R E K I N D L E "THE GIFT OF GOD THAT IS WITHIN YOU..."
FALL 2021
at FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF BATON ROUGE
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R E K I N D L E For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you
through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice,
but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline...
― THE APOSTLE PAUL (written from jail to his friend and student Timothy )
FANNING FLAMES WRITTEN BY KAREN MILIOTO
In my house we like to welcome fall with a good fire reveling in how embers dancing in the night sky seem to celebrate the occasion with a fireworks display of their own. Tending these fires is one of my husband’s favorite past times, and though I once believed it to be a fairly simple task, I have since come to appreciate it as the craft it is. One that requires a certain set of tools, a thoughtfully selected and prepared location, the skillful application of a certain set of time-tested methods and techniques, and a willingness to keep coming back in an ongoing and active effort to keep it going once its been lit. And the same is true when it comes to tending to the light of Christ in our lives.
In this letter to Timothy, Paul knows that in the face of adversity, as Paul himself sits in chains, facing execution, Timothy’s fire is waning and in need of tending. His hope is dimming in the shadows of his teacher's earthly fate. So Paul is urging him to do the things that will keep the fire within him lit. To fan those flames according to what he knows. Gathering and then employing the wisdom and techniques Paul imparted upon him early on.
Likewise, in our walks with Jesus, we are called to rely on the wisdom and tools passed down to us through our tradition, in order to fan the flame that has been lit within each one of us. To kindle the fire of our lives in Christ in such a way that keeps it burning, regardless of whatever adversity we too may face. Be that the threat and dismay felt from an ongoing pandemic, the arrival of destructive storms, loss of life, global and domestic crisis, wars, or anything else that might leave us feeling a bit like Timothy must have - staring at what feels like death or defeat, and perhaps questioning the presence and power of Jesus, as Light seems overshadowed by the widespread darkness of this broken world. Because when we do this, we are renewed in our ability to be bearers of truth and hope, by the power of the Spirit of "sound mind, courage, and love.”
PAUSE & REFLECT WHAT METHODS OR TOOLS ARE YOU CURRENTLY RELYING ON TO KEEP YOUR FIRE GOING?
WEEKLY RHYTHM DAILY PRAYER & REFLECTION Opening Prayer: O Lord, let my soul rise up to meet you, as the day rises to meet the sun. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Read the passage of the week twice, slowly, every day, using a few different translations if possible. To find different translations, use biblehub.com and select from the drop down provided. Each time you read, search the text for a word, phrase, or image that sticks out to you. Write what you notice on the line provided for each day. Reflect on the questions provided on the left side of the page. Add insights as the week unfolds. Consider discussing your responses with a trusted friend.
WEEKLY STUDY Tune in to Rev. Brady's weekly teaching, The Word Meets the World, to see how this weeks passage connects to the world we are living in today. Drop in online or in person to the Thursday lunch discussion of The Word Meets the World.
PRAISE Write a response to this week's passage to God using the lines provided.
BLESS Participate in the suggested blessing practice.
WEEK 1
MARK 9:38-50
SEPTEMBER 20TH - 26TH
The world has a way of encouraging us to see others as threats rather than partners. But in the same way as fire, never threatens other fires, Jesus encourages his followers to recognize how the works others have done in his name point to his presence and power and contribute to the kingdoms purposes. For no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.
PAUSE & REFLECT As you read this passage this week, consider any people or groups who you tend to see as enemies more than allies. List three ways that you notice the light of Christ in them.
have salt in your hearts and be at peace with one another. MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Fan another's flame by writing a note of affirmation that points to the unique light they shine in their lives.
WEEK2
MARK 10:2-16
SEPTEMBER 27TH - OCTOBER 3RD
One thing that sticks out to me about this passage is that the children being brought to Jesus had no stated needs. It doesn't say they were demon possessed, ill, seeking teaching, or in need of some sort of miracle. There was no apparent objective besides proximity. Such pureness of intention is rarely the case with me. Instead, like most of the adults who sought out Jesus on a day-to-day basis
Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.
back then, I usually arrive at Jesus' feet looking for wisdom, direction, healing, miracles and the occasional ask that he raise something or someone from the dead.
PAUSE & REFLECT What child-like attributes do think would make a person draw nearer to the Kingdom?
MARK 10:2-16
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Is there a child in your life? If so, spend the day with them. Leave your phone on silent, the TV off, and be present to how they see and respond to the world. Take note of whatever you learn.
WEEK 3
OCTOBER 4TH - 10TH
it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Prior to that week, I had always thought of fire keeping as more of a hobby than something that provided for an actual need, perhaps because that need was masked beneath the comfort of my own health, our Louisiana climate with its mostly warm and sunny days, and also by modern amenities such as electricity and a working heater. It wasn't as if my need to be warm wasn’t real or present, there were just things buffering me from being aware of it.
I have never been more appreciative of my husband's fire tending skills than during the deep-freeze last February. Like many homes in the area, we lost power, and with that went our heat. I had pneumonia at the time and the icy air made breathing all the more difficult.
The same can also be said of wealth, which has a way of buffering us from our sense of need. Like the heater that always blows, the electricity that never goes out, or the sun that always shines, the comforts of material security can blind us to our need for salvation.
PAUSE & REFLECT As you consider this week's passage, ask Jesus what you must do to inherit eternal life?
MARK 10:17-31
Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Consider giving a donation to Hurricane Ida recovery efforts at umcmission.org
WEEK4 OCTOBER 11TH - 17TH
FOR THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY "God's first concern is not what the church does, it is what the church is. being must always precede doing, for what we do will be according to what we are." - Ray Stedman
PAUSE & REFLECT Jesus revealed the glory of God through death on a cross, subverting everything people in those days believed about dignity, power, and reign. What might it look for the people of God to do the same today? To drink from that cup, and to be baptized in that baptism?
MARK 10:35-45
Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
If you are able, invite a few friends or family members to go pick up trash or other debris in an area that could use it. As you are picking up other peoples garbage notice what you are feeling and write it down.
WEEK 5
MARK 10:46-52
OCTOBER 18TH - 24TH
What do you want me to do for you?
During his ministry, Jesus asked a lot of questions. Questions that probed the motivation behind the requests that were being made of him. He asked people what they wanted. He asked why they had come to him. He asked whether they really wanted to be healed of their afflictions. And invited them articulate the desires of their hearts.
PAUSE & REFLECT Sit with the question, "what do you want?" for the week. Do you want to tend the flames of life in Christ?
MARK 10: 46-52
I want my sight!
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Sit down with a friend this week and ask them what they want Jesus to do for them. Say as little as possible as they explore their own response.
WEEK 6
MARK 12:28-34
OCTOBER 25TH - 31ST
The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.
PAUSE & REFLECT Consider a typical week during this season. How have you set aside time and space to love God?
How have you set aside time and space to love yourself?
How have you set aside time and space to love your neighbor?
MARK 12:28-34
you are not far from the kingdom of God
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
As you pray with this passage this week, ask God to reveal one way to love Him more fully in the season to come.
WEEK 7
MARK 12: 38-44
NOVEMBER 1ST - 7TH
Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers.
“There are two main things that will block or hinder a life constantly interactive with God and healthy growth in the kingdom. These are the desire to have the approval of others, especially for being devout, and the desire to secure ourselves by means of material wealth.” -Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy
PAUSE & REFLECT What words would you use to describe the motivations of the different people mentioned in this passage? The scribes: The wealthy who gave out of their abundance: The poor woman.
MARK 12:38-44
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Find a service opportunity that is providing some assistance in your community. Take a vacation day if you can and volunteer for the day. Don't take any pictures, post anything about it on social media, or tell anyone that you went there.
WEEK 8
MARK 13:1-8
NOVEMBER 8TH - 14TH
This passage offers an interesting contrast between the splendor of the temple that awed the disciples and informed their understanding of power, permanence and glory, to Jesus' prophecy that before the Day of the Lord, it would all come down. An image that nodoubt clashed with their understanding of dominion and might. There is not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble. (MSG)
PAUSE & REFLECT What do you picture when you imagine the kingdom that is yet to come?
MARK 13:1-8
you are placed there as sentinels to truth. (MSG)
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Consider making a donation to the local food bank as they prepare to offer holiday meals to those in need.
WEEK9
JOHN 18:33-37
NOVEMBER 15TH - 21ST
For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
PAUSE & REFLECT In this week's passage, Jesus speaks of the way that those who "care for the truth and have feelings for the truth," (MSG) recognize his voice. Use the space below to reflect on how you differentiate between Jesus' voice which represents truth, and other voices that aim to deceive.
JOHN 18:33-37
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
MONDAY TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
PRAISE
BLESS
Consider the people in your life. Who represents the voice of truth? Invite them out for a coffee or a bite to eat and let them know how much you appreciate them.
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