Week: Easter
As usual, 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 Bea
Matthew 28:6
The angel said to the women, ‘He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’
Matthew 28:6 (NIV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re reflecting on the final occasion that the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples before returning to be with His Father in heaven.
Read by Bea
Matthew 28:16-20
The eleven followers went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him, but some of them did not believe it was really Jesus. 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. Baptise them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.’
Matthew 28:16-20 (NCV)
In the Bible, mountains are often places where God speaks to people. Moses first heard God speaking to him from within a burning bush while he was on a mountainside (Exodus 3). It was on a mountainside that God gave the prophet Elijah new instructions after he’d run away in fear from Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19). And it was on another mountainside that Jesus resisted the devil’s temptations and refused to bow down to him (Matthew 4).
Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: When have we visited or maybe even climbed a mountain? What do we remember about that experience?
Jesus told His disciples to ‘go and make followers of all people’ – to go and tell people about Him so that they start to follow Jesus too. And He says the same thing to us.
Lord Jesus, we know that You are with us at school, at work, when we’re out with our friends, all the time. We ASK You to give us the opportunities and the courage to tell our friends about You.
Jesus sometimes calls people to go to other countries and tell the people there about him.
Lord Jesus, we ASK you to comfort those who have gone to other countries when they feel far from home. Give them the strength and everything else that they need to keep going. And give them lots of opportunities to tell people about You.
If we know someone who Jesus has called to another country, let’s send them an encouraging message this week.
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 28:16-20
The eleven followers went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him, but some of them did not believe it was really Jesus. 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. Baptise them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age.’
Matthew 28:16-20 (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! You haven’t just saved us, but You’ve called us to follow You and to tell others about You so that they can follow You too. We say YES to Your calling – here we are Lord, send us.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Matthew 28:6
The angel said to the women, ‘He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’
Matthew 28:6 (NIV)
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.
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Bea is 14 and she lives in Hampshire, in the UK, with her family. Her favourite football team is Manchester United, even though she lives a loooong way from Manchester. Bea likes horse riding and running, and when she’s older, she wants to become a vet, or a professional horse-rider.
