STATION 3

(participant reads)
A summary of Jesus’ birth and life:
Time after time, God shows His people a never-ending, ever-reaching love. 
Time after time, the people sadden God by going their own way.  They ignore God’s offers of love and leadership. 
Eventually, God can no longer overlook the response of the people. Four hundred years passed by.  Not even a whisper is heard from God! 
But this silence is broken by a child’s cry.
It is a clear starry night, in a small town called Bethlehem.  
The baby’s bed is an animal’s feeding trough. His bedroom is a stable, shared with animals.  
This baby’s name is Jesus. 
This clear, starry night is the time that God had been waiting for.  
Jesus has come to live in the world — to be God’s presence with people.
As a boy, Jesus learns how to be a carpenter, and he speaks to others about God.  
He treats others with great respect and people catch a sense there is something different about Him.  
As a man, Jesus is baptized in the River Jordan — by his cousin, John.  As Jesus comes up out of the water, a voice from the sky is heard, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 
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(guide reads)
If Jesus is God’s Son, then it makes sense that he reveals the nature of God.  If I wonder what God is like, I can look to Jesus — the way in which he lives in the world, the way he interacts with others, the manner in which he manages his own self, and the way in which he connects with God.
The best way to know what God is like is to follow the way of Jesus — watching what he does, listening to what he says.  Allowing who he is to shape my picture of God, and ultimately my own sense of self.
On more than one occasion, the friends of Jesus stumble upon Him in a private place in conversation with God.  The practice of prayer is central to Jesus’ way of life.
There is a well-known interaction where one of Jesus’ followers asks him to teach them to pray, Jesus responds:
 
(participant reads)
“When you pray, say,
Father,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.”
(Luke 11:2-4 MSG)
 
(guide reads)
Jesus goes on to tell them that they can expect that God is listening, and longs to give them exactly what they need — not holding back on good gifts.
Knowing that God is listening, it makes sense for me to be in conversation with Him.
Cultivating a desire to know and experience His character.
Inviting Him to re-make the world in a way that reflects who He is.
Seeking from His hand what I need each day.
Seeking His wisdom to be at peace with others.
Seeking His strength to live in a way that reflects His character to the world.
 
Is there something you find compelling about the practice of prayer?
 
How might you look to build on this practice in your own life?
 
Before moving to the next station, take a moment to write a prayer on the paper provided — it can be as short or long as you want (you may even like to draw a picture representing your prayer) — write whatever is on your heart as you think about who God is right now.