Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Week 2 - The Garden of Gethsemane

I have been thinking about this study every day, but I let my daily chores and routines take precedence. And isn't that the ultimate battle? "Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things..." My prayer is that I become more Christ-like, putting God at the forefront.

An opening activity for this week is to look at the Psalms: 113 and 114 are sung before the Passover meal, and 115-118 afterwards. Imagine what Jesus might have been thinking as He sang during the Last Supper.

Now imagine the Garden of Gethsemane, filled with olive trees and rocks. Put yourself in the shoes of the disciples, trying to stay awake while sitting or kneeling on that rocky ground.

Scripture reference - Mark 14:26, 32-42
Key insight - in both the Gardens of Eden and Gethsemane, the crucial question was "God's will, or not?"

Questions for discussion...
1) When have you been unable to "stay awake," pay attention, or follow through when you felt Jesus most needed you?
2) What significance do you see in the fact that two of the Bible's most profound temptation stories take place in a garden?
3) When in your experience of faith have you heard the whispered temptation, "Just Run!" How did you respond?

Please add your comments. Thanks to Karen for her responses last week.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

There has been a lot to think about this week. One thing was if I felt there was a time I didn't do God's well because I am married.I think my calling has been to be the best wife and mother I can be and raise my children to seek God.
I am a big sleeper. One thing I'm trying to work on is attending the 8:00am service on Sundays. I don't get to sleep early enough on Saturday night (by choice)yet the part of the question I'm trying to apply is when Jesus needed me most. I'm having a hard time thinking of a time when I was aware that Jesus needed me Karen specifically. This is a new train of thought for me and I need to do more soul searching on this. I don't remember a time I heard Just run but I do remember times I found it hard to be in God's will. I am stubborn and often think I know what is best and it takes prayer and God's grace to break through to me.
I also thought about being Jesus' friend. I see myself trying to be his follower, I know his love and yet the idea of friendship is unsettling. While I have many acquaintances I am very cautious about friends. I expect a lot from a friend and I also expect to give a lot for a friend.
I am reading a very good book "same kind of different As me"
It is about an unlikely friendship brought about by a woman who loved God and served His people. It is making me look for a deeper walk as are the questions I am facing in this study.