Missionary Renegade: The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 15 April 2016

Saturday, April 16, 2016

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 15 April 2016 - "How Jesus gave a second chance"

Daily Scripture: John 4:25 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.

Reflection Questions:
The woman had said, “I see that you are a prophet” (verse 19). As Jesus disclosed her past without shaming her, the woman seemed to sense an even greater power at work, and spoke of the coming Messiah. Jesus replied, "I Am." The woman went into Sychar to talk about Jesus to the very people she’d been avoiding. Now unashamed, she said he was “a man who has told me everything I’ve done!” With wonder, she added, “Could this man be the Christ [Greek for “anointed one,” or “Messiah”]?”

Your assignment: reach out to a hostile area with the good news of God’s love. What kind of person would you choose for the task? Jesus chose a friendless, outcast woman, who was effective mainly by saying, “Come and see.” Do you allow your limitations to block you from sharing what Christ means to you? Consider the woman at the well, and ask God in what ways you can be a channel of Christ’s love today.
Jesus' disciples were “shocked” to find him talking to a Samaritan woman. If they learned anything about her background, that probably added to their shock. They knew Jesus sided with rabbis who did not favor free-and-easy divorce (cf. Matthew 19:3-8). But in her case, grace prevailed over “the rules,” and she found a caring Savior willing to offer a second (or a seventh!) chance. When have you had to weigh strict rule-following against human pain and need? How can Jesus’ example help you to find your way in those cases?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you showed why a living, breathing Savior could better represent God’s love than a static rule book. You’re my Lord and Savior—keep showing me how to treat others the way you did. Amen.Insights from Ginger Rothhaas

Ginger Rothhaas is a seminary student at Saint Paul School of Theology and is serving in Congregational Care at The Church of the Resurrection.
Once a week I get to spend time with an amazing group of high school students. They are brilliant, creative, funny, sensitive, and wise souls.
They come to this weekly meeting because their brilliance makes it hard to live in our society, especially in high school.
When I look into their eyes, I can see God in them. I see beautiful hearts and brilliant minds that can transform the world. I see God at work and know their stories will be used to help others. But they don’t see that when they look in the mirror. They don’t see their potential. They see their mistakes.
They see an unpopular girl who uses beer to escape pain. They see a boy who has an addiction to cope with stress. They see a girl who wants boys to make her feel loved. They see a kid who makes bad decisions. They see a person who disappoints everyone.
In John, we have the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. The woman Jesus speaks to at the well has multiple divorces as part of her life story. I imagine she saw what society defined as shame when she looked into a mirror. Jesus comes along and sees God in her. Jesus sees the power of her story. Jesus uses her story to deliver his message.
I trust that the mess our teenagers live in will one day be their message. Jesus will use these experiences to deliver his message of love. These teens will teach others that love wins in the end. You can overcome the struggle, every day is a new beginning, and resurrection is always possible.
We are called by God to teach what we learn. Sometimes it is our mess that makes for the best teaching. Our prayer today may be….God, I’m willing to tell my story. Take my mess and use it to teach and help others. Use me as a messenger of your love.