Week: Jesus' Friends & Family
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
What a friend we have in You, Jesus. We’re ready for the new things that You want to show us and say to us about being friends with You, and with others too.
We REJOICE and celebrate God’s goodness with this week’s memory verse:
Read by Asaph
Proverbs 17:17
Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
Proverbs 17:17 (MSG)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
Today, we’re REFLECTING on how Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’ closest followers, responded when she found that the place where Jesus was buried was empty.
Read by Asaph
John 20:11a,14&16
Mary stood outside the tomb, crying.
She turned around and saw Jesus standing there but she did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’
Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew language, ‘Rabboni.’ (This means ‘Teacher’)
John 20:11a,14&16 (NCV)
In today’s story, Mary was devastated, her dear friend had been killed, and when she came to spend time beside His tomb, He’d been taken again.
When she first saw Jesus, she didn’t recognise Him. But as He spoke her name, all the memories came flooding back and she knew exactly who He was. She’d heard her name spoken by her friend, Jesus, before, the tender way He called her… ‘Mary’.
When Mary recognised that it was Jesus, she called Him ‘Teacher’. Let’s press pause and talk about today’s question, which is: What other names or titles for Jesus can we think of? For example, Jesus gave himself a few different titles, such as ‘the Good Shepherd’.
Let’s close our eyes for a moment and imagine the smile on Jesus’ face as He looks at us, and let’s listen to the tenderness in his voice as He speaks our name.
Mary was the very first person to see the resurrected Jesus. In those days, and in that culture, women weren’t usually trusted, but Jesus trusted the world-changing good news of His resurrection to her.
God of Mercy and Justice, we ASK You to be with women around the world who continue to struggle and suffer because they aren’t trusted and their voices aren’t heard. We ASK You to protect and strengthen them.
And Jesus, we ASK You to continue calling women by name, filling them with Your Holy Spirit, and giving them courage and power to preach the world-changing good news of Your resurrection around the world.
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.
John 20:11a,14&16
Mary stood outside the tomb, crying.
She turned around and saw Jesus standing there but she did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’
Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Hebrew language, ‘Rabboni.’ (This means ‘Teacher’)
John 20:11a,14&16 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out from today’s Bible verses?
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Lord Jesus, we love the way that You love people. We say YES, we will try our best to love people like that too.
After enjoying this time with God and each other, let’s say our memory verse together:
Proverbs 17:17
Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.
Proverbs 17:17 (MSG)
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.
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Asaph is 9 years old. He lives in Portland, Oregon with his younger sister Adelina, father and mother. He enjoys riding his bike, camping, reading, playing flag football and watching Bible Project videos. Asaph is kind and smart and loves hanging out with friends!