Glimpses of Grace

Read Luke 24:44-49 (NRSV)

44Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’

Read 1 Peter 1:10-12 (NRSV)

10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated, when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 12It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look!

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

When you watch the evening news, which network do you choose? Is it because of the news content or the channels take on the news? 

Do you have a favorite author who writes with authority for you and whom you trust? Who might that be and what is there about the authority’s voice that draws you?

If you could get a glimpse into the future what would you like to see or to hear?

When you read the Bible do you feel spoken to by a voice of authority? Whose voice is it that speaks through scripture? Is there a central message that you hear from the voice?

Place yourself in the chariot with the Ethiopian in Acts 8:26-40. What did Philip say to him that influenced him to ask for baptism? What was it that opened his mind to the reality of God’s kingdom?

How would you describe the Holy Spirit in relation to the Father, and the Son?

Have you ever felt the presence of the Spirit in your life? Was it a positive feeling or frightening?

What impact did the Holy Spirit have upon God’s mission through the church?

Write your definition of grace.

Prayer of Confession

Holy Spirit of forgiveness, come to us again:

shake our hearts, set our souls on fire with your love.

We hold out to you all our particular burdens of guilt and sin,

and we ask for your help to live the way of your justice and love.

Fruit That Will Last

Read John 15:1-17 (NRSV)

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. ⁹As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

12 ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Read 1 Peter 1:22-25

22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. ²³You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴For
‘All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls, 
²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures for ever.’
That word is the good news that was announced to you.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

Have you every planted a garden for the purpose of growing vegetables or fruit?  How did it go?

We can learn a lot about life from observing the natural processes of nature.  Food gardens have predators.  Even the produce or fruit from a garden must be eaten in good time.  Is there a lesson about the transitory nature of all natural and human processes? 

Jesus said he had chosen his disciples to go and bear fruit, fruit that would last.  Is there some fruit, labor, investment of your time and energy, that you hope will last forever?

Peter quoted Isaiah 40:6-8, “the grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of the Lord endures forever. The people are grass.”  If we are impermanent, how can we get the living and enduring word of God into our lives?

What is the connection between the word of God and the love of God?  Can you name the fruits of the Spirit?  
Check out Galatians 5.

The sermon said God speaks, God transforms, God empowers mission.  Is the Word, Jesus Christ, calling you to be his living word to someone beyond your comfort level?  
Explore what that may mean for you today; how might that look?

Prayer, The Peace Prayer

St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is error, the truth;

Where there is doubt, the faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

From Piggish Ways to Holy Conduct

Read 1 Peter 1:13-22
Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. ¹⁴Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; ¹⁶for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. 22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.

Read 1 Peter 3:1-8
Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, ²when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; ⁴rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight. ⁵It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. ⁶Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.

7 Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honour to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers.

8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

If you were to write a prayer based on 1 Peter 1:16 what would you pray?

Think about what you have inherited from your family.  Not just material things as important as they may be, but your spiritual inheritance.  Make a list of the good, beautiful, and precious gifts you have received that have made you into the person you are.

Did you read the May 30, 2011, issue of Time Magazine? Click HERE to view the article.  What do you make of Nancy Gibbs article about powerful people behaving like pigs?  What is the piggish behavior she describes and critiques?

If you could add some names and faces to the Misconduct Matrix in Time whose would they be.

What has God done to deliver us from the futile ways inherited from our ancestors?

What questions come to your mind about Peter’s exhortations to wives and husbands in chapter 3?

How can men and women nurture their common dignity and show respect for one another?

Do you want to be holy?  What would that mean?

Prayer 

“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)
by Dr. M. Craig Barnes (blog posting April 22, 2011)

When you inspired Peter to write these words, you had to know that this is a pretty tough call for us to fulfill.  I would love to say that I want to be holy, but I wonder – is there some besetting sin, some socially appropriate addiction, that I am not about ready to lay down?  No, there is not one.  There are many.  Not only can I not obey the imperative to be holy, I cannot even succeed in honestly wanting it.

My only hope is that you never meant for this to be an imperative.  What if it’s a promise?  I shall be holy because Jesus Christ is holy, and by your Spirit, you are transforming me into his image.  You are not limited by either my sin or my addicted will. Make me holy, O God, for my soul will never rest with anything less.  I know in my best moments that my real desire is for you.  Amen.
 

Half Empty, Half Full, or...

Read 1 Peter 1:3-9

1Pet. 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,  7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,  9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Questions for Personal Reflection from Steve Sweet

Do you tend to be a "half full" or "half empty" kind of person? 

What difference has Christ made in the way you look at life's challenges?

What promise from I Peter 1:6-9 gives you needed hope for the challenge or challenges that you face at this time in your life?

One point made in Sunday's sermon was this: "God has a way of putting the right person at the right time in our life to encourage us along".  

How has God done this for you, as you look back on your life?

Prayer, "The Prayer of St. Patrick"

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;

Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of the wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of the earth,

Firmness of the rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me;

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's hosts to save me

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

Against every cruel and merciless power

that may oppose my body and soul.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in the eye that sees me,

Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through the mighty strength

Of the Lord of creation.

Rejoicing in Hope

Read: Ezekiel 37:1-14; 1 Peter 1:1-6a

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.  He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.  He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.  I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.” 

So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.  I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”  I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. 

Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.  And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.  I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act,” says the LORD. 

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, 

To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,  who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:

May grace and peace be yours in abundance. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice.

Questions for Personal Reflection from Jerry Tankersley

Remember a time in which you felt hopeless about your life.

How did you rediscover hope for your future?

We talk about being born anew.  Consider John 3 and Nicodemus.

What did Jesus say to him about new birth.

Have you been reborn?

Why was Easter Sunday so important for the disciples?

Would there have been a church if Jesus had not been raised?

Peter talks about a living hope.  What is your experience, strength, and hope?

If someone were to ask you to give a reason for your hope, what would you say?

Peter says that we have been born into an inheritance that will not pass away. 

Are you expecting an inheritance from your family?

When the family will is read, what do you want to hear?

So what is the inheritance kept for us in heaven?

Does the promise of eternal life bring comfort to you?

Rejoice in Hope!

How is it possible to experience joy in the face of difficulties?

Are hope and joy connected?

Prayer

Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Living God, 
you breathe in us 
on all that is inadequate and fragile, 
You make living water spring even 
from our hurts themselves. 
And through you, the valley of tears 
becomes a place of wellsprings. 
So, in an inner life 
with neither beginning nor end, 
your continual presence 
makes new freshness break through.

Amen. 

—Brother Roger of Taize
 

God of our life, 

there are days when the burdens we carry 
chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; 
when the road seems dreary and endless, 
the skies gray and threatening; 
when our lives have no music in them, 
and our hearts are lonely, 
and our souls have lost their courage. 
Flood the path with light, 
run our eyes to where 
the skies are full of promise; 
tune our hearts to brave music; 
give us the sense of comradeship 
with heroes and saints of every age; 
and so quicken our spirits 
that we may be able to encourage 
the souls of all who journey with us 
on the road of life, to your honor and glory. 
—Saint Augustine
 

Taste and See

Read:  Psalm 34:8; 1 Peter 2:2-3

Psalm 34:8 

O taste and see that the LORD is good; 

happy are those who take refuge in him. 

1 Peter 2:2-3

Like newborn infants,

long for the pure, spiritual milk,

so that by it you may grow into salvation—

if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord, 

and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee."

- Augustine, 354-371

Questions for Personal Reflection from Kathy Sizer

How have you noticed an increased spiritual hunger in society or in yourself?

What are some of the ways you try to satisfy the deep hungers of your life?

Are there any of those things that you need to leave behind in order to long for the true spiritual life?

What do you already do to be intentional about feeding your spiritual hunger and thirst?  What one thing would you like to try?

Prayer, Psalm 42:1-6b

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 

When shall I come and behold the face of God? 

My tears have been my food day and night, 

while people say to me continually, 

“Where is your God?”

These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: 

how I went with the throng, 

and led them in procession to the house of God, 

with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, 

a multitude keeping festival. 

Why are you cast down, O my soul, 

and why are you disquieted within me? 

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, 

my help and my God.