Wednesday, January 25, 2017

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "God calls us to provide community for those who are alone" for Thursday, 26 January 2017


The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "God calls us to provide community for those who are alone" for Thursday, 26 January 2017
James 1:26 Anyone who thinks he is religiously observant but does not control his tongue is deceiving himself, and his observance counts for nothing. 27 The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.
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True devotion to God, James said, doesn’t show itself in grand words, whether they are lofty or angry. Our devotion shows most truly as we actively care for and help those who have to face the world alone. That can be as simple as extending friendship and human warmth to those whose circumstances leave them alone, or as demanding as becoming foster or adoptive parents (for information on Resurrection’s Foster and Adopt ministry, go to cor.org/achildshope).
• In the Roman empire, ordinary Christians suffered from social and legal persecution. But life in those conditions was even harder for orphans and widows, who had no family and no legal standing at all to protect them. Which, James asked, would help them more—a biting, angry tirade against the tyrants, or a tangible act of love and assistance? How can we apply the principle behind his words to situations we face today?
• “Orphans and widows in the Old Testament symbolize the most unfortunate members of society (see Exod. 22:22-24).”* If James were writing today, who might he list in his letter as among the most unfortunate members of society? As you think about those people, is your heart moved with compassion, or do you find it uncomfortable and try to put them out of your mind?
Prayer: Lord God, I’m devoted to you—after all, I read the GPS. Give me the insight and the courage to find tangible ways to live out that devotion, serving you by serving others who are alone and hurting. Amen.
* Patrick J. Hartin, study notes on James 1:27 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 456 NT.
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After college, I managed an adult day program at a senior center for five and a half years. It was a place where frail elderly could come during the day for activities and connection. Some participants had physical challenges while others struggled cognitively. But that didn’t stop us from making the most of every day. We did everything from chair exercises to sing-a-longs to crafts, and yes – we did play bingo.
I grew close to many of the participants. It was more than just a program; it was a place for relationships. We shared life together. We laughed together, we struggled together, we celebrated together, and we cried together when one of our own passed away. And as one might imagine, death was not a stranger to our group.
I often had people ask me how I could do a job where I often faced the death of those I deeply cared for. I'll be honest, there were times when it was heart-wrenching. But my response was always the same – “Whether I am in their lives or not, they are in their final years. I can’t do anything to stop that. What I can do is to do my best to make sure those years are filled with fun, friendship, and dignity.”
Most of the people I cared for had already experienced a lot of loss. In addition to what their bodies had taken from them, they had lost friends, siblings, and spouses. Like the widows and orphans in Jesus’ time were unable to meet their own needs, some of the participants struggled to meet their own emotional needs of love and connection. This group and I became the family that each of them needed and, if I’m honest, one that I really cherished as well. I will forever treasure the memories and friendships I made. Yes, it would have been much easier to not get involved. But putting them out of sight would not have changed their situations--and it would not have changed mine.
If you look at James’ words in today’s passage, he basically says that true religion that’s accepted by God is not about saying the right things--it’s about doing them. Words are easy. They don’t put us in vulnerable situations where we might get hurt. But James tells us that if we stop at words and fail to put them into action, we’re fooling ourselves. If I had let my words of love and charity be enough, I never would have gotten involved with that community, and I would never have gotten the opportunity to be blessed and changed by them. I probably would have fooled myself into feeling religious with words, but I wouldn’t have been changed for it. As James said, that religion is worthless. Pushing those words into actions lets us stop feeling religious and start being godly. And that is what it’s really all about.

JANELLE GREGORY
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist. She helps support our staff through recruitment efforts, benefits, performance management, wellness, training and all other aspects of Human Resources.
To varying levels, she loves board games, Jesus, college basketball, traveling and her family. Janelle finds that her heart is constantly wrestling with the truth that she needs a Savior, and the times when she's at her very best are when she's just too tired to put up a fight.

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"God knows and loves you, inside and out" for Friday, 27 January 2017
Psalm 139:(0) For the leader. A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
3 you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
4 that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
5 You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
6 Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.
7 Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
9 If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
10 even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
12 even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.
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Have you ever had moments when you feared God had given up on you? Or maybe had a time when you tried to run away from God? The psalmist said that, no matter where we go, God goes there with us. But this sweeping poem didn’t merely assert God’s presence—it also told believers that God’s presence is a good thing, because God will always guide, strengthen and support us.
• Suppose all of the promises in this psalm were shaped into a “commercial” for God. Would you believe them? Would you want to have a God who watched over you so faithfully and patiently? Which parts of your life, of yourself, do you keep the most hidden? God knows all about them—and looks on you with compassion and love anyway. Talk trustingly to God about those hidden things today—and listen inwardly for God’s response.
• Jesus began the Lord’s Prayer (which we say each week in worship) with “Our Father who is in heaven.” “Heaven” translates the Greek word ouranōs, which meant, not a place far away, but “air” or “sky.” Jesus was not saying God is far away, but around us, above us, wherever we go—the same idea as verses 7-12 in today’s reading. What helps you experience God’s presence? What spiritual difference does that make for you?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, at my worst, I feel like hiding from you. At my best, I want you to stay with me all the time—and that’s exactly what you’ve promised to do. Amen.
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"You’re never alone when God is with you" for Saturday, 28 January 2017
Psalm 27:7 Listen, Adonai, to my voice when I cry;
show favor to me; and answer me.
8 “My heart said of you, ‘Seek my face.’”
Your face, Adonai, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
don’t turn your servant away in anger.
You are my help; don’t abandon me;
don’t leave me, God my savior.
10 Even though my father and mother have left me,
Adonai will care for me.
68:3 (2) Drive them away as smoke is driven away;
like wax melting in the presence of a fire,
let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
4 (3) But let the righteous rejoice and be glad in God’s presence;
yes, let them exult and rejoice.
5 (4) Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
extol him who rides on the clouds
by his name, Yah;
and be glad in his presence.
6 (5) God in his holy dwelling,
is a father to orphans and defender of widows.
John 16:32 But a time is coming — indeed it has come already — when you will be scattered, each one looking out for himself; and you will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone; because the Father is with me.
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Every time we baptize a child, the pastor tells the parents that God’s design is that they model God’s love and goodness for their child. In this broken world, in Bible times and still today, human parents, friends and spouses sometimes fall sadly short of living out God’s design. But Scripture said that, even if our human relationships let us down, we do not need to fear being alone and friendless. We can always depend, if we will, on God’s loving presence with us.
• Part of our faith heritage, starting with Methodism’s founder John Wesley, is a profound sense of calling and mission. We believe God calls us to be God’s voice, hands and feet, in a hurting world. God’s work, the psalms said, is to provide a family for orphans, a sustaining relationship for widows, and companionship for all who might be lonely. How can you join in God’s work (and, in the process, build better relationships for yourself)? Do you know anyone who may not be an “orphan” or “widow” in the concrete sense of the term, but who you could uplift by extending God’s love and care?
Prayer: O God, the psalmist said you are “Father of orphans and defender of widows.” Thank you for always being with me. Give me eyes to see others who are hurting, and use me to bless them with your love and caring. Amen.
Family Activity: At times, everyone fears feeling alone or unloved. As a family, share ideas about how you can work with God to bring comfort and care to others. Discuss each person’s unique gifts and abilities. How can those be used to comfort others? How can those same gifts be combined with those of other family members to care and help? Use construction paper to create the symbol of a heart. On it, write or draw the gifts of each person. Also write or draw about how they can be used to comfort people who are sad or lonely. Pray together, asking God to help guide you to use your ideas and gifts. Thank God for giving them to you. Display your family’s “heart” as a reminder to comfort others this year.
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-------Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:

• Dennis Petree and family on the death of his wife Marilyn Petree, 1/15
• Jon Petree and family on the death of his mother Marilyn Petree, 1/15
• Dean Carlson and family on the death of his wife Jeanine Carlson, 1/12
• Dave Wilson and family on the death of his mother Sue Wilson, 1/11
• Bailey Amtower and David Wilson III on the death of their grandmother Sue Wilson, 1/11
• Doug Cochran and family on the death of his mother Sue Cochran, 1/11
• Leslie Gray and family on the death of her husband Michael T Gray, 1/9
• Jim Markley and family on the death of his brother Kenneth Markley, 1/8
• Rick Hadel and family on the death of his mother Mary Hadel, 1/7
• Jessica Staub and family on the death of her father Steve Shepherd, 1/9
• Jerry Ballard and family on the death of her husband Dick Ballard, 1/8
• Kim Mawhiney and family on the death of her father Dick Ballard, 1/8
• Cindi Martens and family on the death of her father Loren Sommer, 1/8
• Blake Worland and family on the death of his mother Janine Worland, 1/7
• Jordan Williamson and family on the death of his father Marvin Williamson, 1/4
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Join us for worship today - see our worship times and locations here. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream atrezonline.org.
Download a printable version of this week's GPS.

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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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