The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Saturday, 25 June 2016 - "Animals in harmony in God’s eternal kingdom"
Daily Scripture: Isaiah 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb;

the leopard lie down with the kid;

calf, young lion and fattened lamb together,

with a little child to lead them.

7 Cow and bear will feed together,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

8 An infant will play on a cobra’s hole,

a toddler put his hand in a viper’s nest.

9 They will not hurt or destroy

anywhere on my holy mountain,

for the earth will be as full

of the knowledge of Adonai

as water covering the sea.

Reflection Questions:
“Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.”[Mark Twain (Author)]
Of course we wonder: will this canine companion who has become so woven into my heart and my life be with me in eternity? It is not a silly or trivial question. It takes us back to the creation—to say our pets vanish from eternity would suggest that God is only interested in human beings, not in all creation. At least so the prophet Isaiah’s lyrical picture of God’s eternal “holy mountain” clearly suggested. He saw a whole collection of animals living in peace and joy with one another, and with humans, in God’s eternity.

• Is there one or more animal friends from your past that you particularly look forward to meeting again in eternity? If there is more than one, are you grateful that the prophet envisioned all kinds of animals living in harmony with one another and with humans (even little children)? Does it make sense to you that the God who created and loved animals in the first place would include them in a world made new?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for Isaiah’s vision of the future. Guide me safely to that future, in which your power and love will reunite me with those I have loved, human and animal. Amen.
Family Activity:
Enjoy a family movie night! Choose a movie that features dogs as its main characters. You might consider “Milo and Otis,” “Air Bud,” or “101 Dalmatians.” (Make sure to offer yummy snacks as you watch the movie!) As you gather to watch the movie, begin by listing some characteristics of God. Qualities of God might include being loving, accepting, kind, helpful and patient. Invite family members to watch for these characteristics in the movie as portrayed by the dogs. When the movie is over, briefly discuss the qualities shared by God and dogs! Pray to become more loving, accepting and kind, just like dogs and God! (Consider inviting friends to join you for this fun activity!)
-------Insights from Brent Messick

Brent Messick is Resurrection’s Managing Executive Director of Operations.
These Scripture verses provide a description of the future consummation of the Messianic kingdom. They describe the peace and safety of the Messianic age as reflected in the fact that little children will be unharmed as they play with formerly ferocious animals.
These Scripture verses remind me of a recent incident in Orlando, Florida. There have been three terrible tragedies in Orlando in the last couple of weeks, all caused by violence and resulting in the loss of life. The one incident I am reminded of has been overshadowed by the mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub.
There was a two-year-old boy playing at dusk on a beach on a lagoon in Disney World. He was suddenly attacked and dragged to his death by an alligator lurking in the lagoon. His horrified father raced to save him and fight off the alligator. The little boy was later found intact but drowned. I can’t possibly imagine the pain and grief that the family is going through. Please take a moment as you read this to pause and pray for the family.
There is much beauty and goodness in the world. But sometimes the beauty and goodness are interrupted by the ugliness in the world. The alligator was not evil; he was only doing what comes naturally to an alligator. I do not believe that God caused this little boy to be killed, or that it happened for a reason. The poor little boy happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
We live in a broken world. The incident with the little boy and the alligator is a reflection of this brokenness. The beauty and sanctity of the Garden of Eden was broken by the serpent. Today’s Scripture passage describes a vision of the restoration of the Garden of Eden by Jesus Christ. He overcomes the brokenness of God’s earthly kingdom, to offer us eternity where there will be no violence, no oppression, no fear, but only harmony and love in God’s eternal kingdom. In Jesus, we see the lion and the lamb living in peace together.
I believe we will also see the little boy playing in the new Garden of Eden with his new animal friends.

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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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