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Read Exodus 1:8-2:10. “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” In this one moment, everything changed for the Hebrew people. Everything that felt comfortable, safe, and routine would no longer be. Even joyous occasions like the birth of a child brought dread and danger. Sometimes we have life events that drastically change the course of our lives. Many of them are for the good, but some are not. Some feel like it is the end of the world as we know it. 

Can you think of a specific event in your life that felt that way? What or who got you through it? In what way did you change? What did you learn? Who might be going through a time like that now and could use someone to come alongside them? How might you be a reminder of the steadfast love and presence of God in their lives? 

In prayer, thank God for the strength and courage that has gotten you through difficult times and for the people who have accompanied you along the way.

Read Psalm 124. Many scholars believe this is one of the oldest of the psalms. It is a hymn of worship and praise for the great things the Lord has done for Israel. Reading through this psalm, we can picture the escape from Egypt, the Red Sea, the 40 years in the wilderness. The Hebrew people have a hope for the future with God, based on the help in the past from God. Think of a time in your life when you faced struggle or strife. 

Looking back, can you see where God gave you the strength or courage to face that challenge? What other gifts did God provide during that difficult time? How might reflecting on God’s gifts in the past shape the way you look at tomorrow’s challenges? 

Join the people of Israel in this communal prayer: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Amen.

Read Romans 12:1-8. Here, Paul reminds the Christian community that the body of Christ is made up of interdependent individuals. Much like the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between plants and animals, we are “members of one another”. 

A song that reminds me of this is Hezekiah Miller’s, “I Need You to Survive” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyBrchq-auA&list=RDUyBrchq-auA&start_radio=1). For the body of Christ to grow and thrive, we need each other’s unique experience of God and of life. We may not always agree with each other’s perspectives, but we must appreciate that someone else’s experience and expression might just be the pathway for another to gain insight into how faith might inform their own life. 

In prayer, thank God for the variety of gifts and perspectives that are part of the body of Christ.

Read Matthew 16:13-20. After a series of miracles and teachings, Jesus asks the disciples what people are saying about him. They answer that many see him as the ghost of one of the great prophets, from the recently murdered John the Baptist all the way back to Jeremiah. And then Jesus asks, “But who do you say I am?” Only Peter, always reliable when it comes to speaking up, answers, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus commends him for his understanding and especially because he didn’t come to it just by the testimony of others. He recognized Jesus’ greatness from his time spent with Jesus. 

How we name Jesus for ourselves and for others depends on how we have experienced him. Some of that experience comes from our upbringing and some from our own life journey. If someone were to ask you who Jesus is to you, how would you answer? Has the way you would name Jesus changed over time? How would others name Jesus by witnessing your life of faith? 

Think of all the different names by which Jesus is called (Savior, Friend, Lord, Master, God-With-Us, Teacher, Healer, etc.) and consider which is most relevant to you today. In prayer, thank him for being present in that way to you.