May 14, 2023

Knowing God

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Lectionary Week

May 8–14, 2023

Scripture Overview

In Acts, Paul visits Athens and finds the people worshiping various deities. He attempts to show them the one true God not by open confrontation but by understanding where they are in their own thinking and then engaging in conversation. This model is confirmed in First Peter: We should always be prepared to give reasons for our faith, but this should be done with gentleness and respect, not confrontation. The psalmist promises to make offerings in the Temple to the Lord because God has brought the people through a period of testing. The psalm thus also ties into First Peter where the believers are being tested. Jesus tells his disciples in John that God will send the Spirit to empower them to demonstrate their faith by keeping his commands.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

Read Acts 17:22-31. When have you searched for God? How did God’s nearness surprise you?Read Psalm 66:8-20. What tests have you endured? How have you known God’s presence through times of difficulty?Read 1 Peter 3:13-22. How does your faith help you determine what is right? How does it give you courage when doing what is right brings you suffering?Read John 14:15-21. When have you felt encompassed by the Trinity? When has your identity as part of this family felt fragile?

Respond by posting a prayer.

I remember specifically the terror I felt as a child in the basement of a Sears department store when I discovered that my curiosity had separated me from my mother—who was only an aisle over. So much of what we take for security in relationships is tied to physical presence...

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Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, I give you thanks for the mystery of your abiding presence that absence cannot negate. Lead me into the mutuality of love where your word and presence find me. Amen.

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