Thoughts:       Leaning through the passenger window of the car’s front seat, the father gives earnest instructions to the driver.  He sees a little girl in the driver’s seat, scarcely able to see over the steering wheel, her little feet dangling above the pedals.  The father loves his little girl.  He yearns for her safety as she begins to drive the car.
 
Jesus talks all the way through John 15.  He and his disciples have finished the Last Supper, and they are walking toward the Garden of Gethsemane.  There is so much Jesus wants to tell his disciples, so much he yearns for them to understand.
 
 
Discussion:      What words do we have for those who are facing trials?
 
Activity:          Give thanks for the rooted vines which strengthen us.

Thoughts:       We do not see pictures of Jesus scattering corn for chickens or herding cattle or currying horses.  But we have seen many pictures of Jesus surrounded by sheep of all sizes and cradling a lamb in his arms.
 
Two of the many names we have for Jesus are the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God.  We know the parable of the 99 sheep which are safely in the fold, but the good shepherd goes to search for the one lost sheep.  In the Christmas story, shepherds are the only workingmen who are told by angels of Jesus’ birth.
 
Being a shepherd in Jesus’ time was dangerous.  They faced a constant threat of wild animals which attacked the sheep.  Shepherds risked their own lives to save their sheep.
 
Discussion:      What characteristics of sheep are admirable?
 
Activity:          Make a list of the different names used for Jesus.

Thoughts:       “It does not yet appear what we shall be.”  When you are young, everything is possible in the future.  Your pimples will disappear.  You will pass physics class.  You will wander through Scotland, snipping a sprig of heather, sipping tea in Glamis Castle, walking reverently through the library at Abbotsford.
 
When you are old, you feel as though what you will be has indeed appeared – along with wrinkles and aching knees.  Scotland is a wistful dream.  You sit by the fire and you reread old books and you listen to old music.  You don’t expect to become anyone, anymore.
 
Yet John says we don’t know what we shall be.
 
Discussion:      What do you want to be?
 
Activity:          “I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
                        No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
                        No angel visitant, no opening skies,
                        But take the dimness of my soul away.”
 
Do you know the hymn in which this verse appears?

Thoughts:       At least once a week, we murmur the familiar words of the lord’s Prayer. Sometimes – with a start – we realize that we are reciting, “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
 
So, do we? God blessed us with this promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
 
Discussion:      What sins doe we find especially hard to forgive?
 
Activity:          Today, forgive someone who has hurt your feelings.

Thoughts:       Years ago, sunrise services were not at the civilized hour of 8am.  They were literally scheduled for sunrise – like 5:48am, and they were held on an outcropping rock, high above a river.
 
Huddled together in the chilly dark, we watched as the sky in the east lightened, and ribbons of gold and rose barred the rising sun.  We listened to the story of Mary Magdalene, hurrying to Jesus’ sepulcher while it was yet dark.
 
Mary’s lonely walk in the dark, her loving concern, her tears, her fervent desire to care for Jesus’ lacerated body were all rewarded when the risen Savior appeared to her and spoke her name.  “Mary.”  In those cold, early sunrise services, we could feel Jesus’ presence.  We could hear our own names.
 
Discussion:      If Peter and John had lingered by Jesus’ sepulcher, would he have appeared to them?
 
Activity:          When you are introduced to someone, remember to repeat his/her name in your
first reply.