creation

Sunday, January 8th Readings

Epiphany of Our Lord

Opening Prayer

Lord

You shine like a star for all to see

You bring light to the dark places

You pour out Your goodness

You fill me until I overflow

Help me to radiate in this world, like YOU!

AMEN

Journal/Reflection Questions

Isaiah 60:1-6

  • The Magi were drawn to the baby Jesus because of the “great light”. What draws people to a relationship with Jesus today? What draws you into a relationship with Jesus?
  • God calls you into the light. Are there areas of your life which you close off to God or to others because they are dark? Identify the darkness in your life and resolve to let God begin to shine light onto it. Make a resolution to seek help from people who can help shed light onto a dark situation.

Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

  • What brings light into your life? Take a piece of paper and write down the things that bring light to your life and draw a star around each one. Place this paper in a significant place in your house, on the refrigerator, on your bathroom mirror, in your prayer space, wherever you will see it and be reminded and encouraged.
  • How would you identify yourself as a copartner with God? What does Saint Paul mean here?
  • Saint Paul says all people are heirs to the kingdom of God. Do your actions express this truth? Who in your life needs to be shown God’s unconditional love? What steps can you take to make them feel like a child of God?

Matthew 2:1-12

  • The Magi travelled a great distance to find Jesus. How far have you travelled to find Jesus? What makes the journey worth it?
  • How will you pay homage to Jesus this year? Do any of your resolutions help you deepen your relationship with him? What gifts do you bring to Jesus?
  • The scriptures over the past month have given us examples of how God speaks to his people through dreams. Does this cause you to look at your dreams in a different way?
  • Do you think God still speaks to his beloved people through dreams? Why or why not?
  • What do your dreams warn you against? Do you listen?

General Questions for Journaling

  • Can you identify where God is working in your life? How do you help or hinder God’s work in your life?
  • What does a steward do? How are you a steward of God’s grace?
  • How is it that you came to know Jesus? 
  • How far would you travel to see God?
  • What are you willing to sacrifice/give up in order to find God?
  • How do you relate to Jesus as a baby? What are you to learn or take away from the circumstances of Jesus’ birth? 
  • Is there someone or something that threatens you and your growth in the Spirit? Is there an obstacle in your life, you must overcome? Name the Herod in your life, then ask God to guide you to safety.
  • Things don’t always work out the way you expect. The story of Jesus’ birth says you just have to go with the flow. Are there prayers in your life which have been answered, just not in the way you expected? 
  • Is the faith you express a gift or curse to others?  Explain and give examples of how faith can be both.
  • Is it harder to believe Jesus came to save ALL people or Jesus came to save YOU?

Closing Prayer

Leader:  Lord, You are a shining light…

ALL:  shine so I might find You in the darkness.

Leader:Lord, You are a shining light…

ALL:  let Your light be a beacon when I am weary.

Leader:  Lord, You are a shining light…

ALL:  spotlight the path I must follow.

Leader:  Lord, You are a shining light…

ALL:  consume me so others see Your glow within me.

Leader:  Lord, You are a shining light…

ALL:  awaken me to Your radiance!

Challenge for the Week:  Throughout Jesus’ life, He unwrapped the gift of Himself and shared the gifts with others.  Jesus was a good son, obedient to God, a teacher, a healer and a welcomed companion and friend.  What gifts have you been born with but have not unwrapped?  Have you unwrapped gifts within you which you have not shared with others?  What keeps you from unwrapping the gifts and sharing them?  Spend time this week reflecting on your life and the gifts which you have been given and unwrapped.  Have you used the gifts to the benefit of God?  Have you kept the gifts to yourself or only shared them with a few people?  Are there still gifts left for you to unwrap?  How do you know when it is time to unwrap and share the gifts you have been given?  Light a candle in your home to help remind you to reflect on the gift Jesus is and the gift you are too!

GET CONNECTED DAILY!  Find more reflections and prayers at Making Scripture Relevant on Facebook and Instagram.  Join the Weekly Scripture Journal email list by contacting heather@makingscripturerelevant.com.

Discipleship 5K: A Physical and Spiritual Journey to the Cross by Heather Neds, author of the Weekly Scripture Journal is more than a book, it is a guide to becoming a stronger disciple.  Grab and copy and start the journey!

Architect and Maker

I played a game as a kid that I think was called M.A.S.H but can’t really remember is that was an acronym for something and if it was, what it meant.  However, I do remember that one person would ask another person a series of questions where they could give 3 or 4 answers per category.  For example, you would ask them to name people they would like to marry, what kind of house they’d like to live in, how many kids they will have, etc.

Depending on who you played with, sometimes there were only a few categories, but others liked to get very detailed in their questions.  Such as asking you what type of car you’d like to drive and then asking what color you wanted your car to be.  Regardless, once all of the information was collected, you’d begin a process of eliminating the choices until there was only one item left in each category.  In the end, you’d have a full description of a person’s life. 

Of course, this is completely fictional.  No one is able to confidently know what their lives will look like, where they will live, who they will marry and what kind of car they will drive.  One could give an educated guess, but to know for certain what your life’s situation will be in five years, or even one year, it would only be a guess.

I mean, one year ago this week, my husband and I were in St. Louis celebrating my husband’s birthday by attending a couple of baseball games, and we got the call that my husband was acquiring a couple of projects in Austin.  We have had no idea that we were about to pick up and move after living in Kansas City for our entire 29-year marriage, and after I’d just began a new job in January.  It was a bit of a shock, but the decision to move was easy.

I imagine this is how Abraham and Sarah felt when God told them they were going to have descendants as countless as the stars; a little shocked but ready to do and accept whatever God had planned for them.  Abraham and Sarah probably had no idea it was possible for them to have a child at such an old age, but God made it happen.  For us, it was a desire to move to Colorado where we could spend more time outdoors hiking and biking.  We had no idea we could have the lifestyle we desired in Texas!

I realized that in real life, unlike in the game I played as a child, I cannot choose the options in each of the categories because they have already been chosen for me by God.  God knows where I will be in five years, and I just need to trust.  Yes, I could fight the changes and try to blaze my own trail, but I believe that God will get His way in the end.

God’s will for me will happen whether I let go and let God or if I try to be the captain of my own adventure.  I can make decisions (big and small) without God’s help, or I can turn to God for guidance.  This is really my only choice, whether or not I will open myself up to listen for God to lead me where I am to go today.  So, I choose to let go and let God lead my decisions because in the end, His is the one who created me for a purpose, and He knows what that purpose is.  I am not going to stand in the way of God’s plan, whatever it is, I trust it will be better than anything I could have imagined on my own.

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GET CONNECTED DAILY!  Find more reflections and prayers at Making Scripture Relevant on Facebook and Instagram.  Join the Weekly Scripture Journal email list by contacting heather@makingscripturerelevant.com

Discipleship 5K: A Physical and Spiritual Journey to the Cross by Heather Neds.  It’s more than a book, rather a guide to becoming a stronger disciple through physical and spiritual exercises.  Get your copy and begin the journey!