Rise Daily: March 17
THIS WEEK’S THEME & PASSAGE
Public Faith – John 4:27-42
This week’s sermon from the series “Where We are Going: The City and the Mission“
THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE
Memorizing scripture is a way to keep God’s word close to our hearts. Each week we will select one verse of scripture to remember as a community.
1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.
THE WORD
Each day’s devotion will focus on one part of the week’s passage.
John 4:35–38
35Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
MEDITATION ON THE WORD
In our busyness and distraction, it is easy to skim through our reading rather than taking it in. Yet we believe this is the inspired word of God. Take a moment to pause, thank God for the scriptures and ask him to speak to you through them today.
Harvest time is a time for celebration. All of the grinding work of preparing soil, sowing seed, watering, and weeding is done, and the fruit of all that labor is ripe for enjoyment.
The harvest Jesus is speaking of here is of those receiving the good news of the gospel and inheriting eternal life in God’s kingdom, i.e., the creation eternally restored to harmony and flourishing under the sovereign rule of Christ. He is very clear that this harvest is already happening. The Samaritan woman and those who would soon flock to Jesus based upon her report are immediate evidence of it.
Jesus reminds his disciples that the joy of this harvest is only possible because of the work others had done previously in sowing the seed. God had been working by means of his chosen servants throughout history to restore a people to union with himself, and Jesus is emphatic that the harvest time is now. This is because he himself is the apex event in the long history of God’s restoring the broken world.
The only remaining work is to celebrate with everyone the good news of what Jesus has done and to join him in the joy of the harvest.
THIS WEEK’S RISE REFLECTION
The Rise season is not only a defining moment for Redeemer, it can also be a defining moment for you. We can’t reach a tipping point by making Redeemer bigger, we need a people-driven movement of New Yorkers sharing the gospel in our neighborhoods, workplaces and relationships. Consider how God is calling you to rise and share your faith.
TODAY’S PRAYER
For your Heart: Pray for God to help us understand how to live our faith publicly yet knowing that it is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit that transforms lives.
For your Church: Praise him that the growth in Redeemer’s ministry over the last 25 years is not because of the work of our human hands but the work of God.
For our City: Praise him that God is sovereign over all elements of our city—every inch, every soul, every joy, every heartbreak.
Our vision is a city renewed by the gospel. This vision needs all of us.
We are calling on everyone at Redeemer to rise and say “I’m in” to pray, engage, and give as part of a gospel movement for the good of the city. Are you in?
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