Posted on April 3, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
An All Access People
By Lisa Zulke
Anybody else grow up far from God? As a kid, I didn’t know that I was. My journey as a teen and twenty year old was alot like the zig-zag sidewalks outside Heartland. A left, a right. Not finding connection or purpose. Trying again.
Today’s teaching took me on a reflective journey. In my teens and 20’s I knew very little about Jesus. I knew my Grandma knew him. Prayed daily to him. She was my prayer warrior and I am convinced the reason I am alive and well today. She so longed to see me step toward Jesus. I was able to accept her wishes and her love and her prayers…but I didn’t gain access through her. She prayed on anyway.
Then came friends who invited me to their churches or youth groups. A few who were invitational, and a few who were heavy handed. Kinda judgy, if I’m honest. I accepted some invites to move toward access, but ultimately didn’t gain access to Jesus through them. They invited on anyway.
Some of my friends…one who I am happily married to today…helped me wrangle questions and doubts, shame and guilt and took me to places, or bible studies or books that helped me begin to see that Jesus "gets" me. That was the turning point for me. Realizing that Jesus "gets" me. That it didn’t matter where my feet had wandered…what mattered was the direction my toes were pointed. They gave me access anyway.
When I came to faith as a 24 year old, the first person I called was…Grandma. I was overwhelmed with her confidence in me, and her faith that Jesus and I would find our way toward each other eventually. Who knew…I did not! But Grandma did.
You see, oftentimes my best efforts, your deepest desires, won’t be the catalyst that draws someone to rise, reach through the ether, and touch Jesus’ robes. But we must pray anyway. Invite anyway. Remain intentional in our presence anyway. Draw on our confident trust…not in our words, but in Jesus. Shore up our patient endurance to go the distance with our friends, neighbors, coworkers, servers, cashiers, waiters and all the others God crosses our winding path with.
For any who are praying a long haul prayer, I see you. Your prayers are heard. Your Jesus is who he says he is. And he will do what he said he was going to do. A verse I claimed over the last two years has helped me greatly in the long haul…may it be an encouragement to you, too.
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
Observe, Reflect, Apply: For me, these verses are interconnected. The first, Jesus’ call to be an all access people, and in the last two verses, how to be an all access person. As you read these verses, take note of what resonates with you, and what you find hard about the words. We’ve talked a lot around here about being who we are as followers of Jesus where we live, work, study and play. How can I be present and intentional in these places to see the moments Jesus wants me to share my story of access to him? What does it look like in my life to give people access? And how do I live as a conduit of Jesus and his Spirit to those he puts in my path? How do I sense the opportunities, and what am I going to say when I step into them? May we go forth this week seeking Jesus and being open conduits of his love for all who cross our paths.
{bible reading plan: book of hebrews}
For the next few months, we invite you to engage the Bible differently along with us. Each week we will be reading a book from Hebrews 4 times, in 4 ways, as directed below. Instead of daily verses, you are free to engage in the practice outlined below as a "choose your adventure". You might do this all in one sitting, or choose to do an exercise a day. We’d love to hear your feedback, just drop an email to Lisa Zulke.
For an overview of Hebrews, watch this 8 minute video from our friends at The Bible Project.
Read the passage slowly, sitting with it and allowing it to frame and fill your mind. Listen for a single word or phrase that catches your attention. Something you want to ponder further or hold on to.
What word or phrase caught your attention?
"I heard _____________________________________________"
The second time you read the passage, reflect on what you have heard. Use your imagination to put yourself in the story, in the context of this letter to the Hebrew people. What do you THINK or NOTICE? What do you SEE? What do you FEEL? What do you LEARN about Jesus? What QUESTIONS are you pondering about Jesus in this reading? Engaging our senses invites curiosity about what we have read.
"I saw, I felt, I noticed _____________________________________"
The third time you read the passage, listen specifically for a personal invitation. What am I being invited to consider? What am I being invited to do or try? Sit quietly and listen. Pray, asking God for insight into what he wants to share with you.
"I believe Jesus is inviting me to ___________________________"
After the fourth reading, respond to Hebrews 10. Read it again, and noodle on what you’ve experienced and taken note of so far. What are you sensing or hearing from Jesus or about Jesus? Pray, inviting Jesus to nudge you in a decision: what am I going to do with what I’ve heard? How will I act on it? How might I integrate it into my daily life?
"I will __________________________________________________"
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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