“Following Christ: Led by the Spirit”

    The disciples have been trying out what it means to be a follower of Jesus. They had been literally following him for three years - leaving everything behind to go where he went. Then he sent them out in twos to heal and preach and proclaim the Good News, but they would always return to him, return to each other. They have done everything that Jesus has done, other than teach each other. But now they are being asked to continue doing what they had been doing, but without the physical presence of Christ -  and in a more far reaching way.
     In this passage, the disciples are given the power of Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit to go and share the word of God. Our God, is a God who gives. In this passage its giving power in particular. We have that same power with us today, and the same command of Christ to "go".
     I would also guess that we have some of the same fears and misgivings as the early disciples. We think we don't know enough. That we aren't good enough. That they command is for someone else, not for us. But this is a call for all disciples to go and share the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Where will you go and how will you share the news of how Christ has transformed you?

Following Christ: Led by the Spirit Devo

April 29th, 2018

Devotional

“Following Christ: Led by the Spirit” - Matthew 28: 16-20

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: “Go” - Matt. 28: 16-20

Let’s take a moment to put ourselves in the mindset of the early disciple. For the last three years they had traveled - a lot. They first went with Jesus wherever he would go, listening to him as he taught to the crowds and in homes. They watched as he brought healing. Then, after a period of time, he sent them out two by two to do as he did. To go into towns and villages and bring the good news of the Kingdom of God, in word and deed. Then after a period of time they would return to where Jesus was located. Their travels had been temporary, they would always come back to where they left Jesus.

Then Jesus died and the disciples were throw into a tailspin of sorts. Instead of going anywhere, they locked themselves behind closed doors for safety. They feared the outside world and the harm it could cause them, so they seemed to lose all sights of the missional journeys Jesus had sent them on when he walked on earth. 

I think there are times in our lives when we all would prefer to gather behind closed doors.But just like those early disciples we are called to go. Commanded to go. In Matthew we hear Jesus saying that we are to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God and to teach them what Jesus taught. Sometimes, if we are honest, the broad and bold nature of what the disciples heard long ago, doesn’t propel us out so much as make us want to retreat even further into our cocoon.

How do you find yourself living into this scripture passage? 

How do you struggle with this scripture passage?

Prayer: God of love and light, you have called us to go and share your mercy and truth with the world. May we find strength this week to go where you may send us to serve you. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Make Disciples” - Matt 28: 16-20

Some people are really called to go. To pack up their homes and families and move around the world to serve Jesus Christ. I’ve met some of them. When I attended college, the bulk of my friends were MK’s - missionary’s kids -  who told amazing stories of what their families did in the name of Jesus Christ in some places that I couldn’t even locate on a map. And that is wonderful! And there are other people who are called to serve God in vocational ministry, as pastors and youth leaders. Musicians and support staff at churches. And that is wonderful to! 

But what I want to stress this morning is that it isn’t just the missionaries and those in vocational ministry that are told to “go” and share the love of Jesus Christ. That is all of us by virtue of our baptism. However, to “go” doesn’t mean going half way around the world. It may mean going out our front door and forming relationships with our neighbors who don’t know Christ. It may mean being open about our faith with colleagues. There are so many different ways that we are called to go.

  The Barn a Group does religious statistical research. They found that 75 to 90 percent of all people who come to know Christ will do so through a friend or relative. 7 to 9 out of 10 people who come to accept Jesus do so because of relationships with people who are right there, doing life with them. Christ needs all of us to make disciples. 

How do you share the love of Jesus with your friend and neighbors?

Prayer:  Lord, we confess that sometimes we have acted as if it is someone else’s job to go. Someone else’s job to make disciples. Forgive us, we pray. Renew in us a passion to proclaim your name wherever we may find ourselves. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Teaching” - Matt 28: 16-20

This call to go and make disciples is found throughout the Gospels. In the Gospel of Luke we hear Jesus saying that the disciples are witnesses. Witnesses of the death and resurrection of Christ. Witnesses of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Witnesses who are sent in the power and name of Jesus to share this life-changing news. We usually think of witnesses as ones who saw, but in this case it is also those who testify. Friends, we are called to testify to how Jesus changed our lives. To testify to how Jesus’s words touched our hearts. To testify to what salvation means to us, because God wants to offer that same salvation to the nations!

Years ago I offered a Bible study around evangelism, or how we share our faith, based off of Bill Hybel’s book Just a Walk Across the Room. The entire premise of the book is that we’ve made testifying harder then it should be. We get so caught up in our own fears in our head, that we make it hard for our legs to go when Jesus is calling us to share. But, if we let our fears get in the way, then the people we encounter in our daily lives miss out on the message of God - the message that we are entrusted to share!

What fears do you have around teaching others about Jesus? How do you respond to these fears when they arise?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for being patient with us. We thank you that you know our fears and ask us to hand them over to you. So today we hand over any fears that we have around sharing your word. Empower us to be witnesses to your Gospel. Amen. 

Thursday: “But Some Doubted” - Matthew 28: 16-20

The United Methodist Church believes in the Great Commission so much that we have made it into our mission statement, expressing our entire purpose for being a church “To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

But there’s a problem with the Great Commission. We have made it optional in the church. We have started to believe that it is only some people’s responsibility in the church to go. Its the job of “full time vocational folks” like pastors and missionaries to “go”. But, this command is directed to those who follow Jesus.  Everyone. No exceptions.

But sometimes we doubt that Jesus really wants us. With all of our flaws. Just as we are. We doubt that we are good enough or have the right thing to say. And sometimes, if left unchecked, our doubts push us away from what God is calling us to do. 

Do you have any doubts that you are called by Christ to live into this passage? If so, what are they?

Prayer: Lord, you thank you that we can lay all of our doubts at the foot of your cross and we thank you that you love us and call us by name to live into your great commission. Anoint us and send us in the power and authority of your name, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Remember” - Matthew 28: 16-20

Where are you being called to go? Is it just outside of your front door? Are you being called to go into your town and neighborhoods to share the good news of Jesus Christ? If so, what is blocking you from going? If its fear, lets hand that over to God right now. If its worrying that people won’t respond - let’s remember that is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. If its thinking that you aren’t wise enough - lets look to God for wisdom. Because we are all called to go. But we do not go alone. Let us remember and hear anew the words of Jesus to his disciples and to us, “And remember that I am with you always, to the end of the age”.

What helps you remember that Christ is with you always? 

Prayer: God of all power and authority, help us to remember that where your send us, we do not go alone. Help us to rely on the peace of Christ in our lives and the power of the Gospel as well as the leading of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Life Together: Community” -  Hebrews 10: 24-25

Family Activity: Next time you go somewhere, be it on a trip or to the grocery store, ask yourself how you can share the love of Jesus with people. What does it mean to be a disciple in that place?

Following Christ: God Sized Visions and Dreams

    We don't like to talk about foot washing very often. If we talk about it at all, let alone celebrate it, its on one day during the year - Maundy Thursday. And yet, the message that Jesus was trying to communicate to his disciples and to us cannot be contained in just that one day.
    Foot washing was something that was reserved for slaves, but not just any slaves. Cultural norms at the time said that washing the master's feed could not be required of a Jewish slave, so only the most loving of disciples would engage in this act of servanthood. Thus, why Peter was so uncomfortable with Jesus changing roles and expectation by washing the disciples feet.
    But in this act, Jesus showed us what it means and looks like to be the church. To serve, not out of obligation, but out of love - where it is a privilege to serve in the name of Christ. The type of service, like foot washing, that may seem menial, or awkward, or embarrassing, but is such an expression of the Kingdom of God and love and compassion it brings to the world.
    Do we consider ourselves to truly be servants of Christ and if so, what are we willing to do in his name in the world?

Following Christ: God Sized Visions and Dreams Devo

April 22nd, 2018

Devotional

“Following Christ: God Sized Vision and Dreams” - John 13: 1-17, 31-35

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: “Having Loved” - John 13: 1

The story of Jesus serving his disciples by washing their feet is often remembered on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week. In many traditions is is re-enacted through symbols such as the washing of each other’s feet and sharing in Holy Communion. But I want us to take time this week to truly explore the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John by setting aside what we think we already know about it and instead look at what the text says and means in our lives.

First, notice today that John tells us that Jesus washed his disciples feet before the festival of Passover. The other Gospels set the events of this night inside the context of the Passover meal, where the Jewish people came together in order to remember their history as told in Exodus. For John, these events took place before the Passover.

Next, notice that we are told Jesus’s intention behind his act of service before we are even told what the service would be - he served his disciples out of love. He loved them while he was able to be with them. And he loved them even though he knew that his end was drawing near.

What acts of service, rooted in love, is Christ calling us to do in his name? For many Christians our intention behind service may not be love, but rather obligation - feeling that we have to do something. I believe that those being served can sense our intentions. May we serve this week, and beyond, out of love for those we reach out to and love for Christ. 

How do you feel called to serve others?

Why do you engage in acts of service?

Prayer: Most Holy and Precious Lord, we thank you for teaching us not only how to serve one another, but also about why we serve. Why we do what we do as those who bear your name. May we be known as people of love - love of you and love of neighbor - and may our service be rooted in that love. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Wash” - John 13: 2-5

Jesus has so much to teach us in today’s passage about reexamining our acts of service in the world. We are told in this passage that Jesus didn’t even make it to the end of the dinner before he got up and tied a towel around his robe and poured water into a basin. He felt compelled to leave his seat in order to serve.

How many times in our lives do we think of all of the things we need to get done before we can serve others? For how many of us, would we want to make sure that the dinner was over, the table was cleared, and the leftovers put away before we would even consider engaging in acts of service? How many opportunities are we missing out on because of our to-do lists and our expectations of what needs to be done first, prior to serving others?

I also find it notable who Jesus served. At this point we know that Jesus knows that Judas is going to betray him. Yet, in John’s gospel Judas has not yet left the room. We are not told that Judas was excluded form the washing of feet, the acts of love Jesus was giving as a gift to his disciples, so we can assume that Jesus washed his feet as well. Could you imagine washing the feet of the one who was going to betray you? How often do we try to determine who is worthy of our sacrifice and service? What is Jesus teaching us about when and who and how to serve in his name?

What keeps you from serving others? 

Prayer:  Lord, we confess that sometimes we let our own to-do lists and expectations get in the way of serving in your name. At other times we let our judgment of who is worthy and who is not block us from following you. Forgive us, we pray, and free us to serve you, as you have called us to serve. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Understand” - John 13: 6-11

Perhaps the past of John 13 that we know the best is Peter’s objection to what is taking place. Peter knew cultural norms. Servants, and then only the lowest of servants at that, wash people’s feet. It was a sign of humility. And yet, here was his Lord, bowing down and washing the feet of his fellow disciples; he could not stand for that so he told Jesus that he refused to have him wash his feet. 

Sometimes when we serve people, they may refuse. Refuse out of embarrassment, like Peter, or out of a lack of understanding. Refuse because they are used to being the ones doing the serving, instead of being served.

If we are honest with ourselves, there have probably been times in our lives when we were just like Peter as well. Times when we trend away the gift of service that others were trying to offer us. But Jesus is reminding us that we need to be both served and servant. For it is by learning what it feels like to be served that we can reach out to others with compassion and love. Servanthood and being served go hand in hand. 

How do you feel when other people serve you?

How does allowing yourself to be served propel you into service of others? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for reminding us that there will be times when we all need to be served as well as times when we will be called to serve others. Give us humble hearts to receive the gifts of what others are doing for us, as well open hands to reach out to serve others. Amen. 

Thursday: “Set You an Example” - John 13: 12-17

Peter gave in and allowed his feet to be washed along with the rest of the disciples. After Christ returned to the table he asked his disciples a question “Do you know what I have done to you?” The disciples probably just stopped and looked at one another, baffled by both what has taken place and by the question. Christ goes on to explain that what he has just done is an example to them -  an example of how they are to treat one another. How they are to bless the world. 

Who are the people in your life who taught you how to serve? For me its people like my Grandma, who continually gives people food and rides and visits with them. And people like Loretta, who always seems to send cards with just the right words of wisdom when I am going through a challenging time. We all need examples in our lives what it looks like to serve - the heavenly example of Christ and the earthly example of others who teach us how to reach out and serve. 

Who are the people in your life who have taught you how to serve?

Prayer: Lord, you thank you for the faithful examples of those who are in your earthly church and the church triumphant who have taught us what service in Christ name looks like. Allow us to be such examples to others around us, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “Love One Another” - John 13: 31-35

The hymn They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love was written in the 1960s by the Catholic priest, Father Peter Scholtes based off of John 13:35. When the early church came into being in the book of Acts, the teaching of Jesus in this section of the gospel of John became true, as non-believers cried “Behold how they love one another.”

As Christians it is not so much a question of if we will love, for as Christ states in this section of John 13, it is actually a new commandment. I believe the better questions are why and how we love. We love because Christ first loved us. We love because Christ has so changed us that we cannot help but to love others. As to the how, it is however Christ may be leading us at the time - words of encouragement, prayers, acts of compassion. When we combine why and how, we live into the Kingdom of God. 

Why do you serve others?

How do you share the love of Christ with others?

Prayer: God, you are the source of all love and truth. We thank you for Christ both showing us love on the cross and teaching us how to love with the basin. Allow us to proclaim your cross and Kingdom through our acts of service as well. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Following Christ: Led by the Spirit” - Matthew 28: 16-20

Family Activity: What is an act of service you can do together as a family? What does it feel like to serve others? Why do we serve others as believers of Jesus? 

Following Christ: God Wants You

   I'm a pretty avid reader, and over the holidays, I read the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. In no way proposing itself to be a Christian novel, I still say deeply Christian themes running through the books. The basis of the books are that there are five factions that uphold different traits in society. When teens turn sixteen they choose which faction they are called to be a part of, usually based off of traits that come naturally to them, which they learn through a test. The factions are:  Abnegation who uphold selflessness, Amity who uphold peacefulness, Candor who uphold honesty, Dauntless who uphold bravery, and Erudite who uphold knowledge. In the last book (spoiler) you learn that that these traits are to combat the evils that manifest themselves in society - war, selfishness, lying, fear, and ignorance, which often cause societies to crumble. 
     In light of this week's scripture, I would add to this list a lack of love as something that causes societies to crumble. Not just loving our family or loving those who are like us, but rather loving as Christ loved. Loving those who are on the margins in society. Those who are different than us. Those who are sometimes hard for us to naturally love. Those we need to choose to love. 
    For when we becomes followers of Christ, we are invited to follow the two greatest commands that Jesus expounds upon - to love God with all we have and all we are - and to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is this type of love that can transform lives and transform our world, if only we would truly move past knowing about this type of love to putting such love into action. 
    How is God calling you to love this week? 

Following Christ: God Wants You Devo

April 15th, 2018

Devotional

“Following Christ: God Wants You” - Eph 5: 1-2 

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: “Imitators” - Eph 5: 1 and 1 Thes 1:6

  In both Ephesians Chapter 5 and 1 Thessalonians, Chapter 1, we find instructions to become imitators of Christ. Webster’s Dictionary defines imitator as following the example or model of. To mimic. To closely reproduce. 

   Becoming an imitator has gotten a bad rap over the years in our culture, as we hear things like, if we are imitating others then we aren’t being ourselves. But I think back to my nieces and nephews, who are all under the age of three. When they were about one and a half, their vocabularies and mannerisms exploded. Why? Because they imitated their parents and other people who cared about them. They learned who they were, by imitating others.

So it is with us and Christ. We don’t imitate Christ in order to lose ourselves. We imitate Christ in order to more fully become who God has created and called us to be. By following the example that Christ laid out for us, we learn to share the love of Christ that has transformed us with others, allowing them to be on this journey with God as well. 

  What does it mean for you to be an imitator of Christ?

Do you find imitating Christ to be hard or easy? Why? 

Prayer: Jesus, we thank you for the call and invitation upon our lives to be imitators of you. May we grow in grace, truth, and love, as we fall more deeply in love with you through such imitation. Use us, we pray, to share this love and mercy with others. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Imitators of Me” - 1 Cor 11:1

The Apostle Paul, in his letters to churches who were sometimes struggling such as the Church in Corinth, knew that sometimes it is hard to be an imitator of Jesus. It is hard for us to exactly know what Jesus would do or say. We need examples with flesh on them who we can learn from. 

That is one of the reasons we are given the gift of the body of Christ. While humans, including Paul, are flawed, they also give us examples of what it looks like for one human being to share the love of Christ with another human being. Therefore, Paul instructed those in the church in Corinth to also be imitators of him, as he is an imitator of Christ.

Sometimes being an imitator of another human being can be dangerous. Because we don’t always get it right. We don’t always have the mind of Christ. We aren’t just to imitate anyone in the Church, but rather those who we know are seeking to imitate Christ - those mature believers who can share their wisdom with others, and who can help us grow on our faith walk. 

Who are some of the people in your life who taught you to imitate the love of Christ? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that you do not send us on this faith journey alone, but rather invite elders with wisdom to accompany us and teach us as they imitate you. Help us to find mentors who can share such love with us, and help us grow more deeply in love with you, Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Leaving You an Example” - 1 Peter 2:21

If you had to sum up the cross what words would you use? I think most of us would associate salvation with the cross, but more me, I see deep and abiding love on the cross. I sew, and one of the things I made when I was just learning how to put things together was a cross stitch pillow for my Gram that said “It wasn’t nails that held Christ to the cross, it was love.”

  It was out of love for us, that Jesus gave himself, even when we were yet sinners. It was sacrificial love that was shown on the cross. And it is such love that Christ left as an example for us to share with others. 

How do you share the love of Jesus with others?

What does the love of Christ mean to you?

Prayer: Lord, we cannot begin to express our gratitude for that which you have done for us, and for the saving love that you gave your life for on the cross. Help us not to to keep such love to ourselves. May we live into your example, so that the message and ministry of your kingdom may be proclaimed. Amen. 

Thursday: “In the Image of God” - Gen 1:27

I don’t do very well when I see people being mistreated. It started young, in elementary school, where I would often be vocal on behalf of people I thought were being left out or not treated kindly. The first time I remember standing up for someone was maybe when I was five and my brothers were three. One of my brothers was not being heard, or perhaps not being listened to. So I stopped everything to make sure that his voice was recognized.

If you asked me why I did those things when I was younger, I probably couldn’t have told you. But as I have gotten older, and think more about my actions, I realize that I value people. More specifically, I value people because they bear the image of God. Because they are made in the divine image. Because God says that they are special. 

It is not just those who look like you or I or believe what you and I believe whom God loves. Whom God created. Whom God cares about. It is everyone. We are to love folks as God loves them, and share with them the love of Jesus.

What do you think it means that people were created in the image of God?

Prayer: Lord, we come today to repent. To repent that sometimes we treat people as you would not want them to be treated. We treat people like some are more worthy than others. That some are more loved by others. Forgive us, Lord, and help us to see people as you see them and to love as you love. Amen. 

Friday: “Live in Love” - Eph 5:2

Love is sometimes a tricky word. We say that we love a good book. Or love our pets. Or love ice cream in the same breath that we say that we love God. Are all loves equal? When Ephesians tells us to live in love, I think it was talking about the two deepest types of love that we have - love for our God and love for our neighbors. 

  But even those these are the two deepest types of love in our human lives, that does not mean that it is always easy. Sometimes people are simply difficult to love. And some days we choose to live in ways that don’t seem to reflect our love of God. Yet, love is a choice. A choice we are invited to make every day. A choice to center our lives in the love of our Savior.

What would it look like in the coming week if we would pray each and every day that God help us to choose to love. To choose to love God with all we have and all we are. To choose to love our neighbor as Christ would love them. How could our world change? How could we change?

  What does it look like for you to live in love?

Prayer: Lord, we ask for your strength and wisdom in the coming days to choose love. Not just to choose to use the word love, which can be so confusing in our world, but to choose to love as you loved us. Send us out to be agents of such transformative love in the world, we pray. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Following Christ: God Sized Visions and Dreams” - John 13: 34-35 

Family Activity: Play an imitation game, such as follow the leader. Why do we imitate other people in the game? How is this similar or different from imitating Christ in our lives? 

Following Christ: Joining God on the Journey

    While most of know that Easter is a big day in the life the church, the day that we proclaim that Christ is Risen indeed, few realize that Easter isn't just one day, but a season. The season of Easter lasts from Easter Sunday morning until the celebration of Christ's ascension, when he rose into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Eastertide celebrates that the resurrected Christ kept showing up in the lives of the disciples after the empty tomb, preparing them to go and proclaim the Kingdom of God in the world.
    During the season of Easter, I often like to speak about discipleship - what it means to be a follower of Christ. Being a disciple is central to who we are as Christians, yet sometimes I wonder if we take time to reflect on what the word actually means. So as we being this season together, what does the word disciple mean to you and how do you live into being a Christ follower?

“Following Christ: Joining God on the Journey” - Matthew 4: 12-23 Devo

April 8th, 2018

“Following Christ: Joining God on the Journey” - Matthew 4: 12-23

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: “Might be Fulfilled” - Matt. 4: 12-16

Different Gospel writers reach out to their audiences in different ways. In the words of this weeks scripture passage, they fish for people using different baits and lores. Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience - those who know the proclamations that the Messiah is coming. Those who already know the scriptures, so he shows those he is writing too that Jesus is in fact the Messiah, the very fulfillment of scripture.

This week’s passage opens with scripture from the prophet Isaiah, speaking about how Jesus left his hometown after the arrest of John the Baptist, to live in Capernaum, in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali. The prophet goes on to say that this was a light for a people who were once in darkness. 

We, as Christians, often speak of Jesus as being the light of the world. We, too, point to scriptures about how his coming changed everything, in our own lives and for this very world, as he fulfilled the word of God. 

How is Jesus a fulfillment of scripture?

Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for how your ways are greater than all of our ways. It is is sometimes hard for us to wrap our minds around how you spoke about Jesus through the prophets long ago, as they proclaimed his coming. Let us, too, proclaim the way of the Lord. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Kingdom” - Matt 4: 17

Whenever people in the time of Jesus heard the word Kingdom they had very particular things that came to mind. First, they thought about Kings and military. Who was in charge. Who occupied the land. Which often brought these particular folks to thoughts of overthrowing the Romans who were occupying their land, who they paid taxes too. 

For them, the Kingdom of Heaven, would have been tied exclusively to a military Messiah who was coming to free them from all that they faced that was unjust and unfair. Yet, that wasn’t the type of Kingdom that Jesus was talking about. We only need to look a few chapters ahead to the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus spoke of a different type of Kingdom - one that prioritized peace and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus was telling folks to repent - or change their ways, because this type of Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, was about to change everything. 

When images or words come to mind when you hear the word “Kingdom”?

Prayer:  Precious Lord, sometimes we can be like those believers so long ago. We can let our own thoughts about the word Kingdom get in the way of truly embracing your Kingdom for all that it is. Help us to proclaim the true word of the Kingdom of Heaven, we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Follow Me” - Matt. 4: 18-19

Growing up, we often joked that my parents read The Bernstein Bears Learn about Strangers to me a few too many times, and as a result I wasn’t too keen of people that I didn’t know. I wasn’t going to follow someone who I didn’t trust, didn’t have a relationship with.

Yet, that is exactly what happens with the disciples. They may have heard whispers about this Jesus who was calling for people to repent, but up to this point in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus hasn’t had a public ministry. He hasn’t healed folks or taught in the synagogues. He would have effectively been a stranger to the disciples, yet they still left everything when he called for them to follow him. 

Why? What was so compelling in Jesus’s statement that they were willing to leave everything behind? Was it the thought of being fishers of people? Or simply the fact that he invited them? And what made us respond to the call of Jesus when he called us as well? 

What made you follow Jesus?

How can you share your story of following Jesus with others? 

Prayer: Lord, we don’t fully know why those first disciples followed Jesus, but we are so glad that they did. We are also eternally grateful that Jesus called us to follow him as well. May we live lives that show our gratitude for that calling, by inviting others to comes and follow Jesus as well. Amen. 

Thursday: “Immediately” - Matt. 4: 20-22

The word we find coming up repeatedly in today’s scripture is “immediately”. Immediately, Simon and Andrew left their nets and followed him. This was no small task. Those nets were the way that they earned a living. They would have spent time repairing them. They were the tool of their trade, and yet the simply abandoned them at the invitation of Jesus. 

In the next first we find Jesus coming across James and John, and they too, immediately left their boat and their father, their lively hood and their family, all to follow Jesus in this adventure of making fishers of people.

With what eagerness to we respond to Jesus’s call on our lives? Do we respond immediately? Or do we have to work out all of the details? Are we willing to take risks or do we want following Jesus to be risk-free?

What are we willing to risk in order to follow Jesus’s call?

Prayer: Lord, we admit that we live in a world where we want a sure thing. We want all of the costs calculated out and the details are sured up. We struggle when Jesus calls us to simply follow. May we respond with eagerness and immediately follow where Jesus leads. Amen. 

Friday: “Proclaiming the Good News” - Matt 4:23

Somewhere along the way we got a bit confused. We have come to believe following Jesus is about us - what we can gain, and in most instances eternal life, specifically, when really Jesus called the disciples for what they could give. They went with Jesus as he proclaimed the Good News - the same Good News that they would proclaim after his ascensions. 

Were the disciples personally blessed by following Jesus? Absolutely. But that wasn’t known when they responded to the call. They simply went to learn from and follow Christ. 

What motivates us to follow Christ?

What are we willing to give and where are we willing to go for the sake of the Kingdom?

Prayer: God, may we respond to your call for the sake of others. May we be willing to risk it all for the Kingdom. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Following Christ: God Wants You” - Eph 5: 1-2 

Mosaic: God Redeems our Brokenness - Mark 16: 1-8

     The stage is set. No one can believe what took place on Good Friday. How Jesus was convicted of that which he did not do. How he hung on the cross after suffering so much cruelty and finally breathed his last breath. His body was taken down from the cross and laid in the tomb.

     For some that may have been the end of the story, but not for the women who followed him for so long. They felt compelled to go and take care of his body. To offer him a gift, like the gift of life and forgiveness that he had offered them. So they journeyed to the tomb. 

     All too often we rush into the celebration of Easter, which is both a day and a whole season in the life to the church. We rush from celebration to celebration, when really Jesus is inviting us to go on a journey towards resurrection. 

    Just as we rush towards the Easter celebration without sitting in the grief of what proceeded it, so we want to rush to healing and redemption in our own lives. May we take time this Easter season to be on a journey towards wholeness, seeing the beauty of God making a mosaic out of our lives, and fully living into the gift of what is being offered to each of us. 

God Redeems our Brokenness Devo

April 1st, 2018

Devotional

“Mosaic: God Redeems our Brokenness” - Mark 16: 1-8

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: “Might Go” - Mark 16: 1

No one wanted the job that the women did that early Sunday morning. As they prepared their spices and linens, they were going to give their master and friend one final gift - preparing his body properly for burial. Because Jesus died on a Friday, he was simply placed in the tomb, before the arrival of the Sabbath. Joseph had given his final gift of a place for the body to lay; now the women felt compelled to give their gift of anointing the body.

We have come a far way in distancing ourself from the bodily nature of death. There was a day and time, when the family would have the body of loved ones viewed in their home. Now, we leave that preparation of the body for the professionals. We don’t know what to make of the gift that the women were offering. 

Yet, it was a gift. A gift that no one would desire to give. A final gift of laying a body of a loved one to rest. In the Jewish custom of sitting shiva, people don’t do things while grieving. The seven days following the death of a loved one are to be a time where you are cared for by others - a time when you grieve. But for these women, they knew that they had to do something, and so as part of their own act of grieving they went to give a gift. 

What was the importance of the gift that the women offered?

How are grieving and gifting tied together in this particular passage of scripture? 

Prayer: God, we thank you for so much this Easter week. We thank you for the women who went to give their final gift to Jesus and how you blessed them. We thank you for for the mix of gift and grief in this passage, in all of its humanness. And above all, we thank you for Jesus who lived and died for us. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Roll Away” - Mark 16: 2-3

While the women felt compelled to go and give this final gift to Jesus, they also knew that they were going to have a problem - the stone. If you remember last week, we heard how Joseph sealed the tomb with a large stone. The Romans were fearful that one of Jesus’s followers would come and steal his body, claiming that he had been resurrected. Each of the gospel accounts deal with this problem a bit differently - some had guards posted, but all had the stone. The women knew that it would be too large for them to roll away on their own.

One of the best Easter sermons I ever heard was at my home church a few years ago. We talked about the tomb and the stone, and then we were each handed a small stone of our own and a sharpie. We were asked on one side of the stone to write something in our life that we need Jesus to roll away. On the other side of the stone, we wrote what Christ has waiting for us. 

We all have things in our lives that are burdens. In the scheme of the sermon series we are finishing this week, those jagged and broken edges in our lives that God wants to redeem. What is God calling you to set aside for healing this week and what gift is waiting for you? 

Find a stone and write on one side something you need Jesus to roll away. On the other side write what Christ has waiting for you. 

Prayer: Lord, we offer our stones to you as a prayer today. We know that life is not always as it should be, Precious Lord. We have stones, large and small, that we have let accumulate in our lives, which we can no longer deal with on our own. We hand them over to you for healing and redemption this day. As we lay down those burdens, allow us to pick up the joy and freedom that you have waiting for us. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Alarmed” - Mark 16: 4-5

Sometimes we become so familiar with certain stories in scripture that they no longer surprise us. Stories like that of Christ’s brith and death and resurrection. Yet take a moment to soak in what happens in today’s piece of scripture. The women went to prepare Jesus’s body for a proper burial. They went knowing that a stone is going to be blocking their way. Yet, when they arrived, the stone is rolled away, and a young man in a robe is sitting in the tomb. 

The angels showed up. Just as the angels showed up at Christ’s birth. And the announcement of Christ’s birth. And the announcement of John’s birth. When angels show up, people are fearful. Alarmed. Because it isn’t an everyday thing. 

Yet, out of the alarm, comes a message of peace. A message of healing and resurrection. Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to feel a bit alarmed in order to appreciate all that Christ is trying to offer to us that we would otherwise gloss right past. 

How can alarm and blessing be related? 

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we wish that life would just go smoothly, when all you want is to get our attention. At times we act like we can do things on our own instead of leaning into all of your power that you are trying to coat us with. Lord, allow us to be alarmed in order to be blessed. Shake us from the status quo in order to proclaim your word to the world. Amen. 

Thursday: “Raised” - Mark 16: 6-7

I was listening to a discussion about Biblical texts a few weeks ago when one of the commentators made a point that struck me - there is a difference between being brought back to life and being resurrected. 

Lazarrus was brought back to life. And yes, that experience of being dead and then being alive again probably changed something about him. But he was still human. Still flawed. Still going to die. 

But when we are resurrected, we are changed. We are no longer sinful beings, but instead behold the glory of God as we dwell with him. Its about more than just coming back to life after death, its about being completely changed. 

What does Jesus’s resurrection mean to us today?

How does resurrection change us?

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for the gift of resurrection. We admit that it is hard for us to wrap our minds around - the change that comes with the gift. Yet, we embrace it, Lord, as our hope and your promise to us, because of Jesus. Thank you! Amen. 

Friday: “Went Out” - Mark 16:8

The Gospel of Mark is unique in that it offers a few different endings to the Easter story. In one ending, found in verse eight, the women are commanded to go and tell Peter about what they have experienced, but they flee in fear and tell no one. In what some translations call “The shorter ending of Mark” and they told these things to Peter and those around him. 

Why are there two different endings? Perhaps because we struggle with the same tension today. There are times in our lives, when we too simply want to flee and fear and not tell others about Jesus. We are afraid of what others may think of us if we start to proclaim his good news. But their are other times in our lives, when we cannot help but share the news with those around us, as we seek to further the Kingdom of God. We can see ourselves in both versions of the Gospel story, which are true in our own lives. 

Do you find it easier to be silent about Jesus or share his good news? Why? 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for inviting us to be amongst those who share your good news. Embolden us. Keep fear from our hearts and allow us to show in word and deed that you truly are Lord of all. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Following Christ: Joining God on the Journey” - Matthew 4: 19-20.

Family Activity: Find some flat rocks and paint on them the good news of Easter. Put these resurrection stones around your neighborhood to share the good news.