The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Prayer Tip: "We Are the Church Together" for Sunday, February 19, 2017 – "We Are the Church Together"
Scripture: Acts 2: 41 So those who accepted what he said were immersed, and there were added to the group that day about three thousand people.
42 They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in the prayers. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many miracles and signs took place through the emissaries.
47 praising God and having the respect of all the people. And day after day the Lord kept adding to them those who were being saved.
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Daily Scripture
Acts 2: 41 So those who accepted what he said were immersed, and there were added to the group that day about three thousand people.
42 They continued faithfully in the teaching of the emissaries, in fellowship, in breaking bread and in the prayers. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many miracles and signs took place through the emissaries.
47 praising God and having the respect of all the people. And day after day the Lord kept adding to them those who were being saved.
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Prayer Tip:
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God does not give up on us. In God’s perfect plan, we don’t mess up, we don’t choose to do evil things, and we don’t leave things undone. But we do make these mistakes and, yet, God continues to love us and work through us and for us.
Likewise, we are called to finish what we start in Jesus’ name. It is so easy for us to get distracted, but we are called to stay focused on God and how we are being called to love God and love others through our ministries.
Lord God,
We trust that you continually work through us. You know we are not perfect, and you love us anyway. We thank you for that. Use all that we are and all that we have – both the good and the not-so-good – to love you and to love your people. Help us to stay strong and to have the endurance to do all that you have planned for us to do.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.[Angela LaVallie Tinsley, Prayer and Funeral Ministries]
GPS GUIDE
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“Let your light shine” for Monday, 20 February 2017
Matthew 5:13 “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.
14 “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.
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This was the keynote of Jesus’ call to citizens of “the kingdom of God.” He didn’t specify that those who follow him should “go” to a certain place. He called them to live in a certain way for God. In Pennsylvania, the Tri-County Church gave their members T-shirts. On the front, they read, “I don’t go to church,” and on the back, they said, “I AM the church.” That reflected Jesus’ message. As we let God’s light shine through us, we truly ARE the church.
• Have you ever flown over a city at night? Or driven along a highway from the dark
countryside into the light of a city? Think about what it felt like to go from darkness to light. What are the dark corners of your neighborhood, city, and world that need to experience God’s light? What can you do to help shine God’s light into these dark corners?
• In Jesus’ day, with no refrigerators, people used salt to preserve food as well as to flavor it. Jesus called his followers to be “the salt of the earth,” living in ways that add flavor to our world and “preserve” life’s God-intended goodness. As one teacher put it, Jesus did not say, “You are the vinegar of the earth”! In what ways are you living out your faith in ways that flavor life positively, and preserve its goodness?
Prayer: Lord God, if I forget, remind me that “we the people” ARE the church. By your Spirit, help me to live as your salt and light, your physical presence, right here in my hometown. Amen.
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Roberta LyleRoberta Lyle has been on the Resurrection staff since 2006. She serves as the Program Director for Local Impact Ministries, concentrating on Education, Life Skills and Youth Focused Ministries.
On a recent trip to the grocery store I met a man in the dairy section puzzling over packages of butter. “My wife is baking cookies and sent me to the store to buy butter, but I don’t know if I should buy salted or unsalted?” I love to bake and shared that most baking recipes call for unsalted or sweet butter, while salted is preferred for spreading on toast or vegetables. The amount of salt in salted butter is very small; about 1/3 teaspoon on average for a tablespoon of butter. But that small amount is all that's needed to greatly impact the flavor of the butter, making your breakfast or side dish all the more flavorful.
Just as a tiny amount of salt makes all the difference in the taste of a tablespoon of butter, today's Scripture reminds us that small acts of kindness hold the potential for a large impact, especially when done together in the church as the body of Christ. Maybe you filled a bag with soup, boxed dinners and cereal. Another member brought in a bag with pasta and sauce and peanut butter. Someone else purchased tuna, rice and canned vegetables. Alone one of these bags might provide a couple of meals for a family. But when many provide just a few items we end up with enough food to fill the shelves of several area food pantries, providing a variety of healthy options for families in need, just through one food drive.
Working in Local Impact Ministries I have the privilege of hearing about many ways people use their particular gifts to provide opportunities and hope for others in the community. Over the past few days volunteers have worked behind the scenes fixing cars so moms fleeing domestic abuse have safe, reliable transportation. Volunteer teams have refurbished computers to provide to re-entry programs that work with men leaving incarceration, giving them a second chance and reducing recidivism. Several women spent Saturday morning teaching basic cooking skills to older foster care youth, empowering them to create healthy meals for themselves when on their own. A team of men enjoyed coffee and breakfast pastries and took the time to pray for the students who would received the bags of weekend food they were delivering that day. These are just a few examples of the many, many ways that members serve to bring salt and light to others within the church and our community.
You are God's plan for restoring His kingdom. Use your gift and be salt and light to those who need compassion, hope and encouragement.
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“Now you are God’s people” for Tuesday, 21 February 2017
1 Peter 2:5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be cohanim set apart for God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Yeshua the Messiah. 6 This is why the Tanakh says,
“Look! I am laying in Tziyon a stone,
a chosen and precious cornerstone;
and whoever rests his trust on it
will certainly not be humiliated.”[1 Peter 2:6 Isaiah 28:16]
7 Now to you who keep trusting, he is precious. But to those who are not trusting,
“The very stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone”;[1 Peter 2:7 Psalm 118:22]
8 also he is
a stone that will make people stumble,
a rock over which they will trip.[1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14]
They are stumbling at the Word, disobeying it — as had been planned. 9 But you are a chosen people,[1 Peter 2:9 Isaiah 43:20; Deuteronomy 7:6; 10:15] the King’s cohanim,[1 Peter 2:9 Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6] a holy nation,[1 Peter 2:9 Exodus 19:6] a people for God to possess![1 Peter 2:9 Isaiah 43:21; Exodus 19:5] Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; before, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.[1 Peter 2:10 Hosea 2:25(23)]
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Peter’s description of what it means to belong to God’s people, the church, showed how New Testament Christians found Jesus’ work and its effects all through the Old Testament. Verse 6 quoted Isaiah 28:16; verse 7 drew on Psalm 118:22; verse 8 used Isaiah 8:14. Verse 9 took language that first applied to Israel in Exodus 19:6, and verse 10 played off the sadly symbolic names of Hosea’s children in Hosea 1. Peter’s point was that God’s mercy draws and shapes us all into a community in order to bear witness to God’s marvelous light.
• Some Bible scholars believe 1 Peter may have been adapted from instruction given to new converts at their baptism. (The church pictured glowingly in Acts 2:41-47 included 3000 or more people who joined the church after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost.) How, if at all, do you remind yourself of your confirmation, baptism or other time when you first “owned” your faith in Jesus? (To learn more about baptism, for yourself or someone else, go to cor.org/leawood/care/baptisms.) How do you purposely let your identity as a Christ-follower shape your daily life?
• Peter applied powerful Old Testament terms for Israel to God’s people, the church, calling them (us) “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (verse 9). How can we as a faith community show God’s grace and light in ways we can’t do alone? How can a sense that together we are God’s hands in the world help us better understand the meaning of “church”?
Prayer: Lord God, I often fail you, yet you call me chosen, holy, a part of a royal priesthood. Help me each day as I seek to live into the amazing titles with which you honor me. Amen.
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Angie Colina McNeilAngie serves as a Pastoral Intern in Congregational Care. Her days consist of visiting hospitalized individuals, caring for Silver Link Ministry members and assisting during the 10:45 Traditions service. She is currently attending seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology, but her main roles are wife to an amazingly supportive husband, Toph, and mom to the sweetest little girl on the planet!
When I was younger my grandpa would frequently tell me that my body is God’s temple, that I should treat it with respect--and that I should not get tattoos! I always found his advice odd, because on his right arm he has a prominent tattoo he acquired during World War II while on leave at Coney Island. My response to him was always the same: “We should decorate God’s temple then, shouldn’t we?” (Yes, I was that sassy teenager!) My retort, of course, was for him never an appropriate reason to even think about tattoos. However, over the years my grandpa has gained a new appreciation for how elaborate and beautiful some tattoos are. So long as we’re alive, we’re growing somehow!
While the Apostle Paul does say that our bodies are temples in 1 Corinthians 6, I like that Peter lays it out and says, “You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.” Not just the body, but all of who we are is being built into a spiritual temple. We are the stones that build upon the cornerstone that is Jesus Christ. Not only that, the cornerstone was chosen with great care and is highly valuable. Therefore, as living stones being laid upon that foundation, we too are highly valuable. As each stone is laid upon the next, as God’s holy priesthood we are being made into a holy temple.
This past week these words became real for me as I joined one of our Silver Link volunteers to visit one of our members in assisted living. For the past three years, the volunteer has dedicated his love and service to this man who has gradually lost the ability to communicate because of multiple sclerosis. Even though words cannot leave his lips, his eyes filled with tears of joy when he saw the man who has become his friend. Together they shared the day’s GPS passage, shared insights and later shared communion. In that moment of sharing the Lord’s meal, the Spirit overwhelmed my soul. I asked them if they would mind if I sang “One Bread, One Body.” As we ended our time together holding hands, praying our Lord’s prayer, we became not only the stones, but the walls of God’s spiritual temple. God’s love flowing through us bound us together into Christ’s mighty church.
In moment’s like these, we become joyously aware that our lives are not ours. We have been called by God to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation – we are God’s possession. We begin to see that we ourselves, the full being of who we are, are the decorations upon the walls of God’s holy temple. God’s light offered to us through Jesus Christ illuminates that temple and all darkness is overcome. When we share God’s love freely and sacrificially, we begin to know that the hope of resurrection becomes tangible and begins right here on earth through us.
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All of our gifts are “for the common good” for Wednesday, 22 February 2017
1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. 5 Also there are different ways of serving, but it is the same Lord being served. 6 And there are different modes of working, but it is the same God working them all in everyone. 7 Moreover, to each person is given the particular manifestation of the Spirit that will be for the common good. 8 To one, through the Spirit, is given a word of wisdom; to another, a word of knowledge, in accordance with the same Spirit; 9 to another, faith, by the same Spirit; and to another, gifts of healing, by the one Spirit; 10 to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, the ability to judge between spirits; to another, the ability to speak in different kinds of tongues; and to yet another, the ability to interpret tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit is at work in all these things, distributing to each person as he chooses.
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The apostle Paul explained to the Corinthian Christians that God gives each Christian gifts and talents that empower us to join in the divine mission of changing the world for the better. But no one person receives all the gifts and talents needed for the job. There aren’t “good” and “bad,” or even “important” and “unimportant,” sets of abilities and gifts. God wants each
believer to fill a place that makes the overall body stronger.
• In what ways are you already using your particular gifts and talents to bless others and bring glory to God? Have you ever seen your gifts become more effective when they work together with other people’s various gifts? Think and pray about one way, in the next 12 months, that you might more fully integrate your gifts and abilities into the “the body of Christ’s” overall mission. (If you’d like help in identifying and using your gifts, go to cor.org/leawood/spiritualgifts.)
• “Different gifts”— “same Spirit”; “different ministries”— “same Lord,” “different activities”—“same God.” Have you ever seen people with different gifts or ministries yield to the all-too human
temptation to see other gifts or ministries as “rivals” for attention or resources?
Naturally, we’re all inclined to believe what we’re involved in is the “most important.” How can we allow the “same Lord” behind them all to help us avoid unhealthy siloing or infighting?
Prayer: Generous God, you’ve given me a portion of your divine power. You’ve called me to use that power in carrying out your mission in the world. I offer you the gifts you’ve given me to be used for your purposes. Amen.
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Steven BlairSteven Blair is the Congregational Care Pastor of Live Forward and Live Well Emotional Wellness Ministry at Church of the Resurrection.
Many people feel as though the world has become very negative. God calls us to not hang our heads but to keep our head up.
1) Keep Your Head Up.... and see the vulnerable in need. We can't see the sick, hungry, thirsty, imprisoned with our heads down (Matthew 25:31-46)
2) Keep Your Head up .... and see that no matter how much negativity there is in the world, there is still beauty everywhere.
Paul wrote to a church from a dark prison and gave them this advice:
"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." (Philippians 4:8 - The Message Version)
So.....
Keep Your Head Up
AND
Keep Your Head Up.
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Christ’s community crosses all dividing lines for Thursday, 23 February 2017
John 4:19 “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?”
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Jesus met a person with three strikes against her in the eyes of the religious leaders of his day: a) she was a Samaritan, b) she was a woman, c) she’d had multiple husbands. To his
disciples’ surprise, he treated her as valuable. In fact, verses 28-29 show her as the first “preacher,” the first witness to Jesus in John’s gospel! Jesus needed his disciples to know that human prejudices or boundaries did not limit his kingdom.
• The woman expected Jesus, a Jewish man, to despise and avoid her. But he spoke to her
seriously, asked her help and treated her with dignity. He refused to argue about whether Jerusalem or Gerizim was the true holy mountain. He said the key was that people worship “in spirit and truth” (verse 24). What makes it necessary to honestly open your whole inner life to God’s love and grace in order to worship in spirit and truth?
• For what reasons were Jesus’ disciples surprised when they found Jesus talking with this woman? In what ways did they not recognize her value? Who do you know who is like the Samaritan woman? Do you tend to look right past those people because they are unlikely or unsuitable candidates for God’s kingdom? How can you better engage with people like this woman who are already members of your congregation?
Prayer: God, open my heart and mind to your word. Bless me with your vision and let me
enter into a state of harmony with your divine will. Amen.
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Janelle GregoryJanelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist. 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.
I was in the fifth grade when a family friend told me that the church I attended didn’t worship correctly. For one, we read a translation of the Bible other than the King James. Secondly, it was unacceptable to God that we use musical instruments in worship. This was the first time that I ever knew that there were different ways to worship God and that there might be a right and wrong way to worship, or at least a better or worse way.
I carried this right/wrong/better/worse view with me for a long time. I attended services where I thought that more people should be raising their hands and others where the hand-raising/clapping/dancing was a bit much for me. I heard prayers that seemed inauthentic in the way in which they were precisely scripted and others that felt chaotic where the person rambled on and on and on and on. I heard music that I thought could use more life, more passion, more drums! Then I heard music and thought, “They should lose the drummer, or at least find one who could stay in rhythm.” I critiqued every worship experience – too boring, too out there, too loud, too unorganized, too, too, too, too… It’s exhausting being a worship judge (and frankly the pay stinks).
I came to a point where I reflected on the most moving worship experiences I’ve experienced. I realized that they had very little to do with style and content, and more to do with purpose and outcome.
For me, at the very root of worship is the fact that I adore Jesus. I do. From a very tender place in my soul springs a strong current that longs to connect to my Savior. He’s where I find peace, wholeness, life, and joy. I’ve discovered that my ability to connect with Jesus is not bound by style, biblical translation, pastor, music, or anything else. When I put on my judge’s hat and get caught up in these things, I lose sight of why, and sometimes even who I worship. What a shame and wasted opportunity. When we put those distractions aside, we realize that worship can be found in multiple ways. Worship is simply adoring Jesus. No matter the style or setting, our truest moments of worship either spring up from or lead us to this adoration.
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The church: God’s strategic plan for showing God’s love fro Friday, 24 February 2017
Ephesians 3:10 is for the rulers and authorities in heaven to learn, through the existence of the Messianic Community, how many-sided God’s wisdom is. 11 This accords with God’s age-old purpose, accomplished in the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord. 12 In union with him, through his faithfulness, we have boldness and confidence when we approach God. 13 So I ask you not to be discouraged by the troubles I endure on your behalf — it is all for your glory.
14 For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. 16 I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit, 17 so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting. Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, 18 so that you, with all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height and depth of the Messiah’s love, 19 yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.
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God has a big dream—to restore our world to total wholeness (cf. Revelation 21:1-5). In divine wisdom, God seems to believe that faithful humans are the best means to carry out that mission. Pastor Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Church, Chicago) loves to say that “the local church is the hope of the world.” The apostle Paul would agree. He wrote that the church is God’s main instrument to show his wisdom and glory. And “the church” is people—is us.
• In Greek, “the many different varieties” in verse 10 was one word— “polupoikilos.” It meant “many colored,” as though Paul was picturing God’s grace and wisdom as a kind of cosmic rainbow. In what ways have God’s grace and wisdom added color and beauty to your life? How can you help your church reflect that beauty to all who come in contact with us?
• Reflect on verse 20: “Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask for or imagine by his power at work within us.” Do you believe that God can really do far more than we can ask or imagine? If not, what holds you back from that belief? What God-sized hopes, hurts, dreams and challenges can you identify, trusting that God’s mission can go to work through you to help to address them?
Prayer: Great God, I know you have big plans for the world. I know your plans are to use your church to accomplish your purposes. Help me be faithful to you as part of your church, and join in your work in the world. Amen.
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Words and actions that build up the community for Saturday, 25 February 2017
Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, stripping off falsehood, let everyone speak truth with his neighbor,[Ephesians 4:25 Zechariah 8:16] because we are intimately related to each other as parts of a body. 26 Be angry, but don’t sin[Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:5(4)] — don’t let the sun go down before you have dealt with the cause of your anger; 27 otherwise you leave room for the Adversary.
28 The thief must stop stealing; instead, he should make an honest living by his own efforts. This way he will be able to share with those in need.
29 Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them. 30 Don’t cause grief to God’s Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along with all spitefulness. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you.
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These verses set out a challenging standard for Christian interactions. They call Christians to live by a simple guideline: “Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community.” Often, that stops being easy or simple when the community does something differently from the way we would have liked to see it done. But it is precisely at those times of change, when stress and tension tend to rise, that the guidelines in today’s reading become most crucial for all of us to live into.
• In his book When Christians Get It Wrong, Pastor Hamilton described a sad fact that we all know happens. He used the ironic but truthful chapter title, “When Christians are
Unchristian.”* Ephesians 4:32 said our ideal is to treat one another “in the same way God
forgave you in Christ.” Have you learned ways to “be angry without sinning” (verse 26)?
What steps can help you grow a character strong enough to treat others as God treats
you? Have you been through times when it was helpful to hold back a comment or observation, even if it might be accurate? Are there other times, as verse 25 suggested,
when the truth is so needed and helpful that it would be wrong to keep silent? How can the
Holy Spirit help you discern when you should speak the truth without being unchristian?
Prayer: Creating, Redeeming God, your gracious acceptance has brought me life. Give me the courage to speak truth in love, the humility to say I’m sorry when I’m wrong and the heart to forgive others who admit a wrong. Amen.
* Adam Hamilton, When Christians Get It Wrong. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2010 and 2013, chapter 1.
Family Activity: Jesus came to show God’s love to all people. Create a “Love one another” collage. Gather poster board, magazines, scissors, glue and markers. Invite one family member to write “Love one another” on the poster board. Ask each person to cut out pictures of various people and fasten them to the poster. Some family members might even want to draw pictures of people. When your family has completed the poster, take time to imagine what the lives of these different people are like. Say, “We often make assumptions or judgments about people we know and people we don’t know. God calls us to extend his love to all people. How can we each do a better job of following Jesus’ example and sharing God’s love with the world?” Ask God in prayer to help you do this.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
•Kari Driskell and family on the death of her husband Eric Driskell, 2/15
• Jane Long and family on the death of her brother Tom Whittaker, 2/14
•Betty Walter and family on the death of her son Richard Fry, 2/12
•Ruth Christy and family on the death of her husband Ray Christy, 2/12
•Diane Browning and family on the death of her father Ray Christy, 2/12
•Eph Ehly and family on the death of his brother Harold Ehly, 2/12
• Lorie Stapp and family on the death of her husband Bill Stapp, 2/11
•Cynthia Stapp and family on the death of her father Bill Stapp, 2/11
• Mary Shewmake and family on the death of her mother Donna Crocker, 2/11
•Kay Heeren and family on the death of her husband Marvin Heeren, 2/9
• Jeanie Meyer and family on the death of her husband Adam Smith, 2/7
•Teresa Chien and family on the death of her husband Robert “Bob” Chien, 2/6
• Lisa Guenther and family on the death of her uncle Joseph Guenther, 1/30
•Rhett Place and family on the death of his grandmother Ardina Place, 1/5
•Ashley Place-Worth and family on the death of her grandmother Ardina Place, 1/5
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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