the servants who had drawn the water knew. So he called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone else serves the good wine first and the poorer wine after people have drunk freely. But you have kept the good wine until now!” 11 This, the first of Yeshua’s miraculous signs, he did at Kanah in the Galil; he manifested his glory, and his talmidim came to trust in him. 12 Afterwards, he, his mother and brothers, and his talmidim went down to K’far-Nachum and stayed there a few days.
13 It was almost time for the festival of Pesach in Y’hudah, so Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 14 In the Temple grounds he found those who were selling cattle, sheep and pigeons, and others who were sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 He made a whip from cords and drove them all out of the Temple grounds, the sheep and cattle as well. He knocked over the money-changers’ tables, scattering their coins; 16 and to the pigeon-sellers he said, “Get these things out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market?” 17 (His talmidim later recalled that the Tanakh says, “Zeal for your house will devour me.” )[John 2:17 Psalm 69:10(9)] 18 So the Judeans confronted him by asking him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove you have the right to do all this?” 19 Yeshua answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20 The Judeans said, “It took 46 years to build this Temple, and you’re going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the “temple” he had spoken of was his body. 22 Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his talmidim remembered that he had said this, and they trusted in the Tanakh and in what Yeshua had said.
23 Now while Yeshua was in Yerushalayim at the Pesach festival, there were many people who “believed in his name” when they saw the miracles he performed. 24 But he did not commit himself to them, for he knew what people are like — 25 that is, he didn’t need anyone to inform him about a person, because he knew what was in the person’s heart.
Reflection Questions
About the first story in today’s reading, Pastor Hamilton wrote, “Why does John tell us the jars were used for Jewish rites of purification? He could have said simply, ‘There were six stone jars’….John’s story is not just about Jesus changing water into wine, but it is instead about how life in Christ is richer and more joyful than the ritualistic religion of first-century Judaism.”1 John linked that to the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple. He meant that Jesus knew many rituals had become more obstacle than signpost, and that Jesus was truly the way to God.- John pointedly noted that Jesus changed water in jars used for ritual purification (verse 6) into “good wine” (verse 10). It was a sign that he offered a better way than his day’s rigid, repressive ritual system. Did you, in your growing up years or later, ever experience faith as rigid and repressive, draining life of joy and satisfaction? When has Jesus changed “water into wine” in your spiritual walk?
- What did verses 24-25 say about Jesus? (He clearly was not anti-social—the wedding feast story showed that.) In what ways have you learned to put your deepest trust in God’s love for you, instead of in people? How can a realistic view of human nature help you love others more and better, avoiding both letting the wishes and opinions of others drive you and the pain of being excessively hurt by their limitations?
Lord Jesus, I’m awed to realize that the same power that changed water into wine is transforming my life. Fill me to the brim with the high-quality life you came to give your people. Amen.
[1 Adam Hamilton, John: The Gospel of Light and Life. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015, p. 35.]
Roberta Lyle has been on the Resurrection staff since 2006. She oversees the Collection Ministry, coordinating the donations of clothing, beds, food, furnishings, cars and computers and re-purposing them through our ministry partners to provide to those in need in our community.Today’s Bible passage in John is the familiar story about Jesus performing his first miracle or sign, transforming water into wine at the wedding feast. Jesus does this only after asked to do so by his mother. While little information is given about why Mary turns to Jesus and asks him to do something about the situation, I used to read the story and assume that Mary was asking Jesus to perform a miracle. Now, as a mom of two grown sons, I feel tenderness for Mary and imagine her as a mother who, proud of the man her son has become and with total faith in his abilities and resourcefulness turns to him and says: “Jesus, our dear friends will be so embarrassed if people know they’ve run out of wine. Please figure out a way to fix this for them.”
I don’t know if Mary was hoping Jesus would do something miraculous to remedy the situation or if she was just hoping he would see a practical solution. In fact, Jesus doesn’t say any magical words or do anything more than ask the servants to fill the water jars and then take some out and serve it to the head steward, who not only confirms that it’s wine but exclaims that it is wine of the best quality.
However, as Pastor Glen reminded us in his sermon, if we look only on the surface of the material John includes in his gospel we really miss the whole point of the gospel. The water that Jesus transformed was the water used for Jewish purification rites. John wants us to see clearly that Jesus offers a new way to salvation; a way that offers joy and abundant life through faith in him. The transformative work Jesus began at that wedding feast so long ago continues today in and through us as long as we open or hearts and invite him in.
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I don’t know if Mary was hoping Jesus would do something miraculous to remedy the situation or if she was just hoping he would see a practical solution. In fact, Jesus doesn’t say any magical words or do anything more than ask the servants to fill the water jars and then take some out and serve it to the head steward, who not only confirms that it’s wine but exclaims that it is wine of the best quality.
However, as Pastor Glen reminded us in his sermon, if we look only on the surface of the material John includes in his gospel we really miss the whole point of the gospel. The water that Jesus transformed was the water used for Jewish purification rites. John wants us to see clearly that Jesus offers a new way to salvation; a way that offers joy and abundant life through faith in him. The transformative work Jesus began at that wedding feast so long ago continues today in and through us as long as we open or hearts and invite him in.
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The Daily Guide-The Daily Devotional grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 21 February 2016 "Prayer Tip"
Prayer Tip
We often hear that Resurrection is a church for thinking people. That is one of the things that I love about the church and what initially kept me coming back. But sometimes I get so caught up in the thinking and learning about God that I forget to feel and experience God.
Last weekend in worship, Pastor Glen shared with us that Matthew, Mark, and Luke show us, through Jesus’ teachings, that what we do profoundly matters. They are largely written to teach us. But the focus of John’s Gospel is to show us that belief transforms us, that there is a shift in us when we go from just following Jesus to believing in Jesus.
I tend to try to live my life in the ways that Jesus taught us to live in the first three Gospels, and I tend to forget that Jesus wasn’t just a prophet who taught us about the heart of God but that he is the Son of God who came to show us God’s love. And when we experience God’s love, God’s laws are written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) so that we can’t help but live a certain way.
James 4:2 tells us, “You don’t have because you don’t ask.” This Lenten season, I want to experience God’s love through Jesus Christ, and I am starting by asking for that experience.
Holy God,
I have come to learn about you through Scripture, studies, sermon series, and discussions with others. These things are great, but I want to know you more. Draw me close and let me feel your presence. Give me the desire to spend quiet time alone with you and help me to hear your voice. Help me to see your healing hand at work behind the medical professionals. Help me to slow down once in a while to enjoy the beauty around me and to find wonder in your creation. Help me to see your Spirit moving in the people and circumstances all around me so that I catch a glimpse of what you see in and love about others. Help me to experience you more fully.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. [Angela LaVallie, Resurrection Prayer Ministry]
---------------------Prayer Tip
We often hear that Resurrection is a church for thinking people. That is one of the things that I love about the church and what initially kept me coming back. But sometimes I get so caught up in the thinking and learning about God that I forget to feel and experience God.
Last weekend in worship, Pastor Glen shared with us that Matthew, Mark, and Luke show us, through Jesus’ teachings, that what we do profoundly matters. They are largely written to teach us. But the focus of John’s Gospel is to show us that belief transforms us, that there is a shift in us when we go from just following Jesus to believing in Jesus.
I tend to try to live my life in the ways that Jesus taught us to live in the first three Gospels, and I tend to forget that Jesus wasn’t just a prophet who taught us about the heart of God but that he is the Son of God who came to show us God’s love. And when we experience God’s love, God’s laws are written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33) so that we can’t help but live a certain way.
James 4:2 tells us, “You don’t have because you don’t ask.” This Lenten season, I want to experience God’s love through Jesus Christ, and I am starting by asking for that experience.
Holy God,
I have come to learn about you through Scripture, studies, sermon series, and discussions with others. These things are great, but I want to know you more. Draw me close and let me feel your presence. Give me the desire to spend quiet time alone with you and help me to hear your voice. Help me to see your healing hand at work behind the medical professionals. Help me to slow down once in a while to enjoy the beauty around me and to find wonder in your creation. Help me to see your Spirit moving in the people and circumstances all around me so that I catch a glimpse of what you see in and love about others. Help me to experience you more fully.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. [Angela LaVallie, Resurrection Prayer Ministry]
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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