Week: Jesus Resurrected
As always, each day we will simply pray (P.R.A.Y.) together.
P: PAUSING to be still.
R: REJOICING with a Memory Verse and REFLECTING on some verses from the Bible.
A: ASKING God to help us and others.
Y: saying YES to God’s ways.
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Lord Jesus, as we spend these few minutes together, we open our eyes to see what You’re doing, our ears to hear what You’re saying, and our hearts to receive what You want to give to us today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Sasha
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die.’
John 11:25 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a few verses from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, where he lists the many occasions when Jesus appeared to people after he had died and risen again.
Read by Sasha
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
I passed on to you what… was most important: that Christ died for our sins… that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day… and that he was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all he was seen by me.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8a (NCV)
It must’ve been difficult for people to believe that Jesus had come back to life again after dying on the cross, but Paul clearly wanted his listeners to know that’s what really happened. It’s like he’s saying, ‘Look, I’m not making this up! Jesus appeared to loads of us! He even appeared to me!’
Jesus’ resurrection isn’t fake news, it’s 100% true. The Bible calls it ‘the Good News’ – in fact, it’s the best news ever!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: We’re only a few weeks into the new year. What’s the best news we’ve heard so far this year?
Let’s close our eyes and let the extraordinary, incredible, wonderful Good News sink in that Jesus was dead, but now He’s alive again, forevermore.
Lord Jesus, we find it difficult to believe sometimes, so we ASK You to help us.
We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it!’ Some people find it difficult to believe in God because they can’t see God. Maybe we know someone who feels like this?
Lord Jesus, You appeared to the people that Paul listed in his letter, and You have appeared to millions of people since then, in dreams and visions and in other ways too. We pray for those we know – may they see You in a way that helps them to believe in You.
As we read the Bible again, let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit might want to say to us from today’s verses.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
I passed on to you what… was most important: that Christ died for our sins… that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day… and that he was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all he was seen by me.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8a (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, You were resurrected – brought back to life – by God, and now You are alive! Even though it’s hard for us to understand, we say a big YES to the new, forever life that You give to us too.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will have life even if they die.’
John 11:25 (NCV)
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Sasha is 8 and lives in Phoenix, Arizona, USA with her dad, mom, sister, and dog Max. She loves dogs (especially puppies) and anything to do with baby dolls. She is very funny, kind, smart, and she loves traveling!
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
