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"Narrator: He fell into despair and lost all hope"
Monday,24 July 2017
Mark 4:35 That day, when evening had come, Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. 37 A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Rabbi, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re about to be killed?” 39 He awoke, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind subsided, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no trust even now?” 41 But they were terrified and asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?”
5:1 Yeshua and his talmidim arrived at the other side of the lake, in the Gerasenes’ territory. 2 As soon as he disembarked, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the burial caves to meet him. 3 He lived in the burial caves; and no one could keep him tied up, not even with a chain. 4 He had often been chained hand and foot, but he would snap the chains and break the irons off his feet, and no one was strong enough to control him. 5 Night and day he wandered among the graves and through the hills, howling and gashing himself with stones.
6 Seeing Yeshua from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him 7 and screamed at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Yeshua, Son of God Ha‘Elyon? I implore you in God’s name! Don’t torture me!” 8 For Yeshua had already begun saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of this man!” 9 Yeshua asked him, “What’s your name?” “My name is Legion,” he answered, “there are so many of us”;
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In Beauty and the Beast, the young prince’s arrogant, cruel choices brought about his accursed existence. Mark didn’t explain what made the man in this story the way he was. He just portrayed a man who lived on “the other side” of the Sea of Galilee (really a lake)—Gentile territory. And the man lived, literally, like a beast—terrifyingly strong, unstable, isolated “among the tombs,” where “he would howl and cut himself with stones.”
• This man lived in an area most Hebrews found alien and frightening—“the other side of the lake” was kind of their equivalent of our “the other side of the tracks.” Landing there, the first person they met was frightening and disturbing. What enabled Jesus not to be afraid of the place or the person? How did Jesus' calm, confident bearing shape this whole scene, and open possibilities the disciples might have missed for the man’s life to change?
• In his book Why Do Christians Shoot Their Wounded?,* Christian psychologist and physician Dwight Carlson noted that some Christians tragically use a story like this to suggest that anyone with severe mental/emotional illness just lacks faith in God. Jesus did not condemn the man for his condition—he simply healed him. How can activities like Resurrection’s Care Night (click here for more information) or our Counseling Referral Ministry make church a safer place for people facing mental and emotional struggles?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, when you met a man from whom everyone else wanted to run away, you cared, and you healed. Thank you for being willing to care about and heal the parts of me that frighten even me, too. Amen.
* For a more in-depth study, see Dwight L. Carlson, Why Do Christians Shoot Their Wounded? Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
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Megan McTigue
Megan is from Tulsa, OK. She is a senior at the University of Arkansas working on a double major in Communication and Spanish. This summer she moved to Kansas City to work in Rezlife Student Ministries with the middle and high schoolers at Resurrection Leawood. When she's not interning, she's usually journaling, watching Parks and Recreation or The Office, cooking, or enjoying time with friends. Fun fact: she studied in Alicante, Spain, for a semester! She loves the country, the language, the food (THE FOOD), and the culture!!
Sin, no matter how great or how small, has an uncanny way of forcing its way into our lives. Sometimes we justify our sin, convincing ourselves that it’s okay, that it’s too minuscule to cause damage. But the truth is, sin infects us. If we don’t set it before the feet of Jesus, it grows to every corner of our lives until it overcomes us. Mark 5:3-5 tells us that sin and darkness turned a simple man into an uncontrollable beast, and the man inside faded away. Our arrogance, our pride, our decision to live as we please instead of seeking Jesus; they separate us from God's love.
But hallelujah--our God is not incapable of breaking the hold that sin has on our lives! Our God is a God of relentless love, who crosses lakes through wild storms to meet us right where we are. He will stop at no means to break the chains of sin and free us to live in the grace and love that He intended for us. Only He can command the wind and waves that toss us back and forth to calm, and only He can cast sin and darkness from us, as far as the east is from the west.
Jesus doesn’t look at how sin mutilates us and see us as too far gone. No--instead He took up a cross and took on our sin, then died to free us from it. No longer are we chained to a sin-riddled life that leaves us looking in the mirror at an unrecognizable, beaten-down face. Now we are free to live into everything He created us to be, so that the face staring back at us is the one God designed, brightened by limitless joy and love.
There are times when I convince myself that my sin is harmless or without consequence. In all honesty, I’ve done that over and over for the last year and a half. But I’ve found that my actions have plenty of consequences: I struggle to hear God’s voice, to believe His love for me, and to fight off my sin. More often than not, I feel like I’m lost in the driest of deserts, and sometimes I don’t feel like the Megan I was created to be. My sin grew each time I justified it. But Jesus isn’t absent in the desert. He’s there with me, though I may not feel Him. My sin and doubt don’t intimidate Him in the slightest, and He loves me despite my mistakes. In the midst of this desert, He is working in me even if I don’t yet see it. My sin doesn’t have the final say in my life; my God does.
So here’s to turning to Jesus despite dryness, to setting our sins at His feet, to remembering His promises, to leaving everything behind and chasing passionately after His love. Because there are no lengths to which He would not go to free us from the chains that bind us, not even taking on our sin and dying on a cross.
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"Mrs. Potts to Belle: The master's not as terrible as he appears!"
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
Mark 5:10 and he kept begging Yeshua not to send them out of that region.
11 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding near the hill, 12 and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them.” 13 Yeshua gave them permission. They came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering around two thousand, rushed down the hillside into the lake and were drowned. 14 The swineherds fled and told it in the town and in the surrounding country, and the people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had had the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were frightened. 16 Those who had seen it told what had happened to the man controlled by demons and to the pigs; 17 and the people began begging Yeshua to leave their district.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demonized begged him to be allowed to go with him. 19 But Yeshua would not permit it. Instead, he said to him, “Go home to your people, and tell them how much Adonai in his mercy has done for you.” 20 He went off and began proclaiming in the Ten Towns how much Yeshua had done for him, and everyone was amazed.
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Belle, the heroine of Beauty and the Beast, had to learn to look more deeply than just the Beast’s fearsome exterior. Jesus' love and power restored the “completely sane” man who had been there all along under the broken chains and frightening howls. Jesus' ability to see the possibilities in the hurting person created the setting for change, and made space for love to do its healing, restoring work.
• Psychologists have observed that even positive change can make us nervous, and sometimes depressed. As the villagers in Beauty and the Beast sing, “We don't like what we don't understand.” It makes a sad kind of sense that it bothered the townspeople when they saw the formerly fearsome man dressed and calm. What positive change would you like to see in your life? Are there fears making it hard for you to move toward changing?
• Jesus shared his mission with the restored man, sending him back to his village to “tell them what the Lord has done for you.” Before the apostle Paul coined the phrase (cf. Galatians 2:8), the man was an apostle to the Gentiles. Though place names are hard to pin down, some scholars believe Mark 6:53-56 or 7:31-35 may reflect the impact of the man’s sharing about Jesus. In what ways is God calling you to share in God’s mission?
Prayer: Jesus, if I’m comfortable when I shouldn’t be, please disturb my life. And give me the courage to work with you to make the positive changes I long to see happen. Amen.
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Randy Greene
Randy Greene is a part of the Communications team at the Church of the Resurrection. He helps develop and maintain the church's family of websites. He is also a student at Central Baptist Theological Seminary and loves to write stories about faith for his blog.
When most people looked at the Beast, they saw an object of fear. In their minds, the monster was violent, inhuman; instead of the face of a person, they saw a horrific creature, larger than life and worth less than life.
In Beauty and the Beast, another man stands in stark contrast to the public perception of the Beast. Gaston was the hero of the town, the one everyone longed to be. He was attractive and muscular and brave and bold - in many ways, the people did not see him as a person, but as a god.
Yet both of these characters, deep inside, were human. Both had souls, both had hearts. Both felt anger and humiliation and fear. Both loved, and both hated. Both made mistakes. Both deserved grace.
As I think about the way I view people, I find that I tend to lump people into one of these two personas: the Beast or Gaston. I think of them as awful, despicable creatures without a shred of decency, or I elevate them to a position of god-like influence in my life. Even though I know they’re human, it is much easier for me to fit them into one of these tidy boxes. If I can see a person as a Beast, I can discount everything they say as monstrous; if I can see them as a Gaston, I can hang on their every word.
But by putting people in either of these roles, I am stripping them of their humanity. People are complex, with unique situations and motivations, and by categorizing them, I am turning them into objects that I can understand without having to work to understand their complexities.
In the story in Mark, Jesus showed us a different way to see people. He looked at the creature, the man overcome by insanity, and saw the humanity that resided within him. Jesus saw the man - not an object of fear - and treated him as human.
The more I study Scripture, the more I think that one of the gravest sins we can commit is the objectification of our brothers and sisters, who bear within them the very image of God.
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"Belle: He's no monster Gaston. You are!"
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
John 3:17-21
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Ironically, in the movie the Beast’s ugly exterior concealed a man yearning to be free from his curse, while Gaston’s handsome face hid a truly monstrous, hate-filled soul. Jesus' striking words to the Hebrew leader Nicodemus (which followed the famous John 3:16 passage) said that God does not arbitrarily judge human beings. Rather, like Gaston, we condemn ourselves as our choices show that we love darkness more than light.
• What sources (from parents and other childhood teachers to popular films or books) have tended to give you a picture of God as scrutinizing every little thing you do, looking for something wrong to condemn? How can Jesus description of his life purpose in verse 17 reshape some of those mental images you may carry about how God looks at you? How can it reshape the way you relate to others you think may be on a wrong life course?
• Have you ever known someone who “loved darkness more than the light,” who feared having their actions exposed to the light? Have those words ever applied to any part of your inner life? In what ways does verse 21 invite you to remain open to God’s light, even when it may alter your wishes or comfort level?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, be the light in my life, showing me where I need to grow, and shining out from me to uplift and encourage others. Amen.
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"Mrs. Potts to the Beast: 'Must help her to see past all that'”
Thursday, 27 July 2017
Acts 26:9-19
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At one point the Beast sadly said, “It's no use. She's so beautiful, and I'm…well, look at me!” And Mrs. Potts replied, hopefully, ““Must help her to see past all that.” As the apostle Paul described his spiritual journey to King Agrippa, he painted a similar picture. When he looked at Jesus and his followers, at first he saw only a terrible threat to the faith heritage that he treasured. But then Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, and Paul “saw past all that” to the glory of the Savior. He accepted Jesus' call on his life, and never looked back.
• Paul seemed to make a full 180 degree turn, from persecuting Christians to planting churches. He began using his Roman name Paul rather than the Hebrew name Saul. But at his core, Paul didn’t actually change. He kept following the God of Israel with all-out zeal the whole time. It was just that now God had showed him the right way to serve! What is most central in shaping your life—your vision or God’s vision?
• Paul was defending himself to the Roman authorities, facing the threat of imprisonment, even death. As a 21st century American, you are unlikely to face imprisonment or death for following God’s vision. But that doesn’t mean obeying the heavenly vision is always easy. Sometimes you may need to “see past all that” to grasp the goodness of God’s calling. In what ways has following God’s vision for your life been challenging? Are you willing to obey God’s call on you, no matter what?
Prayer: Almighty God, thank you that you have a heavenly vision for my life, and for the world around me. Help me to have the faith and courage to obey that vision. Amen.
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"Lumiere: What if she is ‘the one’ who will break the spell?"
Friday, 28 July 2017
2 Corinthians 5:14-20
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When Belle came to the castle, the servants (cursed to be a candlestick, mantle clock and teapot) could only wonder if she might be “the one” who would break the spell. After meeting Jesus, the apostle Paul had no doubt Jesus was “the one” who could set the human family free from our self-imposed alienation from God. The good news, he said, is that God loves us, has always wanted to reconcile us, and acted in Christ to bring that about. As we become a “new creation” in Christ, God makes it our mission to invite others to “be reconciled to God.”
• Most Roman, Greek and Canaanite religions offered gifts and sacrifices to try to reconcile their angry, displeased god or gods to them. But Paul said that was backward. We were the alienated ones. God came in Jesus to draw us back into the circle of heaven’s love. Are you reconciled with God? Are you open for God to work through you to reconcile others– sharing the good news of freedom in Christ?
• What historical event or person seems to you to present the most vivid picture of God’s reconciling work in the world? In what ways did God work through that person or event to bring about reconciliation and wholeness? In your own life, when have you seen anger and pain changed for the better as reconciliation takes place?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thanks to you I experience more restored harmony in my life and relationships. Help me share your message of reconciliation with a friend, neighbor, or loved one today. Amen.
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"Beast: You came back. Belle: Don't leave me. I love you."
Saturday, 29 July 2017
Romans 12:1-3, 9-21
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In Beauty and the Beast, the Beast demonstrated love for Belle first by letting her go from the castle to rescue her father. Then Belle expressed her love for the Beast in the nick of time, and all ended well. The apostle Paul had never been to Rome when he wrote this letter. But many of his friends had (cf. Romans 16), and he knew that Christians there, as in every other church he worked with, faced many real-life tensions and challenges. He offered powerful, practical wisdom to guide, not only the Roman Christians but Christ-followers through the centuries, in how to transform from “beasts” to people of love, living lives that can defeat evil with good.
• We sometimes live a sort of “news magazine” life: we treat “Religion” as a section of life separate from “Business,” “Entertainment,” and the like. How would the transforming of your mind Paul envisioned affect business dealings? Political behavior? Activities like sports or movie-going? Paul wrote in verse 9, “Love should be shown without pretending.” Have you ever been in a setting (maybe even a church) where everyone pretended to love one another, while whispered conversations were full of criticism and backbiting? What makes honest love (which includes dealing honestly with issues that arise) so vital to spiritual health and transformation?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want my life to count for good, to make this world a better place. Plant the principles Paul taught in my heart. Help me not just read them but enthusiastically live them every day. Amen.
Family Activity: God designed the world to change. Think of the four seasons: bulbs bursting forth as flowers, tadpoles turning to frogs, rain and snow falling, caterpillars becoming butterflies and temperatures shooting upward and downward almost daily. God designed people to change, too, and Jesus can change our lives anytime, anywhere. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. As a family, discuss how Jesus makes a difference in your individual lives. Are you more loving, forgiving and kind? Are you more patient and gentle? Identify some ways you need to grow and change. How can you grow to become more like Jesus? Create a family mural by drawing “before and after” pictures of changes in yourselves, your family and the world God created. Celebrate and give thanks for the change Jesus makes in your lives and in the world!
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Jyn Erso: “I'm not used to people sticking around when things go bad.”
Galen Erso: “You're confusing peace with terror.”
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• J.R. Smith and family on the death of his wife Carol Smith, 7/18
• Joan Stultz and family on the death of her husband Bill Stultz, 7/17
• Friends and family of Teresa Copling on her death, 7/1
• Carol Lovett and family on the death of her mother Faith DeBonis, 6/28
• Kate Tilden and family on the death of her father John Peterson, 6/8
• Melody Pedersen and family on the death of her son Dean “Skip” Ellingsen, 4/21
Monday,24 July 2017
Mark 4:35 That day, when evening had come, Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. 37 A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Rabbi, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re about to be killed?” 39 He awoke, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind subsided, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no trust even now?” 41 But they were terrified and asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?”
5:1 Yeshua and his talmidim arrived at the other side of the lake, in the Gerasenes’ territory. 2 As soon as he disembarked, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the burial caves to meet him. 3 He lived in the burial caves; and no one could keep him tied up, not even with a chain. 4 He had often been chained hand and foot, but he would snap the chains and break the irons off his feet, and no one was strong enough to control him. 5 Night and day he wandered among the graves and through the hills, howling and gashing himself with stones.
6 Seeing Yeshua from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him 7 and screamed at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Yeshua, Son of God Ha‘Elyon? I implore you in God’s name! Don’t torture me!” 8 For Yeshua had already begun saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of this man!” 9 Yeshua asked him, “What’s your name?” “My name is Legion,” he answered, “there are so many of us”;
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In Beauty and the Beast, the young prince’s arrogant, cruel choices brought about his accursed existence. Mark didn’t explain what made the man in this story the way he was. He just portrayed a man who lived on “the other side” of the Sea of Galilee (really a lake)—Gentile territory. And the man lived, literally, like a beast—terrifyingly strong, unstable, isolated “among the tombs,” where “he would howl and cut himself with stones.”
• This man lived in an area most Hebrews found alien and frightening—“the other side of the lake” was kind of their equivalent of our “the other side of the tracks.” Landing there, the first person they met was frightening and disturbing. What enabled Jesus not to be afraid of the place or the person? How did Jesus' calm, confident bearing shape this whole scene, and open possibilities the disciples might have missed for the man’s life to change?
• In his book Why Do Christians Shoot Their Wounded?,* Christian psychologist and physician Dwight Carlson noted that some Christians tragically use a story like this to suggest that anyone with severe mental/emotional illness just lacks faith in God. Jesus did not condemn the man for his condition—he simply healed him. How can activities like Resurrection’s Care Night (click here for more information) or our Counseling Referral Ministry make church a safer place for people facing mental and emotional struggles?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, when you met a man from whom everyone else wanted to run away, you cared, and you healed. Thank you for being willing to care about and heal the parts of me that frighten even me, too. Amen.
* For a more in-depth study, see Dwight L. Carlson, Why Do Christians Shoot Their Wounded? Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994.
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Megan McTigueMegan is from Tulsa, OK. She is a senior at the University of Arkansas working on a double major in Communication and Spanish. This summer she moved to Kansas City to work in Rezlife Student Ministries with the middle and high schoolers at Resurrection Leawood. When she's not interning, she's usually journaling, watching Parks and Recreation or The Office, cooking, or enjoying time with friends. Fun fact: she studied in Alicante, Spain, for a semester! She loves the country, the language, the food (THE FOOD), and the culture!!
Sin, no matter how great or how small, has an uncanny way of forcing its way into our lives. Sometimes we justify our sin, convincing ourselves that it’s okay, that it’s too minuscule to cause damage. But the truth is, sin infects us. If we don’t set it before the feet of Jesus, it grows to every corner of our lives until it overcomes us. Mark 5:3-5 tells us that sin and darkness turned a simple man into an uncontrollable beast, and the man inside faded away. Our arrogance, our pride, our decision to live as we please instead of seeking Jesus; they separate us from God's love.
But hallelujah--our God is not incapable of breaking the hold that sin has on our lives! Our God is a God of relentless love, who crosses lakes through wild storms to meet us right where we are. He will stop at no means to break the chains of sin and free us to live in the grace and love that He intended for us. Only He can command the wind and waves that toss us back and forth to calm, and only He can cast sin and darkness from us, as far as the east is from the west.
Jesus doesn’t look at how sin mutilates us and see us as too far gone. No--instead He took up a cross and took on our sin, then died to free us from it. No longer are we chained to a sin-riddled life that leaves us looking in the mirror at an unrecognizable, beaten-down face. Now we are free to live into everything He created us to be, so that the face staring back at us is the one God designed, brightened by limitless joy and love.
There are times when I convince myself that my sin is harmless or without consequence. In all honesty, I’ve done that over and over for the last year and a half. But I’ve found that my actions have plenty of consequences: I struggle to hear God’s voice, to believe His love for me, and to fight off my sin. More often than not, I feel like I’m lost in the driest of deserts, and sometimes I don’t feel like the Megan I was created to be. My sin grew each time I justified it. But Jesus isn’t absent in the desert. He’s there with me, though I may not feel Him. My sin and doubt don’t intimidate Him in the slightest, and He loves me despite my mistakes. In the midst of this desert, He is working in me even if I don’t yet see it. My sin doesn’t have the final say in my life; my God does.
So here’s to turning to Jesus despite dryness, to setting our sins at His feet, to remembering His promises, to leaving everything behind and chasing passionately after His love. Because there are no lengths to which He would not go to free us from the chains that bind us, not even taking on our sin and dying on a cross.
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"Mrs. Potts to Belle: The master's not as terrible as he appears!"
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
Mark 5:10 and he kept begging Yeshua not to send them out of that region.
11 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding near the hill, 12 and the unclean spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so we can go into them.” 13 Yeshua gave them permission. They came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering around two thousand, rushed down the hillside into the lake and were drowned. 14 The swineherds fled and told it in the town and in the surrounding country, and the people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Yeshua and saw the man who had had the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were frightened. 16 Those who had seen it told what had happened to the man controlled by demons and to the pigs; 17 and the people began begging Yeshua to leave their district.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demonized begged him to be allowed to go with him. 19 But Yeshua would not permit it. Instead, he said to him, “Go home to your people, and tell them how much Adonai in his mercy has done for you.” 20 He went off and began proclaiming in the Ten Towns how much Yeshua had done for him, and everyone was amazed.
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Belle, the heroine of Beauty and the Beast, had to learn to look more deeply than just the Beast’s fearsome exterior. Jesus' love and power restored the “completely sane” man who had been there all along under the broken chains and frightening howls. Jesus' ability to see the possibilities in the hurting person created the setting for change, and made space for love to do its healing, restoring work.
• Psychologists have observed that even positive change can make us nervous, and sometimes depressed. As the villagers in Beauty and the Beast sing, “We don't like what we don't understand.” It makes a sad kind of sense that it bothered the townspeople when they saw the formerly fearsome man dressed and calm. What positive change would you like to see in your life? Are there fears making it hard for you to move toward changing?
• Jesus shared his mission with the restored man, sending him back to his village to “tell them what the Lord has done for you.” Before the apostle Paul coined the phrase (cf. Galatians 2:8), the man was an apostle to the Gentiles. Though place names are hard to pin down, some scholars believe Mark 6:53-56 or 7:31-35 may reflect the impact of the man’s sharing about Jesus. In what ways is God calling you to share in God’s mission?
Prayer: Jesus, if I’m comfortable when I shouldn’t be, please disturb my life. And give me the courage to work with you to make the positive changes I long to see happen. Amen.
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Randy GreeneRandy Greene is a part of the Communications team at the Church of the Resurrection. He helps develop and maintain the church's family of websites. He is also a student at Central Baptist Theological Seminary and loves to write stories about faith for his blog.
When most people looked at the Beast, they saw an object of fear. In their minds, the monster was violent, inhuman; instead of the face of a person, they saw a horrific creature, larger than life and worth less than life.
In Beauty and the Beast, another man stands in stark contrast to the public perception of the Beast. Gaston was the hero of the town, the one everyone longed to be. He was attractive and muscular and brave and bold - in many ways, the people did not see him as a person, but as a god.
Yet both of these characters, deep inside, were human. Both had souls, both had hearts. Both felt anger and humiliation and fear. Both loved, and both hated. Both made mistakes. Both deserved grace.
As I think about the way I view people, I find that I tend to lump people into one of these two personas: the Beast or Gaston. I think of them as awful, despicable creatures without a shred of decency, or I elevate them to a position of god-like influence in my life. Even though I know they’re human, it is much easier for me to fit them into one of these tidy boxes. If I can see a person as a Beast, I can discount everything they say as monstrous; if I can see them as a Gaston, I can hang on their every word.
But by putting people in either of these roles, I am stripping them of their humanity. People are complex, with unique situations and motivations, and by categorizing them, I am turning them into objects that I can understand without having to work to understand their complexities.
In the story in Mark, Jesus showed us a different way to see people. He looked at the creature, the man overcome by insanity, and saw the humanity that resided within him. Jesus saw the man - not an object of fear - and treated him as human.
The more I study Scripture, the more I think that one of the gravest sins we can commit is the objectification of our brothers and sisters, who bear within them the very image of God.
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"Belle: He's no monster Gaston. You are!"
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
John 3:17-21
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Ironically, in the movie the Beast’s ugly exterior concealed a man yearning to be free from his curse, while Gaston’s handsome face hid a truly monstrous, hate-filled soul. Jesus' striking words to the Hebrew leader Nicodemus (which followed the famous John 3:16 passage) said that God does not arbitrarily judge human beings. Rather, like Gaston, we condemn ourselves as our choices show that we love darkness more than light.
• What sources (from parents and other childhood teachers to popular films or books) have tended to give you a picture of God as scrutinizing every little thing you do, looking for something wrong to condemn? How can Jesus description of his life purpose in verse 17 reshape some of those mental images you may carry about how God looks at you? How can it reshape the way you relate to others you think may be on a wrong life course?
• Have you ever known someone who “loved darkness more than the light,” who feared having their actions exposed to the light? Have those words ever applied to any part of your inner life? In what ways does verse 21 invite you to remain open to God’s light, even when it may alter your wishes or comfort level?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, be the light in my life, showing me where I need to grow, and shining out from me to uplift and encourage others. Amen.
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"Mrs. Potts to the Beast: 'Must help her to see past all that'”
Thursday, 27 July 2017
Acts 26:9-19
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At one point the Beast sadly said, “It's no use. She's so beautiful, and I'm…well, look at me!” And Mrs. Potts replied, hopefully, ““Must help her to see past all that.” As the apostle Paul described his spiritual journey to King Agrippa, he painted a similar picture. When he looked at Jesus and his followers, at first he saw only a terrible threat to the faith heritage that he treasured. But then Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, and Paul “saw past all that” to the glory of the Savior. He accepted Jesus' call on his life, and never looked back.
• Paul seemed to make a full 180 degree turn, from persecuting Christians to planting churches. He began using his Roman name Paul rather than the Hebrew name Saul. But at his core, Paul didn’t actually change. He kept following the God of Israel with all-out zeal the whole time. It was just that now God had showed him the right way to serve! What is most central in shaping your life—your vision or God’s vision?
• Paul was defending himself to the Roman authorities, facing the threat of imprisonment, even death. As a 21st century American, you are unlikely to face imprisonment or death for following God’s vision. But that doesn’t mean obeying the heavenly vision is always easy. Sometimes you may need to “see past all that” to grasp the goodness of God’s calling. In what ways has following God’s vision for your life been challenging? Are you willing to obey God’s call on you, no matter what?
Prayer: Almighty God, thank you that you have a heavenly vision for my life, and for the world around me. Help me to have the faith and courage to obey that vision. Amen.
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"Lumiere: What if she is ‘the one’ who will break the spell?"
Friday, 28 July 2017
2 Corinthians 5:14-20
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When Belle came to the castle, the servants (cursed to be a candlestick, mantle clock and teapot) could only wonder if she might be “the one” who would break the spell. After meeting Jesus, the apostle Paul had no doubt Jesus was “the one” who could set the human family free from our self-imposed alienation from God. The good news, he said, is that God loves us, has always wanted to reconcile us, and acted in Christ to bring that about. As we become a “new creation” in Christ, God makes it our mission to invite others to “be reconciled to God.”
• Most Roman, Greek and Canaanite religions offered gifts and sacrifices to try to reconcile their angry, displeased god or gods to them. But Paul said that was backward. We were the alienated ones. God came in Jesus to draw us back into the circle of heaven’s love. Are you reconciled with God? Are you open for God to work through you to reconcile others– sharing the good news of freedom in Christ?
• What historical event or person seems to you to present the most vivid picture of God’s reconciling work in the world? In what ways did God work through that person or event to bring about reconciliation and wholeness? In your own life, when have you seen anger and pain changed for the better as reconciliation takes place?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thanks to you I experience more restored harmony in my life and relationships. Help me share your message of reconciliation with a friend, neighbor, or loved one today. Amen.
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"Beast: You came back. Belle: Don't leave me. I love you."
Saturday, 29 July 2017
Romans 12:1-3, 9-21
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In Beauty and the Beast, the Beast demonstrated love for Belle first by letting her go from the castle to rescue her father. Then Belle expressed her love for the Beast in the nick of time, and all ended well. The apostle Paul had never been to Rome when he wrote this letter. But many of his friends had (cf. Romans 16), and he knew that Christians there, as in every other church he worked with, faced many real-life tensions and challenges. He offered powerful, practical wisdom to guide, not only the Roman Christians but Christ-followers through the centuries, in how to transform from “beasts” to people of love, living lives that can defeat evil with good.
• We sometimes live a sort of “news magazine” life: we treat “Religion” as a section of life separate from “Business,” “Entertainment,” and the like. How would the transforming of your mind Paul envisioned affect business dealings? Political behavior? Activities like sports or movie-going? Paul wrote in verse 9, “Love should be shown without pretending.” Have you ever been in a setting (maybe even a church) where everyone pretended to love one another, while whispered conversations were full of criticism and backbiting? What makes honest love (which includes dealing honestly with issues that arise) so vital to spiritual health and transformation?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want my life to count for good, to make this world a better place. Plant the principles Paul taught in my heart. Help me not just read them but enthusiastically live them every day. Amen.
Family Activity: God designed the world to change. Think of the four seasons: bulbs bursting forth as flowers, tadpoles turning to frogs, rain and snow falling, caterpillars becoming butterflies and temperatures shooting upward and downward almost daily. God designed people to change, too, and Jesus can change our lives anytime, anywhere. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. As a family, discuss how Jesus makes a difference in your individual lives. Are you more loving, forgiving and kind? Are you more patient and gentle? Identify some ways you need to grow and change. How can you grow to become more like Jesus? Create a family mural by drawing “before and after” pictures of changes in yourselves, your family and the world God created. Celebrate and give thanks for the change Jesus makes in your lives and in the world!
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You might also like
Blockade Runner Pilot: “What is it that they've sent us?” Princess Leia: “Hope.”
Jyn Erso: “They call it the Death Star. But they have no idea... there's a way to defeat it.”
Cassian Andor: “I couldn't face myself if I gave up now... None of us could.”
Jyn Erso: “I'm not used to people sticking around when things go bad.”
Galen Erso: “You're confusing peace with terror.”
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:
• J.R. Smith and family on the death of his wife Carol Smith, 7/18
• Joan Stultz and family on the death of her husband Bill Stultz, 7/17
• Friends and family of Teresa Copling on her death, 7/1
• Carol Lovett and family on the death of her mother Faith DeBonis, 6/28
• Kate Tilden and family on the death of her father John Peterson, 6/8
• Melody Pedersen and family on the death of her son Dean “Skip” Ellingsen, 4/21
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
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Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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