Week: Jesus: Coming Again
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
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 Jackson R
Revelation 22:13
[Jesus said] ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.’
Revelation 22:13 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on a vision that John had of the resurrected Jesus while he was on the island of Patmos.
Read by Jackson R
Revelation 1:12-16
I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands and someone among the lampstands who was ‘like a Son of Man.’ He was dressed in a long robe and had a gold band around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like bronze that glows hot in a furnace, and his voice was like the noise of flooding water. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword came out of his mouth. He looked like the sun shining at its brightest time.
Revelation 1:12-16 (NCV)
Visions are like dreams, and they can be pretty weird sometimes. They’re not real, but they often have things in them that represent real things.
John’s vision of Jesus is definitely weird. Of course, Jesus doesn’t really have flaming eyeballs or bronze feet and he hasn’t really got a sword instead of a tongue – that would make eating a bit tricky – but all these things represent something. They show us that Jesus is awesome and powerful – Jesus is God! And some of the symbols – like the band of gold and the long robe – are also found in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Daniel. (If we have time later, perhaps we could look them up.)
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: Let’s try to describe someone else in the room using symbols or similes? (A simile is when we say something is like something else. For example, my dad is wise like an owl!)
A couple of weeks ago, we learned a lot about Jesus’ humanity – how he felt hungry and upset and tired, just like we do. But today, John’s vision reminds us about Jesus’ divinity – the fact that he is also the awesome Son of God!
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to help us hold these two things about You in our hearts and minds. You are our closest friend and You are with us all the time. But You are also the Son of God, the maker and saviour of the whole Universe. Wow!
In John’s vision, he says that Jesus ‘looked like the sun shining’. Let’s close our eyes and think for a moment… Who do we know is having a ‘dark’ time at the moment? Maybe they feel sad or lonely? Or is there something happening around the world that feels ‘dark’ or hopeless? Now, let’s imagine the light of Jesus beginning to shine in these situations as we pray.
Lord Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Darkness cannot resist You – it cannot stand against You. Light always overcomes darkness. We ASK You to shine Your light into these situations, so that the darkness is pushed away.
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.
Revelation 1:12-16
I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands and someone among the lampstands who was ‘like a Son of Man.’ He was dressed in a long robe and had a gold band around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like bronze that glows hot in a furnace, and his voice was like the noise of flooding water. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword came out of his mouth. He looked like the sun shining at its brightest time.
Revelation 1:12-16 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, You are truly amazing – more amazing than we can possibly imagine! We say YES, we want to see more of Your glory and wonder and awesomeness.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Revelation 22:13
[Jesus said] ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.’
Revelation 22:13 (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.
Joy lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, daughter and her dog. She works for Bridgetown Church where she leads kids as they grow, learn, and have lots of fun. Joy loves gardening, summer camp, eating ice cream, and reading her favourite books, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Jackson lives with his younger brother and parents in Surrey. He loves pretty much all sport but his favourites are football, golf and jumping off high stuff into water! He enjoys gaming and is always ready to build something on Minecraft.
