Daily Devotion for January 12

Intro

In the days of Jesus, weddings (receptions) lasted a week. They were times of "eat, drink and be merry..." The following passage is one such wedding. Notice that Jesus is present, as you read this familiar passage, think about the concept of inviting Jesus to your wedding and how would you celebrate?

SCRIPTURE: John 2: 1 - 10

1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

4"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[a]

7Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

8Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

QUESTION

If you were Jesus, what would have been your first miracle?

QUESTION TO PONDER

Of all the possibilities for the first recorded miracle, wine was chosen, why?

PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR PRAYERS

Bill Schuler who is now at home recuperating

REMEMBER

Hike this Saturday at Sepulveda Wildlife Reserve

Meet in the NUMC church parking lot or a the amphitheater at 10:30

Daily Devotion for January 7

INTRO

Last night at Down Time, I experience a wonderful worship environment that felt like a call to newness, or starting the New Year, or rebirth, etc. One of the Bible passages was Psalm 139. A scripture that I have read many times, but because of last nights worship environment, it was as almost as though I was experiencing it for the first time. Inspired by that passage, it is used for the 11 am worship service Opening Prayer.

O LORD, you have searched us and you know us. You know where we sit and when we rise; you perceive our thoughts. You discern our going out and our lying down; you are familiar with all our ways.

God knows who we are. God knows what’s inside us.

Question: Do you have a friend that knows you that well?

Do you know yourself that well?

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

Psalm 139:4

Daily Devotion for January 6

INTRO

As we continue the dialogue of John the Baptist with religious clergy of the day, they are frustrated with John the Baptist not answering the question, "Who are you?" In their frustration they point blank ask him:

SCRIPTURE: John 1: 22 & 23

22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "

NOTE John knew who he was,. Because he knew who he was he was able to accomplish his task.

APPLICATION

All of us have a quest, not only to know who we are, but our “mission” in life. For John, he was the herald for Christ/Messiah. His mission (task) was to “Make straight the way for the Lord.”

US

To know our mission, it begins with knowing who we are and who God is. This is the most important journey for each of us.

Lent begins in about a month, our Lenten Series is on Les Miserable, a powerful story of FORGIVENESS. In the musical, Jean Valjean is confronted by the tension of his own identity. His real identity is Jean Valjean, but for the last decade or so, he has changed his mind to Monseiur Mandeleine (the Mayor of Montreuil-sur-Mer). During that time, a criminal was arrested and the authority believe that he is Jean Valjean. If Jean Valjean, and "inocent man" will serve a jail sentence in place of Jean valjean, but if Jean Valjean claims his true identity, he then must stand in place of the innocent man and serve his rightful sentence. If he turns himself in, many will suffer because they rely on Jean Valjean for their financial support. If he does not turn himself in, only one suffers. What shall he do? His answer is easy, when he realizes he must be true to his real identity, to know thyself, to be who he is.

US

When we are true to our true identity, decisions are easier to make. John the Baptist knew what he had to do, because he knew who he was. Jean Valjean knew what he had to do because he knew who he was.

THOUGHT TO PONDER

Once Jean establishes his identity in his decison making process, he does the right thing and in the musical breaks out in song, "Here I am." In our own lives, perhaps we need to break out in song when we are true to who we are and sing "Here I am (Lord).

Daily Devotion for January 5

INTRO

This week we begin a sermon series on the gospel of John. In our passage for this week, John the Baptist is being questioned to "who is he?" In this passage the religious clergy take a guess and ask John, are you Elijah?

SCRIPTURE: John 1:21

21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"

QUESTION: Why did they ask if he was Elijah?

Answer: Elijah is the herald for the Messiah (relationship between two)

21b He said, "I am not."

"Are you the Prophet?"

He answered, "No."

POINT: John the Baptist knew he was not Elijah, nor a prophet. He knew who he wasn't. Tomorrow we will find out that John the Baptist not only knew who he wasn't but also knew who he was.

QUESTION: Have you ever been asked, "Who are you?"

Do you know who you are not and who you are (like John the Baptist).

QUESTION TO PONDER

What is the first step for self discovery. To know who we truly are, not a being that merely responds the stimuli of our society.

Daily Devotion for January 4

INTRO

As we make our New Year’s Resolutions, one must wonder if they are in harmony with our true identity. Sometimes our Resolutions fail because we have chosen a New Year’s Resolution that is out of character with our true being.

INRO TO SCRIPTURE

Gospel of John (sermon series until Lent, then Les Miserables)

SCRIPTURE: John 1: 19 - 23 (John the Baptist Denies Being the Christ

19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."

QUESTION: Why would the Pharisees think John the Baptist is the Messiah/Christ?

QUESTION: Has anyone ever thought you were someone that you were not?

How did you respond?

NOTE: it is probably a certainty that no one has ever considered us to be Christ. But throughout history, every so often there are some folks who have thought they were and some folks have followed after these who claim to be the Christ.

QUESTION: In the day of Jesus, how would they know if they were actually following the real CHRIST?

THOUGHT TO PONDER

Is it necessary for us to know who we are before we can answer who we are not?