The First Week in June
We Read…
God knows and sees us and wants to be close to us! I love this story of God calling out to Samuel. When Samuel finally realizes who is calling after him, he tells God to speak because he is ready to listen! God was speaking to him already, but he waited until Samuel invited God in to give him the bigger message. God is always calling out to us, but we still need to say yes to a relationship with God. God wants us to be ready to listen, invite God into our hearts, and let God know our thoughts. But God doesn’t leave this as a one-sided relationship, either! God wants to know us, and God also wants us to know God. When we read the Bible, engage in small groups, and pray, God reveals God’s heart for us, God’s desires for the world, and God’s good news for all people. We have been invited to know God deeply!
1 Samuel 3:1-10
Now the boy Samuel was serving the LORD under Eli. The LORD’s word was rare at that time, and visions weren’t widely known. 2 One day Eli, whose eyes had grown so weak he was unable to see, was lying down in his room. 3 God’s lamp hadn’t gone out yet, and Samuel was lying down in the LORD’s temple, where God’s chest was.
4 The LORD called to Samuel. “I’m here,” he said.
5 Samuel hurried to Eli and said, “I’m here. You called me?”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go lie down.” So he did.
6 Again the LORD called Samuel, so Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “I’m here. You called me?” “I didn’t call, my son,” Eli replied. “Go and lie down.”
7 (Now Samuel didn’t yet know the LORD, and the LORD’s word hadn’t yet been revealed to him.)
8 A third time the LORD called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “I’m here. You called me?”
Then Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you say, ‘Speak, LORD. Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down where he’d been.
10 Then the LORD came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel said, “Speak. Your servant is listening.”
Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
1 LORD, you have examined me.
You know me.
2 You know when I sit down
and when I stand up.
Even from far away,
you comprehend my plans.
3 You study my traveling and resting.
You are thoroughly familiar
with all my ways.
4 There isn’t a word on my tongue, LORD,
that you don’t
already know completely.
5 You surround me—front and back.
You put your hand on me.
6 That kind of knowledge
is too much for me;
it’s so high above me
that I can’t reach it.
13 You are the one who created
my innermost parts;
you knit me together
while I was still in my mother’s womb.
14 I give thanks to you
that I was marvelously set apart.
Your works are wonderful—
I know that very well.
15 My bones weren’t hidden from you
when I was being put together
in a secret place,
when I was being woven together
in the deep parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my embryo,
and on your scroll every day was written
what was being formed for me,
before any one of them
had yet happened.
17 God, your plans are incomprehensible
to me!
Their total number is countless!
18 If I tried to count them—
they outnumber grains of sand!
If I came to the very end—
I’d still be with you.
2 Corinthians 4:5-12
We don’t preach about ourselves. Instead, we preach about Jesus Christ as Lord, and we describe ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. 8 We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. 9 We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out.
10 We always carry Jesus’ death around in our bodies so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies. 11 We who are alive are always being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies that are dying. 12 So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Mark 2:23-3:6
Jesus went through the wheat fields on the Sabbath. As the disciples made their way, they were picking the heads of wheat. 24 The Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look! Why are they breaking the Sabbath law?”
25 He said to them, “Haven’t you ever read what David did when he was in need, when he and those with him were hungry? 26 During the time when Abiathar was high priest, David went into God’s house and ate the bread of the presence, which only the priests were allowed to eat. He also gave bread to those who were with him.” 27 Then he said, “The Sabbath was created for humans; humans weren’t created for the Sabbath. 28 This is why the Human One is Lord even over the Sabbath.”
3 Jesus returned to the synagogue. A man with a withered hand was there. 2 Wanting to bring charges against Jesus, they were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Step up where people can see you.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they said nothing. 5 Looking around at them with anger, deeply grieved at their unyielding hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he did, and his hand was made healthy. 6 At that, the Pharisees got together with the supporters of Herod to plan how to destroy Jesus.
We Think…
What stands out to you in these verses? Does anything confuse you or not make sense?
How do these verses compare to your own experience in life or the church? What are you considering? What questions come to mind?
Why did the leaders go after Jesus?
Why do you think Eli took so long to know God was speaking to Samuel?
We Feel…
What emotions are you experiencing today? How are you making space for these feelings?
Where have you seen God today or this week? What is pointing you to God (maybe it is something in creation, maybe a friend or adult that cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
How does it feel to hear that God knows the depths of your heart?
When have you felt knocked down in life? How have you felt God’s presence in those moments?
We Believe…
Some believe that God is distant, that God created the earth and then left us to just figure out the rest on our own while God watches from far away. But we believe in a God who is close to us! God is active in our lives and wants to walk with us in every moment, even the moments that we think are too small or need to keep to ourselves. We can hear from God because God wants us to know God deeply! Sometimes, we hear God in audible ways; sometimes, we hear God through the Bible; sometimes, we hear God through people speaking to them (and most of the time, we hear God in some combination of these ways plus others).
We Practice
God has given us Sabbath rest because God knows how easy it is to be busy and burn out. Take time to practice a Sabbath this week, whether a full day or an hour of mini-Sabbath each day. Turn off your phone, don’t schedule anything during this time, go for a walk or do something that makes you happy, intentionally be with your family or friends who you love, and rest in God’s presence. If you struggle to shut your brain off, bring a notepad with you and write down your thoughts as they come, so you don’t forget them or feel the need to focus on them. Do your homework the day before so it isn’t something you need to spend time on. God instructed us to rest because it is important, so take the time to practice that this week and reflect on how you feel!
Commenti