Fort Morgan United Methodist Church
This peace that Jesus promises is about a sense of wholeness, contentment, and fulfilment even amidst the conflict and strife that comes with living in the world. This peace is a gift of God but can only be experienced when we give over to God our desire to control everything in our lives.
What might you need to give over to God to experience that kind of peace?
In prayer, offer those situations or issues to God and resist the urge to pick them back up later.
In John’s vision, we have a contrast between the old (Roman Empire) and the new (God’s Kingdom). Notice that in the new Jerusalem, the walls that surround the community, offering a sense of security and belonging, have gates that are always open, symbolizing the openness of the community to all who would seek to enter. There are also symbols of abundance and provision. We need not read this book as a promise of death, destruction, and condemnation, but as a revelation of the God of life and love.
In prayer, thank God for the promise that, in the end, Love wins.
This is a psalm intended to be used in corporate worship. In it, we see the word, Selah. Used in many of the psalms, scholars believe the word gives instruction to pause. It might have indicated an instrumental interlude. In the midst of singing and offering praise, the congregation is instructed to quiet their voices, still their spirits, and listen. This is a valuable practice that prepares us for a meaningful, impactful expression and experience of worship.
Think about our typical worship service. If a visitor came in, what would they learn about God? What would they assume Christian community to look like if we were their only example? How does the way we relate to one another and to the world reveal what we believe about God?
This week, make it a point to quiet your voice and to still your spirit during the “pauses” in worship such as the prelude or time of silent prayer.
In this account, Paul and the apostles have been making fruitless attempts to share the gospel message in different regions. In a dream, Paul sees a man who pleads with him to come to Macedonia and help them. After sharing his dream, the group, without hesitation, heads to Macedonia. There, their message is received with openness, many are baptized, and the group gains Lydia as a benefactor. This positive turn of events is only possible because the apostles believe in the prompting of the Holy Spirit. They are willing to listen and to obey.
To what degree do you believe the Holy Spirit still speaks? Have you ever had a vision or a dream that you understood to be God trying to call you in a certain direction? How did you respond? How open are you to believing in, listening to, and obeying the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
In prayer, consider where God might be speaking through people, feelings, and events in your life right now. How might you respond?
In this passage, Jesus gives us a clear picture of what it means to love him: loving one another. That is not always easy. We often respond to people out of our own brokenness, insecurity, or fear, saying things we don’t mean. Or we strike back at people who are operating from their areas of pain. We might ignore a person or gossip about someone with whom we don’t get along. Sometimes, even within the church family, we are not very good at showing the type of love to which Jesus calls us. And it seems to me that part of the problem is that we have a limited understanding of this love that Jesus is prescribing for the Christian community.
He’s not saying we should always have warm, fuzzy feelings about each other. Sometimes being loving means being honest or holding someone accountable, but to do so with gentleness. C.S. Lewis said, “Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” May that be our goal and may our community of faith be known for that type of love.
Think about the people you have a difficult time loving. Offer each of these people to God in prayer, seeking only their ultimate good.
This vision for a new reality is not just for a time in the distant future. It is a reality that Jesus brings us day by day. Each day is a fresh beginning in which we can choose life over death, courage over fear, love over hate, peace over strife. Each day gives us a chance to accept the freedom that comes with being forgiven – the freedom to turn towards God and to be more Christlike in the way we think, speak, and behave.
Do your days begin with a feeling of gratitude and joy, or with a feeling of dread? What difference would it make to begin each day with thanksgiving for the newness of the morning and with hopefulness? What are the “old things” that prevent you from living with the hope and promise to which we are called as followers of Jesus? What secret shame and guilt are you carrying? Hear God saying, “I am making all things new!”
In prayer, offer up your list of “old things” and pray that the Spirit would help you find peace and a sense of calm in the promise of newness of life.
In this psalm, the entire universe – including the heavenly host – are called to praise God, the Creator of it all. Plants, animals, people, air, sea, and sky – all of it joining this universal chorus of praise. Springtime is a good time to view nature as giving praise to God. Green blades of grass are emerging, and early flowers are breaking through, reminding us of renewal and persistence, even after a hard, dry winter. The trees have withstood the fierce winds and are budding with showy blossoms. The sky is a sparkling blue in the day and dazzles with stars at night.
There are times my praise feels something more like when my parents forced me to write thank you notes as a child. I mumble a prayer of thanksgiving while fixating on my fears and frustrations. What lessons can we take from nature in terms of praising God? How can we show our gratitude, even in less-than-ideal conditions? What creative offering of praise can you make?
Spend some time outdoors listening to the sounds of praise that come from God’s creation and be open to any inspiration.
This conversation begins as a confrontation. Peter was being criticized for being in fellowship with and baptizing Gentiles. To that point, the believers thought that Jesus had come only to redeem the children of Israel. After relating his dream, his initial hesitation and the Spirit’s insistence that he make no distinction between Jews and Gentiles, his critics relented. Peter asked the question, “Who was I to hinder God?”
Sometimes, we get very set in our ways. We think God can only speak through certain kinds of people, through certain types of music, through worship done a certain way. Similarly, there are those we assume are outside the bounds of God’s grace and mercy – those we see as unreachable or irredeemable. We may even resist the efforts of others to be more inclusive or expansive. And yet, we must ask ourselves Peter’s question. Who are we to hinder God?
Can you think of a time when you have resisted – either actively or passively – the inclusion of a person or group of people in the ministries of the church? Have you ever asked someone, “Why are you wasting your time with them?” What attitudes or traditions do you hold so tightly that it might be hindering God?
Offer a prayer of praise for God’s surprising, ever-expanding circle of grace.
In our world today, there are many voices that clamor for our attention, but we are called to listen for the Shepherd’s voice rising above all others. The voice of the Good Shepherd is a voice that liberates rather than oppresses. It’s a voice that calls out for the sheep that is lost, that has wandered, that has been left outside the fold. It does not say, “Do this, and then maybe you will be good enough to be one of my sheep.” It says, “You belong to me already. No one or nothing can snatch you out of my hand.”
What are the voices that give a different message? Do you have an inner critic that says you are not good enough, not worthy of unconditional love? How might listening to the voice of the Shepherd free you to live with assurance, joy, generosity, and gratitude?
Set aside 5 minutes today to sit in silence and listen for what the Good Shepherd might be speaking into your life.
Verses 9 and 10 paint a beautiful image. A multitude of people, no longer separated by borders, language, or ideology. No one is any more important than the other. Everyone there is on the same plane, given equal opportunity and united by one purpose: praise of God and of the Lamb. It’s a vision that stands in stark contrast to the reality of the writer’s world and in contrast to our own.
Like the early Christian community, who is being sorted out and systematically eliminated by the Roman government and the religious authorities, we have separated ourselves. We have chosen neighborhoods, places of work, news sources, and churches based on how much the people there look, talk, think, or believe like us. We have isolated and insulated ourselves to the point that we have very little knowledge of or interaction with people who are different from us.
To what degree does this practice interfere with the call to unity – to a peaceable kingdom as this and others describe – found throughout the scriptures? How might learning more about and interacting with people who are different from you help you to grow closer to Jesus and to deepen your faith? What steps might you take to bring this vision closer to reality?
Today, offer the words of praise found in this reading: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
