“Mosaic: Relationships”

   There is a myth in our culture that if relationships are met to be, then they should be easy. But if we look to scripture, we see that the deep relationships that Jesus had with his disciples were not always easy - sometimes they were down right disappointing. But Jesus didn't look at them and say "you disappointed me" or "you missed the point again" or "this thing - you being my disciple, its no longer worth it or too much work". No, Jesus leaned even farther into relationship with them, even in the midst of the brokenness.
    Now sometimes, the church takes this teaching too far - dictating that people should stay in abusive or harmful relationships, which is not true. Sometimes relationship do harm us in a way that needs to be walked away from for the sake of our very soul. But other times, we do give up too easily - the wisdom comes from discerning what we should do in each relationship individually.
    As humans we are made for relationships with God and with other people. Yet, we live in a day and time where relationships are lacking. Where people are lonely. Where we have substituted being friendly for being friends. As the church, let us be a place of deep relationships that show the world how we are meant to live. Let us be a place where relationships are modeled and redeemed and cultivated in the name of Jesus Christ.

Mosaic Devo

March 25th, 2018  

Devotional

“Mosaic: Relationships” - Matthew 27: 57-61 and John 15:15

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Also a Disciple” -Matthew 27: 51

Joseph has a few different descriptors added to his name. First, we are told where he is from Arimathea. In other words, he wasn’t from around here. He wasn’t from Galilee or Jerusalem, yet he still heard the word that Jesus proclaimed and believed.

Next, we are told that he was a rich man. The disciples were not rich men. And even if by chance they had money before, they had been traveling with Jesus for the last several years, not working. They needed folks to believe in the message and ministry and come alongside them with support. Sometimes such support came from people like Mary and Martha in a place to stay or a meal to be shared. Sometimes it would come from people who financially supported them, like Joseph. His wealth in this statement is not seen as a hinderance, but as a blessing. Are we using our resources, however we may define them, to spread the good news of Jesus?

Lastly, we are told that he was also a disciple. Often we think that the twelve people that Jesus first called were the disciples, but really there were many disciples. Think of the scripture passage, however, where Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples two by two. There were many more followers of Jesus then the twelve who we refer to as the disciples, and Jospeh was one of them. Do we also consider ourselves to be disciples who go and proclaim the word of the Kingdom of God?

How do we use our riches to further the Kingdom of God?

What does being a disciple mean to you?

Prayer: God, we thank you for the example of Joseph in today’s scripture passage. May we too, find after our name one day the words, also a disciple of Jesus Christ. Help us to live our lives in such a way that honors your mercy and message and mission in this world. Amen. 

Tuesday: “He Went and Asked” - Matthew 27: 58

Let the setting and magnitude of today’s scripture verse sink in. Except for John who stayed with the women at the foot of the cross, all of the disciples have scattered. Some are dismayed. Some have flat out denied knowing Jesus. Others can’t stand to watch their Lord hang on the cross. They are not there.

Further, Jesus was just crucified for the message that Jesus has been teaching them as well. There is a palpable fear amongst the disciples that their fate may be the same as Jesus, that the next cross may bear their name. So they scatter.

But in the midst of that fear and horror, Joseph boldly goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus. By this request, Pilate would surely know that Joseph followed Jesus. Yet, he did it any way out of respect for his Lord and Savior.

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it is a lot easier to pretend that we don’t know Jesus. In such times may we find the boldness of Jospeh to claim that we are a disciple of Jesus, no matter what. 

What do you think made Joseph ask for the body of Jesus? 

Why would Joseph risk so much in this passage?

Prayer: Lord, we confess, that sometimes it is easier to deny you then to follow you. It is at times easier to shrink from risks than to be bold. Yet, we ask today that you strengthen our hearts, so we can follow you and honor you, wherever you may lead. Amen. 

Wednesday: “ Laid Him in a Tomb” - James 2: 17

Jospeh knew that Jesus’s body needed to be tended to before evening, before the Sabbath came. So he took and laid Jesus in his tomb. It wasn’t just any tomb, however, it was a new tomb, hewn from rock.

It was not uncommon for a family to share a tomb, where the body of the deceased would lie for a year before it was moved to a new resting place. Yet, Joseph took not his family tomb, or a shared tomb, but his new tomb and gave it to his Savior, after wrapping his body in linen cloth. 

Joseph not only was brave on the day of Jesus’s death, he was also generous, giving something of precious value to Christ. What are we willing to offer Christ as a sign of our affection? It may not be something of numeric value, it may instead be the value of our time. Or our calendar. Or something else entirely. What are we willing to sacrifice to Christ as a precious gift?

What are you willing to offer to Christ?

What parts of your life and treasures are you not quite ready to hand over to the Savior?

Prayer: Lord, we know that you have given us many blessings and treasures in our life. We also know that we are sometimes prone to hoarding what we have been blessed with instead of freely sharing it. Forgive us, we pray, Precious Lord, and let us offer unto you our gifts and our very selves for your use. Amen. 

Thursday: “Opposite the Tomb” - Matthew 27: 61

Perhaps one of the saddest pieces of today’s scripture verse is the sense portrayed today. Mary and the other Mary have watched their Lord and Savior die. Watched the one who changed their lives be taken away for something that he did not do. Now, he is dead. Joseph, graciously, took the body away, and all they could do was sit opposite the tomb and watch. 

We all grieve in different ways. Some people cry. Some people, like Joseph, get to work with making sure the details are attended to. But other people simply go numb. I think Mary and Mary are numb. The tears have been cried and now all they can do is sit, stare, and watch. 

Sometimes in life, we also go numb. It is hard to process the pain and sadness that surrounds it. It is hard to know what to do next. We need margins in our life like this to grieve, however we may grieve, be it like Joseph or Mary and Mary. We need space in our life to lament that things are not as they should be. Space to simply sit in the silence.

How do you grieve?

How do you make space in your life for lament?

Prayer: Lord, today we want to take space to grieve. To say that things are not as they should be in this world. To lay down our weariness. As we grieve, may we feel your arms of mercy and comfort around us. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Called You Friends” - John 15:15

The disciples have been following Jesus for three years - eating what he ate, resting where he rested, learning at the feet of their master, as they both listened to his teachings and then as he sent them out to go and do like wise. 

But now, as Jesus knows his death is approaching, he changes things. He says that they are not servants, where he is the master. Instead, they are friends. They have something deeper than a master-servant relationships because Jesus has shared with them all that he knows.

While there are praise songs that declare “I am a friend of God, He calls me friend”, it is something hard to wrap our mind around the fact that we truly are friends of God. That through Christ, we are not in a master-servant relationship, but something deeper. We are working together for the sake of the Kingdom of God. 

How would you describe what it means to be a friend?

What does it mean to be a friend of Christ?

Prayer: Lord, we know that we are not only your friend, but that you are the ultimate friend. You redeem our brownness and restore our lives. Thank you Lord, for drawing close to us, and loving us. Let us share this good news with others. Amen. 

Family Activity: Who is your best friend? What does it mean to be a good friend? How is Jesus our friend? 

Mosaic: Resources

    I'm always curious about the idea of enough. When do we feel that we have enough things? Or enough time? Or simply enough energy?
    Often we talk less about having enough and more about where we feel depleted. Where the margins are no longer visible in our lives, so we feel pressed - pressed for time, for money. Pressed by too many responsibilities, not enough time for Sabbath or family. Pressed by an ever mounting to-do list. Simply pressed in.
     I'm not sure we even know what enough feels like. Or even know what resources we have. Often we jump forward in such conversations, focusing on blessings, which is imperative, but often at the expense of not acknowledging how we are feeling.
    So let us take a moment this week to reflect - to reflect on how we are feeling. On what resources we have. And what we need to truly appreciate the blessings. Let us simply be for a moment, and meditate on what enough may look like for each of us.

Mosaic: Resources Devo

March 18th, 2018

“Mosaic: Resources” - Malachi 3: 6-12 and Proverbs 3: 9-10

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Does Not Change” - Mal 3: 6

Often like it seems like everything in our life is changing, unstable, ever in flux. While there may certainly be aspects of our lives that are scheduled, like going to work or watching our grandchildren, there are other aspects that can interrupt even what do from day to day. When a layoff or illness or death touches our lives, everything else changes around those moments. 

In contrast to our lives, which are ever-changing, the prophet Malachi reminds the people that God does not change. Some of the theological words that we use to describe God are omnipotent - which means that God is all-powerful, having no limitations, and omnipresent - meaning God is everywhere. In other words, no one has more power than God and God is always with us. God is unchanging.

But often when we are going through a difficult time, like the people of Israel are going through, we need a reminder that God is unchanging, even in the midst of the chaos. And for the children of Israel, they need to be reminded that God is at their side, always, which is why they have not perished. 

What ways are you reminded of God’s unchanging presence?

How do you cling to God in the midst of the storm? 

Prayer: Gracious God, we are a feeble people. When our world comes crashing down, as it is prone to do, we sometimes forget that you are unchanging, no matter what. Help us to cling to you, our rock and our redeemer, whatever life may hold. Amen.

Tuesday: “Return to Me” - Mal 3: 7

However, even though God is always with us, that does not mean that God is always for the things that we do in life. When we stumble into sin, as the ancient Israelites have, God sometimes isn’t as noticeably present in our lives, because our sin blocks our perception. 

The Israelites are in captivity, being held by Persia, and they believe that God has forgotten them. God in return reminds them why they are in captivity in the first place -  they strayed from God. Now God reminds them of another truth - if they return their hearts to God they will be restored.

Sometimes text like that in Malachi are used to mis-represent God to Christians. It is true, that when we sin, we distance ourselves from God, but sometimes such texts are used to say that whenever we do not feel God’s presence in our lives, it must be sin. That is not true. We go through periods of consolation - feeling closer to God and desolation - feeling distant from God, even without sin being present in our lives. We must be careful to not take Biblical scriptures out of context to try to apply them to our own situations without considering the context. 

When do you feel closer or further from God?

How can sin impact our relationship with God? 

Prayer:  Precious Lord, sometimes we focus on our situation and not your presence with us. Other times we let ourselves become distracted by sin and forget your righteousness, causing us to stray. Forgive us, Lord, we pray, and restore us like you have restored your children throughout the ages. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Robbing God” - Mal. 3: 8-9

We often do not think in terms of robbing God, but there are certainly times in our lives when we may not give God what God is due. Malachi is specifically speaking to the Israelites in term of the tithe - not giving their first and best ten percent to God for God’s use. This ten percent is a thank offering to God, realizing that what we have is God’s in the first place, whether it be the profit of our hands or the work of the field. In many ways, we have replaced a tithe, with an offering, and sometimes think that we can give God whatever we have left, not the first fruits of our labors, but this was not what the Bible intended.

As modern people, we have other aspects of our lives to offer as well - our time, our talents, our spiritual gifts - many resources that sometimes we forget that we even have. God calls us to offer pieces of all that we have, for when we bring them together, as the body of Christ, God can take our offering and do profound things. When we refuse to bring ourselves to the ministry of Christ in the world, using our resources, we may be described as robbing God as well, as harsh as the words of Malachi may seem. 

In what ways do we rob God today?

How can we shift our attitudes and perspectives in order to freely offer ourselves unto God?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we often do not think about robbing you. Instead, we think that we do not have enough to offer or that we are not enough ourselves to work for your Kingdom. Forgive us, we pray. Heal us. Open our hands the cling so tightly to what we have and let us freely give to you what is yours. Amen. 

Thursday: “Bring” - Malachi 3: 10-12

The reality is that just because we recognize that we are robbing God, that does not mean the recognition will lead us to act differently. Sometimes there is a long journey between our head, to our heart, and eventually to our hands. 

God recognizes that the Israelites may feel that the enlightenment of the recognition that they are robbing God may be enough for them, so God continues to clearly tell them what they need to do - bring the full tithe to the storehouse and see what God can do with it.

There are times in life when we may recognize that we have sinned, but we recognition is not enough. We need to take the bold step of asking for forgiveness, and in some cases God is going to direct us to seek restoration and in other instances God may simply say “Go and sin no more.” In the case of the Israelites, God invites them to not only confess their sin, but to act in a redemptive way, that will change their own hearts. 

How are recognition of sin and a change of heart related for you?

Prayer: Lord, in the words of the Psalmist, change our heart O God. Open our hearts and head and hand that we can turn from sin that separates us from you and live into the new life you have invited us into. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Friday: “Honor the Lord” - Proverbs 3: 9-10

We often talk about honoring the Lord with what we say and what we do, but the author of Proverbs invites us to honor God with our resources as well, with the author calls our substance. 

Sometimes we get tricked into thinking that what we offer to God of who we are and what we have is about what we can get in return, and sometimes this passage from proverbs is misused in that way. But we don’t give because of what we can get back; we give because of what God has given to us. We give because God is good and worthy of praise. We give because when we don’t give we sometimes gloss over the blessings God has given us. 

So let us give of our very substance in the coming day and weeks, and watch not for what we get in return, but for how God changes our heart through giving. 

How does giving change us?

Why do you give?

Prayer: God, we come before you as a thankful people. As a people who give because you have given so much for us. May what we offer express our praise. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Mosaic: Relationships” - Matthew 27: 57-61 and Mark 5. 

Family Activity: Why do we give to other people? What do we give to other people? Talk about how giving makes us feel and why we give out of our very love for God. 

“Mosaic: Responsibilities”

     We are responsible to one another in the body of Christ in so many ways. This is different than being responsible for another person - we can't make each other do things as the Church, but are charged to care for one another and the communities in which we are located in real, tangible ways.
     The places we are located matter. The United Methodist Church is believed to be the third largest denomination in the United States behind the Catholic and Baptist churches. But the United Methodist Church is located in a variety of places, from small hamlets to bustling cities. Why? Because location matters. Together we share the same mission - to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, but individually as church in specific places we have the responsibility of trying to figure out how to live that mission out.
    Only sometimes we fail at this responsibility. Sometimes, instead of doing the hard work of getting to know folks in our specific communities and what their needs are, we try to do what churches in other areas are doing in their specific location. Other times, we just don't want to think about mission and vision so we hope that if we open the doors, folks will simply come to us. We drop the ball on the beautiful responsibility of the message of Jesus Christ that we have been entrusted with.
    Let us fully live into being the Church of Jesus Christ. Let us live into the responsibility entrusted to us. Let us share the message of Christ in our specific communities in specific ways that resonate with souls.

Devo: Mosaic - Responsibilities

March 11th, 2018

Devotional

“Mosaic: Responsibilities ” - Genesis 3: 12-13 and John 14

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Gave and Tricked” - Genesis 3: 12-13

When referring to chapter 3 in the book of Genesis, we in the church often use the words “The Fall” and use this as the story of when sin entered in the garden and the world. Before this point God created and God placed a man, Adam, into that creation to care for it. When God saw that Adam was alone, Eve was created and they cared for the garden together.

While they tended to the garden, however, there was one stipulation - they could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Here they were surrounded by all of this luxurious food, and they couldn’t follow that one rule. They had abundance but choose to seek after the one thing they couldn’t have.

But after they ate from that fruit, we find God questioning them about what happened and they started to blame one another “she gave it to me” and “the serpent tricked me.” When I was in seminary I wrote a Bible study around this passage and referred to this quarreling as child like, but the older I get, I see that adults sometime do not act much better than children. When we are caught in a lie or have something happen that is certainly our fault, we make a list of excuses of who else is to blame or why the blame certainly doesn’t lie with us. We have a problem taking responsibility. Yet, that is exactly what God was inviting Adam and Eve into - an opportunity to take responsibility. Next time that you find yourself in a situation where you have sinned, instead of making excuses to God, simply take responsibility and ask God for forgiveness. 

How do you react when you are to blame for something?

Do you find taking responsibility for your actions easy or hard? Why?

Prayer: God of grace and glory, we come before you today knowing that we have sinned. We ask that you help us to shed our human desire to make excuses and instead wrap ourselves in the cloak of responsibility. Forgive us, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Believe” - John 14: 1-7 

Jesus is trying to tell his disciples in no uncertain terms that his time on earth is limited. However, even as he tries to comfort them by explaining that he is going to prepare for them a place, they miss the point - again. Thomas, ever full of questions, asks how can we know the way if we don’t know the place where you are going?

Sometimes belief is hard. We have more questions than answers. I was recently at a workshop that was talking about our membership vows as United Methodists to support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. The presenter was sharing about how some folks struggle with praying out loud because they are afraid that they are going to say the wrong thing, but other folks struggle with witnessing because they are afraid they are going to be a asked a question that they do not have an answer to. 

Thomas had more questions then answers in this piece of scripture as well, yet he was still sent out by Jesus in Matthew 28 with the responsibility to make disciples. We too, may have questions, but we still have the responsibility of that call as well. Living into our responsibilities doesn’t require that we have everything figured out, instead it simply requires that we take the first step out in belief. 

How can questions sometimes keep us from our responsibilities as disciples?

How do you respond when you have questions?

Prayer:  Lord, we know that we do not have everything figured out. We know that we are a people with more questions than answers. But Lord, we ask for your wisdom and strength, that we do not let our questions keep us from our responsibilities as your disciples. Send us out, we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Do the Work I Do” - John 14: 8-14

After the questions of Thomas came the demands of Philip: “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Often in our faith life we may find ourselves going back and forth between questioning God and making demands that are not ours to make. This does not mean that we cannot ask God for things, but we must do so with a humble heart. 

Just as we can use questions to distract us from our responsibilities as the Church of Jesus Christ, so can we let demands get in the way as well. We can easily find ourselves saying to God, “God I’ll do x for you if you do y.” Or “Do this to prove yourself or your will to me God.” Instead of being obedient children, doing as our Heavenly Parent asks, we become caught up in the mindset of proving and bargaining for the faith. 

In what situations do you most often find yourself making demands of God?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we will often say and do things, not to strengthen our belief in you, but rather to shirk our responsibilities. We do not see the calling you have placed on our lives as a gift. Forgive us, Precious Lord, and renew us we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Those Who Love Me” - John 14: 15-24

As I have been thinking about the theme of responsibilities over the past week, it strikes me that often we feel a sense of obligation or responsibility to those we are in relationship with. We answer to and are accountable with those folks like our families, church, and boss. And God. At the training I spoke about earlier this week, the presenter asked an interesting question - do we live our lives in a way that reflects that we are responsible to God? In other words, if we know that Matthew 28 calls us to go and make disciples, do we believe that someday God is going to ask us if we followed this command? Or do we live lives of happenstance - if we happen to share our faith, great, if we don’t, no harm, no foul?

Christ tells his disciples that those who love him will keep his word - are responsible for living out his teachings. Are we living lives that reflect this responsibility to the one who has the most important place and relationship in our lives?

How do you live your life reflecting that you are responsible to God?

How do you show your love for Christ?

Prayer: Lord, we know that sometimes we act as if our faith is all about us and not about you. We know that sometimes we act as if our faith is ours to hoard instead of yours to share. Renew in us a sense that we are responsible to you for our days, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “The Holy Spirit” - John 14: 25-31

The good news of Jesus Christ is that we are not left on our own to live into our responsibility to the Lord, which can seem daunting at times. Instead, we are given the gift of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who will instruct us and remind us of what Jesus has taught and said. 

Sometimes responsibilities can become overwhelming. In our daily lives, there may be laundry to be folded, a meal to put on the table, a dance recital to get to, and bills to be paid. It may seem that there are not enough hours in the day for the things we feel that we need to do, so we make our responsibility to God an after thought, something that we may get to eventually. 

But we also have the Holy Spirit gentle tapping us, reminding us that our responsibility to God is not last place, but should have priority in our lives. The Holy Spirit will gift us with opportunities during our days to be fed on the Word and the ability to share our faith, if only we listen to those nudges. 

How does the Holy Spirit nudge you?

What do you do when responsibilities seem to become overwhelming?

Prayer: God, help us to listen to the Holy Spirit in our lives. Equip us to respond to the opportunities that you give us, all for your glory. Amen.  

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Mosaic: Resources” - Proverbs 3: 9-10 and Mal 3: 6-12.

Family Activity: Talk about responsibilities. What responsibilities does each member of the family have? Why do we have responsibilities to live into?

Mosaic: Rejection

    Often people respond to rejection with the fight or flight response. Sometimes they fight within their own mind, with their own emotions, saying that the rejection felt by others isn't really all that important, when really it is very important to them. Other times they fight with other people, trying to prove that they will not be rejected. And still other times they flee from the places and people that disappointed them.
    But as a church, I think we are invited to tell a new narrative when it comes to rejection. We know that yes, people will still disappoint you, because that is part of being human, but we have a God who does not leave us nor forsake us. A God who does not reject us, but rather journeys besides us, even when others reject us. A Savior who knew what rejection felt like first hand, but did not make that the end of the story.
    As a church, we are called to go into places where brokenness seems to prevail and proclaim that it will not have the final word. Where are you called to go and what story will you tell?

Mosaic: Rejection Devo

March 4th, 2018

Devotional

“Mosaic: Rejection” -Matthew 9:12-13, Matthew 27: 27-31, 1 Peter 5:7

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Well and Sick” -Matthew 9: 12

I don’t know if you have ever found yourself in this situation: you pretend that the aliment you are struggling with just doesn’t exist. Or maybe you try to doctorate with it yourself, until finally you can’t ignore it any more, only by that point you are really sick. Last year, when the flu bug was going around my family I was the last to get it. Tried as I might to will myself not to get sick, I not only got sick, but had one of the worse cases in the family. 

Too many people in our world today, walk around pretending that everything is well, when really they are sick in their soul. They tell other people that they are fine, but that silly isn’t the truth, as they know that something deep within their core is off - is not as it should be.

Jesus said that those who are well are not in need of a physician, but those who are sick do need that doctor. Along the same lines, those who have it all together, they act like they don’t need a Savior, when those who recognize their own sickness in their soul proclaim that they are in need of someone greater than themselves. 

What made you realize that you were in need a Savior? 

Prayer: God, at times we act like we have it all together. Like everything is fine, when really inside we know that their is a sickness in our souls. We cry out to you this day, Lord Jesus, to come and bring us healing so that we can find new life in you. Amen. 

Tuesday: “I Have Come” - Matthew 9: 13

In a Bible Study recently, we were talking about who Christ called to follow him. It was not the people who were “well off” or those who had everything figured out. It was the people who were willing to follow him. The people who were able to realize that they needed Jesus in their lives and left behind what they were doing previously in order to be a part of this mission and movement for the Kingdom of God. 

Similarly, in this verse of scripture, Jesus said that he did not come to call the righteous but to call sinners. Often it is said that the Church is not called to be museum of the Saints, but rather a hospital for sinners, which is what Jesus is getting at here. If people don’t need the healing and new life Jesus is offering, then he isn’t going to invite them to come. If people think they are better off on their own, then Jesus is going to call those who realize that they have a God-shaped hole in their lives. Once we realize that we don’t have all the answers and are in need of a Savior, Jesus is happy to come and bring us all that he alone can offer. 

How do you introduce other people to the healing that can only be found in Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord, we know that we cannot go through life on our own. We know that we need you more than we can even begin to realize. Lord, we take the step of faith to hand our lives over to you as we respond to your call on our lives. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Took Jesus” - Matthew 27: 27

Recall the events that we remember together on Maundy Thursday, coming up in just a few short weeks. As we gather together around the table, we retell the powerful story of Jesus’s last night on earth with his disciples. We proclaim that Jesus took the passover meal and gave it a new meaning as he said “this is my body that is broken for you” and “this is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

At that supper he predicted that the disciples would reject him. That they would not be with him during some of the most difficult moments of his lives, yet they all asserted that they would give their very lives for Jesus. But when they found themselves in the garden, praying with him later that night, they could not even stay awake.

When the guards came, some of them put up a fight. Others fled. One had sold him out for silver coins and indented him with the kiss of betrayal. Then the guards took Jesus away. Took him to be examined for a crime that he did not commit. Took him towards what would ultimately be his death. 

In retelling that story, a lot of people today claim that they too would have stood by Jesus, yet truthfully, how many of us would have rejected him as well? How many of us reject Jesus in ways big and small throughout our days? What would it really look like for us to live lives that stood by Jesus, even in the midst of death? 

In what ways have you rejected Jesus?

What would you need in order to stand by Jesus, no matter what you may face?

Prayer: Lord, we hear the stories of martyrs around the world who gave up their very lives for you. Children, youth, and adults who would not reject you as Lord and Savior. We want to say, Precious Lord, that we would respond just like they did, but we also admit to ourselves that their are ways in our daily lives that we reject you. Forgive us, O Lord, and embolden us by your Holy Spirit to stand by you, no matter what we may face. Amen. 

Thursday: “Mocked Him” - Matthew 27: 28-31

Those putting Jesus on the circus that they called a trial, were not satisfied to simply condemn them for the crime they said that he committed. Instead, they had to mock him and humiliate him in the process - stripping him, spitting on him, hitting him. 

This was a whole new level of rejection. Many of us have also faced rejection in our lives, where people have knowingly or unknowingly harmed us - but for how many of us did it look and feel like this? Therefore, we know that whatever we may face, Jesus can truly say that he too has experienced it. And when he proclaims that we are not alone, we can trust his word. For by his strips and wounds we are healed, and he truly has experienced the rejection that can come from being humans in a sinful world.  

How have you experienced rejection before? 

How do you know that Jesus is with you no matter what you may face? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you never let us stay like we are. Thank you for calling us forward in a life of holiness. Thank you for encouraging us to grow in our faith and move on towards perfection. Let us reclaim the roots of holiness in our lives, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “He Cares” - 1 Peter 5:7

Sometimes we make the claim that no one cares about us, but this is simply not true. In scripture, both in this verse, but throughout the body of the Old and New Testament, we hear again and again that Christ cares for us. We can bring anything we want to Christ in trust and confidence that he deeply cares about us. Nothing is too great or too small to lay at the foot of his cross.

Next time you feel the lie sneaking into your mind that no one cares about you and what you are going through, take it to Jesus. He has lived life and died our death and rose for our sake. He knows what it is like to live this human life, with both all of its beauty and brokenness. As you pray, know that Christ does care, as he takes your concerns upon himself. 

When do you find yourself most prone to believing the lie that no one cares?

How do you feel after you take your concerns to Jesus? 

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we know that the Devil whispers into our mind and our heart that no one cares. Free us, O Lord, from the bondage of this lie, as your wrap us in your arms of love and concern. Help us live into the light of your truth. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Mosaic: Responsibilities” - Genesis 3: 12-13 and John 14

Family Activity: Who are some of the kids in your class who others are not very nice to? How can you share with them the love of Jesus?