The Fourth Week in May
We Read…
One of the most beautiful parts about God’s holiness is that we are invited to become holy, too. We read about God’s power and perfection and know without a doubt that God has shared these things with us. God has truly given us new life! In Isaiah, we see this played out with the glowing coal touched to Isaiah’s lips. God’s holiness changes us, and in response, we live for God. We see in Psalm 29 that God is more powerful than all of the world because it all belongs to God. No human can control the floods or the winds, but God can. And because of God, we are brought away from fear and condemnation, and we are ushered into salvation, into the family of God.
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, the edges of his robe filling the temple. 2 Winged creatures were stationed around him. Each had six wings: with two they veiled their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew about. 3 They shouted to each other, saying:
“Holy, holy, holy”
is the LORD of heavenly forces!
All the earth
is filled with God’s glory!
4 The doorframe shook at the sound of their shouting, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 I said, “Mourn for me; I’m ruined! I’m a man with unclean lips, and I live among a people with unclean lips. Yet I’ve seen the king, the LORD of heavenly forces!”
6 Then one of the winged creatures flew to me, holding a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips. Your guilt has departed, and your sin is removed.”
8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice saying, “Whom should I send, and who will go for us?”
I said, “I’m here; send me.”
Psalm 29
1 You, divine beings! Give to the LORD—
give to the LORD glory and power!
2 Give to the LORD the glory due his name!
Bow down to the LORD
in holy splendor!
3 The LORD’s voice is over the waters;
the glorious God thunders;
the LORD is over the mighty waters.
4 The LORD’s voice is strong;
the LORD’s voice is majestic.
5 The LORD’s voice breaks cedar trees—
yes, the LORD shatters
the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon jump around
like a young bull,
makes Sirion jump around
like a young wild ox.
7 The LORD’s voice unleashes fiery flames;
8 the LORD’s voice shakes the wilderness—
yes, the LORD shakes
the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The LORD’s voice convulses the oaks,
strips the forests bare,
but in his temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned
over the floodwaters;
the LORD sits enthroned—king forever!
11 Let the LORD give strength to his people!
Let the LORD bless his people
with peace!
Romans 8:12-17
So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn’t an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness. 13 If you live on the basis of selfishness, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live. 14 All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. 15 You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. 17 But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.
John 3:1-17
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.”
4 Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?”
5 Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ 8 God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?”
10 Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things? 11 I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One.14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. 16 God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. 17 God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
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 do you think the man in John 3 was confused about rebirth? What ideas or phrases used in the church have confused you in the past?
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 something in creation, maybe a friend or adult who cares for you)?
What has God made new in your life? In your heart?
How do you feel knowing that Jesus didn’t come to scare us or condemn us but to save us? Does this change how you view God?
When have you experienced God’s power in your life?
We Believe…
What does it mean to be saved? In Romans 8, we read that we are adopted as God’s children. In John 3, we hear that God sent God’s son to give us eternal life so that he could save the world. So, what does it mean to be saved? Some traditions believe salvation simply covers us, as you would cover a grill in the winter or a phone with a case. Salvation covers the outside enough for God to accept us into heaven. But these passages show us a deeper salvation that should change every part of who we are from the inside out. God has invited us into the family; Jesus gave his life for the world. We are saved and transformed by the power of God. We are sanctified, which isn’t just something on the outside; it happens deep within our hearts and soul. Salvation shouldn’t just be seen as something to get us through to the next life. We should see that God has brought us as close as possible and invited us into a fully new life and a new heart.
We Practice…
Take a glowing coal and place it to your lips - no wait don’t actually do that! This week, practice talking in a community about something that confuses you, questions you have, and/or your thoughts on John 3:16-17. Talk through your questions or thoughts with people who you love and trust (family, small group, pastor, etc).
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