 Share a high and a low from the past week. Answer this question again: “I am… (noun)”— something that describes you, or how you are feeling right now.  John 15:1-8 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.  What is the purpose of pruning when gardening? How does this relate to the way that Jesus calls us to live? Have you ever felt that you were being “pruned”? What kinds of things have been cut away from you that were painful at the time but brought about a beneficial change? What kind of fruit are you bearing? What kinds of things are “good fruit”? “bad fruit”?  Dear God, thank you for bringing us all here together again. We have learned so much about you through the words of your son, Jesus Christ, and we hunger for a deeper sense of you and your love for us. Be with us as we continue on this journey; help us to love one another and to use the gifts you gave us for the building up of your kingdom. In your name we pray. Amen.  May the True Vine give you strength, life and possibility.
Amen.
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 Share a high and a low from the past week. Answer this question again: “I am… (noun)”— something that describes you, or how you are feeling right now.  John 10:1-15 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 1“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.  Think about the work of a shepherd. How long do you think it would take for a shepherd to train the flock to know his voice? How does the shepherd know which sheep are part of his or her flock? If Jesus is the good shepherd and we are the sheep, what does this relationship tell us about our relationship to Jesus and God?  Holy God, we come to you today in gratitude for your love and care. We can become so busy and consumed with stress and deadlines that we need a reminder of who we are, whose we are, and why we are here. Thank you for loving us through all of it. We need your guidance and care to do the work you call us to do and to be the people you call us to be. Help us, Lord, as we seek to do your will as your beloved children. Amen.  May the Good Shepherd continue to care for you now and always.
Amen.  Share a high and a low from the past week. Answer this question again: “I am… (noun)”— something that describes you, or how you are feeling right now, other than your name!  John 6:27-35 (NRSV) 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  What does it mean that Jesus says, “I am the Bread of Life”? How can Jesus be this source of satisfaction for us? How does experiencing Jesus as “the Bread of Life” help us to know God more fully?  Dear God, thank you for bringing us all here today to learn more about you through your son Jesus. Help us to remember that even when we feel like we don’t do enough to honor you, you accept us just as we are because you made us and love us. Let us be constant reminders to each other that we are enough. In your name we pray. Amen.  May the Bread of Life give you what you need today and always. Amen. |
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1000 3rd Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA | 319.365.1494 | info@firstlutherancr.org | A congregation of the ELCA
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