Week: Easter
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, You died for us but You came back to life again and You’re alive now. We’re ready to meet with You in new ways today.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Selah
Matthew 28:20
[Jesus said] ‘Teach [people] to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.’
Matthew 28:20 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on the mission that Jesus gave to his followers just before He left them to go and be with Father God in heaven.
Read by Selah
Matthew 28:18-19
Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.’
Matthew 28:18-19 (NCV)
If we imagined Matthew’s gospel as a blockbuster movie, then this is like the final scene. And wow, what a movie! Jesus spends three years travelling around Galilee, healing sick people, setting people free from demons, performing miracles, telling people about God’s love and God’s way to live well. Then, towards the end, He’s killed by the religious leaders and the Roman rulers, but Jesus does the most impossible thing ever – He comes back to life again!
And now here we are at the final scene where Jesus gathers his disciples together – his closest friends – and just before He returns to His Father in heaven, He tells them what He wants them to do. And it’s really simple. ‘Go and make followers of all people in the world,’ He says. Tell people and show people how to become followers too. And then the book of Acts is like the movie sequel – the story of what happens next!
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question: What’s the best final scene we’ve seen in a movie?
The mission that Jesus gave to His disciples is the same one that He gives to us – to tell people and show people how to become Jesus’ followers too.
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to give us opportunities to talk with our friends about You and about being a Christian. Please give us the words to say, and the courage to say them too.
Now let’s stretch our prayers a little bit beyond the people that we know. Maybe we could lift our hands and imagine we’re stretching them over our school or the place where we work or our local community.
Lord Jesus, You said to go and make followers of all people of the world, and so we pray for the little bit of the world where we live – our school, our workplace, our local community. We ASK that lots of people would become Your followers here.
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.
Matthew 28:18-19
Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.’
Matthew 28:18-19 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we hear You calling us to go and make followers of all people in all the world. We say YES to joining in with Your mission wherever that takes us.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 28:20
[Jesus said] ‘Teach [people] to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.’
Matthew 28:20 (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.
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.
Liliwyn lives in Kansas City, USA, with her parents, sisters and dogs. She is a good friend and enjoys designing, music, traveling, math and watching American Football (especially the KC Chiefs).
