Resilience – Perspective, purpose and prayer

Speaker: Rachael Stelzer the audio recording is here: http://www.sundaynightlive.org/

Overview

Many of us have had experiences of going camping. Camping is now regarded as an important part of education: it’s where young people learn resilience. In her Sunday Night Live message, Rachael Stelzer considered how we access resilience in our lives and she did so by looking at what must have been a very stressful day in Jesus life. Yet, at no stage does St Mark suggest that Jesus was particularly burdened by the day’s proceedings. How did he manage it? What can we learn from it?

Prayer: Lord, we ask that as we read your word and reflect upon its meaning to us that we be able to genuinely apply it to our lives.

Group Activity Reflection

1. Can you think of a particularly recent stressful day or period? What made it so?
2. Once you have identified the events, try to consider exactly what was at stake that made the situation stressful?
3. Do you feel that you handled the situation well or badly? How could you have handled it differently?

Exploring the Readings: Mark 6: 14- 53

Rachael looked briefly at a number of readings including this short extract from 2 Corinthians 4: 7-11

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹²So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

• What do you understand by St Paul’s remark in verse 10 that we ‘always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus… ?

Rachael used the various readings to highlight that we cannot expect to walk through our life trouble free; even an objectively ‘good’ life often does not feel straightforward. With unrealistic expectations we are often unaware of how we are to call on Jesus to empower us, to help us through, to show us the way through life’s storms.

With this in mind, Rachael looked at the Mark reading in more detail. She noted the following events had occurred:

• News of the execution of John the Baptist
• Jesus attempts solitude but is followed by a large crowd who are provided for
• Jesus goes to pray then returns to rescue Peter who sinks while trying to walk on water.

Rachael provided an alliterative help for identifying how Jesus is able to deal with each of these situations. The three concepts she identified were perspective, purpose and prayer. She noted that these three aspects are useful for enabling us to follow Jesus’ way. She compared this way with Peter who upon sinking (for he knew not how to swim) simply cried out ‘Save me, Lord!’ and was rescued.  It is interesting that Jesus immediately responds to this cry but also asks Peter why he doubted.

Group Activity

• In this reading what exactly is the nature of Peter’s doubt? How can we apply this short passage to our lives?

Individual Reflection on Perspective, purpose and prayer

• Consider the meaning and application of the first two aspects in your life – what is the perspective you generally have when confronted with stresses and difficulties? What would a Christ-like perspective be different?
• How do the stresses and difficulties connect with your life’s purpose? Do they actually emerge naturally from your life’s purpose? If so, to what extent could these difficulties be expected or even welcomed?
• When we feel stressed and under siege what is the nature of our prayer? Is it ‘save me’ prayer or is it a prayer that seeks wisdom and Jesus’ way

Group (or pair/triplet) Activity

You might like to take some time to share some of the above in your group and then commit the key aspects to your prayer time. You might like to separate into pairs or triplets to pray through the issues.