Christian Living Spring 2019

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ISBN-13: 978-1-5018-4683-0 51199

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Christian Living in the Mature Years

Vol. 51, No. 3 Spring 2019 Editorial/Design Team Rachel Mullen, Editor Rachel Hagewood & Jan Turrentine, Editors of Bible Lessons Keely Moore, Design Manager and Designer Julie P. Glass, Production Editor Administrative Staff Rev. Brian K. Milford, President and Publisher Marjorie M. Pon, Associate Publisher and Editor, Church School Publications CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE MATURE YEARS (ISSN 0025-6021) is published quarterly by Abingdon Press, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228-1306. Periodicals Postage Paid at Nashville, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE MATURE YEARS, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228-1306.

Copyright © 2018 by The United Methodist Publishing House.

Scripture quotations in this publication unless noted otherwise are from the Common English Bible, copyright 2011. Used by permission.

All rights reserved.

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In the Quiet of the Day is an island of peace amidst the chaos of life. The 100 devotionals will fortify the reader with Scripture, thoughtful insights, and prayer, bringing them the message that they are loved and accepted by God just as they are.

100 inspirational devotionals Prayers for daily peace Padded hardcover with ribbon bookmark This book makes a great gift for a special women – mother, wife, daughter, friend, or a gift to oneself.

Available wherever fine books are sold.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Lessons and/or readings are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2015–16, by the Committee on the Uniform Series. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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CHRISTIAN LIVING IN THE MATURE YEARS is designed to help persons in and nearing the retirement years understand and appropriate the resources of the Christian faith in dealing with specific problems and opportunities related to aging.

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Disney

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Features 8 12 14 18 20 24 26 27 30 32 34 36 40 42 44 48 52

ids These Days K The Promise of Easter A Lent Primer Jump-start Your Fitness Goals Praise Art: A Ministry for and by Visual Artists Can Gardening and Plants Reduce Stress?

A Man with a Pig Perils of a Parish Secretary Hallmark: Grandparents Everywhere Need You! Festive Fun for St. Patrick’s Day Simple Seafood Solutions for Lent Orlando with Grandkids Faith in Action Happy Tuesday!

Just a Little Talk My Husband Gave Me 30 Days Five Tips for Seasonal Allergy Sufferers

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Bible Lessons

56 Discipleship and Mission

In Every Issue 2 3 4 13 50 53 55 96

Bookshelf Chaplain’s Corner Fragments of Life Bible Verse: Matthew 28:5-6 Color & Pray Puzzle Time Bible Verse: Romans 8:1 Merry-go-round

Upload unsolicited manuscripts, photos, and cartoon submissions to https://matureyears.submittable.com/submit in order to be considered for use.

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Photo above courtesy of Disney.

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Bookshelf

Simon Peter: Flawed but Faithful Disciple

by Adam Hamilton He was not rich or educated but was familiar with hard work. He was quick-tempered and impetuous but possessed a passion that would change the world. He left everything to follow his teacher yet struggled with doubt and fear. Join pastor and author Adam Hamilton in this six-week Lenten journey, and take an in-depth dive into the life, faith, and character of Simon Peter.

The Jesus Challenge: 21 Days of Loving God and Neighbor

by Justin LaRosa Our culture seems to be busier and more technologically connected than in any time in history, and this requires more intentionality to stay in relationship with God and cultivate deeper relationships with others. We must find ways to mitigate distracted living because it is diminishing our ability as Christfollowers to live out Jesus’ greatest commandments: to love God and love others.

The antidote to distraction is focused love. The Jesus Challenge is a three-week journey to help you become more attentive to your relationship with God. This book invites you to move from forgetfulness to remembering, from distraction to intentionality, and from self-sufficiency to God-reliance.

Dare to Hope: Living Intentionally in an Unstable World

by Melissa Spoelstra Living in such an unstable world, we tend to have a propensity to worry.

Yet, God offers us another choice.

In the Book of Jeremiah, we find God calling out with a message of hope—a message that intentional living is possible, even in an unstable world. Jeremiah offers hope for living in an uncertain world by learning to navigate the challenges and circumstances of our lives.

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Dare to Hope examines six guidelines for intentional living to overcome fear, worry, and doubt as we surrender our wills to God’s and put our hope in God alone.

Inside the Miracles of Jesus: Discovering the Power of Desperation

by Jessica LaGrone Jesus demonstrated the presence and power of God by performing miracles. He turned water into wine, healed the sick, calmed the storm, opened blind eyes, and raised the dead. While these beloved stories draw our attention to divine power, Christ’s miracles signify something deeper—they’re windows into God’s grand story of human desperation and redemption.

By explaining the meaning and significance of these miracles, Jessica LaGrone shows us their relevance for our lives today. She unpacks how understanding the meaning of Christ’s miracles will help us better grasp the salvation God has brought into the world, and reminds us that we need God on our best days just as much as we do on our worst.

Called: Hearing and Responding to God’s Voice

by Susan Robb Throughout the Bible, God interrupts the lives of ordinary men and women, calling and empowering them to lives of service they never could have imagined on their own! Discover how to hear and respond to the unique call God is placing on your life through the stories of ordinary people found in the Bible. Called examines the lives of Abraham, Samuel, Esther, Mary Magdalene, Jonah, and the beloved disciple. The same God who called these unlikely characters calls you, too, to bring hope and transformation to the world.

Read sample chapters and find more information at AbingdonPress.com

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Chaplain’s Corner: Doing What We Can Do B Y R O B E R T H . S PA I N

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t is an often-told old story. The forest was on fire. Invading flames were gobbling up huge trees as if they were kindling wood. It was a raging fire totally out of control. On a distant hill overlooking the sprawling inferno were the gathered animals of the forest huddled together wondering about their homeland and their own personal fate.

While watching the encroaching fire, the gathered forest animals noticed a tiny hummingbird whirling through the air making repeated sorties from the lake to the edge of the raging fire, each time releasing a small drip of water from its beak. Once the beak filled with water was unloaded onto the raging fire, a return trip was underway. Back and forth, back and forth, drop by drop of water unloaded onto the fire.

The watching audience of forest animals saw the impossible task being attempted by the tiny hummingbird and cried, “You can’t smother this forest fire with the tiny load of water you’re carrying in your beak. What do you think you are doing?” Without stopping to discuss the matter, the tiny water tanker answered, “I’m doing what I can.”

I watch the news. I watch a lot of news. I am awakened each morning by the news coming from my radioactivated alarm clock. I go to bed right after the news. I watch it at other times also. The news is now a 24/7 commodity. One can watch it anytime and almost anywhere.

Much of the news is troubling: • the boondoggling in Washington • the unusual ravaging weather patterns • the throngs of malnourished children in Third World countries • the uprisings in the Middle East • the worldwide financial crisis Years ago, it may have been that I would not have known about these scary and troubling things until I had read about them in history books, but this is no longer the situation. Like the frightened animals watching the forest ablaze, I know about these troubling problems.

If this were not enough, my Bible reading this week included the words of Jesus, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” What am I to do? As I survey the enormity of the problems and as I understand my own inadequate stockpile of resources and graces, I feel less than the hummingbird with its tiny beak filled with water.

But I am not going to take my place with the gathered animals watching the forest burn. My contribution to the world’s problems may not amount to much, but I am going to do everything I can with what I have. Anything less is too little. .

Robert H. Spain is a retired United Methodist bishop and former chaplain of The United Methodist Publishing House.

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Fragments of Life

Plastic Pony

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randma, will you please get rid of that hideous swing set?” my granddaughter Gina huffed. She glanced sheepishly at her girlfriend standing beside her. “I think I’ve outgrown it by now,” she said, rolling her dark eyes. How could she have outgrown her swing set already? She’s barely eleven.

I remember that warm day in May, eight years ago, when Pap and I decided we needed a swing set, not only for our first grandchild, but for any that may follow. We chose the deluxe model, with two standard swings and a plastic, palomino pony which Gina creatively named Trigger.

We cemented the swing set’s shiny blue legs into the ground in the backyard, and it was ready to use. Our granddaughter wasn’t bashful about throwing a saddle blanket (one of Pap’s threadbare T-shirts) on Trigger’s back and leaping on. Together, they galloped off into their make-believe world. They rode for hours that day. As spring dissolved into summer, Trigger developed a screech, but even that proved beneficial.

From my kitchen window, I could hear Trigger’s melodious rhythm as they loped through their private world. I didn’t have to stop what I was doing to check on Gina’s whereabouts; I knew where she was, who she was with, and what they were doing. By mid-summer, they were bonded and Trigger became a close friend. He was a friend Gina could confide in when her days turned sour, like when she lost her privilege to go to the fireman’s carnival.

“Is your homework done?” Gina’s mother asked.

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BY T R U DY K. S N Y D E R

“Uh, ah, yeah,” she drawled, but that was only a half-truth: half her assignment was complete, the other half wasn’t.

“But, Mom, it wasn’t a whole fib,” Gina argued. “Besides, I have the whole weekend to finish it.”

“A lie is a lie,” and her mother stood her ground. Gina ran to her grandma’s house, but not to Grandma.

When grownups failed to understand, Trigger could. He listened without interruption as Gina spent her disappointment and anger. That’s when they rode faster and higher. Her muddled words and Trigger’s high-pitched shriek meshed together, sounding like the far-off clamoring of a conference meeting. Every angry thought and painful disappointment was dumped at the hooves of her best friend. There was no need to worry that Grandma would overhear or learn of her nasty thoughts. Trigger would never tattle. And when Gina’s world was good, Trigger shared that too.

Good times produced a slow, deep screech from her pony and usually silence on Gina’s part. I cherished the screech of their to-and-fro sway from behind my kitchen blinds.

The backyard swing is silent now. Only a gusty breeze rattles a faint nay from Trigger.

Its master has outgrown her best friend.

I run my finger down the white blaze on Trigger’s face. His touch is no longer smooth like in his youth, but rough like sandpaper.

We have shared a lot, Trigger and I. As for now, Trigger stays. I’m not sure I’ve outgrown him yet.

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Fragments of Life

Is God Ignoring You? B Y L O R I H AT C H E R

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tanding at the kitchen counter, I feel a tug at my pants leg. Fully aware that my tiny granddaughter stands at my feet, I continue spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread. The tug becomes more insistent.

“Just a minute, Caroline. Gigi can’t pick you up right now.”

A frown creases her little brow.

Whimpering, she grabs both pants legs, arching her back as if to will herself higher.

“I know you’re hungry. Hang on. I’m making you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

My words only fuel her distress. With a final swipe of the knife, I add jelly to the sandwich, then smoosh the two pieces of bread together, completing the PB&J. A wail at my feet signals the end of Caroline’s patience.

I understand her frustration.

From her limited perspective, nothing is happening. My back is turned, and I am clearly occupied with something other than her. To make matters worse, she has a need I’m not responding to.

Or so she thinks.

If Caroline was a little taller, she could see the truth—that I’m not ignoring her. Not only am I not ignoring her, but I’m actively working on her behalf.

I’m a lot like Caroline.

I’ve learned where to go when I have a need, and that’s a good thing. I approach God with a gentle tug and a whispered

prayer or plea. If God doesn’t respond immediately, I become more insistent.

Some days, this silence makes me feel as though God is deliberately ignoring my urgent demands. Other times, I must confess I launch a full-blown tantrum, complete with thrashing and wailing.

Like little Caroline, I have a limited perspective.

Tethered to earth by my mortality, I cannot see into the spiritual realm where God is always at work. I forget God is my advocate, my provider, and my deliverer.

Spiritual amnesia robs my memory of all the times I was rescued, and I panic, forgetting that the Lord’s timetable is different from my own.

This is when I must rest in what I know, not in what I see. God’s Word tells me the truth—that God knows me, loves me, and promises to care for me all the days of my life.

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4 NIV).

What are you struggling with today? Trust God with it.

May this be our prayer: Lord, help me trust you when I cannot see you. Help me remember all you’ve done for me in the past and wait patiently when your answer is long in coming. Grow my faith as I learn to depend on you. In the strong name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Fragments of Life

On My Green Sofa

BY CAROL MOWDY BOND

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y older grandson likes to spend time with me alone at my house. No little brother.

No Mommy. No Daddy.

We bake, play, read books, and go outside for his “nature adventures.”

When he winds down, he squishes against me on my green sofa. I turn off my cell phone, and I don’t answer the doorbell. We sit together in complete silence, and I follow his lead. His big toes pop off his shoes and then one sock. He likes to keep a sock on one foot, with the other foot bare. His toes wiggle.

He has that musty little boy smell of dirt, rocks, bugs, and sweat, with some cookie dough and sprinkles thrown in.

He molds his little body to mine. I can’t see his impish face. But his curly brown hair spills out from underneath my arm like the top of a radish.

He quietly asks hard questions about life—questions I don’t expect from such a young soul. I take the time to answer and explain without judgment. We go back and forth, discussing all sides of the issues. He adds his concerns and worries. We talk about what Jesus would do.

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Then, he gets quiet. For a long time, his fingers trace over the back of my hand, my fingers, my wrist. It feels like a tiny spider ballerina that softly skips and twirls across my skin.

Lost in his own thoughts, his fingers memorize the aged mountains and valleys on the back of my hand.

Then he repeats the process many times and circles my wrist as well.

I delight when he’s not in a hurry and squishes against me. Somehow this little person, so much like his daddy whom I raised, inspires me and energizes me in this season of life. He reminds me to slow down.

To be available for him. To move at his pace rather than be tied to my agenda. Knowing that especially in these moments, the seeds of God’s unconditional love and truth are sown and take root.

“I am reminded of your authentic faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m sure that this faith is also inside you” (2 Timothy 1:5).

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Fragments of Life

The Table Light

BY MARTIN WILES

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razy is when Meme and Pop take two young grandboys to a restaurant and try to enjoy a meal.

Our daughter refuses to take her threeand five-year-old kids out to eat—except for the occasional visit to Chick-fil-A, where there is a play area to occupy them. Levi and Colton are typical boys who are loud and rambunctious. Our daughter claims she can’t enjoy her meal when they accompany her, and she is totally flustered by the time the outing is over.

My wife and I aren’t so afraid. Age has mellowed us, and we’ve been through the child-rearing years so we’ve learned to deal with the antics of small children without stressing out, yelling, or letting them ruin our dinner. We just go with the flow. Additionally, we keep them five, sometimes six, days a week so they’re more accustomed to our routine than our daughter’s.

A part of our grandchild-rearing process is teaching them to say the blessing before meals. So, when our food arrived on one occasion and the oldest piped, “We need to say the blessing,” we weren’t surprised. Only on this occasion, he was particularly loud— so much so that everyone in the restaurant

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could hear his announcement. The younger was only two at the time and could only say, “God is.”

Did I mention they were loud? Their blessing was noisy enough for every server, cook, patron, and manager to hear. I asked him to say it quieter. He obeyed, but had to start over again. Then he started over a third time because I didn’t have my hands folded properly. By the time he was through, everyone’s food had been blessed, whether they wanted it to be or not.

I was soon embarrassed for another reason: I had asked him to say it quieter.

He wasn’t ashamed to let everyone know he thanked God for his food. He knew nothing of being respectful of others’ privacy. I suppose he thought everyone said a blessing. My blessings, on the other hand, are normally so low the person in the next booth would have to strain to hear. My grandson does a better job of letting his light shine than I do.

No doubt, others saw our grandsons’ lights. Hopefully, some were thankful we taught them to give thanks for their food.

So, go ahead. Shine your light as our grandsons did—at the table or wherever a light is needed.

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Kids These Days

By Rebecca Landry

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ast summer, I spent five weeks in Spain.

Within a couple weeks of returning to the United States, I was at my grandfather’s funeral. My whole family stood in a singlefile receiving line, filling half of the aisle of the beautiful church and saying, “Hello” and “Thank you,” to everyone who came to pay respects. Person after person filed into the church where my grandparents were married and now my grandfather is buried.

I felt delight and amazement as his community told us how the patriarch of our family was a legacy within the community.

People came whom he had taught in the school, mentored at work, and been friends with for a lifetime. One said that my grandparents, who were both educators and administrators in the local school, had been the “pillars of education” in their community.

What a legacy to witness! That depth and longevity of community is rare in a generation as mobile and self-seeking as mine. And what a contrast it was to what I am witness

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to in my own life—returning from my fourth time in Spain (where I have now developed friendships and community), after moving six hours away from home to go to college and later establishing myself in a city away from my family. This isn’t unusual for my generation, but it is a contrast to what I experienced at my grandfather’s funeral. The celebration of his life was a celebration of a whole life lived in the same community. It was a picture of a life lived both consistently in community, but also consistently in a place. On one hand, our grandparents’ generation needs to understand what is behind the wanderlust and fractured living of us millennials. On the other hand, we need the grounding, wisdom, and community that our grandparents have and we have lost. We need to be shown and told of the value of a life lived in community.

The week after the funeral, I spent time with my grandmother. I told her that I wanted her help with a piece I was writing, and I

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came pen. perce and simil entit wait and with woul entit and degre we a gran our m need in pl O surp stole while “The

came the next morning with notebook and pen. I sat with her and asked about her perception of my generation. Her questions and observations about my generation were similar. She noted that we have a sense of entitlement, we lack the foresight or desire to wait and plan, we want instant gratification, and we are relationally uncommitted. I agreed with her, and I know many other people who would agree as well. I believe some of this entitlement, desire for instant gratification, and lack of commitment stem, to some degree, from the information and mobility we are afforded. So, to all of my would-be grandparents, I would like you to understand our mobility and access to information. And I need you to help us learn what it means to live in place and community.

Our mobility and access to information has surpassed that of any generation before us. I stole a couple minutes with another millennial while he edited photos in a coffee shop.

“The older generation is incredibly wise,” he

told me, “but we have the access to quickly become very smart—we have more access to technology and education. . . . Education looks different; we are looking at different things and checking into other opportunities.”

My generation (speaking very generally) is certainly checking into other opportunities, and we have the desire to see the world, experience lots of things before settling down, and think outside the box of what things “should” look like. Because of this mobility and information, we have a sort of overaccess to opportunity—and the mind-set that we can (and should be able to) do whatever we think it is we were “destined” to do. The opportunities afforded us are both life-giving and crippling. We have new opportunities to appreciate and learn from different cultures, to discover and live in the ways that the Lord has uniquely wired us, and to love people in new and creative ways. I’ve seen beauty in my life from these opportunities—a deepening of trust in the Lord as I step into the unknown

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and begin things that I am incapable of handling on my own, as well as a longing for my heavenly home because my heart is restless for a home that I have not found on this earth.

However, the dark side of this opportunity is the danger of never being satisfied, always looking for the next thing. The pervasive attitude that we must take advantage of this mobility and squeeze every bit of adventure out of life can be paralyzing, anxiety-producing, or lead us to jump from one thing to the next. Say hello to FOMO: the Fear Of Missing Out. That’s what we feel because we have too many choices. FOMO whispers to me, “If you do this thing, you’ll probably miss out on that thing. If you commit to this now, you might miss out on a better opportunity that comes up later.” So, we don’t commit because the opportunities are absolutely endless, and the next best thing might be just around the corner. We never settle into something because the internet tells us there is always something else to experience. These opportunities we have are wonderful only if we have the right attitude toward them. We need to be able to see them in perspective.

To all my would-be grandparents, let’s talk. Please listen. We need you to understand the beauty of what we have—many days it feels like the world has been set before us on a platter, and we have the privilege of choosing from the delicacies offered.

But for that privilege to be good and healthy, we need some grounding and perspective that you can offer us.

Show us how good and beautiful and healthy it is to live our whole lives in one place, and work and raise children, and mentor and be mentored. One millennial I spoke with commented on the communication between our 10

generation and yours: “They have a misconception of how we deal with things. It would be more beneficial if they didn’t go off of generalizations and took the time to talk to us and ask questions about what we are dealing with.” More than ever, we need your experience to balance and inform our experiences. We need you to talk to us, speak wisdom to us, understand us, and we need to listen and learn from your experiences. But this is not a unique need. That two-way communication and understanding is a human need that spans generations and experiences. Isn’t lack of genuine conversation and understanding the basis of all misunderstandings and bitterness, no matter the generation or skin color or life stage? We must take time to understand the joys, burdens, and perspectives of people, especially those who are different.

To all my would-be grandparents, let’s talk because my generation needs to learn. We are different from you—we may feel entitled, scared of commitment, and desire instant gratification. But please know that we need you. Understand us, but also give us access to you and your wisdom. Teach us about the value of depth of community, of living in one place and sticking some roots into this world so that we are more than floating individuals. Talk to us and show us the value of being married and buried in the same church.

Rebecca Landry is a social worker turned English teacher and loves all things having to do with people and culture. When she’s not spending time with kids, she enjoys exercising both her mind and her body—reading, writing, swimming, and playing ultimate Frisbee.

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The Promise of Easter

By Donna Miesbach

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hallenge and loss are part of life. Whether it is the passing of a loved one or losing a job or great illness, when those times come, it is easy to feel lost, abandoned, far from home. That is how I felt after my husband’s sudden death. Part of me was missing. My sense of purpose was gone. I didn’t know who I was anymore. Over and over, I found myself asking, “What do you want me to do now, Lord? Where do I go from here?”

As I think about it, that’s probably how Jesus’ followers felt after he was crucified. Even though Jesus told them he would be leaving, they could not bring themselves to believe it. This definitely was not what they thought would happen.

As Jesus’ followers gathered together in the upper room, stunned and bewildered after Friday’s events, they didn’t yet know about Jesus’ resurrection.

All they knew was that he was gone—suddenly, unexplainably gone. “What do we do now?” was all they could think about. “Where do we go from here?” Feeling lost and alone, they waited and hoped for an answer.

As with Jesus’ followers, when great trials come into our lives, we, too, go through a period of silent reflection. We don’t know what to do, and it can feel as though our world is coming apart.

So, what can we do when those times come into our lives? We can pray. We can trust in God’s wisdom, even when we can’t understand what is happening. Yes, and we can wait, just as the disciples did, because no matter how bleak things may seem, God has a plan. Morning always comes.

Donna Miesbach is the award-winning author of the book, From Grief to Joy: A Journey Back to Life and Living. Her inspirational poems and articles frequently appear in such venues as Contemplative Journal, Unity Magazine, Daily Word, and the Chicken Soup series.

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Matthew 28:5-6 But the angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here, because he’s been raised from the dead, just as he said.”

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Primer

By Ben Howard

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hen I was growing up, we didn’t talk about Lent. In fact, I’m not even sure I heard that word before I was a teenager or maybe in college. It just wasn’t part of the Christian tradition I was raised in.

However, despite my apparent naivete about Lent in general, I was familiar with a number of the traditions associated with it. I knew about Good Friday, but I just thought it was a random spring day off from school.

I knew about Mardi Gras, but I thought it was just a party in New Orleans. I knew that my Catholic friends would always attend an unusual number of fish fries in the spring, but I could never quite understand why. I used to think people were just really excited to get outside after winter ended.

Later, I would learn that all those unusual traditions were tied together. They were all connected to the celebration of Lent and part of the preparation for the Easter season.

The word “lent” comes from the Old English word lencten, which means “spring season.” Although Lent wasn’t part of my particular experience growing up in an evangelical church, it has been celebrated for centuries in the rest of the Church. Today, Lent is most often observed by churches that follow the Christian liturgical calendar including Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, and Catholic churches.

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But what exactly is Lent?

Lent is a season that lasts for forty-six days, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Most often, when you hear people refer to the length of Lent, they will say that it lasts for forty days, not forty-six. The reason for the discrepancy is that there are six Sundays in Lent, and Sundays don’t count. Church math is weird, but in this case, it makes sense.

You see, Lent is intended to be a time for repentance, fasting, and preparation for the resurrection of Jesus, which we celebrate on Easter Sunday. In anticipation of that celebration, each Sunday is set aside as a kind of “mini-Easter,” where the more reflective spirit of Lent is replaced, if only for a day, with the joyful expectation of the Resurrection.

Thus, forty days and not forty-six because you get to celebrate on Sundays. Moreover, the number of days was chosen to represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism, where he was tempted by Satan and prepared himself for his ministry.

The connection to baptism and preparation was reflected in the traditions of the early church. In the past, Lent was often the time set aside to prepare new converts who were being baptized into the Church. They would fast and pray during the time of Lent in anticipation for the commitment they were about to make. Even today, many churches offer confirmation classes during Lent in order to prepare Christians to take their confirmation vows during the Easter season.

Earlier, I mentioned two traditions that grew up around Lent: Mardi Gras and fish fries. Both of these traditions grew out of the traditional Lenten fast. Historically, during the season of Lent, Christians would abstain from rich and fatty foods, including red meat, butter, and even eggs. As a result, a tradition arose in many cultures to celebrate the last night before Lent and to indulge in these rich foods one last time before Lent began. This celebration is what we typically refer to as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.

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In the English-speaking world, this day has often been observed by making pancakes, an easy way to get rid of the excess eggs, flour, and butter before Lent.

Today, a number of churches celebrate the last night before Lent with pancake suppers.

The fish fry was also a response to this traditional fast. Historically, Christians were called to fast throughout Lent, but over time, these requirements became looser. Eventually, a tradition arose where Christians would abstain from red meat on Fridays during Lent. In response, many churches often host fish fries on Fridays during Lent both as an act of community and as a way to support those who are keeping the fast.

Fasting has always been an important part of Lent. Traditionally, this has meant abstaining from certain types of food, but more often in recent years, it has meant giving up either a bad habit or a beloved pastime in order to reflect on where we are called to repent and what it means to be a follower of Christ. Some Christians give up smoking or alcohol; others give up watching TV or eating chocolate. No matter the fast, the object is the same: to re-orient the mind toward God. Another movement has also gained traction in recent years that focuses on adding a spiritual practice for the season of Lent instead of subtracting a negative behavior. This change in approach is motivated by the idea that adding a practice that helps Christians proactively focus on faith can be more beneficial than removing something they may already consider a vice. Some adherents will read through a particular book of the Bible during Lent; others give to charity or practice different types of prayer during the forty-day season.

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Lent is also a time where the community of believers comes together for a number of special days. The first, Ash Wednesday, kicks off the Lenten season and is designed to remind participants about their mortality and the need for repentance. During the service, each participant has ashes placed on his or her forehead while someone repeats the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Traditionally, the ashes are made from the palm leaves used during Palm Sunday of the prior year to reinforce the symbolism.

During Lent, worship services also have a number of slight alterations. Some churches may cover ornate decorations or flowers in dark cloth to heighten the reflective and somber mood. Many churches strike the word “Alleluia” from their normal liturgy as a reminder that Lent is a time of repentance and not a time of celebration.

Lent concludes with the most important week on the Christian calendar: Holy Week.

Holy Week begins with the procession of palms on Palm Sunday, symbolizing Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem, and ends with Holy Saturday, when Christians mourn the death of Jesus and anticipate his resurrection.

Different churches observe Holy Week in various ways. Maundy Thursday is typically reserved for a service where participants wash each other’s feet. Other churches observe this occasion by stripping the altar of everything, like flowers and candles, in anticipation of Jesus’ crucifixion and death on Good Friday. On Good Friday, Christians reflect on the Crucifixion and mourn Jesus’ death. Many churches facilitate this by taking participants through the Stations of the Cross, fourteen images that tell the story of Jesus’ walk to Golgotha and his crucifixion.

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In some ways, Holy Week is Lent in its purest form: full of symbolism intended to call Christians to repent and reflect on our faith, but also full of community that reminds us that even in the darkest moments, we are not alone. Lent can be somber and sobering, but it’s not about the darkness, it’s about preparing ourselves to see the light.

When we fully give into it, when we participate in the repentance and the introspection that Lent invites us to do, then we wake up on Easter Sunday with clear eyes and full hearts. On that morning, when we say together, “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” the celebration will resonate in our very bones.

Ben Howard is the lead editor for Youth Ministry Partners. He received his nasters in Theological Studies from Lipscomb University and currently resides in Nashville. He has been described by his friends as “a huggable muppet” and “not intimidating.”

Lenten Book Picks Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week by Amy-Jill Levine

The Gift of New Creation: Scriptures for the Church Seasons by Thomas L. Ehrich

Although the Bible gives us insights into what Jesus was thinking between the time he entered into Jerusalem and the night he spent in the garden of Gethsemane, we can’t totally relate.

But what if we look at the “ordinary” people who witnessed the Passion events: the women around Jesus and his disciples?

Or the “bad” guys: Judas, Pilate, and Caiaphas? If we look closely at the people who were part of Jesus’ life during the last days before the Crucifixion—their relationships and roles in the story—how might that deepen our understanding of what happened? In Entering the Passion of Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine explores the biblical texts surrounding the Passion story to help us fill in the blanks.

The Gift of New Creation invites us to explore God’s saving and redeeming love through a study of the lectionary Bible readings for Lent and Easter.

Key Scriptures call us to prepare and contemplate God’s restoration and new creation through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Through the readings, we hear the invitation to embrace God’s salvation and the new life offered to us through Christ. The season of Lent offers opportunities to reflect on God’s redemptive action and to explore means of grace that help us move into new life in Christ. Transformation is a key focus of Lenten worship, study, and prayer. We will discover the salvation and renewal of creation revealed through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

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Jump-start Your Fitness Goals F

itness is central to your well-being and ability to enjoy life to the fullest; however, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. How do you find new interest and motivation so you’re ready to maximize the warm-weather months?

Dan Gaz, physical activity and assessment program manager at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, says people can do many things to get a jump-start on their health and wellness.

“Fitness doesn’t have to be complicated or boring,” says Gaz. “There are many creative ways to implement fitness activities into your life that are both fun and invigorating.”

Gaz suggests five simple ways to get a jump-start on fitness and energize your workout routine.

Try Something New Gaz says getting outside your comfort zone can be beneficial to your health.

“Trying something new helps keep your fitness plan fresh. Plan a visit to the local farmers market to pick up produce. Sign up for a 5k run, or look at your local community education or rec center class catalog and sign up for activities. The social dynamics of these types of events benefit mental as well as physical health.”

Get Outside “Getting outdoors is rejuvenating,” Gaz says. “Taking a walk in nature is a nice change of pace that is good for the body and mind.” You can go for a walk, run, or take a stroll around a local park. “Just 18

being outdoors shakes things up, and you may find higher levels of energy as you breathe in the fresh air. Plus, getting a daily dose of vitamin D from the sun does the body good.”

Bring Friends “It’s no secret when you work out with other people, they tend to hold you accountable, but there’s also more benefit than just that,” says Gaz. “When you take an exercise class, join a running club or biking group, you may end up pushing yourself harder. The people next to you become your exercise advocates, and suddenly you’ll have the desire to keep up and do more. This can accelerate reaching your fitness goals.”

Rethink Commuting “Anything you can do to break up the monotony of sitting is a good thing.” Try being creative in commuting and how you travel throughout the day. “If possible, walk or bike to work or the grocery store.

You can also take the bus, get off a couple blocks early, and walk the rest of the way. A little planning ahead of time can help you accomplish multiple things at once: you’re getting exercise, completing an errand, and reducing your carbon footprint.”

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Be Purposeful “You may only have a few minutes a day to dedicate to exercise, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a big impact,” says Gaz. “Being purposeful with your choices is important. For example, use intervals in your workout routine to maximize outcomes. If you enjoy walking, do a brisk thirty or sixty seconds, then walk slower for the same period of time before pushing yourself again. This type of interval training is simple, yet highly effective. It works similarly for other activities like swimming, biking, and running.”

To find more tips about improving your health with creative approaches to exercise, visit healthyliving.mayoclinic.org.

Source: Brandpoint

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Praise Art: A Ministry for and

by Visual Artists

By Kathryn Hoppe

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ver since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

Artists through the ages have been inspired by the wonder of God’s creation and words from the Holy Bible. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Christian poets, musicians, and visual artists reflect their understanding and faith in the bountiful love, protection, and beauty of what God does for them.

The contemporary church does not as often use the works of visual artists to the degree it employs music and literature. Yet, the ability to reflect creation and illustrate the history of faith with artwork has been historically recognized as a God-given talent and an important ministry for the church.

My personal mission in my senior years has been to make, share, and encourage other artists to make biblically inspired art.

Artists, ministers, and volunteers have used this artwork for various outreach and care ministries.

The first group project I embarked on was collecting clear glass vases from the closets 20

of our members and transforming them with paintings and Scripture. We worked with women in a shelter to complete our goal of making five hundred Praise Vases. We distributed the vases at a Christmas service so that the congregation could in turn give them as gifts of love to help others celebrate Christmas.

A year later, our group made Christian Art Trading Cards (ATCs). With ATCs, artists share art with each other. ATCs are the size of standard playing cards. We included Scripture on our cards along with artwork.

We sent hundreds of cards to military personnel and residents in assisted-living facilities. We also make larger versions of the trading cards, Praise Art cards, which are postcard-sized.

For the last few years, I have put Scripture verses on the backs of my paintings. Godinspired artwork is a joy for the artist making it. Scripture-inspired images make the artwork meaningful for Christian collectors.

If you are a Christian artist praying about how to use your God-given talents in ministry, join in our Praise Art movement!

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Finding Inspiration 1. Start with Scripture.

Ponder the words of your favorite Scripture.

Some verses describe visual images.

For example, Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow seed or harvest grain or gather crops into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth much more than they are?”

Psalm 66:5-6 says, “Come and see God’s deeds; his works for human beings are awesome: He turned the sea into dry land so they could cross the river on foot. Right there we rejoiced in him!”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 tells us: “Happy are those who trust in the Lord, who rely on the Lord.

They will be like trees planted by the streams, whose roots reach down to the water. They won’t fear drought when it comes; their leaves will remain green. They won’t be stressed in the time of drought or fail to bear fruit.”

Psalm 19:1-2 says, “Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming his handiwork. One day gushes the news to the next, and one night informs another what needs to be known.”

We, as artists, can hone our eyes and ears to the visual messages in Scripture and use our God-given talents to reflect and share the gospel with Praise Art. 2. Look around you.

When did a landscape awe you, resulting in a Scripture crossing your mind?

When did an image come to you upon hearing a selection of Scripture?

As Christian artists, the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and is present in the world around us, reminds us of the glory of God. Look at the world around you to find God’s majesty in the things you see.

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3. Look at Scriptureinspired artwork.

What do you think inspired the artist to create this image?

Prayerfully read the Scripture that accompanies the artist’s artwork.

How does viewing this work expand your understanding of Scripture?

Do you know another Bible passage that could have been the inspiration for this artwork? (If you cannot think of another verse, try describing the artwork in your own words. Then, using your Bible concordance, use some of your words as keywords to find related Scriptures that might inspire you.

Example: Look up “heaven” and find a Scripture that inspires an image.)

4. Look at your own artwork.

Look at your existing artwork and try to remember the inspiration or reason you chose to capture that particular image.

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Using Your Art in Ministry I encourage you to think of ways to use your art in ministry. With computers and easy access to copy/print stores in most communities, it is fairly easy to publish postcards and note cards. A computer-savvy friend in my Sunday school class taught me how to use Microsoft Word, and I can now create and print my art at home. We are blessed with our God-given gifts to be a blessing!

One day an employee at the drugstore was helping me navigate entering my photos in their photo printer, and she asked how I was going to use these photos of my artwork. I told her I was writing an article for a Christian magazine about using art and Scripture in ministry. She shared that she read a Bible verse on her smartphone each day and often shared them with her Facebook friends. I carry my Praise Art cards with me and offered her one.

She smiled, and after reading my card which had a picture of sparrows and Matthew 10:2931, she placed it on her heart and said she needed that message. She smiled and said she would treasure the card. To share my card was a blessing for me that day.

We have now started a “Praise Art Ministry” at Mt. Bethel UMC to make and share Praise Art postcards and note cards. Approximately twenty artists in the congregation meet together once a month to share our new cards and experiences using them. The church will soon begin printing our cards so they can be used in care ministries by our ministers and volunteers.

In one meeting, when we were together making Praise Art cards, a new church member who had joined our group declared, “I have found my tribe, my place in the church in this group!” Like members of the choir, our Praise Art group is very special to us. We are always open to new ways to work and worship with fellow artists using our God-given talents.

Kathryn Hoppe is eighty-one, a retired art educator, arts administrator, painter, and arts patron with the mission to reflect God’s beauty and share Scripture with her artistic talents. She holds a BS in Art Education, a Masters in Elementary Education, an Arts Specialists Degree, and an Honorary Doctorate from Savannah College of Art and Design.

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Can Gardening and Plants Reduce Stress?

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n today’s busy world, we’re continually searching for new ways to slow down and unwind. This has led more people to discover the calming benefits of gardening and how incorporating plants into decor provides a way to reduce everyday stress.

Studies have shown that indoor plants clean the air by removing airborne toxins and can make people more relaxed. In fact, the very act of planting and maintaining a garden provides relaxing stress relief in today’s busy world.

With such pronounced benefits, there are many reasons people who live in crowded cities and spacious suburbs have taken up gardening. For a closer look, green industry experts at RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) offer these five ways gardening can help you create a stressrelieving sanctuary at home.

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Add a fiddle leaf fig to your living room.

With large, waxy, green leaves that look like a fiddle, the photogenic fiddle leaf fig adds a stunning pop of green to any living space.

The trees thrive in bright to medium light and prefer room temperatures. Water them only when the surface of the soil is dry or when the leaves start to wilt; you’ll know your tree is happy when its leaves are perked up toward the sun. Caring for the tree energizes your mood and, in turn, its healthy green leaves liven up your home.

Grow an herb garden in your kitchen.

Home chefs and foodies alike know how important it is to have fresh herbs on hand.

Rosemary, mint, sage, and basil thrive in small terra cotta pots on your sunny windowsill.

They not only add the finishing touch to a meal or a refreshing drink, but tending your

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herbs helps to relieve daily stress while enticing you to experiment with new healthy recipes featuring your homegrown harvest.

Improve air quality with aloe vera plants.

Most people know about the medicinal properties in aloe vera plants. Many of us have slathered aloe gel on after getting a sunburn. In addition, these plants are great for purifying the air. Aloe vera thrives in sunny spaces and at room temperature, so make sure to position it near an interior window to help maintain a healthy plant.

The wellness benefits of caring for and being around plants are endless. The next time you’re feeling stressed, spend some time in the garden or take a stroll through a park to enjoy the greenery and the natural comfort that comes with being surrounded by plants.

To ensure they stay healthy and vibrant, visit www.debugthemyths.com, where the experts at RISE offer more tips and advice on how to care for the plants in your garden and home.

Source: Brandpoint

Put a snake plant in your office or wherever you’re most busy.

Offices and cubicles can be some pretty sterile spaces, which can make it hard to stay motivated or feel content during the workday.

There are a million and one reasons for putting a plant in your office and, because you need to focus on the work at hand, you need a stress-free plant. When it comes to caring for a plant, it doesn’t get much easier than a snake plant. These beautiful plants grow in a wide range of lighting conditions and at any normal room temperature. They offer a lowmaintenance boost of tranquility, produce oxygen, and because sometimes you go on vacation, can go weeks without water.

Liven up your shaded bathroom with a peace lily.

The dark leaves and curvy white blossoms on a peace lily are easy on the eyes and easy to grow. Perfect for those less-well-lit areas of the house, peace lilies thrive in shade and can withstand a variety of temperatures.

Looks aside, they’re known for reducing both airborne toxins and mold, making them the perfect plant for bathrooms or other damp areas of your home.

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A Man with a Pig

By Carol Mowdy Bond

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here’s a man who sells baskets to tourists near a beautiful waterfall on the Hawaiian Islands. He prayed for a way to tell people about Christ. He claims, as a result of his prayers, that God gave him a little brown pig. Now the man keeps the pig tethered beside him where he sells baskets.

As a result, tourists stop so they can pet the friendly porker. When they do, the man tells them the story about how God gave him the pig. And now he spreads the good news of Jesus all the time.

Are people with the titles of preacher or pastor or priest or missionary the only ones with the responsibility to tell others about God and Jesus? Or, are the rest of us—those of us with everyday jobs and responsibilities outside of ministry careers or those of us who are retired—also supposed to represent God to those around us?

The apostle Paul was more than just a preacher and letter-writer of God’s words. At times, he was a tentmaker. I’m sure he needed the money to buy groceries and clothes when he was preaching. But I don’t believe that he just quickly and quietly made tents, grabbed his paycheck, and then hit the road to preach some more. I can see him telling others about Jesus while stitching those tents. I also see him as an example to the rest of us, that no matter what we do and no matter our season 26

of life, we’re to draw others to God. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he clearly said, “So how can they call on someone they don’t have faith in? And how can they have faith in someone they haven’t heard of?” (Romans 10:14).

I wonder, in my everyday activities, if I actually want opportunities to tell others about God and Jesus every single day. Do I really have time for this on a regular basis?

Would I be willing to make time for this? Have I specifically done anything to bring these opportunities into my daily life? Or, do I just say I care, then grab the occasional chance when it comes my way?

I guess it all comes down to whether or not I really am serious about God and Jesus.

And whether or not I really care about other people. Do I think my daily agenda is more important than others and their needs? Or am I willing to slow down, stop what I’m doing, reach out to strangers, and tell them about God’s love?

“How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the good news” (Romans 10:15).

A native Oklahoman with a BA in history from OSU, Carol Mowdy Bond is a historian, published author, and amateur photographer. A member of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Choctaw Nation Artist Registry, she and her sister comprise an art, photography, and writing team: Chahta I Tek Tuklo: www.twochoctawsisters.com.

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Perils of a Parish Secretary

By Phylis Campbell Dryden

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was a corporate secretary fifty years ago, back in the day. When my boss asked me to pick out his wife’s birthday present on my lunch hour, I thought I had seen it all.

But nothing quite prepared me for the unique position of being a church secretary.

At first, it was a temporary assignment.

I agreed to fill in for four months while a Lutheran church secretary had back surgery.

She had been on the job for nineteen years, so everything she explained to me during my half day of training was, in her words, “simple.”

Nothing is simple in a liturgical denomination such as the Lutheran Church, where services change throughout the church year. Whereas I naively supposed the “bulletin fairy” had put the Sunday bulletin together—organizing the hymns, the Scripture readings, and the ever-changing page numbers of the service itself—I soon learned what a mammoth task it is to compile a bulletin, run it through a printer, then fold it and collate it.

Oh, the paper I wasted in putting our sixpage bulletin in the wrong order or running it off with the backsides of the pages upside down! Every week the recycling bin would be full of my mistakes. During my first week on

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the job, the bulletin even had the wrong date.

Although two proofreaders reviewed my work, mistakes somehow managed to sneak their way into the bulletin on a regular basis.

When I listed the Mary Circle’s meeting time as 9:00 instead of 9:30, someone caught my mistake on Sunday morning and notified me. I started hand-correcting each bulletin, when the person stopped me, saying, “The women in the Mary Circle already know when they meet, and the others don’t care.”

My temporary job turned out to be permanent. After two years on the job, I wish I could say I have totally mastered the art of doing a perfect bulletin, but so far that hasn’t happened. A stray comma here, a double period there, a female name when a male’s is intended—all my errors conspire to keep me humble and remind me that perfection is an elusive and perhaps unrealistic goal.

Being a church secretary today probably isn’t what it used to be. The phone seldom rings, since people use email when they think of something they want to say.

I doubt that church secretaries of yesteryear had to contend with some of the calls I do get. One day a man called to say

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the IRS had a warrant out for my arrest.

When I said, “This is a church,” the con man hung up.

Another time a salesperson was making calls through a machine which dials random numbers. He telephoned and asked to speak to the owner. “That would be God,” I informed him.

Almost every church knows what to expect at the end of the month, when benefit checks haven’t come yet and people can’t make ends meet. Most callers ask for money. When they can’t get cash, however, they will settle for groceries. One erstwhile caller told a pastor that he expected some snack cakes to be part of his grocery order.

There was doubtless a time when churches were unlocked and people could come in and talk to the church secretary anytime they wished. That time has long since passed in our area.

Our church recently installed a security system, whereby a stranger cannot enter the church without being buzzed in.

Some may find this hard to understand, but even within my short time of employment as a church secretary, I can see the need for added security. One day a man tried to enter the building, waving some papers at the security camera and claiming he had just gotten out of the hospital and was stranded. I was alone, so I did not allow him in. Soon, I saw him walk around the building and get into a waiting car.

Stranded? I don’t think so. I have since learned that this same ploy was used on someone else after a church service.

My most dramatic experience happened when a young woman entered our building by coming through the preschool in our basement. It was

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November. The woman was pregnant, barefoot, and wearing only a nightgown.

Her husband had thrown a pail of cold water on her, then chased her through a nearby cemetery. She had escaped by pleading for help from someone dropping off a child at preschool.

By rummaging through our lostand-found, I found something for the pregnant woman to wear. When the pastor arrived, he sat with her for a while and tried to help her. Eventually, he intervened in the situation with her husband, and the matter was settled without involving the police.

A church secretary never knows what kind of situation he or she may encounter: a grieving family member or someone who is writing an email to air a grievance. In the latter case, my policy is to practice “active listening” by repeating the writer’s feelings, saying, “So you’re feeling hurt and left out?” I end with the words, “I’m so glad you brought this to our attention. I’ll look into it and get back to you.” I always take people’s complaints seriously.

Although it takes only a little act of kindness to make someone happy, it is often little negative things that make parishioners angry, so angry that sometimes they leave the church and never come back. As a church secretary, I try to find some small thing to bring joy to another person, such as remembering a birthday or anniversary. But I stop short of including snack cakes in every grocery order.

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Phylis Campbell Dryden lives in West Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Retired from college teaching, she is a township commissioner and a church secretary/treasurer.

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Hallmark:

Grandparents Everywhere Need You!

by Vicki Bahr

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reeting card companies have missed an opportunity. I’m certain of it. There should be an entire line of thankyou cards that grandparents can carefully select and send to our children to express our gratitude for the opportunity to touch immortality.

I can’t wait to line all seven grandkids up on the living room couch every Christmas, just as my mother-in-law Maxine always did with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She smiled knowingly as they squirmed and screamed and made rabbit ears behind each other’s heads. As we parents tried to calm them, straighten dresses and ties, comb down cowlicks, and wipe runny noses, she instinctively knew that the unplanned, unruly photographs would be the ones we would treasure in future years.

When Maxine was in the hospital for the last time, no longer able to speak and slipping in and out of consciousness, our niece brought the newest great-grandchild to visit, against all logic and professional wisdom.

She sat little Mary Grace on the hospital bed, and we all watched in amazement as Maxine sat up, smiled, and reached her arms out to the baby. As she approached the end of her life, perhaps, just perhaps, she recognized a soul so recently touched by God. They were kindred spirits on opposite brinks of eternity.

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I remember worrying when our sportsjock son found out that he and his wife were expecting a baby girl. We crept into the hospital room and marveled at our son sitting utterly still in a rocking chair, holding our first grandchild, Makena. She had his finger firmly gripped in her tiny hand, and I knew his heart was home. He looked up at me and whispered, “Why didn’t you tell me, Mom?” How can I explain to the greeting card companies that there should be a way to express how blessed I felt at that moment?

As poet Robert Browning wrote, “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”

Grandparenthood is truly the epitome of that.

When the grandchildren are with us, we are kids again ourselves. My heart overflows as I see the smile on my husband’s face that I recognize from so long ago. There are no worries; life is no longer forcing him to be practical or logical or to act his age. I fall in love all over again with the man I married.

Grandpa John loves being the one who first sneaks a contraband snack or sip of soda, the first to introduce a messy ice cream sandwich or share a juicy piece of watermelon with the grandkids. Our children just shake their heads at the things he encourages the grandkids to get away with, things that would have guaranteed a stern look from him years ago when he was the dad. Extra pancake syrup?

You bet! Stay up late to catch lightning bugs?

Why not?

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Grandchildren are love, pure and simple. I realize now just what the prayer uttered at our wedding really meant . . . “May you see your children’s children.” Now, my very selfish prayer is that we live to gaze into every one of our yet-to-be-born grandchildren’s eyes, that we will be blessed to watch all of them as they grow, be allowed to participate in holidays and proms and weddings, every seemingly minute moment of their lives.

Yes, we need some greeting cards that will express just how powerful this journey is.

Hallmark, your mission awaits!

Vicki Bahr is a newly retired mother of four, grandmother of seven, and wife of forty-five years. She is an incurable optimist, lover of words, and inveterate story sharer.

{ } “Allow the children to come to me,” Jesus said. “Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children.”

(Matthew 19:14)

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Festive Fun for St. Patrick’s Day T

urn your St. Patrick’s Day celebration into a chance to enjoy Irish heritage with hearty foods and a lively atmosphere. When it’s the one day each year it’s acceptable to pinch nonconforming friends and family, it’d be a shame not to go all out.

These few simple tips can help you put together the perfect party to revel in all things green and tasty.

• Decorate with purpose. Everyone knows that green is the color of the day, but go one step further by incorporating it into different items. Banners and streamers work fine, but setting out green candles or even adorning your light fixtures with green bulbs can take your decor to the next level.

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• Create active fun. Instead of limiting your guests to dining and conversation, plan some simple activities to help the fun flow.

Games like a treasure hunt for gold coins, limerick-writing competitions, or even just turning up traditional Irish music can get the party started.

• Eat festively. Turn your party’s food and drinks into true Irish dining with some delicious recipes like this American Irish Stew, which includes beef, onion, carrots, and potatoes for a tasty cultural meal to fill all of your hungry guests.

For more hosting tips and the perfect themed recipes for any occasion, visit culinary.net.

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American Irish Stew Reprinted with permission from the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Servings: 6 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 1/4 pounds beef, top round, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced salt, to taste; pepper, to taste 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 2 medium parsnips, cut into large chunks (optional) 3 cups low-fat, reduced-sodium beef broth 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 leek, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

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In large pot over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add beef and garlic. Cook, gently stirring until meat is evenly browned.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add onion, carrots, and parsnips. Cook 3–4 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 75 minutes, or until meat is tender.

Stir in potatoes and simmer another 30 minutes. Add rosemary and leeks. Continue to simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender. To avoid potatoes falling apart, do not overcook.

Serve hot and garnish with parsley, if desired.

Source: Family Features

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Simple Seafood Solutions for Lent

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ith people across the country observing Lent, it may be time to rethink the standard family meal menu.

Some people observe a special diet during this season. They may choose to cut out red meat, for example. Some give up red meat for the entirety of Lent, while others may forego it only on Fridays. According to Datassential, 26 percent of consumers observe Lent and of those, 41 percent said they eat fish on Fridays instead of red meat.

Eating two servings of seafood per week— as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans—is one way to make a positive commitment to your family’s and your own health during Lent and throughout the year.

Seafood also provides unique health benefits

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as a lean protein and is a quality source for omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats essential to human health and development.

With so many seafood options available, including Alaskan cod, snapper, salmon, and more, it can be easy to incorporate this nutritious lean protein into your diet.

This simple recipe for Blackened Catfish with Quinoa and Citrus Vinaigrette can help you on your way to a more nutritious meal plan. If you can’t find catfish or prefer to substitute, any whitefish such as cod, mahimahi, or flounder will work.

For more seafood recipes and Lenten meal inspiration, visit seafoodnutrition.org.

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Blackened Catfish with Quinoa and Citrus Vinaigrette Recipe courtesy of Chef Tim Hughes on behalf of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.

Servings: 4

Blackening Seasoning 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon pepper 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon thyme

To make Blackening Seasoning: Combine salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and thyme.

Blackened Catfish 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1 pound catfish, cut into four fillets 5 tablespoons Blackening Seasoning

To make Blackened Catfish: Heat cast-iron skillet to mediumhigh heat with 1 tablespoon peanut oil added. Coat both sides of catfish fillets with Blackening Seasoning. Add catfish to skillet and cook 5–6 minutes per side or until well-done.

Citrus Vinaigrette 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 teaspoon thyme 2 tablespoons olive oil

Quinoa Salad 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1 cup corn, canned and drained or frozen and thawed to room temperature salt, to taste pepper, to taste 1/ 2 cup edamame, shelled and thawed to room temperature 3 cups quinoa, cooked

To make Quinoa Salad: Heat and oil skillet. Add corn; salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until golden brown. Add edamame and sautéed corn to quinoa and set aside.

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To make Citrus Vinaigrette: Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, and thyme.

Slowly add olive oil, whisking until dressing is formed.

Serve Blackened Catfish on top of Quinoa Salad and drizzle with Citrus Vinaigrette.

Source: Family Features

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with Grandkids

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his ride is kinda boring,” complained my twelve-year-old companion. I chuckled and replied “This isn’t the ride, dear.

This is the line to get to the ride.” Her eyes widened as she watched Tinker Bell flit around the room. I had to admit, Disneyworld has found a way to make even waiting in line entertaining.

The greater Orlando area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. Home to a dozen theme parks, it is a city seemingly geared toward children. While the cartoon mice may be more appealing to Orlando’s younger visitors, there is plenty to see and do for us older folks as well.

Disney properties differ from other amusement parks you may have visited. The magic of Disney isn’t focused on thrill rides but on an all-encompassing experience. From the moment you enter the gates, you notice that care has been given to every detail: parking lots, ticket windows, even waiting in line (as my traveling companion and I experienced). The Magic Kingdom is filled

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with wonder, music, and, of course, magic.

Because the focus isn’t on stomach-churning roller coasters (although there are a few), the rides are appropriate for young children and older visitors alike. For example, the Peter Pan ride (whose line was so entertaining) takes visitors on an airship ride high above London and Neverland. Riders float through visually stunning scenes, but they never have to hold on to their glasses or wallets. All of the parks that make up Disneyworld are like this, where visitors don’t have to partake in thrills and spills to have a great time.

Disney isn’t the only game in town, though. The Orlando area is home to moviethemed Universal Studios, SeaWorld, Gatorland, and the Holy Land Experience.

The Holy Land Experience is a living biblical museum where visitors can explore the sights and sounds of the biblical world. You can visit a replica of the Dead Sea Qumran Caves, participate in a Last Supper Communion, and enjoy a performance at the Church of All Nations.

All Disney photos in this article courtesy of Disney.

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Surviving the Theme Parks Let’s face it, almost every tourist who comes to Orlando comes for the theme parks.

The thrilling rides, the beautiful weather, the easy-access entertainment all make for the stuff of vacation dreams. But long days filled with heat and crowds can take a toll.

Disneyworld, Universal Studios, and other theme park properties can be overwhelming.

It’s a good idea to have a game plan before your visit begins. We only had time to spend one day at Disneyworld, and we knew we couldn’t see it all. So, we used a park map we found online to research the attractions we most wanted to visit. We also bought our tickets ahead of time and registered for a FastPass+. The FastPass+ allows you to choose up to three attractions to visit at a designated time to skip the line. If we hadn’t taken advantage of this, we would have spent the entire day waiting in line for three or four rides. Lines at Disney are notoriously long.

Orlando is sunny and bright year-round, which means it’s easy to overheat. Most of the lines at the theme parks will be shaded, but plan on visiting non-ride attractions to break up the day. Find a few musical or comedy shows at each park you plan to visit for some seated, air-conditioned entertainment. This

will help keep you from getting burned out . . . literally.

Choosing Where to Stay When visiting Orlando, there is no shortage of lodging options. The city offers hotels and resorts to fit any budget. If you’re traveling with children like I was, I suggest looking at condos or resorts. We stayed at Magic Village in Kissimmee, which was perfect for our family. The resort has two- and three-bedroom condos, complete with a full kitchen and an outdoor dining area. When the kids wanted to stay up late watching TV, I could retreat to my room for some shut-eye.

One of my traveling companions has severe food allergies, so having the kitchen to prepare meals made things a lot easier (and cheaper).

If you’ll be spending most of your time at Disney parks, consider staying at one of their branded resorts. You’ll have access to free transportation, which will save parking time and money, and those properties also have oodles of built-in entertainment for the kiddos.

Disney or not, when looking for a hotel, look for one with activities for children: a pool, a game room, or on-site events. This will allow your travel mates to stay occupied if you need to rest.

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Minus the Mouse The greater Orlando area is most famous for roller coasters and cartoon characters, but it would be remiss not to mention some of the region’s fun nature-inspired activities as well.

For our trip, we chose to spend half of our time enjoying the theme parks and the other half taking advantage of some of central Florida’s outdoor attractions.

About an hour’s drive south of Orlando, in the middle of the Florida National Scenic Trail, sits Forever Florida. Forever Florida is a 4,700-acre conservation area that offers camping, horseback-riding tours, trail buggy rides, and Florida’s largest zip line park. While I would have been perfectly content with the three former attractions, my young companion convinced me to sign up for the latter. It was my first time on a zip line, and I have to admit, it was thrilling!

Forever Florida is great for extreme sports, but it’s also a wonderful place to spend an afternoon enjoying a nature walk or

bird-watching. If you wander without a guide, be on the lookout for gators!

We headed back toward Orlando for our next journey: an airboat tour with Marsh Landing Adventures. They claim to be the closest airboat tour to Orlando, and it’s about a thirty-minute drive from the Magic Kingdom.

The office for Marsh Landing is located in a park, making it a great place to have a picnic lunch and let the kids run off some energy on the playground before or after the tour.

Our boat took off into the marshy swamps of central Florida with a whoosh! From time to time, we would slow or stop so our guide could point out local wildlife. We saw sharp-toothed alligators basking in the sun, regal egrets taking flight, and directionally challenged American coots flapping wildly to get out of the airboat’s path. We whisked through the marshes with the wind in our hair as the sun set on our family weekend in Orlando.

Rachel Mullen is the Features and Acquisitions editor for Christian Living in the Mature Years.

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Faith in Action

by Brenda Smotherman

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hurches are filled with people who are shining examples of how God’s love knows no bounds. In this spotlight, we offer a glimpse of what that looks like in three US congregations of The United Methodist Church. We hope their stories will encourage you to find ways to share God’s love with others in your personal way.

A Welcoming Soul Anita Mayfield of Centennial United Methodist Church in Roseville, Minnesota, doesn’t think twice about creating fundraisers and personally helping people in need. When a new immigrant family joined her church, Anita reached out to assist them in making a smoother transition to America. She helped them find jobs, locate a home and furniture, and provided transportation. Her heart for immigrants also extends to the larger community as she teaches sewing, secures bus passes, provides meals, and established a scholarship program to help immigrant students learn important skills. She’s also known for organizing events to help raise funds for church mission initiatives.

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Carpenter for a Cause New Paltz (New York) United Methodist Church member Jackson Rogers is a carpenter and craftsman who found his calling in mission work and is using his skills to help renovate homes from Poughkeepsie to Puerto Rico. He participated in a trip to assist the victims of Hurricane Irma in Florida. While there, he purchased an adult tricycle for a woman—whose home sustained significant damage—who needed one to allow her to continue to attend church services. He has traveled to storm-battered Puerto Rico to help them in rebuilding. Closer to home, he’s involved in his church’s “Done in a Day” project in which members spend a day working on someone’s house. He’s also looking forward to training his dog, Jake, to become a therapy dog.

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A Hunger to Help Suzanne Craft Sharpe of Pinetops United Methodist Church in Pinetops, North Carolina, has a heart for children, and uses her position as an elementary schoolteacher and teachers’ coach as a missionary outpost. Heeding her calling to help end world hunger and poverty, she coordinates the church’s Book Bag Buddies (BBB) program that provides meals to schoolchildren to ensure they have food to eat over the weekends. This is especially needed, as her state has been ranked by the USDA to be higher than average on the food insecurity scale. Not stopping there, Suzanne also organizes efforts to bless these same kids at Christmastime.

Personal Application Ask yourself . . . How will I step out to help others and share God’s love as an expression of my faith?

Then determine the first step in accomplishing this, and start today as there’s no time like the present.

Supportive Scripture to Reflect On “Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete” (Matthew 5:48).

“Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time, because I trust you. Show me the way I should go, because I offer my life up to you” (Psalm 143:8).

“Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. You must love them as yourself, because you were immigrants in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34).

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Brenda Smotherman is a senior public relations specialist with United Methodist Communications.

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By Pamela Gilsenan

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o say that Marlyss was quiet about her faith was an understatement.

Somehow, she still got the message across about God’s love, loud and clear.

It wasn’t appropriate to talk about God in our workplace, but people knew the few, including Marlyss, who believed in God. She and I worked with about twelve other women doing administrative support for projects in a medium-sized company.

You have probably seen ads in the paper for companies like ours: “Help wanted in a fast-paced office.” Really, that just means chaos. We would work long hours toward a deadline getting all the paperwork in order for someone to give a presentation, then the dates or specifications changed, and we would have to start over.

Someone’s lack of preparation from the big office became a crisis in our little office.

Often, the presentations failed, and our company didn’t receive the project go-ahead.

Then, everyone was blamed, and everyone seemed to be in a bad mood. Marlyss seemed to take it more in stride than the rest of us.

I remember one particularly large project we had worked on extra hard. Everyone had team spirit and was willing to put in the time to make things work. But on Monday

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afternoon, we found out the project had gone down like a rock. It was like no one even looked at our work before it was declined.

Luckily, there were only a few hours of work left because everyone was very disappointed and angry. Past experience told us everyone would be in a bad mood all week.

On Tuesday morning, in the break room, we found lots of tiny cupcakes in spring colors waiting for our attention when we came in to get early coffee. There was a little note too. “Happy Tuesday!” it said. The handwriting looked familiar to me.

“Did you bring those homemade cupcakes?” I asked Marlyss when I came back to my desk, with one in hand and a mug of coffee. Marlyss smiled.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“Your handwriting,” I responded with a mouthful of cupcake. “I suppose you are going to tell me you just needed to bake to relieve the stress,” I teased.

“No,” she countered, “Jesus told us to feed the hungry and didn’t always specify what people would be hungry for.”

All day long, people were stopping by Marlyss’s desk. I figured they were just saying thank you for the cupcakes. She often baked nice things for our office.

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I noticed a lot more folks than usual, and a number of people from the big office too. Well, she brought enough cupcakes for both offices, I guess. The mood in our office was mellow that afternoon. I had to stay a few minutes late to get organized for the morning. As I looked up, I noticed that Marlyss was the only other person in the room.

“Got a minute?” she asked as she walked toward me. “Sure,” I responded. “Do you need me to help you decide to bring more cupcakes tomorrow?”

Marlyss smiled as she handed me a list with five numbers and some information on it. “It is a prayer list,” she said. “Every time I bring some homemade goodies, folks stop by my desk to thank me. A lot of them didn’t even eat any of what I brought; it is just an excuse so they can ask me to pray for something stressful in their lives. They want to believe in God’s power only in a crisis.

“After that project failure yesterday, there are a lot of stressed folks. I have three times the number of prayer requests that I usually do. I can’t do this all by myself anymore.

And the Bible does say when two or more are gathered in my name. . . .” She smiled.

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rehab and high school, a rocky marriage, someone struggling to pay their mortgage, someone’s relative who needed to decide whether or not to give up a newborn, and someone facing jail for traffic issues.

“Is this all?” I asked.

“No, I have another list for me,” she said.

“You just never know the burdens people are carrying. Besides these issues they are dealing with, they don’t have a relationship with God. Pray for that too.”

“You’d better not bring any homemade goodies tomorrow, Marlyss. If your prayer list is anything like mine, you will be too busy tonight.” I heard her laugh as she went out the door.

Praying for people who aren’t really sure they believe in God is a privilege. It brings peace and comfort and miracles for them and us. I am so thankful Marlyss shared her prayer ministry with me.

Pamela Gilsenan has written for Christian Living in the Mature Years and for numerous other religious publications. She has also worked for a newspaper and writes for other regional and national publications. Four of her pieces have appeared in the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

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Just a Little Talk

By Rita B. Hays

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hile carrying on conversations with children, we often think we are the ones speaking a foreign language, a language that distances their generation from ours. Their complete silence, their sparse words, or their puzzled looks might be a dead giveaway! Yet, as caring and loving older adults, surely we desire to effectively communicate with our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren, the children in our faith communities, the children in our neighborhoods, and the children we come into contact with each day. Possessing the know-how to do so is altogether another story, however. A few tips on effective ways to talk with children can enrich our interactions with them.

Tip Number One: Don’t Talk Down to Children

Tip Number Two: Do Your Homework Children want to talk about issues and events that are age-appropriate and are of interest to them. Ask grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, or children close to you to tell you what appeals to kids their age. Keep informed of current trends and fads. As of this writing, fidget toys are one of the latest crazes, so being aware of this will help you communicate with children at the present time. However, tomorrow something else completely different may capture their attention.

My two-year-old grandson knows nothing about fidget toys. He is too young. However, he has his own Thomas the Tank Engine accessories that occupy a great deal of his time. When not playing with his Thomas trains, he enjoys watching the related television show. So, while it benefits me to talk with the children in my church or community about fidget toys, if I want to communicate effectively with my grandson, I’d better learn the names of Thomas and his friends.

Talking with children requires some homework on our part. Listen to their music, educate yourself on fashion swings, and stay up-to-date with current cultural trends in the world of children and youth.

Baby talk may be acceptable when children are infants and toddlers, but not when they are older. Children desire to be treated with respect. Speak in a pleasant tone of voice. Maintain eye contact. Listen. Don’t interrupt. Be patient. Let children finish their conversation with you, regardless of how long it takes. Offer affirmation. Discuss details with them. Ask questions for clarification. Show your interest in what they are saying with your facial expressions and body language.

Children easily discern interest or lack of interest.

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Tip Number Three: Use Age-Appropriate Language Many churches now reserve a portion of the worship service for a time for children to come forward for a message. Observe how often well-meaning adults, while leading these children’s chats, use vocabulary words well above the concept level of the children. If we are not careful, it is easy for all of us to do the same. When conversing with children, use words they understand. If using a vocabulary word that you are certain a child does not understand the meaning of, take the time to explain what that word means in simple terms. This is especially true when talking about faith matters with children. Adults slip into speaking in familiar religious jargon without realizing children have no idea what is being said or what the words mean.

Tip Number Four: Answer Questions Honestly Children are question-askers and answerseekers. Curious by nature, questions help them learn truths and process life changes.

Children are notorious about asking the questions that catch us off guard. Be prepared. Think ahead about some difficult and challenging questions the children you encounter might ask you. Have your answers ready. And do not be afraid to say, “I don’t know. I will think about that and talk with you later.” Children would much rather you reply to their questions honestly than haphazardly.

Be aware of cultural differences. While chatting with the children at my church, I was speaking of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness and mentioned the word “devil.”

I assumed all of the children had heard of the devil. However, one child had moved to the United States from China. The concept of the devil was culturally unfamiliar to her and she blurted out, “Who is the devil?” I must confess, I was not prepared for her question. I was caught off guard and struggled to give her a spur-of-the-moment adequate answer. www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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Tip Number Five: Ask Open-Ended Questions Avoid asking questions that lead to a yes or no answer. Ask open-ended questions that require children to answer in at least a few phrases or sentences. Using open-ended questions allows you to probe deeper, and you will discover conversations with children last longer and are more fulfilling.

Compare the effectiveness of the following conversation starters: Did you have fun on your vacation?

What did you do on your vacation?

Do you have a pet?

Can you describe your pet to me?

How was school today?

What did you learn at school today?

Effective communication with children can take place without spoken words. Sometimes our presence speaks better than our words.

And finally, the best tip of all.

Communicate with children using the language of love, the language of grace, the language of peace, and the language of faith, for these languages truly cut across generational lines. Both the timeless and timely words of these gifts from God are gifts to all generations. We can use them in all times, throughout the ages, in order to powerfully get across our message.

Rita Hays is an ordained deacon in the Tennessee Conference and serves as Associate Pastor at Matthews Memorial United Methodist Church in Madison, Tennessee. She has authored several books and written curriculum resources for the Upper Room and The United Methodist Publishing House.

Tip Number Six: If Necessary, Communicate Without Words There are times when children refuse to talk. They are tired. They are anxious. They are ill. They have experienced a crisis or trauma. At such times, do not force children to talk; wait until they are willing and ready. Instead, offer an appropriate hug, a smile, a wave, a high five, or an encouraging word. Let children express their innermost thoughts through artwork or crafts, by listening to music, or through active playtime. Compliment the child’s artwork and ask if he or she wishes to explain the drawing to you. Provide craft materials and work alongside the child or offer constructive help. Listen to music with the child.

Play games with the child or enjoy a favorite play activity together. Engaging with children on their level offers them a safe space and comfortable outlet for expressing their emotions. As a result, conversation may happen or not.

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My Husband Gave Me 30 Days F

or years, I’d been praying for God to intervene in my marriage. Five years ago, on Easter Sunday, I prayed even more earnestly for God to give our marriage new life. I knew without a doubt that God had heard my prayer. What happened the next day, however, painfully contradicted my expectations.

Bert had never come home in the middle of a workday, but on April 1, he did. “We need to talk,” he said. Nothing could have prepared me for the next words out of his mouth.

“I want a divorce.”

His words sliced through me, and a hard knot formed in the pit of my stomach. I could tell from the look on his face that this was no April Fools’ joke. Bert suggested I begin looking for a place in Louisiana where my family lived—and do it by the end of the month.

While I knew that Bert contributed his share to our marriage problems, I couldn’t ignore my part. Now I had thirty days to pack and find a new place—or get serious about becoming the wife I’ve always wanted to be.

“God, please change me!” I cried.

While the circumstances seemed bad, God was intervening—in a beautifully effective way. That afternoon, while Bert counted each of my faults on his fingers, I remained seated.

Normally, I would have returned fire by getting in his face and spouting off my list of reasons for hating him. Instead, with tears pouring down my cheeks, I answered, “You’re right, Bert. I do all of those things. I’m so sorry.”

I shudder to think how differently it could have worked out had Bert asked for a divorce before I’d prayed that Easter prayer. It’s not like I suddenly became blind to Bert’s faults.

Rather, God gave me grace to see my own sinful behavior too.

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By Sheryl Boldt

Tears filled my eyes, but I pressed on.

“Bert, I know I’ve messed up. I’m asking for a second chance. I’m not asking you to change.

Right now, let me do all the changing.” I was shocked to hear those words coming out of my mouth. Obviously, God was already at work.

With God’s help, I chose to forgive Bert for his failures and continued to take responsibility for mine. I didn’t do everything right, and sometimes I would slip back into my bad habits, but my repentance was real. I prayed constantly and kept Scripture memory cards nearby so I could meditate on them throughout the day. As I repented of my sins and failures and received God’s mercy, God’s resurrection power transformed my heart.

One day toward the end of my thirty days, Bert approached me. Tears shimmered in his eyes. “Sheryl, I’ve never had anyone love me like you do. I’ve never had someone who was willing to stay with me in spite of my selfish, self-centered behavior.” He reached for my hand and pulled me close. “Will you forgive me?”

Bert walked to the guest room and came back holding his wedding ring. He slid it onto his finger and said, “I’ll never take it off again.” More tears filled his eyes. “I’ve been a fool, Sheryl. I want to ask you to give me and our marriage another chance.”

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Today, while Bert and I continue to take responsibility for our own behavior, we know our marriage is far from perfect. We occasionally fall back into our old ways, but when we do, we don’t stay there nearly as long.

Sheryl H. Boldt serves as a faith/church guest columnist for several newspapers. Her goal is to honor God and encourage others to experience God’s loving presence in a life-changing way. Visit her blog, Today Can Be Different at www.todaycanbedifferent.net.

And now, every April 1, Bert comes home in the middle of the day. But instead of telling me why he no longer wants to be married to me, he takes my hands in his, looks me in the eyes, and says, “Please don’t ever leave me.”

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Color & Pray

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Color & Pray

hristians pray in many ways.

We pray with words. We ask God to meet our needs or the needs of others. We pray for healing, for peace, for hope, for ways out of difficult situations in our lives. We confess our sin and accept God’s gifts of forgiveness and grace. We offer our gratitude and praise for all that God has done and is doing in our lives and in our world.

Sometimes, though, we do not know what words to pray. We find solace in Paul’s words: “The Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case” (Romans 8:26). It is good to know that we can pray by listening, by being still, or by engaging a task that taps into our emotional and artistic selves. We trust God’s Spirit.

We begin to feel what it means to let go and let God. A quiet, prayerful task such as coloring can be an important way to focus, to become quiet, and to welcome the presence of God’s Spirit by focusing on colors and patterns. It offers the added benefit of lowering our stress.

Take a moment now and offer yourself and your time to God. Use markers or colored pencils to color the picture. If words come to you as you color, write them on the page and offer them to God. If they don’t, trust that God knows what you need. Enjoy the time to color and pray.

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Five Tips for Seasonal Allergy Sufferers

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rom flowers poking through the ground to ditching heavy winter parkas, it’s easy to look forward to spring. Unless, of course, you have allergies. Then, the path to warmer weather and additional daylight could be marked with watery eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. Makes it hard to be excited, right?

It doesn’t have to.

“People think they’re doing everything they can to battle spring allergies,” says allergist Bradley Chipps, MD, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI). “But many still find themselves under siege from pollen and other allergens that appear once the weather starts to warm up. What they don’t realize is that by following a few simple rules, they can make life a lot more pleasant and their allergies more bearable.”

1. It may not only be allergies. In some cases, the symptoms you are experiencing may not be caused by allergies alone but by another complication such as asthma.

Research shows two-thirds of people with asthma also suffer from allergies, making symptoms worse during the spring season. If your symptoms include a persistent cough or feeling winded quickly, asthma could be the cause of your trouble. If this sounds familiar, consult your allergist. Your allergist can help identify the source of your asthma and help treat your allergies to manage your symptoms.

2. Take a deep dive for spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning is a must for many people, but if you suffer from allergies, it’s even more important. Clearing dust and cobwebs can ease your sneezing, but for better results, roll up your sleeves and give your home a deep scrub. A thorough cleaning can eliminate allergens such as dust mites and mold.

3. Start your relief early on. Don’t wait for your eyes to begin watering before taking your allergy medicine. Start your 52

medications at least two weeks before the season begins, and they will already be in your system when you really need them.

4. Clean your air effectively. When looking for support to clean the air in your home, don’t choose an ionic air filter. These filters require more airflow to operate properly than most homes are able to provide. Instead, choose a HEPA room air cleaner rated with a Clean Air Delivery Rate. If you have central air, change your filters every three months, and use filters with a MERV rating of 11 or 12 to keep your air as clean as possible.

5. Resist the urge to breathe in fresh air. After months cooped up indoors, you want a fresh breeze, but before you open your windows, beware. Opening windows allows pollen and other debris into your home where they can settle in your carpet or upholstery.

As hard as it can be, you’re better off keeping your windows closed during peak allergy season.

For people with allergies, spring’s annual arrival feels like a mixed blessing. By using the tips above, you can ensure that you have everything you need to make spring great.

Source: Brandpoint

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Birds of the Bible

Puzzle Time

Unscramble the words below using the Bible verse clues provided. (Use the CEB version.) opinegs If the offering for the Lord is an entirely burned offering from the birds, you can present your offering from the doves or __________. (Leviticus 1:14) etsroro Then he cursed and swore, “I don’t know the man!” At that very moment the __________ crowed. (Matthew 26:74) ilqau In the evening a flock of __________ flew down and covered the camp. And in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. (Exodus 16:13) rletvuu Make yourself bald and cut off your hair because of your cherished children! Make yourself as bald as the __________, for they have gone from you into exile. (Micah 1:16) ageel Say, The Lord God proclaims: The great __________ with great wings, long feathers, and full, colorful plumage came to Lebanon and took the top branch of the cedar. (Ezekiel 17:3) sciorth The __________’s wings flap joyously, but her wings and plumage are like a stork. (Job 39:13) prroswa Like a darting __________, like a flying swallow, so an undeserved curse never arrives. (Proverbs 26:2) vdeo John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a __________, and it rested on him.” (John 1:32) nhe Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you. How often I wanted to gather your people together, just as a __________ gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. (Matthew 23:37) rnvea He sent out a __________, and it flew back and forth until the waters over the entire earth had dried up. (Genesis 8:7)

Answer key is on page 54.

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Puzzle Time

Birds of the Bible

Answers to the verses on page 53.

If the offering for the Lord is an entirely burned offering from the birds, you can present your offering from the doves or pigeons.

(Leviticus 1:14) Then he cursed and swore, “I don’t know the man!” At that very moment the rooster crowed. (Matthew 26:74) In the evening a flock of quail flew down and covered the camp. And in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. (Exodus 16:13) Make yourself bald and cut off your hair because of your cherished children! Make yourself as bald as the vulture, for they have gone from you into exile. (Micah 1:16) Say, The Lord God proclaims: The great eagle with great wings, long feathers, and full, colorful plumage came to Lebanon and took the top branch of the cedar. (Ezekiel 17:3) The ostrich’s wings flap joyously, but her wings and plumage are like a stork. (Job 39:13) Like a darting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so an undeserved curse never arrives. (Proverbs 26:2) John testified, “I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and it rested on him.” (John 1:32) Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you. How often I wanted to gather your people together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. (Matthew 23:37) He sent out a raven, and it flew back and forth until the waters over the entire earth had dried up. (Genesis 8:7)

From the well-known image of the dove to the birds that gorge on the flesh of the defeated “beast” in Revelation, birds play a dynamic part in Scripture. They bring bread to the prophets. They are food for the wanderers. As sacrifices, they are the currency of mercy. They also challenge, offend, devour, and fight. To learn more about birds of the Bible, pick up a copy of Consider the Birds by Debbie Blue available now at www.cokesbury.com.

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Romans 8:1 So now there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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s Bible Lessons

Discipleship and Mission

BY D AV I D M O S S E R

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AVID MOSSER is a minister at Salado UMC, Salado, Texas (Central Texas Conference). He was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in Independence, Missouri.

Mosser was an Eagle Scout in 1968 and came to Texas for college and seminary in 1971. He served a yearlong theological teaching internship in Liberia, West Africa. He has served United Methodist churches for 38 years in Texas.

David has three children: Cassie Leann, Robert Ryland, and David Neil, Jr. His PhD is in the academic discipline of Rhetoric from the University of Texas, Austin.

Mosser’s active ministry includes writing Bible curriculum for adults, and articles and book reviews for theological journals; he has taught homiletics at Perkins at SMU for the past thirteen years.

Mosser is also the chaplain for Texas Kairos prison ministry.

UNIT 1: Call to Discipleship 1. March 3 Called to Humility and Hospitality 58 2. March 10 A Costly Call 61 3. March 17 Calling the Lost 64 4. March 24 Calling to Salvation 67 5. March 31 Called to Discipleship 70 UNIT 2: 6. April 7. April 8. April 9. April

UNIT 3: 10. May 11. May 12. May 13. May

Call to Ministry 7 Call and Mission 73 14 Called to Remember 76 21 Called to Proclaim the Resurrection 79 28 Call and Commissioning 82 The Spread of the Gospel 5 Called to Righteousness 85 12 Called to Life in the Spirit 88 19 The Call of the Gentiles 91 26 Called to New Life in Christ 94

Scripture quotations in this section marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org.

Scripture quotations in this section marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org.

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible background information comes from The New Interpreter’s Bible, The New Interpreter’s Study Bible, The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, or The CEB Study Bible.

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Daily Meditations | February 25–March 3 Monday | Proverbs 25:2-7a

In many Hebrew Scripture texts, “king” is a stand-in word for God. Thus, when this text says, “Don’t exalt yourself in the presence of the king,” it is a reminder that we should wait on the Lord. This is a prominent feature of Hebrew Scripture/Old Testament teaching. Other examples include Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31; and Psalm 37:7-9. Do you ever wait for the Lord? How?

Tuesday | James 2:1-7

A human tendency is to have favorites—a favorite food or type of music, for example. Often, we have favorite people with whom we have a common interest. Sometimes we admire them.

The epistle writer James reminds us that although we admire the wealthy, there is a better basis for human associations than wealth. He further tells us that we should treat everyone, both wealthy and poor, impartially. Pray: Lord, enlarge my heart for all kinds of people.

Wednesday | Matthew 5:43-48

Persecutors create a lot of pain. Regularly, they are bullies. My father said that people who want to feel important cause most of the world’s trouble. When we offer love, acceptance, and forgiveness, we might help those bent on persecuting others realize a better way of living. Pray: Oh, God, you know it takes willpower to love and pray for our enemies. Yet, this is your will for us. Equip me to act as your loving child.

Thursday | Ephesians 4:1-7

Being a Christian is sometimes difficult. Some presume we volunteer as followers of Jesus, but the New Testament often tells us that God calls us as disciples. Ephesians reads, “live as people worthy of the call” and “God also called you . . . .” Thus, if we are worthy of God’s call, then we depend on God’s grace. This guidance furnishes us faith and confidence to trust God! Pray: God, help me hear your call with discernment and spiritual judgment.

Friday | Luke 14:1-6

Mature adults believe rules are good. They help us connect with others. Yet, rules we commonly observe sometimes need amending. Today’s text records a time when Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Some legal observers saw this as Sabbath work. Yet, Jesus served with love on the Sabbath. Healing trumped Sabbath law. How do you observe Sabbath?

Saturday | Luke 14:15-24

Most people love dinner parties. They allow us to share not only food but fellowship with others. When we read about great dinners or wedding feasts in the Gospels, they symbolize the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom means many things—politically, socially, economically, and spiritually. It is the summit of Jesus’ promises. Pray: Oh, God, as you prepare my appetite for dinner, prepare my heart for your kingdom.

Sunday | Luke 14:7-14

Proverbs 22:4 tells us that “The reward of humility . . . is wealth, honor, and life.” Most adults seek this trio of qualities. Jesus’ parable today reminds us that humility is the right path for believers. How can we practice humility daily? What traits about humble people you know do you value most?

Key Verse: All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.

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Lesson 1 | March 3

CALLED TO HUMILITY AND HOSPITALITY Lesson: Luke 14:7-14 • Background: Same

Luke was a superb communicator, and many Christian believers hold him as their favorite Gospel writer. In today’s lesson, Luke 14:7-14, Luke’s account continues with some of Jesus’ sayings about entry into God’s realm. The previous chapter, Luke 13, records Jesus teaching on a number of topics and entertaining several questions. Jesus told some parables, healed a disabled woman, and answered a question about who will be saved. The Gospels often depict the Pharisees as foes of Jesus, but in a striking twist, some Pharisees warned him that Herod wanted to kill him—and Jesus responded fittingly (Luke 13:31-33). Eventually, Luke’s account takes Jesus to the home of a leading Pharisee. There, Jesus cured a man with abnormal swelling in his body. That brings us to today’s text—a lesson on generosity and humility.

Luke tells us that prior to the healing of the man, the Pharisees “were watching him [Jesus] closely” (Luke 14:1). Jesus’ dinner host was a prominent Pharisee, and when Jesus “noticed how the guests sought out the best seats at the table” (verse 7), he told them “a parable” about table manners in God’s realm. The example Jesus used was a “wedding celebration” (verse 8). As students of the New Testament Gospels know, the evangelists often used occasions like banquets and feasts to portray the kingdom of God or the kingdom/realm of heaven. Although Luke’s message outwardly fixes on good manners, Jesus concluded that an invitation to God’s realm depends solely on God. In other words, neither the Pharisees nor we ourselves fool the Divine by our human self-promotion! Humility, in part, is not pressing our will on whoever is hosting us for a meal and sitting like we are high and mighty. Humility is the opposite—we are to “sit in the least important place” (verse 10).

Further, for although the first-century cultures, both Jewish and Greco-Roman, frequently slighted the poor, Jesus’ parable prompts all believers to share with them! This notion basically means that giving to those unable to repay imitates the way God wants Kingdom people to relate to one

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another. For the Pharisee leader, this seemed to be a genuine surprise.

Still, we do have an outstanding question with regard to hospitality and humility: How can we offer Christian hospitality in a way that enables those who receive such largesse to preserve their pride? Jesus teaches us: “When you host a lunch or dinner, don’t invite your friends, your brothers and sisters, your relatives, or rich neighbors” (verse 12).

Yet, how we carry this request out is significant.

For Luke, meals enact a powerful image or metaphor for God’s dominion. In Luke/Acts, there are no fewer than forty references to eating or occasions of Jesus being “at the table.” Perhaps Luke used the table as a teaching setting so that he could personally instruct apart from the large crowds. Luke lets us peek in on an intimate moment as the guests jockey for positions of honor.

After Jesus noted “how the guests sought out the best seats at the table,” he told a parable. This parable guides us about how to share and perhaps even more—how to retain humility.

Regarding sharing, one insight this parable offers is that the method by which a person offers assistance to another may be as important as the assistance itself. When someone is on the giving end of a gift, it is often easy to make the recipient feel not so much gratitude as embarrassment—or even shame.

Examples abound for us about this principle of reciprocity. The daughter of a pastor friend got married, and she received many, many gifts from the family’s large congregation. But rather than feel gratitude, my friend instead felt shame. Why? Because he had never bought a single wedding present for any family in his congregation and felt he should reciprocate the congregation and the people’s kindness.

In part, this is what Jesus’ parable addresses.

Jesus first spoke about choosing the seats of honor.

We strive to sit in important places—to see and be seen. Yet, Jesus said that it is better for the host to suggest that we “move up . . . to a better seat” (verse 10) than for the host to have to ask that we give our seat to someone worthy of more

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honor. Of course, in the ancient world, honor and shame dictated conduct. Jesus then offered up gospel wisdom: “All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up” (verse 11). When people attempt to self-create honor, their endeavor is doomed. Jesus no doubt in this teaching realized that although his perspective was counterintuitive, that in practice the one who selected a “more shameful” seat at the table could in a short time be honored by being invited up to a better seat—a more honorable seat. All this done in full view of the guests who gathered at the table. These persons would be witnesses to the honoring of the person who chose first in humility.

Jesus recognized the human desire for competition, whether for honor or wealth, at the parable’s closing. Then Jesus revealed to the disciples how to be truly generous in God’s realm. Jesus directed his words to the host, but all attending paid rapt interest to his words.

In our give-and-take world, we too habitually offer hospitality to those capable of returning the favor. Christmas gifts often are not considered based on relationship, but rather on what is likely to be an aptly reciprocal gift. When someone offers too lavish a gift, it may introduce tension into a relationship. Lavish gifts may also create the shameful feelings that my pastor friend felt regarding his daughter’s wedding gifts from parishioners.

Maturing in Faith

People often ask how we can apply biblical lessons to real life. In this lesson from Luke, we see how Jesus instructed disciples about the most basic of human activity—sitting down and eating a meal with other people.

Many people say they can tolerate almost any character trait in a person with the exception of arrogance, also recognized as conceit, egotism, an air of superiority, self-importance, or condescension. Most noteworthy is that arrogance is the antithesis of humility. I once read a good example of arrogance from music history. This well-known story offers an illustration of the proverb that says, “Pride comes before disaster, and arrogance before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

The “Eroica Symphony” was one of Beethoven’s most celebrated works. He wrote it originally intending to dedicate it to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Beethoven admired the ideals of the French www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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Instead of showing honor by bestowing invitations (or gifts) on those who can without question repay such a debt, Jesus told the host, “when you give a banquet, invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind. And you will be blessed because they can’t repay you” (verses 13-14). In other words, the gift’s motive should not be based on some sort of reciprocity, but rather on what the gift contributes to the recipient’s well-being.

At Thanksgiving or Christmas, for example, occasionally people of genuine good will unintentionally give gifts in ways that shame the poor. In God’s realm, there is a better way. I remember reading about a man who had a large quantity of aluminum cans. He was driving them to a recycling station, but knew he would not get much money for them. Then, he saw a visibly underprivileged man picking up cans by the side of the busy road. The driver stopped and offered his bag of cans to this man, but he refused them, saying, “I don’t need no charity.” So, over the next hill the driver with a good many cans—in fact, several large bags full—pitched them into the ditch. Later, as he returned near the same place, he noted the cans had all been picked up—every can. In this way, the gift was given and the pride persisted intact. We may say that these were “just cans,” but nonetheless, they were a fine gift justly given.

Revolution embodied in Napoleon. Yet, when Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in 1804, Beethoven was outwardly so disgusted by Bonaparte’s act that he erased Napoleon’s name from the title page. Beethoven removed Napoleon’s name with such passion that he left holes in the page.

It is human nature to see other individuals’ flagrant or glaring errors without seeing our own.

But every day, as we go about even the most mundane tasks, we show how we look at ourselves and others. In this lesson, Jesus teaches us about the importance of humility. Whether we are the recipients of hospitality and kindness or the one who offers it, demonstrating humility and extending unselfish hospitality bring fulfillment in this life and the life to come.

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Daily Meditations | March 4–10 Monday | Mark 4:10-20

Mark’s Gospel records this occasion when Jesus tried to help his disciples understand his parables. This is interesting, as Mark’s Gospel does not include as many parables as do the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Yet, Jesus helped them see that the word he speaks is like the broadcasting of seed, a primitive method of planting crops. How is God’s Word, randomly scattered, so effective in the world?

Tuesday | Mark 10:23-31

While it is true that God is all-powerful, the enemies of the divine fight boldly against the good. Despite this, God’s kingdom, symbolized here by the smallest of all seeds—the mustard seed—can be victorious over evil because of God’s power and persistence. Pray: God, help nurture hope and patience in our lives so that we, too, might enter the Kingdom. Amen.

Wednesday | Matthew 10:34-39

When Jesus said, “Those who love father or mother more than me aren’t worthy of me,” he spoke with exaggeration. Of course, family is important to all of us. But Jesus wanted people to understand that now that he as the Messiah had come, everything was different. Jesus challenges us to reexamine all human relationships in light of the Messiah. How do you set your priorities in life in ways that reflect your faith?

Thursday | John 12:20-26

To serve Jesus is to be a disciple who serves those who are the last, the lost, and the least.

Jesus’ gospel ministry reveals he has a heart for those who are down and out—the poor, women, children, and immigrants. If we follow Jesus’ example, God honors our inclinations to obey Jesus’ model. Gracious God, help us be your faithful and following people. Amen.

Friday | Philippians 3:7-16

Paul wrote about participating in the sufferings of Christ. By so doing, Paul was conformed imperfectly into the perfect image of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 11:25-27, Paul actually catalogues these sufferings: “. . . beaten with rods three times . . . shipwrecked . . . dangers from rivers, robbers, my people, Gentiles . . . dangers in the city, in the desert, on the sea, and from false brothers and sisters.” How do we participate in the suffering of Christ?

Saturday | 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Paul and his companions recommended themselves as God’s ministers by their endurance.

Here in 2 Corinthians 6 (and as we noted yesterday in Chapter 11), Paul lists how they endured problems, disasters, stressful situations, beatings, imprisonments, and riots. Their suffering was their witness. Oh, God of Grace, help us endure as those in our Holy Scripture who were faithful witnesses. Amen.

Sunday | Mark 1:16-20; Luke 14:25-33

Here is the good news: many believers have counted the cost of following Jesus and are willing to pay it. They want to pay it. They believe that their vows are worthy of their best efforts before God, who gives us our ability. These disciples want to do everything in their power to make a witness for Jesus and make it the best way they possibly can. In what ways does following Jesus make demands on you?

Key Verse: Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

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Lesson 2 | March 10

Daily Meditations Lesson| January 8 | January 14–20 20

A COSTLY CALL

Lesson: Mark 1:16-20; Luke 14:25-33 • Background: Same Occasionally, the Bible seems, to our modern ears at least, far away. We think, for example, of texts like the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of Psalm 50:9 in which Yahweh says to Israel: “I will accept no bull from your house, nor he-goat from your folds.” The New Revised Standard Version later rendered the text in a less humorous way: “I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.” The Common English Bible (CEB) submits this verse: “I won’t accept bulls from your house or goats from your corrals.” For another example, the New International Version (NIV) translates Proverbs 18:6: “The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating,” which the CEB renders: “The lips of fools make accusations; their mouths elicit beatings.” Thus, that our Bible at times reads this stridently should not surprise us.

As we listen to Scripture, it seems to speak to us in unfamiliar modes, even when we understand the Bible’s English translations perfectly. Our texts for this lesson challenge us to count the cost and recognize the consequences of discipleship.

To become a disciple of Jesus is to “pledge our allegiance” to Jesus. Allegiance is what we offer when deciding whom to follow or where to place our trust. Allegiance is a synonym for loyalty.

Luke 14 records Jesus’ teachings about healing on the Sabbath, sitting at places of honor, and how believers should create guest lists—not necessarily inviting merely “friends . . . brothers and sisters, your relatives, or rich neighbors,” but rather “the poor, crippled, lame, and blind” (verses 12-13).

Jesus’ teaching must have shaken those who lived in a “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” kind of world—as we do today!

People from Jesus’ time and environment often used exaggeration as a way to speak. Semitic culture, out of which the Bible comes, commonly uses hyperbole and overstated language. Writers did this for emphasis.

Jesus regularly used overstatement to make a point. Earlier, Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I have come instead to bring division” (Luke 12:51). www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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Jesus then described division in terms of separated families: “Father will square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (verse 53). In Luke 14:26-27, when Jesus said that those who do not “hate” father and mother, spouse and children cannot be his disciples, he meant that those who want to be part of God’s kingdom must choose not only wisely, but faithfully. The bottom line is that a disciple loves God above all else.

Our lesson today is not the only place where we see biblical textual evidence of highly exaggerated language. Many New Testament parables use hyperbole, also described as exaggeration or rhetorical overstatement. One example of hyperbole is “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” (Matthew 18:23-35). The parable relates the story of the servant who owes ten thousand talents and promises to pay it all back. Jesus’ listeners would have no doubt hooted and laughed out loud. It would have been both physically and fiscally impossible to fulfill such a promise. The servant would not have lived long enough to earn enough to pay off such a debt. Therefore, Jesus’ analogy contrasted what people owe God and what we can pay back to God. When Jesus demanded that disciples “hate” family, a more accurate understanding of his hyperbolic terminology is that disciples surrender dependence on family, and rather depend absolutely upon God and God’s Messiah. A disciple loves Christ and utterly depends on Jesus. Human autonomy apart from God is at the heart of sin, and dependence on God is at the heart of discipleship.

When we trust in this way and respond to Jesus’ call, then we manage our allegiance or loyalty.

Why do you think Jesus said such a severe thing to the crowd? After all, the only thing they wanted was to follow Jesus. I think Jesus said it because he loved them. He wanted to caution them about the essential commitment that being disciples required. Our Lucan text warns all who would follow Jesus. Following Jesus means giving

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up all our other loyalties. It means placing God’s will first. It means taking into account that the gospel is more consequential than even our own lives.

If one is going to build a tower, Jesus said, or wage a military campaign, then prudence suggests estimating what it will take to see the project through to completion. If a person is so rash or foolish to fail to appraise a situation, then he or she ought to expect ridicule. Jesus told the crowd that discipleship is serious business. Aspiring disciples prepare to make a lifelong commitment to the faith thoughtfully, earnestly, and soberly.

For many people today, living purposefully and with faithful commitments is a foreign concept.

We may know people who wink at their church or even their marriage vows as “so many words.” We encounter people who quit worship because they get mad. What if we split our marriages or quit our church each time we got mad?

Yet, here is the good news. Many people have counted the cost of discipleship and not only are willing to pay it—they want to pay it! They believe that their vows before God are worthy of their best efforts. These people want to do everything in their power to make a witness for Jesus and make it in the best way they possibly can.

In Mark’s Gospel account, after Jesus’ baptism and wilderness temptation, he returned to Galilee and began preaching: “Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and

lives, and trust this good news!” (Mark 1:15). This pronouncement indicates that God’s appointed time had arrived and the final era of human history was in sight. Mark’s entire Gospel expands on the verse that reads: “Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!”

As we see in verses 16-20 that follow, Jesus called his first four disciples. Amazingly, they immediately left their previous vocations and followed Jesus. Jesus expressed his command to them in their vocational terms: “I’ll show you how to fish for people” (verse 17). Jesus’ call was so persuasive that no hesitation to the idea was apparent. The first called required no deliberation to make a wholehearted commitment. Those summoned gave up security and family and all familiar things (“leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers” [verse 20]) to devote themselves to Christ’s mission.

As people who have responded to Jesus’ costly call to “Come, follow me,” may we show grace. Instead of criticizing those who do not live up to their vows of discipleship, may we offer thanksgiving for those who do and who want to continue to be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And may we be willing to make the hard choices necessary for faithful discipleship.

Maturing in Faith

this plan before January concluded? We say we want to get fit, lose weight, and keep it off. But the problem is that we don’t change our lifestyles or routines to incorporate more activity into our day.

Somehow, we presume that by never changing, we will suddenly get fit. The only way to get fit is to get moving—and to keep moving.

Spiritually, this same thing is true. If we want to change our relationship with God and/or another person, we must move either physically or metaphorically. When Jesus says to us, “Follow me,” he is inviting us to get moving. If we move, we have the possibility of becoming more spiritually fit.

If we can follow Jesus’ invitation, we can become not only spiritually fit, but also a leader—which in a way is what discipleship is all about. To follow Jesus, we must move!

Our two biblical texts challenge us to think about what it means to follow Jesus, perhaps even to a new identity as a disciple. As we probably know all too well, in order to follow, one must be ready to move. Covert Bailey is a long-time nutritionist.

He is also an expert on how people can get fit, lose weight, and keep it off. One of the things Bailey said that made a lot of sense to me is that if an older person wants to get fit, he or she should follow around a ten-year-old boy for a day. Then, do what he does. When these youngsters play outside rather than watch television or play video games, they are always moving. They are in excellent physical condition because they move and keep moving all day long.

Getting in shape was probably the numberone New Year’s resolution for many people we know. How many of them had already abandoned

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Daily Meditations | March 11–17 Monday | Ephesians 2:1-10

The New Testament often addresses our sinful lives by describing them as our “old life.” By contrast, the “new life” is the life that God has granted us by grace in Jesus Christ. Grateful people recognize this new life as simply a gift from God. Pray: Oh, God, I pray that my gift back to you is a restored life reflecting your image. Amen.

Tuesday | Ezekiel 34:11-16

Often, Scripture refers to God’s people as a flock and God or Jesus as our Shepherd.

This text encourages God’s people that God always seeks us out. When we stray, God’s assurance to us is that God will continuously and always be willing to rescue us from all the places we may be scattered. God, thank you for always pursuing me and restoring me.

Wednesday | Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9

Like a wayward child, Israel repeatedly strayed from God and did not heed the beckoning of its heavenly parent. Nonetheless, the prophet Hosea assured, God never wavered from loving-kindness for the disobedient and strong-willed child. God of Grace, help me recognize that your love for your children never fades. May this divine love persistently comfort me. Amen.

Thursday | Luke 3:12-13; 5:27-32

Repentance comes from the Greek word metanoia, which means to turn around and go a new direction. Jesus calls those who have been going in the wrong direction to turn and become what God has called them to be. Jesus calls us to repent. God through Christ helps us learn to live faithfully, with honesty and integrity. How do you know when you are walking in the wrong direction?

Friday | Luke 15:1-10

Children sometimes play the game of hide-and-seek, but adults being hidden or feeling lost— separated from God—is not child’s play. Jesus’ two parables address the idea of God seeking and finding people like us. Perhaps we become distanced from God because of deliberate, disobedient choices we make. Perhaps it is unintentional. Whatever the reason, God continues to seek us. What things lead you away from rather than toward God?

Saturday | Luke 15:25-32

As you consider this familiar parable, think specifically about the older of the two brothers.

He has always worked faithfully. He has always done what others asked of him and then some. Yet, when his “prodigal” (wasteful, careless) younger brother returns, he feels slighted because of the grand reception he got. With whom do you most identify in this story? Why?

Sunday | Luke 15:11-24

The father in this story loves both of his sons. One has gone far away; the other stays home.

Both seem to have forgotten that their father loves them unconditionally. Perhaps we also sometimes forget that we are loved. Jesus’ parable reminds us that God loves God’s children regardless. Oh, God, help us remember your great promise of divine love, in spite of the poor choices we make and the resulting circumstances. Amen.

Key Verses: But the father said to his servants, “Quickly, bring out the best

robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! . . . because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!” And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:22, 24)

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Lesson 3 | March 17

CALLING THE LOST

Lesson: Luke 15:11-25 • Background: Luke 15 Sometimes it is interesting to hear people’s comments when they discover the biblical text for a small-group time or a sermon. A Sunday school member remarked recently about Luke 15:11-24: “Oh, no! Are we going to have to hear this Prodigal Son story again?!” I felt some empathy with her comment. About the only thing that is worse than teaching from a text that no one knows is teaching from one that everyone knows. Either kind of teaching is difficult. The unknown is difficult because by the time a teacher explains the context, setting, and circumstances, the time is up. Likewise, about the last thing people want to hear is a rehash of a Bible story they have heard over and over again. As a side note, although our assigned verses end with the prodigal coming home, I want to examine the parable to its conclusion. The contrast between the brothers is noteworthy, as is the equity of the father’s treatment of each son. Each son is guilty of forgetting important things that he should have learned and remembered from a father raising him with such kindness.

I have discovered that often what is easiest to forget is what we need most to recall. We cannot be reminded often enough that people love us. The words “I love you” are among the sweetest words in any language. This story of a loving father reminds us that God loves us, regardless of the choices we make.

In this parable that Jesus told, the younger son forgets several things. First, he forgets who butters his bread—and where. He forgets that everything he has and all the opportunities he has come from his father.

Second, he forgets the respect that is due his father. No respectful or self-respecting child would ask his father (or mother) for his share of the inheritance while the parent is still living.

Inheritance, like most things in life worth having, is a gift and not a right or privilege. This aspect of the story is quite applicable today, as many people live with a sense of entitlement. They seem to want others to define them by their “privilege” or “rank,” which according to their reckoning makes them superior. What really ought to inform

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others’ opinions of us are our moral fiber and our character.

Third, the younger son forgets that his father loves him unconditionally. Whether he is a success or a failure, his father loves him either way. It is for this reason alone that the father receives him back with open arms, a fine robe, and the fattened calf.

As careful readers, we see this fit of forgetfulness as this son approaches the old homeplace and rehearses a contrived speech he thinks will persuade his father to take him back. Yet, from the story and its context, we learn that no speech was necessary.

But what about the elder brother? Does he not also forget some things too? Certainly. He forgets that his father loves both him and his brother, although, like any wise parent, the father may have treated them differently. The loving father treats each of them with unconditional love.

Second, the elder brother forgets that he has a brother and not a rival. Resentment plainly blinds him to the fact that his brother has always been his brother. The elder tips his hand about his attitude when he says to his father: “But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him” (Luke 15:30). His designation for his brother is as his father’s son, “this son of yours,” not as his brother. Each son lacked the respect due a parent.

Third, the elder brother forgets that his father correspondingly loves him unconditionally too.

That his father may never have thrown a party for him was not an emblem of lack of love. Perhaps the father does not know that a party is important to him. Or possibly, it is not important to him until he sees his father throwing a party for his brother. As the French eighteenth-century philosopher Marquis de Condorcet (1743–1794) once said, “Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.”

Maybe this is the elder brother’s difficulty—he is intent on comparing himself to his brother. When we compare ourselves to others, and therefore compete, then no one looks too noble.

Each son assumes he knows how the father would/should react. Neither is prepared for how

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the father truly responds. The younger assumes no one at home will welcome him back until he does penance. Likewise, the elder brother blurts out: “You’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends” (verse 29). The elder brother perceives that others always slight him—even his own father. With his petty attitude, however, we might easily wonder how many close friends he actually has, even if his father had thrown a party for him.

It’s important for us to ask where we fit in to this story. Where do we see ourselves? I heard a high school teacher once comment that every person living or dead fits into Jesus’ brilliant parable of the Prodigal Son one way or another.

This is a parable about remembrance. Remember when you are far from home, that you are loved.

And remember, if you have stayed home and done your duty, that you, too, are loved. Gone far away or stayed home: you are loved. It is an important lesson to remember again and again—even if we already know it.

I remember a television commercial many years ago from the American Express company that included Jerry Seinfeld and Superman.

Combining animation and live action, the commercial marked the first time the cartoon superhero appeared with a major celebrity in an advertisement. But most importantly, the American Express commercials always finished with a tagline: “Don’t leave home without it.”

Maturing in Faith

Luke’s story is a classic tale, often taught in secular colleges. Augustine found comfort in this parable.

We could say Augustine’s Confessions is his story of prodigality. Prior to conversion, Augustine lived the life of a prodigious sinner. He had a mistress, an illegitimate son, and lived a base life.

A reason many consider this parable remarkable is that nearly all people can relate to its characters. For many, the younger son represents adventuresome spirit—a throwing-off of restraints.

“Do your own thing” appears as his motto. He is full of life, energy, and reckless abandon. Part of us relates to this type of personality. He loves risk.

People like this bungee jump and skydive. They thrive on the adrenaline rush of “living on the edge.” Some people really relate to the younger brother because the idea of responsibility and stability seems so remote.

What do we need when we leave home? We need to know that we can love others and that we are loved. What do we need when we stay home?

We need to know that we can love others and that we are loved.

When I was growing up, a friend’s mother always reminded him when he was about to leave his house on a Saturday night with his friends, “Now, Bill, don’t forget who you are.” I thought it was an odd thing to say. Most parents tell the kids to be home at such and such a time, but she always said, “Now, Bill, don’t forget who you are.” All these years later, I now know what she meant. Remember the things that are important to our family when you are out in the world. Don’t forget who and what you are. Our parable is about remembering who we are: we are the people of God, whether we are going to a far country or staying home on the farm. Either way, we are still God’s children whom God loves—unconditionally.

Conversely, doubtless more of us relate to the elder brother. He is close and careful. He always colors inside the lines. He never rocks the boat. He is steady and conventional. He goes to work early and stays late. He knows how to burn the midnight oil. As Mark Twain quipped about this kind of solid-citizen type: “He is a good man in the worst sense of the word.” The truth is we really don’t know what to do with the elder brother because he is so much like us. The church is not sure what to do with him either. We specialize in the younger brother types.

Those who are maturing in the faith recognize that Jesus’ message pertains to both kinds of people. One needs disciplining love, while the other needs the love that enables people to live in connected and abundant ways (John 10:10).

Luke, in this parable, offers us these two extreme characters.

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Daily Meditations | March 18–24 Monday | Exodus 22:1-3; Numbers 5:5-7

To our modern ears, these laws in Exodus and Numbers seem somewhat complicated. If a thief was caught at night and killed, the one who killed him was not considered guilty, while if that happened during the day, then “the one who killed him is guilty of bloodshed” (Exodus 22:3a). Perhaps one reminder for us from these laws is that actions have moral consequences. Oh, God, help us be discerning people. Amen.

Tuesday | Deuteronomy 26:16-19

People abide by certain regulations, ordinances, and laws as they live in relationship with God and God’s people. God offers us grace, redemption, and salvation, and we offer our devotion and commitment to God in thanksgiving and gratitude. What does your commitment to God look like?

Wednesday | Luke 4:38-43

Like the crowds in this Gospel account who tried to prevent Jesus from leaving them, we can be tempted to cling to Jesus and wish for him to do our bidding. Yet, as the disciples and others discovered, Jesus abides in God’s agenda alone. As Jesus told them, “I must preach the good news . . . in other cities too, for this is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). God, help us see and do your will. Amen.

Thursday | Luke 18:15-17

Children are among society’s most vulnerable individuals. Often, because of their immature physical and social status, stronger and older persons can take advantage of them.

Sometimes we just ignore these young dear ones. Jesus raised their status. He used them as an illustration of God’s realm. Oh, God, give us the wisdom to see the things that are important in your sight. Amen.

Friday | Luke 18:18-30

The New Testament Gospels tell us about the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, and eternal life. Each of these terms refers to the fact that God will join us to God in Christ. The so-called rich young ruler wanted to know, “What must I do to obtain eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). Oh, God, remind us that we enter your kingdom because of your grace and mercy and not because of anything we do. Amen.

Saturday | Luke 18:35-43

One of the ways Christians speak about salvation is as a gift of healing or of God making us whole. The man who was blind suffered for many years, but Jesus brought him healing.

What Jesus did for those in the Gospel accounts, God asks us to do for others in the world.

Gracious God, help us offer Jesus’ healing power to the world. Amen.

Sunday | Luke 19:1-10

Most people regard tax collectors like Zacchaeus as the enemy of the common public.

When Jesus told Zacchaeus that he was going to Zacchaeus’s house that day, everyone was surprised, and many were disappointed. But this gift of Jesus’ acceptance caused Zacchaeus to remedy his former wrongs with respect to his tax collecting. How do we offer salvation or healing to those we sometimes envision as the enemy?

Key Verse: The Human One came to seek and save the lost.

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(Luke 19:10)

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Lesson 4 | March 24

Daily Meditations Lesson| January 8 | January 14–20 20

CALLING TO SALVATION Lesson: Luke 19:1-10 • Background: Same

Jesus announced to Zacchaeus, “Today, salvation has come to this household” (Luke 19:9). We might rightfully guess that most of the people hearing Jesus in Jericho that day were shocked. Shocked!

This was because Zacchaeus was a tax collector.

No doubt the Jews of Jericho judged Zacchaeus as a sinner, as he worked for the despised Roman Gentiles. On top of people’s feelings about Zacchaeus, Jesus stated out loud that salvation had come to his house.

Some people think of salvation as getting their ticket punched to heaven. Yet, the New Testament also addresses salvation as a present-day reality for us. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, the apostle Paul wrote, “I want to call your attention to the good news that I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. You are being saved through it if you hold on to the message I preached to you, unless somehow you believed it for nothing.” Salvation is not, then, merely the past event of Jesus’ crucifixion or God giving us salvation as a gift for some future state of being, as “in heaven.” Paul wrote of salvation as happening now, by which we are “being saved.”

Thus, it is perfectly true that we could consider salvation as our living in faith which includes past, present, and future.

Many Christians picture “justification,” “salvation,” and similar words as words that signify something we possess, something we own.

Likewise, we frequently speak about “faith” as if it were a thing or an object—something we have or possess. Yet, in the New Testament, these terms each can refer to a process. These are things that God and Jesus do for us. God gives us our life as a gift in Christ. Our part of God’s giving is to accept in faith our life and salvation as a gift. What we do and how we contribute to God’s realm is our expression of gratitude. We do not earn salvation nor are we justified by what we do—this is simply and clearly God’s doing for us. God offers salvation, and we are free to accept it as a gift. Our faith response demonstrates our seizure of so great a gift.

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divine transaction. Yet, the words used in the New Testament for salvation are much richer than that. One word, soteria, is a Greek noun and means several things. It can mean deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation, healing, and wholeness. Sozo is another New Testament Greek word for salvation. Sozo is a verb that means to cure, to make well; to rescue from danger; to cause something to change to an earlier, correct, or appropriate state; to renew. In fact, some scholars understand that “salvation means health.” The word soteria and its meaning is what is at stake in this text from Luke 19.

Zacchaeus not only received eternal salvation, but Jesus also healed him of his afflictions. For someone who seemed willing to do anything for money—including working for the Romans— he needed a giant measure of grace. We hear Zacchaeus say, “Look, Lord, I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much” (verse 8). This offers proof that Jesus changed both Zacchaeus’s life and his outlook.

As is true for many of the stories we find in Luke’s Gospel, the Zacchaeus account does not appear in any of the other three Gospels. The story of this tax collector Zacchaeus is another of Luke’s fruitful contributions to the narrative about Jesus and his ministry. Regularly, scholars identify Luke as the evangelist who had a particularly deep concern for the poor, women, resident aliens, and children. This judgment suggests that Luke’s concern was with those who did not sit near the places of power in first-century culture. For that reason, we may be surprised that a main character of this story is described as “rich” (verse 2).

The Zacchaeus account follows the account in which Jesus healed a blind beggar near Jericho.

Luke repeatedly placed his stories in a particular sequence to allow their context to interpret the events (see the three parables in Luke 15, for example). Thus, as Jesus healed a blind beggar, he next “healed” (or offered salvation) to a rich tax collector. As verse 2 tells us, Zacchaeus was “a ruler among tax collectors.” We might

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interpret these two parallel stories as suggesting that although Jesus had concern for the poor and sightless, Jesus also cared about the rich. In this encounter with Zacchaeus, Jesus confirmed an earlier complaint against him that he was “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34).

In the previous chapter, Luke 18:18-23, Luke relates an encounter between Jesus and the so-called “rich young ruler.” He asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to keep the commandments, he responded that he had done so since his youth. Jesus then added: “There’s one more thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me” (18:22). This rich young ruler found it hard to give up his wealth.

Zacchaeus, a tax collector working for the Romans, was also rich. He was a scorned person and an outcast from Jewish society. In order to work for the Roman government, he had seemingly cast off his Jewish faith. Worse yet, he united with the occupying force that oppressed the Jewish population. Thus, we might presume that Zacchaeus had abandoned his faith by becoming a chief tax collector for Rome.

Here is how the tax system worked for the Romans. Tax collectors sent a certain sum of taxes to Rome each year. The tax collectors got to keep anything they collected above that set amount.

To protect their property and family from financial

ruin, people paid a tax collector whatever the collector demanded. Zacchaeus accumulated great wealth from fleecing poor Jews. Thus, most if not all tax collectors were detested. Rightly or not, the Jews considered them traitors to the faith.

Even so, Zacchaeus was curious about Jesus.

Jesus, as he so often did, sensed Zacchaeus’s presence. Zacchaeus was up in a “sycamore tree” (verse 4). Jesus even invited himself to Zacchaeus’s home! By including this fact in his account, Luke teaches us that God extends hospitality to all people—even those whom the Jewish people detested.

The crowd grumbled, for Jesus had crossed social and religious barriers: good people don’t associate with sinners. Zacchaeus, unlike the rich ruler in the previous chapter, was prepared to give generously and to offer restitution to anyone he had defrauded, as the Law required. For an example, we read at Exodus 22:1: “When someone steals an ox or a sheep and then slaughters or sells it, the thief must pay back five oxen for the one ox or four sheep for the one sheep.”

“Salvation has come” to Zacchaeus’s house, Jesus said (Luke 19:9). Jesus chose to stay with Zacchaeus. Likewise, Zacchaeus accepted Jesus, and this changed his life. Zacchaeus inherited eternal life and entered the kingdom of God. Despite the crowd’s grumbling, Zacchaeus the “lost” tax collector became, thanks to Jesus, a “son of Abraham,” a true member of God’s people.

Maturing in Faith

Jesus saw Zacchaeus not as he was, but as God designed Zacchaeus to be.

A long-time pastor friend, Rev. Jerry, told me about the Greek Orthodox cathedral in the old Plaka section of Athens. He went there when it was dark, as the service began before dawn on Sunday morning. Oddly, near his pew, toward the rear of the church, two candles lit a glowing icon, a largerthan-life face of Christ. Each person who entered the church approached this icon and, before taking a seat, kissed the glass that covered it.

As an American overseas, Jerry’s first thought was for sanitation. Soon, however, a woman in black appeared with paper towels and glass cleaner.

Every few minutes, during the several hours that people continued to fill the church, she worked at spraying and wiping away the accumulating devotion, seeking clarity in the face of mystery.

Jerry said he had never seen such devotion. To what or to whom are you devoted?

Several themes display themselves in Luke’s account of Zacchaeus. The first theme addresses the despair of people despised by society, such as those with diseases and Samaritans, who were regularly looked down upon. As many people regard the poor with aversion, so, too, people can begrudge the wealthy. Zacchaeus’s plight included the charge of ill-gotten gains as a tax collector for the enemy-occupying state of Rome. This circumstance targeted Zacchaeus an outsider to Jewish society and a crook.

A second theme addresses how an encounter with Jesus is life-changing. When Zacchaeus promised to give half of his possessions and restore fourfold any money gained fraudulently, mouths dropped. When hearing Zacchaeus’s confession, Jesus announced salvation had come to Zacchaeus’s house. No doubt, people were rightly dubious when Jesus ate in Zacchaeus’s home. But

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Daily Meditations | March 25–31 Monday | Exodus 18:1-9

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, and Moses met when Jethro returned Moses’ family to him near “God’s Mountain,” also known as Horeb or Sinai. Perhaps Moses sent the family to Zipporah’s father from Egypt for reasons of safety. Note the cordial relationship between Moses and Jethro. Each had deep regard for the other. How do we reflect admiration and esteem to our extended family members?

Tuesday | Deuteronomy 8:1-11

Memory plays such an important role in God’s sustaining us, God’s people. Augustine, following Plato, believed that a person’s memory is fundamental to understanding identity and becomes a vital cog in our faith development (see: Augustine’s Confessions, Book X).

Lord, remind us of your faithfulness in the past, and enable us to live with confidence into the future. Amen.

Wednesday | Luke 9:28-36

Just about a week after Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” (Luke 9:18), he took Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray. Suddenly, as they prayed, Jesus’ appearance changed—he essentially glowed! In addition, the disciples who were with him saw Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus. God’s voice announced, “This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him!” (verse 35). Where do you expect to hear God’s voice?

Thursday | Matthew 3:11-17

People need affirmation and validation. Jesus’ parables reflect this reality when a master tells a servant, “Well done! You are a good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). When a voice came from heaven announcing that Jesus is God’s Son, the voice confirmed Jesus’ identity. How does God affirm your Christian identity?

Friday | Matthew 4:1-11

Those who struggle with “the dark night of the soul” understand that temptation can be “a good” used for a less than holy aim. Turning stones to bread was a temptation because miracles alone do not feed God’s people. Jesus let God’s claim on him play out. He chose not to give in to taking an easier way. Oh, God, help us follow your will no matter how tempted we may be by shortcuts. Amen.

Saturday | Matthew 4:23-25

The gospel announces that God has a word that frees, encourages, and heals. Notice Matthew’s detail in listing the wide range of Jesus’ healing ministry. As one Bible commentator noted, people Jesus healed experienced the gospel as the “great light . . . in the shadow of death” (verse 16). How do you experience the good news of the gospel?

Sunday | Matthew 4:12-22

No one modeled teaching better than Jesus. He didn’t just call disciples; he spent time with them, nurturing them and equipping them to do ministry, something he knew they would do after his resurrection and ascension. What we teach others is a gift that lives long after we are gone. God, give us the vision and discernment to be your faithful people. Amen.

Key Verse: “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.”

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Lesson 5 | March 31

CALLED TO DISCIPLESHIP Lesson: Matthew 4:12-22 • Background: Same

Today’s text records Jesus’ first journey into Galilee, which commenced just after the authorities arrested John the Baptizer. Then, Jesus summoned some brothers to discipleship, Peter and Andrew. After a little while, Jesus called two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus stirred up within each of them a desire to follow him into discipleship. Later on, in Matthew 11:29, Jesus said, “Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves.” It must have been a great honor for Jesus to summon someone into discipleship, or as we might say now, “the ministry.” God calls people even today into ministry or discipleship—both ordained and general ministry. Disciples are those who are learners, and in this case, learners from Jesus. Each of us who is a Christian is a disciple.

Matthew began this part of his account by noting that Jesus called these disciples as he walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said (4:19). In John’s story about the call of the disciples, when two of John the Baptizer’s disciples asked Jesus where he was staying, Jesus said, “Come and see” (John 1:39). Later, when Nathanael asked, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?” Philip said, “Come and see” (John 1:46). Both phrases, “Come, follow me” and “Come and see,” function as calls to discipleship.

A hallmark of the call to discipleship is obedience to the invitation. These first individuals Jesus called left their fishing and simply followed him. Was it that Jesus’ voice was so full of hope and authority? Was it that those who followed Jesus were waiting for someone to give them a mission greater than anything they had ever imagined? What could it have been from a human point of view?

Near the beginning of Augustine’s Confessions, he wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee.” Perhaps these four individuals/learners— Peter, Andrew, James, and John—had restless hearts. In order to obey Jesus, they needed to leave home and leave behind everything else.

Maybe in Jesus’ summons they heard the voice

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of God. Whatever happened, it was immediate and life-changing. Thanks to Jesus, these called ones embarked on a journey of a lifetime. By their response, the history of the world took a decisive turn.

As we will see if we read through Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus called to himself an alternative community, one that reflected the coming reign of God. Matthew regularly called this the “Kingdom of Heaven.” Plainly, these four former fisherfolk, now disciples, made an impulsive decision. Such an impulsive act is difficult for us to comprehend today. These four men, as their parents and grandparents before them likely had been, were fisherfolk. They no doubt expected that their children and children’s children would also be fisherfolk. Their lives looked endlessly predictable.

This was all they knew, all they could conceive. But then along came Jesus. Jesus transformed all of this vocational likelihood when he summoned: “Come, follow me.”

If these disciples had taken the safe, nonimpulsive course of action, we would never have known of them, and they likely would have been forgotten to most people within a generation. Yet, here we are two millennia later still talking about them, and in our best moments, imitating them.

These Jewish disciples of Jesus also came by their spontaneous response honestly. The primal ancestor for Jews was Abraham. No doubt Abraham was the model journeyer, which is reasonably amazing since most ancient people—unless they were quite unusual—rarely traveled far from their birthplace. In Abraham’s time, travel would have been expensive, difficult, and frequently dangerous.

Yet, in the story beginning at Genesis 12:1, we read: “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you.’ ” And a few verses later, after the Lord outlined what would happen to Abram, Genesis continues: “Abram left just as the Lord told him” (verse 4).

Certainly, being an itinerant wandering person was nothing new to Abraham, although it would have been to almost anyone living in his century,

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approximately two thousand years before Jesus was born. For Abraham, the unusual thing about his wandering was that it was God and not Abraham who set his journey’s course. To permit God to direct our steps entails an amazing measure of courage. We like to control our lives.

But for Christians, we confess that God leads us and we try to mature into our confession.

As a minister, many of the people I try to assist remain disillusioned because they want something they do not have or they have something they do not want. These folks visit doctors, lawyers, psychics, ministers, and other specifically trained experts hoping that somebody will lend them a hand in getting what they want now. It is regularly my mission to demonstrate to them that nothing worth having happens quickly. It is the journey, perhaps as a response to a call, that gives us our heart’s desire. There is no guru, magician, sorcerer, or wizard who can give us what we want. Only God can do that—and this generally does not happen all at once. We must and will find it on the journey of life. More often than not, we will find what we most want while we are helping someone else get what they want or need. Such is the mysterious way of life and its journey. This response, when honoring God—from the time of Abraham to the disciples and finally to us—we call obedience.

Maturing in Faith

People both in the church and outside it have theories about our culture’s lack of religious loyalty.

Many people shun worship in modern churches.

Possibly as non-churched Americans read about religious matters in newspapers and see television news, they sense that churches are in turmoil.

We commonly see ministry scandals and political shenanigans covered up by God’s name, and theological decrees that “God punishes people by big storms.” Who outside a faith family could ever take the church seriously? According to culture, “bizarre leaders” direct the church. These “bizarre leaders” dupe their following clueless flocks, the skeptics say.

How can faithful Christians reverse this unfair portrayal of the church? Simply by being the people Jesus call us to be. Jesus told the righteous that “I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave

In our age of hundreds of choices daily, we as the church—the sometimes faithful, sometimes unfaithful family of God—are called to seek and proclaim God’s presence in a disillusioned world.

It is a world that claims to have left us behind, along with dragons and maps of a flat earth, but meanwhile the human heart continues to hunt its true home. Today it is crystals and past life readings; tomorrow it may be travel to Mars.

Our human race is a restless and impatient one.

Human beings are known for abandoning our saviors as quickly as we elect them for not saving us soon or well or often enough.

Those of us who call ourselves Christian belong to that race. We are fickle and flawed, but we are more than that because we believe in a God who believes in us. God looks at us and sees the best: sees beloved children, sees likely allies, sees able partners in the ongoing work of creation. In faith, we set out to see the same things in ourselves and to live into them, trusting God’s vision of us more than we trust our own. This is why God calls us. Like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, God in Jesus summons us with those millennia old words: “Come, follow me.” This is the work of the church, a work that is more important now than it has ever been, and more difficult: to extend Jesus’ invitation to “Come, follow me” and “Come and see” to a world that needs the saving power of God in Christ.

To respond to this call is to become a disciple. me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35-36). For believers, the finest cure for bad publicity is our good and obedient discipleship.

A king once grew weary of the monarchy and applied to a monastery.

“Your Majesty,” said the monastery’s rector, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? As a king, this will be difficult for you.”

“I understand,” said the applicant king. “My life will be obedient to you, as Christ leads.”

“Then do this,” said the rector. “Return to your throne. Serve faithfully where God has put you.”

When the king died, the people said: “The king learned to rule by being obedient.”

When we tire of our responsibilities, it helps to remember God has planted us in certain places as a good accountant or teacher or clerk or mother or father. May we be obedient where God has put us.

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Daily Meditations | April 1–7 Monday | Jeremiah 1:4-10

These verses record Jeremiah’s prophetic call. Jeremiah said that God knew him before he was born. God told Jeremiah he had summoned him as a prophet “to the nations,” and God promised the divine presence and gave Jeremiah the words to speak. Can you remember when God first called you into your unique ministry?

Tuesday | Acts 9:10-19

Ananias had reason to fear Saul of Tarsus. Saul assumed Christians threatened his Jewish religion. Thus, he was zealous for the law and acted accordingly. Yet, God changes hearts.

God changed both Saul and Ananias. This Damascus moment changed the course of Christianity when Ananias baptized Saul. Oh, Gracious God, be in my heart. Change my heart so it stays turned toward you and my sisters and brothers. Amen.

Wednesday | Acts 16:6-10

Faithful believers are regularly vigilant to new missions. In this case, God called Paul to Macedonia. Remarkably, God’s Holy Spirit prevented Paul from going to Asia Minor. Yet, this same Spirit beckoned them to set out to Macedonia. Would you classify this as an instance when God closed one window in order to open another door?

Thursday | Mark 6:7-13

When Jesus dispatched the disciples in pairs, interestingly, he instructed them in what not to take. They were to travel lightly. Jesus also instructed them about their conduct on their journey. If you were doing what these disciples did, what for you would be a vital necessity?

Friday | Matthew 9:35-38

When Jesus taught, he had compassion on the sizable crowds because they seemed helpless and leaderless. To remedy this situation, Jesus encouraged his disciples. He told them of a great harvest, but explained that they would have difficult work. Yet, they could call on God for assistance. Lord of Creation, remind me that your help is as near as my prayers. Amen.

Saturday | Matthew 10:16-25

Christianity by its nature is countercultural. We will always find people who oppose Christianity’s tenets. Jesus had some advice about persecution and how to cope with it. And he reminded his disciples that God’s Spirit would be with them and would speak through them. God, help me by giving me strength and confidence when I face opposition. Amen.

Sunday | Matthew 10:1-15

When Jesus called the twelve disciples, he also gave them power and authority. He told them where to go—“to the lost sheep, the people of Israel”—and what to say: “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” He told them what they had the power to do, and he told them how to respond to those they encountered. God, help me listen to you and follow your lead as I serve you. Amen.

Key Verse: He called his twelve disciples and gave them

authority over unclean spirits to throw them out and to heal every disease and every sickness.

(Matthew 10:1)

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Lesson 6 | April 7

Daily Meditations Lesson| January 8 | January 14–20 20

CALL AND MISSION

Lesson: Matthew 10:1-15 • Background: Matthew 10 We can unearth from church newsletters and worship bulletins abundant examples of inadvertent church humor. For example, one notice read, “Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our congregation.” Perhaps the typist was not familiar with the word “vocation” when typing up the notice about “exploring ministry vacations.” One little letter offers a vastly different meaning. We all know what a vacation is, but what about a vocation?

In the secular world, we understand the word “vocation” to mean something like a job or how one earns a livelihood. In other words, vocation denotes our task as breadwinners for ourselves or our households in the nonreligious world.

Conversely, religious vocation indicates a divine call or summons into the religious life. Historically, Protestant preachers, many of them from the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition, used to speak about “surrendering to the call.” This term “surrendering” suggests a struggle. Moses, for but one example, we know as a prophet, liberator, judge, law-giver, national leader, and covenant mediator. Esteemed as one of Israel’s most faithful leaders, Moses spent the better part of Exodus 3 and 4 battling God’s summons to ministry. Finally, Moses could not withstand Yahweh’s claim on his life.

Peter told the believers in Jerusalem, “If God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, then who am I? Could I stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17). The NRSV translates the same verse this way: “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” Either way, for Moses or the early church, no one can withstand God’s claim on us!

Matthew 10:1-15 follows Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and a variety of Jesus’ miracle healings, with some teaching interspersed.

In this text, Jesus speaks to the mission of the recently called disciples.

In Jesus’ time, most people assumed that God was punishing folks stricken by bodily or mental afflictions or that “demons” controlled the afflicted.

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could heal in ways like Jesus healed. A disciple is “a learner,” while the word “apostle” means “one who is sent.” Often, the Gospel writers used these two descriptions interchangeably. Because biblical scholars assume that the original audience for Matthew’s Gospel was Jewish, we see a telltale phrase: “the lost sheep, the people of Israel” (Matthew 10:6).

Jesus instructed the disciples as to whom they should not go (the Gentiles), as well as to whom they should go (the people of Israel). Jesus also told the twelve what not to take on their journey, as well as what they should take. Jesus was clear about what he assigned as their task: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with skin diseases, and throw out demons” (verse 8). Our reading concludes with instructions on deportment as they visited from house to house—with a severe prophetic warning to those who “refuse to welcome” these whom Jesus sent.

There are two primary themes to which I want to draw our attention. First, Jesus had compassion on the crowds because they appeared to Jesus to be like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus’ discernment was extraordinary. He had a special awareness of people who were hurting—those who needed what God could give. Jesus no doubt had a special spiritual discernment, but Jesus also had the uncanny ability to know the hearts of people. This is a rare spiritual gift, but some people have it.

Some among us sense when someone is troubled or hurting, even before they say a word. I have heard people talk about pastors or perceptive lay folks who also have this kind of spiritual gift. On occasion, people will say things like, “She knew what troubled us even before we said a word.”

A second and important theme from this text is that Jesus gave his disciples authority. Namely, Jesus sanctioned the twelve to do ministry in his name. Jesus urged them to cast out unclean spirits and to cure every disease. Jesus empowered his disciples to become a fundamental part of his ministry. Obviously, no one person can do everything. In addition, we can assume that Jesus knew the disciples would soon be without

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his physical presence after his crucifixion and resurrection. We see this by the several passages in the New Testament that refer to Jesus’ return— which means he must first depart. “Look! I’m coming soon. My reward is with me, to repay all people as their actions deserve” (Revelation 22:12).

This saying dovetails nicely with Matthew 10:15 which alludes to both the reward and punishment for “Sodom and Gomorrah on Judgment Day.” Jesus also knew this and thereby commissioned others not only to follow him, but to join in the ministry of God’s redeeming love. Jesus’ method here may remind us of what we learn about Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, when he noticed Moses’ leadership burden (Exodus 18). Jethro suggested that Moses allow others to help him. In so doing, Jethro provided an act of “authorization.” Jesus knew he would not be with his disciples much longer. In addition to knowing the truth of the old saying that “many hands lighten the load,” Jesus wanted to empower, equip, and authorize his disciples to carry on the work he had begun.

As the baptized, we are all ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, it can be difficult for us to switch our cultural gears and do the work of the gospel. We live in a success-oriented and successdriven culture. The gospel, nonetheless, calls us to care primarily for the last, the least, and the lost.

As I look back on how ministers spend most of their time, I notice that it is largely with people in trouble of one sort or another. Some of these people

are in the hospital, have family problems, or have personal problems. Some of the people ministers try to help are people who want to know how to face death, or even face what they perceive is their failure as Christians.

Churches also spend ministry time in much the same way. Churches train Stephen Ministers, for example, to help people in personal crises of one kind or another. Congregational Care Ministry folks visit those who are largely homebound. We concentrate our intercessory prayers on people with cancer or relational problems with spouses or children and the like. Even our Bible studies, religious retreats, and other varieties of programs spiritually help us to help others who are spiritually in need. We spend a lot of time with those on the margins of life. We care as a church about the very elderly and the very young. Why? Because it is Jesus’ command to believers.

When John the Baptizer wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus could have discussed the power of his army or the size of his wealth or the expanse of his wisdom. Instead, Jesus said, “Those who were blind are able to see.

Those who were crippled are walking. People with skin diseases are cleansed. Those who were deaf now hear. Those who were dead are raised up. The poor have good news proclaimed to them” (Matthew 11:5). To understand the great grace in this observation of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel recognizes that the realm of God has come in him.

Maturing in Faith

fit that church’s windows. So, the company made new windows for that church, and we bought those windows that didn’t fit their church.”

Craddock then asked why the church did not remove the names. The member said, “Well, we thought about it, and we decided to leave those names in the windows. We thought it would be good for us to remember that there are some Christian people besides us.”

This is a good example of being part of “the communion of saints,” or as Hebrews puts it, “a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us” (12:1).

Time and space plainly separate us from the first apostles. Yet, our faith in the God of Jesus Christ unites us through the centuries and around the world!

God binds us to the original twelve disciples via a phrase in the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe . . . in the communion of saints.” The “communion of saints” describes the spiritual union and faith-fusing of Christians—both the living and dead.

The late Dr. Fred Craddock told my congregation years ago of his return to his childhood church.

He had not been there in years. Evidently, the congregation had recently purchased new stained glass windows for the sanctuary. At the base of each window was the donor’s name. Yet, Craddock didn’t recognize any of the names.

“You must have had plenty of new folks join since I was a boy,” he said to a member. “I don’t recognize a single name.”

“Oh, those people aren’t members here,” the member replied. “We bought those windows cheap from a company in Italy. They made them for a church in St. Louis. When they arrived, they did not

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Daily Meditations | April 8–14 Monday | Exodus 12:1-14

When Jesus gathered the twelve disciples together on what we now call Maundy Thursday, they celebrated the Jewish Passover (Seder) meal. The Israelites observed this Passover meal just prior to beginning their Exodus journey. Lord, as I journey from sin and death to life, guide my steps. Amen.

Tuesday | Luke 16:19-31

Luke’s parable is a plain example of “the haves and the have-nots.” This parable’s characters are a rich man, whose name we do not know, and Lazarus, a poor man. It’s interesting that even though the rich man let Lazarus starve, he knew his name and he assumed that this beggar should serve him. Lord, help me see those in need around me, and help me to serve them with love. Amen.

Wednesday | John 12:1-8

Prior to Jesus’ followers laying him in the tomb after his crucifixion (see John 19:40), Mary anointed Jesus at the home of Lazarus. This act foreshadowed Jesus’ ultimate destiny. Mary used expensive perfume, and Judas protested the monetary waste. Yet, Jesus defended Mary. When is it appropriate to be extravagant?

Thursday | John 11:47-53

The Jewish leaders in Jerusalem lived in fear. One reason was that Jesus seemed to be attracting too much of the Romans’ attention. Because of their fear of the occupying Roman military force, the Jewish religious leaders conspired to do away with Jesus. Oh, Gracious God, protect me from my fear. Amen.

Friday | Matthew 26:14-16

Serious Bible readers have several theories about Judas’s betrayal of Jesus. Each has merit.

Judas was greedy, one theory supposes. Another notion suggests Judas was God’s means to realize the world’s salvation. Yet another idea is that Judas tried to force Jesus to become a revolutionary leader against the detested Roman occupying force. Oh, Lord, give me the wisdom and discernment to be your follower. Amen.

Saturday | Matthew 26:17-29

On their last evening together physically, Jesus and his disciples observed the Jewish Passover or Seder meal. As Jesus presided over the table, he introduced the meal with a new meaning. From this night forward, as the twelve and eventually the whole church celebrate this meal, we do so knowing that our sins are forgiven. Gracious God, for the gift of salvation, I give you thanks! Amen.

Sunday | Matthew 26:1-13

Jesus was so insightful and so perceptive that he, according to Matthew, knew what some of the disciples were thinking when a woman poured expensive perfume on him. It was an anointing similar to the event recorded in John 12:1-8. Jesus told these skeptical disciples, “She’s done a good thing for me” (verse 10). When have you begrudged the generous gesture of another person?

Key Verse: I tell you the truth that wherever in the whole world this good

news is announced, what she’s done will also be told in memory of her.

(Matthew 26:13)

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Lesson 7 | April 14

CALLED TO REMEMBER Lesson: Matthew 26:1-13 • Background: Same

This text comes on the heels of one of the most memorable parables that Jesus tells in Matthew’s Gospel. It is the parable of “The Last Judgment,” or alternatively, the parable of the “Sheep and the Goats” or “The Judgment of the Nations.”

In Matthew, after Jesus had taught using several parables, he reminded the disciples that Passover was only two days away. In the Gospels, Passover is that critical time when the Gospel writers denote for later readers “the moment of truth.” That is, this moment of Passover in Jerusalem would decide many elements with respect to the divine mission for Jesus.

Usually, the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—have nearly parallel stories.

Yet, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all relate this event, which occurred in Bethany. In each of the Gospel accounts, some significant details differ, but overall, we detect essentially the same story. Here we will focus on Matthew’s version of this anointing in Bethany by a person simply identified as “a woman.” She poured a fragrant oil on Jesus’ head. The Gospel of John indicates that this encounter took place at Lazarus’s house. Of course, we remember that Lazarus lived with his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Mary performed the anointing in John’s Gospel account. Both Mark and Matthew suggest the action took place at Simon’s house. From these four accounts, we could wonder if something is amiss.

Sometimes it is helpful to remember that our evangelists wrote many of the Gospel stories from between 35 and 65 years after these events had actually taken place. It’s also important to acknowledge that many times people who see an identical event—a car crash, for example—will offer different and even conflicting details in their accounts.

Legal experts have often demonstrated that eyewitness accounts can be unreliable. Many people assume our memory is like a video recorder.

We merely “tape” our observations. Later, we feed our observations into some kind of playback apparatus (I’m speaking figuratively here, of course) and just let the video roll. We might say that the act

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of remembering is much more like playing a game of chess. We assemble various bits and pieces of recollection, and then try to make coherent sense of the experience. I am suggesting something like this may account for the variations in this one event that we find in all four Gospels. In the main, the story is quite similar, but each witness has a bit different take on what really “happened.”

Prior to the woman’s anointing of Jesus, we learn that “the chief priests and elders” gathered in the courtyard of Caiaphas, the high priest. These religious leaders plotted to do away with Jesus, as they believed him to be either a traitor to Judaism or a liability who would bring Roman wrath down on the Jewish people. Caiaphas played a pivotal role in Jesus’ trial and execution, accusing Jesus of blasphemy. Caiaphas, along with the Sanhedrin, urged the Roman governor Pilate to carry out a death sentence against Jesus. Thus, in a quite ironic way, Jewish authorities colluded with Roman/political authorities to do away with Jesus.

Because Jesus seemed popular, the Romans and the Sanhedrin decided to delay their plot against Jesus until after the feast—“so there wouldn’t be an uproar among the people” (Matthew 26:5).

The details about the plot against Jesus make even more touching the story of the woman who poured the perfume on Jesus. Simon, as someone with a skin disease, would have been considered ritually unclean. Yet, Jesus went to Simon’s house despite this factor. Many Bible translations identify his disease as leprosy. In the New Testament, however, often what is translated as leprosy is not technically Hansen’s disease. Rather, it is a catchall term for assorted skin diseases akin to, for example, psoriasis, eczema, acne, or rosacea.

As Jesus sat in Simon’s house, “a woman” according to Matthew went to Jesus “with a vase made of alabaster containing very expensive perfume” (verse 7). She poured the perfume right on Jesus’ head, and it no doubt ran down his face. As odd as it sounds, I wonder if it was like sports players who dump Gatorade on the most valuable player or their coach. Why did she do this? From the story, we see little motive nor does

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Jesus’ statement that “she’s prepared me to be buried” (verse 12) seem to have been on her mind.

Perhaps we could just say she did the anointing for the joy and love of it.

Then, something ugly sneaks into this story.

The account from Matthew suggests “the disciples” saw her act and were angry. Yet, most likely the opponents were only some of disciples. The other Gospel accounts identify various individuals as being angry at the woman’s behavior—“some” (Mark 14:4), “the Pharisee” (Luke 7:39), and Judas (John 12:4). Matthew’s Gospel lifts up “the poor,” from the disciples’ perspective, as a more principled destination for the perfume. Someone should sell the perfume, rather than let it land on Jesus’ head, the disciples said.

Jesus came to the woman’s defense, telling the disciples that he plainly approved of her generous conduct toward him. Jesus implied that these disciples were overly troubled with “the poor,” but reminded them that there will always be poor people if they are so concerned. Then he spoke about how she had prepared for what was soon to come to Jesus. Not only did he make this prophetic announcement about how, as he said, she “prepared me to be buried” (verse 12), but Jesus went on to suggest that when people spoke of her in the future, they would remember her good deed of preparation and devotion to Jesus.

In fact, two thousand years after this woman’s act of worship and piety, we still tell this story—her

Maturing in Faith

Discipleship requires discipline, sacrifice, service, commitment, obedience, trust, and many other difficult human attributes. In an ideal world, followers of Jesus would save people from their poverty and serve as we think Jesus would want us to. Interestingly, it hardly ever works that way.

In the movie, The Big Chill, a young attorney tells how she became a public defender because she wanted to help the poor and oppressed. Early on, she was shocked and dismayed to discover that most of the clients she represented were guilty and few were grateful for her efforts to save them. When she realized this, she abandoned her service to this coarser segment of real life. Helping others is effort.

We need great ego strength to not be appreciated as the poor’s idol. We want admiration, as if we were like Mother Teresa. The truth is that helping others is plain hard work.

story! We remember her act of generosity, and we may even learn from it. Sometimes it is most appropriate to solve other people’s issues—like poverty, disease, and so on. Yet, sometimes it is important for us to celebrate the momentous occasions of life that might be unrepeatable—like celebrating Jesus’ last time with us. The disciples, of course, did not know the future, but if guided by Jesus, then they might have gotten a sense of the importance of him being with them!

Of course, we could easily criticize the disciples and their shortsightedness. Yet, that would detract from the valiant figure Jesus made the woman in Matthew’s telling of the event.

Perhaps God created her for such a time as this. Do you recall the story of Esther? Esther was a beautiful young woman who became a hero and saved her nation from evil. In the Book of Esther, the Jews suffered greatly under a persecution against them. Yet, courageous Esther and her uncle Mordecai dealt shrewdly with the archenemy of the Jews, Haman, and foolish king Ahasuerus. The action culminated when Esther’s uncle Mordecai urged her to be daring because, “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14, NRSV). In Matthew’s account of the anointing of Jesus, an unlikely person—a Jewish woman—turns out to be the right person at the right time in the right place.

Many sincere people have experienced this kind of disillusionment when they have discovered the people they were trying to help were not humble, innocent, or totally honest. Perhaps you have felt hurt and discouraged by some experience like that. I have. Sometimes it makes you feel like you never want to help anyone else when you find out that those you helped were neither nice, humble, honest, nor grateful.

Of course, the alternative to Jesus’ gospel is our materialistic, lackadaisical, nonchalant, indifferent inclinations type of world. Jesus reminded the disciples, “You always have the poor with you, but you won’t always have me” (verse 11). His words echoed Deuteronomy 15:11, where God’s people are reminded of their responsibility to be generous.

Jesus still expects that of us. It is an everyday responsibility. But sometimes our everyday responsibilities take a back seat for a moment when serving Jesus in his last hours.

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Daily Meditations | April 15–21 Monday | John 11:17-27

If anyone ever needed a word of hope in a desperate situation, it was the sisters Mary and Martha. Their brother Lazarus had died four days before, and Jesus had come at the sisters’ request. Despite the bleak situation, Jesus offered them the promise: “I am the resurrection and the life” (verse 25). How does Jesus’ promise sustain your life?

Tuesday | Matthew 27:3-10

People have had many theories about why Judas—one of the twelve and part of Jesus’ inner circle—betrayed our Lord. We can never know with certainty. Yet, Matthew tells us that “Judas, who betrayed Jesus . . . felt deep regret” (verse 3). Judas knew he betrayed an innocent soul. We are fortunate that our bad decisions do not have this kind of momentous force—a decision that altered all history. Oh, God, when I make poor decisions, help me rectify them. Amen.

Wednesday | Matthew 27:32-44

Any account of Jesus’ crucifixion gives us a feeling like we have received an emotional stomach pummel. In part, it is no doubt the act’s cruelty. Yet, there is more. The fact that Jesus was undeniably innocent makes the entire story exceedingly wretched. Gracious God, as I contemplate Jesus as he faced his death, remind me that justice toward others is a way I can help moderate his death—as necessary as it may have been. Amen.

Thursday | Matthew 27:62-66

In the ancient world, as now, sometimes unscrupulous people robbed graves. To prevent this thievery, an enormous stone was often rolled across the opening to graves. Since Jesus had no earthly possessions, why did the Roman soldiers seal the tomb with a great stone? The Romans feared that Jesus’ “disciples may come and steal the body” (verse 64).

Obviously, the Romans did not leave anything to chance—that is, except the power of God! Where do you see God’s power in your life?

Friday | John 20:11-18

On Easter morning, Mary went to the tomb. Mary engaged in conversation with two angels.

Momentarily, she turned and saw someone. As soon as the person she assumed was the gardener spoke her name, she knew it was Jesus. Lord Jesus, speak to me, and help my doubts and unbelief. Amen.

Saturday | Revelation 20:1-6

At the conclusion of the Book of Revelation, we read about the triumph of Christ. In this description, the writer tells us that “those who hadn’t worshipped the beast or its image” will rule with Christ for one thousand years (verse 4). The main message of Revelation is that Christ will rule and overrule. Lord, remind me that you are in control to the end of the age! Amen.

Sunday | Matthew 28:1-15

The women heard instructions when the angel spoke to them. The angel told the women to tell Jesus’ disciples that Jesus had gone before them to Galilee. Moments later, these same women encountered Jesus, who told them, “I am going into Galilee” (verse 10). Why do you think that Matthew accentuates Galilee in this account?

Key Verse: Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my

brothers that I am going into Galilee. They will see me there.”

(Matthew 28:10)

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Lesson 8 | April 21

Daily Meditations Lesson| January 8 | January 14–20 20

CALLED TO PROCLAIM THE RESURRECTION Lesson: Matthew 28:1-15 • Background: Same In one of my churches, after I had been there eight or nine years, a gentleman approached me after one of our Easter services. He looked right at me and deadpanned, “Hey, Preacher, you need to get a little more creative. Every time I come here to your church, all you preach about is the Resurrection!”

Matthew 28:1-15 is the first Gospel’s account of the resurrection of Jesus. It is difficult to visualize the Resurrection without tethering it either implicitly or explicitly to Easter morning.

The Resurrection accounts in the four Gospels are both alike and different. They are alike because they report that the Resurrection occurred on the Sunday morning two days after Jesus’ crucifixion.

In addition, present at the tomb according to each account was Mary Magdalene and others who found the tomb empty.

Yet, these four Gospels also reveal some striking variances. If you have access to a book like Synopsis of the Four Gospels (Kurt Aland, ed., United Bible Societies, 1982) or a similar reference book, then you can quickly compare and contrast the differences in the four accounts. Perhaps your church library may have one or more of them.

First, in Matthew, Mark, and John, it is the women who went to the sepulcher early—at dawn or soon thereafter. In John, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb while it was still dark. Second, in these narratives, a disparity exists on the names of the women who went and also their number. As noted previously, Mary Magdalene occupies all four Gospel versions. In Matthew’s report, we find Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Each of the other three Gospels are variant here. Third, notice the stone’s location near the tomb’s doorway. In the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John, before anyone’s arrival, someone had pushed the stone aside. Yet, in Matthew’s explanation, an earthquake occurred.

We read that an angel (one of God’s messengers) arrived from heaven and rolled the stone away after the women arrived. Each Gospel writer used memories of eyewitnesses and perhaps other sources to tell the story. What is important is that with each of the four accounts, we have a fuller and www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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more complete picture than we would have with only one narrative.

For Christians, the Resurrection is the crucial moment and notion of our faith. A few decades ago, I read a novel by John Irving titled, A Prayer for Owen Meany. The chief character, Owen Meany, says at one point, “Anyone can be sentimental about the Nativity; any fool can feel like Christmas.

But Easter is the main event; if you don’t believe in the Resurrection, you’re not a believer.” [See page 251.]

Jesus said something important in Matthew’s account of the Resurrection: “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I am going into Galilee.

They will see me there” (Matthew 28:10). This is a promise that the end they expected turned out to be a new beginning they certainly did not anticipate.

The crucified Jesus was going to a real, physical place—Galilee—and would meet them there. What a promise! That one miraculous promise continued to fundamentally shape and influence the choices and decisions the disciples would make and how they would carry out their ministry. In churches, we sometimes ask a simple question, “What if?”

What if we had chosen to close our doors, instead of opening new ones? What if we had decided to give up, instead of choosing to give ourselves away in love and service to others? What if we had accepted the inevitability of dying, and ignored the resurrection and new life God had in store for us?

When you’ve witnessed a resurrection, the decision to say yes to what God is doing in people’s lives is not that difficult.

What if we decided it was no longer important to plant new churches and create communities of faith? What if we ignored the needs of students and walked away from campus ministry? Because we know how important these questions are, we already know what the response will be. Because of what God has done and is doing in the lives of people, we can now ask a different question. It’s a question borne out of genuine excitement for the future and a passionate belief in the promises of God. It’s no longer “What if?” The question for

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all of us is, “What now?” It’s the most exciting question we can ever ask. We are people of the Resurrection. We are the Easter church. Because of Easter, we ask, “What now?”

This Resurrection account invites us to explore several themes. First, the central theological claim is that God raised Christ from the dead. It is the vital core of our belief and what we trust as Christians. Of course, we don’t agree on every matter of doctrine and dogma, but resurrection is the beating heart of our shared faith. It is the faith of Christians, regardless of denomination.

Traditional or logical proof is not a factor in our faith in the Resurrection. Most people believe in love, and it cannot be weighed, measured, or observed. Resurrection offers to us an article of faith that reveals the nature of God. Whether the God we know is from the narratives of Israel or the stories of Jesus’ ministry, we can discern a Creator God who offers love to us. The God we worship is one who offers us time without end.

A second theme suggested by both the Matthew and Mark Gospel accounts is the promise that the angel and Jesus offered concerning Galilee. This was our closing question on the daily meditation for Sunday. The text tells us in verses 7 and 10 that Galilee was the place where Jesus would meet them. The importance of Galilee has to do with the idea that it is a portal to the Gentile world. We see, for example, the name “Galilee of the nations” in Isaiah 9:1 and “Galilee of the Gentiles” in Matthew

4:16. This suggests that Jesus’ post-resurrection ministry would now extend to the Gentiles. All people would now have access to the God of Israel.

This Gentile path also occurs in Paul’s ministry.

A third theme suggested by Matthew 28:1-15 is that Jesus not only calls imperfect people into God’s service, but Jesus now calls them “brothers” (verse 10). After knowing about their lack of courage— even desertion of Jesus—the Lord forgave them nonetheless. Not only did he offer forgiveness, but he also assigned them a task. This task is to be those persons who proclaim the Resurrection and the rule of God in a world that looks to be godless in many respects.

Easter and resurrection are yoked together in the minds of believers and in the practice of the church. It is important for us to notice that none of the Gospel accounts tries to explain resurrection.

Rather, these accounts announce and proclaim the Resurrection. This is an act of God in Jesus Christ that we take on faith. The good news for us is that Jesus Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!

Maturing in Faith

Every now and then, just when we think we cannot go on, something strange—sometimes simple—happens and we get an abrupt glimpse into the heart of God’s eternal mysteries. A stranger says or does something and then disappears forever. A tragedy turns into a triumph; a child is born or says or does something; and our eyes are opened, our hearts are melted with love, and for a few seconds, the mysteries of the universe are laid bare before our very eyes.

Sometimes Easter happens on a dark Tuesday afternoon in December, and for a moment you feel in touch with someone or something important with which you have been out of touch for a long time. After all, Easter is a day of miracles for the dead, and death comes to us all. Whenever death happens, we need the hope and promise of Easter.

Like the first disciples, we claim the promise that the end we might have expected will turn out to be a new beginning we eagerly anticipate.

Our faith as Christians seems to develop around aspects of life we do not understand, not around those areas we do understand. When we manage our world, we may pay conventional lip service to a higher power. Then again, many modern people feel they do not need spiritual life to negotiate living.

They are doing all right on their own. Yet, when life breaks open at the seams and we stand before a mystery larger than life, we begin to think of life differently.

It is no accident that when we look for spiritual insight, we stagger up a hill outside Jerusalem and stand as close as we dare to a crucifixion. There, a figure hangs between heaven and earth, and between life and death. We hear his tormented cry: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?” (Matthew 27:46). What mystery! The mystery pulls us like a magnet.

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Daily Meditations | April 22–28 Monday | Isaiah 2:1-4

In an interesting allusion to gravity, the prophet Isaiah wrote about the Lord’s mountain and how the “peoples will stream to it” (verse 2). The vision is robust, suggesting that people will flow up to the Lord’s mountain. The truth it represents is that what God offers to people is so compelling that it draws people to it like a magnet. Gracious God, help us be open to your truth so that we might embrace life. Amen.

Tuesday | 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Colossians 3:12-17

In several places in his writings, Paul called the church the Body of Christ (see, for example, Romans 7:4; 8:10; 12:5; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 12:12, 17, 27). Love binds Christians together.

The word “binds” in Greek is sundesmos/syndesmosis and is also used medically to identify ligaments. In what ways is the human body an analogy to the body of Christ, the church?

Wednesday | Acts 16:11-15

Lydia of Thyatira was a wealthy woman. She stands out among New Testament characters.

She was devoted to Jesus and to Paul’s ministry. In fact, with Jesus’ spirit sustaining her, Lydia embraced Paul’s message. Paul or one of his companions baptized Lydia and her household. Although a woman in the first century, Lydia was undeniably a leader. Great Lord, help us appreciate your gifts no matter upon whom you pour them. Amen.

Thursday | Acts 16:25-34

The Book of Acts includes several jail stories. Authorities detained Paul and Silas because they cast out a slave girl’s evil spirit. Soon, the jail doors flew open because of an earthquake.

The jailer asked, “What must I do to be rescued?” (verse 30). The reply was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus” (verse 31). Then Paul and/or Silas baptized the jailer and his entire household.

How do you think God’s surprising Spirit works in the lives of the unsuspecting?

Friday | Acts 18:5-11

Paul, like many apostles, first testified to the Jews. Yet, the Jews’ response to Paul was neither constructive nor encouraging. So, Paul, employing a symbolic gesture common in that time, “shook the dust from his clothes in protest” (verse 6). Because of his decision, Paul became the apostle to the Gentiles. Suddenly, the church began to increase. Gracious God, give us the vision and discernment to know where we can seek out fruitful ministry.

Saturday | Acts 1:12-17, 21-26

Judas’s life had a sad ending. In due course, the apostles needed to select a replacement for him. They nominated two from among them: Joseph, called Barsabbas or Justus, and Matthias. The apostles cast sacred lots. The lot fell on Matthias, and he became the twelfth disciple. Why do you think having twelve disciples was important?

Sunday | Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:6-8

Disciples making disciples is what the Great Commission is all about. These verses are Jesus’ last recorded words to the twelve from Matthew. Not only were the disciples to make more disciples, but they were also to baptize them in the name of the Trinity. Then, Jesus offered them assurance: “I myself will be with you every day” (verse 20). Dear Jesus, may we feel your presence with us always. Amen.

Key Verse: Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.

(Matthew 28:19-20) www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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Lesson 9 | April 28

CALL AND COMMISSIONING Lesson: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:6-8 • Background: Same

Matthew’s Gospel reports how Judas betrayed Jesus and then “felt deep regret” (Matthew 27:3).

Returning the blood money—thirty pieces of silver—Judas “went and hanged himself” (verses 3-5). In the next chapter, we read that God resurrected Jesus. Jesus then offered the remaining eleven disciples final instructions. The Book of Acts reports how the eleven chose a replacement for Judas through sacred lot. Thus, they achieved a full complement of twelve disciples (see Acts 1:26).

Today’s reading tells us that “the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go” (Matthew 28:16), recalling Jesus’ earlier prophecy: “But after I’m raised up, I’ll go before you to Galilee” (Matthew 26:32). This offers us an example of Matthew’s “promise-fulfillment” motif.

It also reminds us that in Scripture, a reference to “mountains” is significant and suggests that what happened next has consequence. Mountains were often the scenes of divine revelation.

Noah’s ark carried a precious cargo and came to rest on Mount Ararat (Genesis 8:4). On Mount Moriah, God told Abraham to carry his son for sacrifice (Genesis 22). Moses met God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20), where he received the Ten Commandments.

Similarly, the New Testament reports divine revelations taking place on mountains. Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Earlier, the devil had led Jesus “to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matthew 4:8). On the Mount of Transfiguration, God revealed Jesus’ glory most explicitly to the disciples—Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:2836). God glorified Jesus most fully on Golgotha (“Skull Place,” Mark 15:22). Reading “mountain(s)” in Scripture, we become aware that something important was about to take place. Thus, when Jesus summoned the eleven to a mountain in Galilee, we anticipate that Jesus would share with them something profound.

Before we move to the profound charge by which Jesus commissioned the eleven in Matthew 28:19-20, notice verse 17: “When they saw him,

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they worshipped him, but some doubted.” Why in Matthew’s account did he write of doubt?

Some people are surprised to read of doubt on the part of the disciples at this point, leading them to assume that perhaps this meeting with Jesus included more than just the apostles who had had such a close association with him. It seems a strange pairing with the act of worship verse 17 also records. Perhaps one reason doubt appears here is because Matthew was a student of human behavior.

Doubt seems always close by when faith is also present. Most believers have seasons of doubt— even the original disciples. We remember Thomas, whose moniker became “Doubting Thomas.” He articulated doubts about Jesus (John 20:25).

We like to think if we had been with Jesus, we would not have doubted. It is important to remember that faith is a decision to accept God’s gift of grace offered to all persons. Doubt underlines the essence of what commitment to God both gives and demands. When Matthew wrote that “some doubted,” he reminds us that faith is a decision and doubt an alternative. So, perhaps we should not be so surprised that Matthew reminds us, “When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.”

We still have doubts today. As we read Scripture, we find assorted responses to the gospel message.

Not everyone believed.

In Jesus’ final words of commissioning, we observe that rather than the disciples approaching Jesus, it was Jesus who approached the disciples.

Matthew’s Jesus told them, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (verses 19-20).

As we noted in an earlier lesson, disciples are learners. The word “disciple” comes from the word for discipline. Students must be disciplined in order to learn. Learners watch and see. They practice what the instructors offer, process what they understand, and inquire about what they do not grasp. Thus, Jesus told the disciples to share the gospel with “all nations,” which included Gentiles, and let these persons learn of Christ.

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The command to baptize seems odd here, if only because there was no preparation for it in Matthew’s Gospel account. We also see here in verse 19 the unique Trinitarian formula to which the later church clung. Baptism is a chief faith element. Baptism marks us as God’s own people, and it is God’s act. Some believers reason that baptism depends on what we believe, feel, or know. Some theology holds that baptism is effective if people reach a certain age. United Methodists, along with Lutherans, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and many other denominations, trust that how we feel or what we know is not the critical element in baptism. Rather, we believe that baptism is God’s gift to us. This is why infant baptism is theologically acceptable in these denominations. God baptizes us! Thus, first, the eleven are commissioned to make disciples; then, second, the eleven are instructed to baptize.

After all else, they are to teach. The content of the apostles’ teaching concerned all that Jesus commanded. By this teaching, the eleven continued Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Matthew’s final word is a word of promise.

Luke and John wrote more plainly of Jesus’ continued presence with the disciples through the Holy Spirit (see Luke 12:12; John 14:16). Matthew, however, gestured at this Spirit’s presence without further defining it. Matthew’s Gospel closes with this promise which is enough for the disciples.

Maturing in Faith

One of my great faith heroes was Harry Denman (1893–1976). As a chief Methodist evangelist of an earlier era, I prize the story Mr. Denman told illustrating what it means to have your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground.

Denman once attended a Methodist General Conference that debated what the general church ought and could do about adult literacy—or lack thereof. The General Conference debated for a long time. The conference tried to estimate how much money a national effort to wipe out illiteracy would cost and who would be in charge of raising funds.

On and on, the deliberative queries went. This is what it looks like to have your head in the clouds.

Then, Denman returned home from the General Conference to First Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. As he went in the church’s back door, he noticed an elderly custodian sitting on the back steps teaching a nineteen-year-old

Luke began the Book of Acts with Jesus teaching the disciples between his resurrection and ascension. Prior to the Ascension, the disciples asked Jesus a legitimate question: “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”

(Acts 1:6). This question was on the minds of the community Jesus formed around him. Since Jesus’ death, they all wanted to know if now was the time that God would act on the believers’ behalf. But Jesus discouraged such questions by replying, “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority” (verse 7).

Instead, Jesus gave them a task and even something of a geographical road map for the work that God now assigned them. Jesus promised first that, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Then Jesus told them, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (verse 8). If we read Acts from beginning to end, we see that this is exactly how the gospel advanced—it began first in Jerusalem, then spread to Judea and Samaria, and finally extended to the ends of the earth, including Rome and Spain (see Romans 15:24, 28).

Jesus shifted the apostles’ focus from knowledge about God’s timetable to God’s focus on a mission. Jesus asked the apostles to be witnesses to God’s realm. God’s realm is not a political realm and neither is it a territory. Rather, the Kingdom is where God rules over human hearts. youngster how to read. That picture, friends, is what Mr. Denman said it looks like to have one’s feet planted on the ground.

The account of Jesus’ ascension follows our reading from Acts. It reminds us that from time to time, it is good to look up, like the disciples did at Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:9-11), and let Jesus inspire us. But sometimes it is better simply to look around and see about filling a need in someone’s life—like Jesus did so often.

We can sometimes catch aspiring disciples with their heads in the clouds. But we serve a master who said “Disciples aren’t greater than their teacher, and slaves aren’t greater than their master” (Matthew 10:24). Therefore, those who aspire to be like the ascended Christ will do what Jesus did and go back to work—that is, after staring upward for a while.

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Daily Meditations | April 29–May 5 Monday | Ecclesiastes 3:9-17

In this wisdom passage, Ecclesiastes affirms hard work and suggests that God gives human beings tasks to achieve. Before he began his earthly ministry, Jesus was a carpenter. There is something uplifting about purposeful work. God has given us purpose, and we find it in part through work. Oh, God, help me complete the tasks you’ve given me. Amen.

Tuesday | John 10:11-18

When Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd,” we immediately consider what shepherds in Jesus’ day did for sheep. They protected the sheep and made sure they grazed in good pastures and had plenty of water to drink in the harsh Palestinian sun. Shepherds also tended to sick or injured sheep. They sought out strays. Jesus plainly does this for believers.

Do you think the “good shepherd” is the best New Testament image for Jesus?

Wednesday | Romans 7:7-12

New Testament believers sometimes disparage the law. Occasionally, believers in Paul’s time did too. Yet, Paul here reminds us of the law’s positive value. The function of the law accentuates sin in human life. The law is like a light that shines into shadowy places, allowing us to see the heart’s evil desires. How does the law allow us to perceive the dark corners in our lives that we would be unable to see without it?

Thursday | Galatians 3:19-29

When we ponder the law’s purpose, we ponder the gospel’s origin. Paul held that the law guarded us until “the promise based on the faithfulness of Jesus Christ might be given” (verse 22). In other words, the law was our custodian or, as some think of it, like a “babysitter,” until the gospel came in God’s promise of righteousness in Jesus. Oh, God, thank you for this inexpressible gift in Jesus. May I receive it in faith. Amen.

Friday | Romans 3:1-8

Paul began chapter 3 with a rhetorical question. Here, he asked about the benefits of being Jewish. Then, he suggested, “If our lack of righteousness confirms God’s justice, what will we say?” (verse 5). Paul wrote that God is true, even if all people either explicitly or implicitly lie. So, Paul asserted that God is both faithful and fair to God’s creatures. Oh, God, thank you for your divine patience with your wayward children. Amen.

Saturday | Romans 3:9-20

In these verses, Paul strung together several Hebrew Scripture references that address sin’s power. Paul implied that all human beings—both Jew and Gentile—are at sin’s mercy. The law is so condemning that all persons are under the law’s indictment. This is so because the knowledge of sin comes from the law pointing it out to us. Gracious God, may Jesus bring a healing balm for my sin displayed for me by the law. Amen.

Sunday | Romans 3:21-31

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Paul wanted his readers to understand that both Jews and Gentiles stand in need of the grace of God. Although the Jews had access to the law since Moses, in Romans 4, Paul wrote about Abraham’s righteousness, which came before the law. This means that access to righteousness in Jesus is available to both Jew and Gentile.

Key Verse: But all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood.

(Romans 3:24-25a)

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Lesson 10 | May 5

Daily Meditations Lesson| January 8 | January 14–20 20

CALLED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS Lesson: Romans 3:21-31 • Background: Romans 3

The first theological word Paul used in this text is a venerated biblical word: “righteousness.”

Regrettably, our culture has let righteousness lapse into disuse. We rarely hear people use “righteous” or “righteousness.” Yet, for faith, it is a splendid word that we might reclaim, use, and understand.

Originally, righteousness meant “straight” or “right.”

In contemporary use, it means “to be just” or “to act with justice.” By this, Christians mean that we act within all relationships, both human and divine, with equity and fairness. We follow the dictates of God to live in harmony with others. We give “the other” due consideration in all circumstances.

Righteousness was such an important biblical principle that when Paul wrote about “justification by faith,” the same Greek words could also be translated that God “makes people righteous by faith.” For Paul, righteousness was so central to the divine-human relationship that he wrote: “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

It is no great surprise then that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

Paul would have us understand some aspects of righteousness. In Paul’s letter to the Christians at Thessalonica, he said: “You and God are witnesses of how holy, just, and blameless we were toward you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:10). Hence, a defining phrase for Paul’s understanding of righteousness comes from verse 10: “holy, just, and blameless.” These traits of purity, uprightness, and blamelessness indicate fundamental tenets of abundant life. “Do this and you will live,” Paul seems to say. A mentor pastor once told an enlightening story. It points out that what we sow, we later reap. Sowing righteousness, which we receive from God in faith, permits us to act in equity with God and others.

Here is the story: Once there was a good and rich man who wanted to do good. One day he noticed the miserable conditions in which a certain poor carpenter lived. The rich man called the carpenter in and commissioned him to build a beautiful house. He said, “I want this to be an ideal www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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cottage. Use only the best materials, employ only the best workers, and spare no expense.” The rich man said that he was going on a journey and hoped the house would be finished when he returned.

The carpenter saw this as a great opportunity.

Therefore, he skimped on materials, he hired inferior workers at low wages, and covered their mistakes with paint. He cut corners on building the house at every turn. He pocketed the cash difference wherever he could during the construction.

When the rich man returned, the carpenter brought him the key to the cottage and said, “I have followed your instructions and built your house as you told me to.” The rich man replied, “I am glad,” and handing the key back to the carpenter, he continued, “Here is the key. It is yours. I had you build this house for yourself. You and your family are to have it as my gift.”

People who live in the Lord’s righteousness have nothing to fear. Righteous folks are people who are holy, just, and blameless. If we need a reminder of one of the foundational characteristics of abundant life, then there is a standard with the name “righteousness” inscribed within it.

From Paul’s perspective, strict adherence to the Jewish ritual law created two stumbling blocks for the early church’s theology. Each stumbling block involved the conditions of “righteousness” or “justification.” The first stumbling block was that no one could observe the letter of the law. Later rabbis calculated 613 separate laws that comprised the ritual law. In fact, by keeping strict obedience to the law, people tried to count and obey. Thus, life’s joy trickled away. Paul offered a better awareness of a person’s fitting relationship to God. A second stumbling block implied that only Jewish people could be in a proper godly relationship. What this meant was that to be a Christian, first one had to become a Jew. This issue Paul addressed in several of his epistles, for example, Romans and Galatians.

Paul found a new way to see the budding Christian faith. Paul saw and clarified how God justifies people apart from the ritual law. Paul’s

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notion of justification by faith scandalized some Jewish Christians. In his new understanding, they saw Paul as heretical. Still, the irony of Paul’s understanding in the text for this lesson was that God’s salvation by faith was not a new theological idea. It was an idea that had been around since Abraham. Abraham’s righteousness proved Paul’s point.

Paul, in his knowledge of Hebrew Scriptures, discovered that Abraham was an ideal example for the doctrine of salvation by faith. In Romans 4, we find Paul’s teaching about Abraham being an ideal role model for the doctrine of “righteousness by faith” or “justification by faith.” Perhaps Paul found the example of Abraham after he developed the doctrine, or maybe Paul uncovered the doctrine as he contemplated the faithfulness of Abraham.

Whichever, Abraham “believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6, NRSV).

What is all the fuss over the law? These ancient Jewish people certainly seem like a cluster of legalists. Yet, we are as adamant about legal issues.

If the Jews were preoccupied with legal matters, then we are more so. Why all the concern with the law?

Something that occurs to me is that human preoccupation with law, especially from a religious perspective, has to do with the foundation of grace.

For many, grace looks excellent—as long as we are the beneficiaries, and all is well. Nevertheless,

sometimes God’s grace does not look too good when God pours grace out on those whom we feel do not deserve it.

Jesus was critical at times of those who slavishly followed the law with utter devotion. They had put so much emphasis on the law that they missed the law’s intent. They had turned God’s formula for right living into a set of regulations. Paul reminded the Romans that the Christian faith was a way of life and not an obstacle course. The way of grace leads to abundant life. An obstacle course leads to cuts, bruises, and sore muscles. God gives us the gift of salvation. All we do is accept it in faith. Maybe it is so simple, we trip over ourselves in the simplicity of faith and grace.

Near the end of our text, Paul picked up the “boasting” theme (verse 27). This matter is important because bragging or boasting implies that humans create their righteousness before God. Furthermore, when Paul wrote of boasting, he meant a person or group holds itself to be superior to others by either morality or intellectual knowledge. Paul recorded for the Romans that in Christ Jesus, there is no longer room for this thinking. In Jesus Christ, God has accomplished for us what we could not do for ourselves. Accordingly, humans have no reason to boast.

Maturing in Faith

deadline for one solitary student. I guess I ranted on for about ten or twelve long minutes.

Finally, the professor asked if I had finished.

Then she said, “Barbara’s husband was diagnosed with cancer in his lymph glands this week. She has had a lot on her mind lately. I am sorry you feel this way, but Christians are gracious people. I did what seemed right and fair and just.” As I slithered out of my professor’s office, I felt all of three inches tall. In my haste to be legally right and morally righteous, I had forgotten who I was and who I wanted to be. My professor reminded me that school was for learning and not merely for keeping score.

I remember once in seminary, I stayed up all night to complete a paper, afraid that if I turned it in late, the professor would subtract points from the final grade. This professor was very strict and cut no one any slack. When she said something was to be in on time, she meant it. I had already received my portion of her wrath once for being late, and my grade had suffered for it.

Imagine my shock when I found out that one of my fellow students turned in her paper late.

Worse yet, the professor did not mark her grade down for tardiness. I was fuming, and I felt that if the professor had a rule (read “law” here), then she ought to measure everyone by the same standard.

In my righteous indignation, I went to the professor and demanded an explanation. I told her that it was grossly unfair for everyone else to have to turn in papers on time and then dismiss the

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Daily Meditations | May 6–12 Monday | John 5:19-24

John’s Gospel uses the phrase “eternal life” similarly to the way Matthew, Mark, and Luke— the Synoptic Gospels—use the phrases “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven.” Jesus told the Jewish leaders that those who believe in him will have eternal life. Benevolent God, give me the assurance of eternal life. Amen.

Tuesday | Galatians 4:1-7

Paul explained to the Galatians that they were heirs. Because of God’s act in Jesus, God adopted these Galatians, the recipients of this epistle. Adoption by God indicates that those sons/daughters straightaway became heirs of God in Christ Jesus. Think about what it means to be both literally adopted and an heir. What does it mean in a spiritual sense?

Wednesday | 1 Corinthians 15:12-28

In most Bible translations, today’s text falls into paragraphs. Paul’s first paragraph demolished this argument: “There’s no resurrection of the dead.” Then by poised logic, Paul verified because God raised Christ from the dead, then “death is the last enemy to be brought to an end” (verse 26). This reveals that God has destroyed all other enemies.

Creator God, thank you for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Amen.

Thursday | 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Paul emphasized in this section of his letter that people are part of the new creation that God has brought about. God does this act of new creation in and through Christ. We are people God reconciles to God. In addition, we all may see others in this new way. This new circumstance calls us to “Be reconciled to God!” (verse 20). Divine One, help me accept with joy your new creation. Amen.

Friday | Romans 8:18-25

In this text, Paul wrote about how believers attend to suffering. What Paul held out for suffering human beings is our hope in Jesus as Christ. In this hope, God reveals to humankind something far greater than the decay that enslaves creation. It is God’s hope, offered to God’s people, which will be our liberating force. Not only this, but the Spirit will help us receive this hope in patience. Divine One, make me whole. Amen.

Saturday | Romans 8:26-30

When characterized as weak, most of us protest. Yet, indeed we are all weak. If we examine our lives honestly, we must come to this conclusion. Whether we see weakness in making poor choices via ignorance or being willfully stubborn about “doing it our way,” sin is fundamentally rupturing covenant. Yet, Paul reminds us that the Spirit helps us at our points of weakness. Where do you need to confess your weakness?

Sunday | Romans 8:1-14

Many counselors acknowledge that the root of much mental and emotional trouble stems from fear of condemnation. God loves God’s creatures, and we are set free by the Spirit.

Jesus has overcome our sin, death, and condemnation by the Spirit. We can now turn our lives over to God. This turn precludes our narcissistic self-interest. Where do you see your self-protection as an occasion for sin?

Key Verse: So now there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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(Romans 8:1)

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Lesson 11 | May 12

CALLED TO LIFE IN THE SPIRIT Lesson: Romans 8:1-14 • Background: Romans 8

Romans 8 is the splendid response to the theological issues raised in Romans 6 and 7, and to the whole argument that begins with Romans 5. In many ways, Romans 8 is the culmination to the presentation of Paul’s gospel from Romans 1:1 onward. Accordingly, everything in chapters 1–7 leads up to Romans 8, and everything in chapters 9–16 grows out of it.

Our text begins with good news. People need this, especially from the church. The assumption of many people—perhaps because of a bad experience as a child or too much “television church”—is that the church is all about condemnation.

Clearly, Paul seemed aware of this anxiety, for when he offered the good news, he wrote at the start: “So now there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

The Greek by which this verse is expressed is even stronger. The first word in the original Greek statement is no. Condemnation suggests judgment.

Consequently, many people consider that rebuke and scolding is the primary objective of the church and its people. Our job as the church, so they assume, is simply to censure and blame people.

According to Paul, however, something has happened. People have been unable to be saved by the law or to live free. But in God’s act in Christ, something cataclysmic has occurred. Human history has swung from being under the law to being freed by God’s Spirit. Paul wrote of the shift in human history occurring in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many theologians call this “The Christ Event.”

In the day of Christ, or “the last days” (see Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17), either the last days of the old age are being played out or the first days of the new age are being inaugurated or both. We no longer belong to Adam, but to Christ. The law may guide us, but it cannot save us, so we live by the Spirit. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “We live by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

The word “eschatology” refers to the doctrine of the last things. Paul’s contrasting the “old age” to the “new age,” or comparing law to grace, has the idea of the last things behind it. I say this because

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often the “Last Judgment” is identified as part of eschatology. Yet, in our text, Paul wrote that there is no condemnation—judgment, blame, or censure— in what God does for us. Thus, for believers, the end is the beginning of life in the Spirit. Here is an earthly example of why eschatology is so important to Christian theology.

One day I met a couple for marriage counseling at a city park. They had small children, and the park seemed like a good site to keep the young children occupied while we adults talked. I arrived early and noticed a group of what looked to be six older-elementary schoolboys shooting a basketball around. The boys did not seem to be taking their afternoon’s recreation especially seriously. Abruptly, one of the boys declared, “Hey, guys, my mother told me to be home at six. Let’s play one game to fifteen.”

Suddenly, the boys’ game turned earnest. Each boy played to the best of his ability, and they pursued the game with an interest and intensity I had not seen when they were merely shooting the basketball around. I suspect that once there was something at stake—namely, that some would win and some would lose—the game had a new meaning for them. Similarly, knowing we have a set time on earth helps us focus our lives on the things that are important. What this means is that the choices we make as human beings have meaning and significance. Our time and choices are finite.

This text, in addition, pertains to human choice, but human choice set up according to God’s good will toward God’s creation. Paul’s passage explains a new human possibility created when God sent God’s Son. Some scholars have labeled this text “Two Ways: Flesh and Spirit.” The word “spirit” as Paul used it in this text is clear enough. But the word for flesh, the Greek word sarx, is translated in the Common English Bible as “selfishness” and is a bit more complicated.

There are, in fact, several ways to translate into English this Greek word sarx. The Contemporary English Version uses “selfish desires”; the Phillips translation says “weakness of human nature”; the Wycliffe Bible translates it as “flesh of sin”; the New Revised Standard Version uses “the flesh”; and The

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Message says “fractured human nature.” What did Paul mean exactly when he used the word sarx?

The idea of flesh is similar to how he used “body” (soma), another loaded term for Paul. The body is neither good nor bad. Rather, it is a neutral term that, depending on how it is used, is designated as either good or bad. If the body is used to further God’s divine purpose for the creation, then it is understood as good. If not used for this purpose, then it is termed as bad. Regularly, when Paul used the term flesh (sarx), he meant flesh misused and not to God’s purpose. Consequently, flesh and spirit offer humans a choice: life opposed to God or life in devotion to God. Further, Paul referred to this human choice as mind-set. In Romans 8:5-7, Paul used the phrase “the attitude that comes” (CEB) or “set their minds” (NRSV). A person sets his or her mind on the flesh or sets his or her mind on the Spirit.

Before Christ’s coming, no choice was available for people. The mind-set of the Spirit was not a possibility. Prior to Christ’s life, people lived under the law, and it regulated all people. This meant that we were in an earthly or fleshly mind-set.

Yet, with Christ’s coming, all this human circumstance changed. Paul wrote, “But you aren’t self-centered. Instead you are in the Spirit, if in fact God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t belong to him” (verse 9). Note the way Paul addressed this choice both negatively and positively.

Maturing in Faith

In a children’s hospital lay a gravely ill child. His parents had taken him to many doctors and could not hide their anxiety. The doctors outside his room murmured about his case. He became more and more depressed. In fact, the boy’s doctors worried about his mental and physical health.

His counselors at school arranged to have him tutored because he had missed so much school.

His tutor would give him reading and worksheets to complete. Unlike many children, he enjoyed the tutor’s visits and did the homework happily. Finally, his mother asked him why his homework pleased him. He answered, “Mom, if I was going to die, then they wouldn’t be making me do homework, would they?”

Unintentionally, the school and his tutor gave this youngster something in which to hope.

This story made such an impact on me because

Herein lies the choice of which mind-set or attitude we humans shall possess. We can fall back into the mode of the flesh, and therefore assume lives like in the days when we were under the law. Or, we can respond to God’s Spirit that gives us a life in the Spirit. Living in the flesh remains a possibility for us. But because of the divine gift of the Spirit, we can now choose to live a life truly pleasing to God. But we ask, “How is this possible?”

It is possible because of the indwelling power of the Spirit of God. Earlier, Paul wrote about “sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7:17, NRSV).

The CEB puts this partial verse, “it’s sin that lives in me.” What makes all the difference in the new situation is the replacement of sin by the Spirit.

It is the Spirit that has taken the place of sin. In other words, rather than sin dwelling in us, we have the possibility of functioning as those who live by the Spirit that God offers us in Christ.

Romans 8:11 tells us, “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your human bodies also, through his Spirit that lives in you.” The decisions we make as Christian people—to be those in whom the Spirit of God in Christ dwells—these decisions are not once-in-alifetime decisions. No! Rather, these are decisions we make day-to-day in the nickels and dimes of life as we live it little by little over a lifetime. of the unlikely prospect that a child might derive hope from something like homework. Despite the negative repute homework gets, it gave this child what others had failed to give him. It gave him hope.

In our faith walk, hope often arrives in strange, unpredictable situations. Wherever and however hope comes to us, we all need it, and we cannot live without it. Hope is as important to human life as air or water. Paul wrote later in Romans 8:24: “We were saved in hope.” Hope is a vital part of salvation.

From the context of Paul’s letter, we know that some in the Roman church suffered from lack of hope. Therefore, Paul dipped his pen into the darkest, richest ink he could find. He wrote for those in despair: “I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38). This is good news indeed!

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Daily Meditations | May 13–19 Monday | Romans 9:1-5, 14-17

Paul agonized for his Jewish brothers and sisters. He even suggested his own demise if it would help them, his “flesh-and-blood relatives” (verse 3). These Jewish ancestors are those from whom Christ came and also who have kept the Yahweh legacy for all these years.

Which parts of your faith heritage do you most value?

Tuesday | Acts 13:44-49

With the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God made salvation available to all. The prophet Isaiah had proclaimed that the Jews would be “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; 51:4), a prophecy Paul recalled for the Jews who challenged and slandered him. The Gentiles in the crowd “rejoiced and honored the Lord’s word” (Acts 13:48). God offers all people salvation! Gracious God, may we live as grateful people in light of our salvation. Amen.

Wednesday | Colossians 2:1-10

The writer of Colossians referred to “the secret plan of God, namely Christ” (verse 2). Why is it secret? Perhaps because prior to Christ Jesus, no one could predict that God would make incarnate the divine into the human. Oh, Sovereign God, may we drink deeply of our life in Christ and share it with the world. Amen.

Thursday | Act 20:17-24, 32

Acts 20 reports Paul’s message to a supportive audience. The Ephesian elders loved Paul and he them. Paul spoke tenderly to them, preparing for a challenging return to Jerusalem.

Paul’s potential farewell speech to these elders incorporated words of grace and blessing.

Can you remember a time when you said goodbye to a loved one and were unsure about whether you would see him or her again?

Friday | Romans 11:1-10

Paul’s rhetorical question opens our reading: “Has God rejected his people?” (verse 1).

Then, Paul answers his own question emphatically, “Absolutely not!” From this clear answer, Paul used an illustration about Elijah and his complaint about the Israelite people (1 Kings 19). The upshot for Paul was that Israel’s rejection is not final. This is so God’s grace can keep God’s people for God’s self. Oh, God, cleave to us and keep us. Amen.

Saturday | Romans 11:25-36

Paul wrote that “all Israel will be saved” when God brings the full number of Gentiles into salvation (verses 25-26). In Paul’s thinking, there exists a “then/now” scenario. Then, the Jews were disobedient; now they have God’s mercy. We note here that God’s action always determines the outcomes. Thanks be to you, oh, God, for your immeasurable grace offered to us without price. Amen.

Sunday | Romans 11:11-24

By virtue of what Paul called the failure of Israel, God supplies salvation to Gentiles.

Paul’s references to “stumbling” mean that the Crucifixion is something that Jews logically trip over. In the end, God makes salvation accessible to all, if they do not continue to be unfaithful. Oh, Gracious God of salvation, help us live into your faithfulness. Amen.

Key Verse: Then don’t brag like you’re better than the other branches. If you do

brag, be careful: it’s not you that sustains the root, but it’s the root that sustains you.

(Romans 11:18)

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Lesson 12 | May 19

Daily Meditations Lesson| January 8 | January 14–20 20

THE CALL OF THE GENTILES Lesson: Romans 11:11-24 • Background: Romans 11

Several themes connect and hold Christian theology and the Bible together in an overarching narrative. They also address what our faith believes. One of these vital narrative themes is the act of God saving God’s people. Salvation is the theological name we give this narrative theme.

Perhaps nowhere else in the Bible has a writer fixed on salvation to the degree that Paul did in his letter to the early Christian believers in Rome.

From Romans 1 forward, Paul, in one way or another, explores and explains this notion of how God saves God’s people. We could make a case that the history of Christian theology is really a long deliberation on Christian salvation. For this reason, Romans stands so tall in the Christian canon.

Naturally, salvation poses other questions: What is the nature of God? Can we trust God to fulfill God’s promises? What is the fate of Israel with regard to salvation? Did God reject God’s people? What role do human beings have in the process of salvation?

Some believers ascribe to Scripture an understanding of salvation distinctive from Paul, defining salvation by the ethical behavior it prompts. For example, they believe a person shows the state of his or her soul by how he or she acts on another’s behalf. This might require feeding the hungry, offering hospitality, visiting the sick or imprisoned, and so on. This theological thinking suggests that human beings are saved not so much by grace nor even accepting the gospel, but by how they treat other persons.

Honestly, if people were to behave this way (in the manner of the parable we sometimes refer to as The Parable of the Sheep and Goats), then our world would be a much better place. If we are simply justified by works, then we are the kinds of persons—Jews who are under the law—that Paul used Romans to argue against. It is a good and right thing to offer humane or generous conduct toward “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40, 45).

Beyond a doubt, there was this kind of theological thinking with respect to salvation in the early church. Nonetheless, this attitude toward salvation has a distinctive tinge of “works-righteousness.”

Perhaps this was one of the reasons that Paul www.AdultBibleStudies.com/MatureYears

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wrote as he did about the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles. The shape and definition of salvation is still an issue even today, nearly twenty-one centuries later. We are saved by God’s grace, not our “good works”!

Paul’s argument in Romans is a sustained one.

For this reason, it’s important that we consider Romans 11:1-10 prior to looking at verses 11-24.

Paul began with a rhetorical question and a robust answer: “So I ask you, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not!” (Romans 11:1). Paul assured readers that God did not foreclose on God’s promises to Israel, even if some Jews by their hardness rejected Jesus as Messiah. Then, Paul used himself as an example of a Jew who was not rejected. Paul then used the example of Elijah (see 1 Kings 19) to describe what the Bible calls “the remnant.” This remnant group, probably “Jewish Christians,” God chose by grace.

This week’s lesson comes from Romans 11:1124. We can divide it handily for discussion into two key parts. The first part (verses 11-16) addresses whether God’s apparent rejection of Israel is permanent. The second section (verses 17-24) offers Paul’s analogy using an olive tree grafting.

Paul suggested that God turning to the Gentiles would somehow make Israel jealous. Although this seems “junior high-ish,” Paul’s point is that this divinely intended contact with Gentiles motivates the otherwise unmotivated Israelites to faith. In a kind of “bad news–good news” scenario, the failure of Israel (also translated “transgression” or “defeat”) makes the gospel available to the Gentiles. Thus, by God’s design, the Jews help evangelize the whole world. By Jewish rejection, the Gentiles now have the gospel preached to them.

Jews understand the world to be divided into two groups: Jews and non-Jews/Gentiles. Jews at this time had little to do with Gentiles. John’s Gospel, for example, speaks explicitly about “Samaritans” and considers them as if they were Gentiles. Thus, we read, “Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other” (John 4:9). So, in most respects, this attitude was true for Jewish contacts with all Gentiles. This means that a Jewish rejection of the

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Messiah is a temporary circumstance for Israel.

Eventually, God offers the opportunity for all people to enter God’s fold.

Oddly, it seems, Paul then wrote, “I’m speaking to you Gentiles” (Romans 11:13). Paul alerted the Gentiles that pride in their newfound status as believers did not entitle them to judge Israel.

This caution points away from Gentile pride and toward gratitude for God’s grace. Paul’s own flesh, the Israelites, will enable the blessing of the whole Gentile world—which is another way of saying all the nations of the earth!

Subsequently, Paul used an analogy of dough (see also Galatians 5:9) to introduce another analogy—that of an olive tree’s roots and branches. Paul used this analogy about an olive tree’s grafting in Romans 11:17-24. This figure of speech anticipates the Gentiles’ possible pride in a relationship with God in Jesus that evidently many Jews had scorned. Thus, the teaching illustrates how the Jews and Gentiles have a relationship with God. When Paul mentioned the root, he spoke of Israel’s great tradition we read in the Hebrew Scriptures. Regarding both Jews and Gentiles as branches, Paul wrote about some branches being “broken off” (Israel) and some “being grafted” into the olive tree (Gentiles; verse 17).

Notice that this is all under the section that Paul begins, “I’m speaking to you Gentiles.” The Jews’ failure should not create pride or arrogance in the Gentile believers. Yet, beyond everything else, this

association of Jews and Gentiles through God’s tree shows great evidence for God’s grace.

To conclude, we might say that Paul’s argument in verses 23-24 tells of the possibility that the Jews will be grafted “back into” their own olive tree (tradition). We call this argument that Paul often used, as did Jesus, “the argument from the lesser to the greater.” Here are two examples of this kind of argument. In Romans 8:32, Paul used this argument, “He didn’t spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. Won’t he also freely give us all things with him?” Jesus, too, used this argument, as in the Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you’ll eat or what you’ll drink, or about your body, what you’ll wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25).

The Jewish rejection of Jesus created a blessing for the whole world.

Maturing in Faith

Although this event shook him, in ten years he had never mentioned it before he told me, his pastor. I pressed him on his silence. Was he embarrassed? Was he fearful that others would mock him or fail to believe that this had happened to him?

“No,” he explained, “I told no one because I was too afraid that it was true. And if it’s true that Jesus was really real, that he had come personally to me, what then? I’d have to change my whole life. I’d have to become some kind of radical or something. Besides, I love my family and was scared I’d have to change, to be somebody else, maybe destroy my family, if the vision was real.”

That conversation reminded me that there are all sorts of reasons for disbelieving the resurrection of crucified Jesus, reasons that have nothing to do with our being modern, scientific, critical people.

The assurance of faith gives us confidence that God is indeed real.

Something that makes some believers anxious about their faith is the question, “How do I know for certain that I am saved?” This topic in Christian theology is the “doctrine of assurance.” John Wesley, founder of Methodism in the United States, thought God had “justified” or made “righteous” believers in Christ, but how do we feel the assurance of faith?

Wesley experienced assurance at an Aldersgate Street society meeting in London on May 24, 1738.

Assurance is the Spirit witnessing to us that we have a secure faith relationship with God in Christ through God’s promises. This is a final step in an individual’s salvation (see Romans 8:16).

I am still haunted by a conversation I had with a member of a congregation I served earlier in my ministry. One evening, this man said he had a stunning vision of the risen Christ. Christ appeared to him undeniably, vividly.

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Daily Meditations | May 20–26 Monday | Proverbs 3:1-12

We know the Book of Proverbs as part of what scholars call “the wisdom literature.” These writings intend to help people live lives more fully using reason and common sense. In today’s reading, living “a long time” (verse 2) connects to the idea of trusting God and not our own intelligence. Ironically, God gives us our intelligence as a gift. Oh, Gracious One, help us use your gifts to serve you and others. Amen.

Tuesday | 1 Corinthians 13

Boiling down all the words we could say about Christianity to one, it would doubtless be the word “love.” The Greek language employs up to six different words for the one English word “love,” including different words for friendly love and erotic love. However, when the Bible addresses love, it most often speaks of agape love, which is selfless or unconditional love. It is the love of Christ for us. Oh, Love that will not let us go, bless us. Amen.

Wednesday | Luke 6:27-36

Acting as God’s children is often counterintuitive for us. For example, “love your enemies” and “pray for those who mistreat you” (verses 27-28) are not hardwired into our human DNA. Yet, to be Jesus’ follower is to be like Jesus who loved fully and without compulsion. What are some other things God commands us to do that seem contrary to our natural instincts?

Thursday | Psalm 34:1-14

Ending today’s psalm, we read this sage counsel: “Turn away from evil! Do good!” John Wesley, Methodism’s inspiration, fashioned “Rules for Christian Living.” Some were: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can . . . as long as ever . . . you can!” If believers pursue what Psalm 34 and Wesley suggest, then God will grant us peace.

Friday | Romans 12:9-15

A goal for each of us should be to be an authentic person. Sometimes people are not truthful in order to push their personal agendas. We may, at times, believe we cannot tell the truth to someone else because of the pain it will bring. Yet, when we “love . . . without pretending” (verse 9), we show honor to others and bring blessing to them. How do you show love, even when the truth you speak may cause another person pain?

Saturday | Romans 12:16-21

Human pride makes relationships with others difficult. We can take offense when another person intends absolutely none at all. Our egos regularly impede our human connections.

Perhaps for this reason and others, Paul reminds us in Christ to “live at peace with all people” (verse 18). The bedrock of Christian morals rests on Paul’s notion of defeating evil with good. Oh, God, help us to live in peace with all persons. Amen.

Sunday | Romans 12:1-8

Paul wrote of a living sacrifice, by which we live the sacrifice we confess. We live it physically. When our words and actions fit together, God makes us a holy, set-apart people, as God intends. In a way, as Jesus represents God incarnate in humanity, our lives that reflect our righteous words incarnate our faith. How may we best live our words day to day?

Key Verse: So, brothers and sisters, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. (Romans 12:1)

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Lesson 13 | May 26

CALLED TO NEW LIFE IN CHRIST Lesson: Romans 12:1-8 • Background: Romans 12

When I was in seminary, my Romans professor, Dr. Victor Paul Furnish, explained to us that we could divide Romans into two broad parts. Of course, he knew we could break Romans into any number of sections, but we were young, and he was trying to help us students get a toehold in a very difficult book. He pointed out that Romans includes a doctrinal section, and this is contained in the first eleven chapters. The second part is the “exhortation” section. These chapters, 12–16, relate the virtues and duties of the Christian life and their importance for the faith community. We could also call this writing either counsel or moral encouragement. Paul wrote here of a practical, lived-out theology, not simply a theory of theology.

Paul’s appeal seems far-fetched beginning in Romans 12: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God” (verse 1).

After all, Paul wrote for eleven chapters a theology plainly suggesting that God alone makes a “saved” life possible. Now, Paul impressed on believers that they use their mind and body in tandem. We are “to do.” Paul wanted believers to engage mind and body—to decide and to act. Decisively, Paul urged us to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (verse 2). The action part Paul suggested is “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (verse 1). Thus, mind and body work together. What was at stake for Paul was the moral argument regarding Jewish and Gentile Christians. How could they live together in a community of faith? Talk about expecting a miracle!

God’s mercy is the foundation upon which we “present our bodies as a living sacrifice.” Paul then added, “Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world” (verse 2). We accomplish this by rethinking the difference between being “natural people” and people “saved” by God’s act in Jesus Christ. This new way of thinking transforms us!

We take account of other people, those in the body of Christ. Notice that Paul moved subtly between our individual bodies (“present your bodies,” verse 1) and the community of faith (“in one body,” verse 4). This novel kind of thinking Paul called “the renewing of your minds” (verse 2). We renew

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through corporate worship, but we also present our bodies to ministry that includes mission, evangelism, and Christian education. We reveal the ways God renews our minds by how our thinking inspires our bodies for the gospel.

We express life via our bodies. Often, the Bible speaks about people’s actions and seldom, if ever, shares people’s inner thoughts. We are judged by what we do, not our intentions. Consequently, Paul continued his exhortation by moving on to “different gifts” (verse 6) that people in the faith community contribute so as to build it up.

The gifts that Paul wrote about are tangible examples of offering our lives “as a living sacrifice.”

Some of the gifts he cited are: prophecy, service and teaching, encouragement, giving, leading, and showing mercy. Yet, this is only a small sample that exemplifies a multitude of “stewardship households.” The English word we use for stewardship comes from a Greek word from which we also derive the word “economy.” Essentially, stewardship means “to manage the household.”

To manage in this sense is to care for something owned by someone else. Accurately, and in terms of Christian stewardship, whenever we claim “owning something,” this sort of talk is a misnomer.

So, whatever gifts and graces we possess, we only possess these in the sense that God owns them and loans them to us to manage. One way, then, that Paul understood the faith community was as a place where believers pool and share their talents or gifts from God. They may have one gift—or ten—but shared together, the community becomes strong.

Transformed relationships, as obviously God must bring about with Jewish and Gentile Christians in one community, begin in common worship and mission. The “work of the people” is the literal meaning of the worship word “liturgy.”

Therefore, the “shared work” is a principle behind stewardship in a local church. We understand stewardship as embodied worship as we offer our gifts. Paul redefined this worship for all God’s people. We respond to God’s kindnesses not by sacrificing animals such as goats, lambs,

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turtledoves, or pigeons. Rather, we offer our body to God as a living sacrifice. We each have a household of gifts to manage. When many believers, prompted to generosity by the Holy Spirit, offer gifts, then the church accomplishes abundant ministry. Not accidently, God chose to pour out the Holy Spirit on many. For example, in Acts 2:3, the tongues of fire representing the Holy Spirit were “alighting on each one of them.” Many received the Holy Spirit experience and they, as a result, became stewards of their gifts and that Spirit.

In the closing verses of our text, Paul supplied the church at Rome with an understanding and practice of spiritual gifts. Paul’s intent was to unite the church rather than divide it. Paul had a tricky situation—the joining together of Jewish and Gentile Christians in an integrated church.

He suggested that a pooling of spiritual gifts was a path to do this. Paul wrote often about “building up” the church. If someone used a spiritual gift to build up herself or himself, Paul did not think it was a gift. It is a gift when it builds up the community of faith.

Paul’s task was to unify this church as a church. Getting any group on the same page is a demanding task. Blending a church—in work and in life together—is not easy. This was especially true with the historic and deep-rooted animosity between Jews and Gentiles. Yet, it is at the point of the discussion of spiritual gifts that Paul offered an

Maturing in Faith

Last year at a reading time for young children at our local library, I heard a curious fact about bees.

As you know, bees are vital in the pollination of crops. As honeybees gather pollen and nectar for their own survival, they also pollinate crops such as apples, cranberries, melons, and broccoli. Some crops, including blueberries and cherries, are ninety percent dependent on honeybee pollination; one crop, almonds, depends entirely on the honeybee for pollination at bloom time.

In addition, bees demonstrate something about teamwork. On a warm day, about half the bees in a hive stay inside beating their wings, while the hive’s other half goes out to gather pollen and nectar. The beating wings cause the temperature inside the hive to be about ten degrees cooler than outside.

The colony regulates the temperature in its nest to protect the developing brood. The bees rotate duties, and the bees that cool the hive one day are

essential truth: God alone supplies all our talents and capacities as Christian believers. We do not generate these gifts. We may have preferences and self-perceived talents. Nonetheless, God gives us our gifts as endowments of the Holy Spirit.

If we recall the connective power of the Spirit joining us in heart and mind, then we recognize that we are all part of the body of Christ. We use God’s spiritual gifts not for self-gratification, but to build up the Body. Paul wanted the Christians at Rome to know this truth. How does the church hold together all the people and missions God calls it to perform? Paul’s answer was that love is the glue that holds the church of Jesus Christ together. God offers us this love, and Paul wrote of it in Romans 12:1 as “God’s mercies.”

Paul wanted the church at Rome to live in God’s mercy, to have the members offer their bodies for ministry, and to renew their minds. By presenting the gifts God had loaned them, the church would do good work and be united. This prayer is one that only God can answer on our behalf.

honey-gatherers the next. Nature offers us many other examples of teamwork, including the root systems in California’s redwoods, cooperation in ant colonies, and geese flying in formation.

As Christians, we assume that people of faith who have Christ in their hearts will be able to cooperate. Yet, sometimes in the church, we run amok when we quarrel with one another. Someone does not like the music selections; others think the budget is out of whack. We criticize our leaders whether at the local, state, or national levels.

Many think the sermons could be more on point or shorter. Some don’t approve of the gender of the pastor, while others think the pastor is too old or too young. If mute animals can find ways of cooperating with one another for the mutual good of all, then what does that say about human beings who understand themselves to be the “crown” of creation?

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I Merry-go-round Brain Teaser Question: Can you think of any words that are pronounced differently by merely capitalizing the first letter?

Provided by TheTeachersCorner.net Brain Teasers

Answer: There are several, and there could be more: 1. job, Job 2. herb, Herb 3. polish, Polish

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the smiles have been.

Mark Twain, Following the Equator

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GENESIS to REVELATION

Coming up in the Summer issue of Christian Living in the

MATURE * Learn the ins and outs of prison ministry with Linda Jinkens.

* Indulge your senses with Kayla Fioravanti’s “Aromatherapy in the Bible.”

* Discover how people in local congregations are putting their “Faith in Action.”

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What does it mean?

How does it relate to my life?

This newly revised classic Abingdon series helps you discover your answers to these questions.

Visit www.cokesbury.com/GenesistoRevelation to learn more and order for your group today.

* Examine your relationship with God with our Bible lessons on “Living in Covenant.”

Don’t miss next Quarter’s

Christian Living In the Mature Years

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EXCITING CHANGES COMING FALL 2019

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