This is the gift of Christian community – bearing one another’s sins and offering forgiveness. I give thanks for those who have offered to hear my mistakes and failures, and yet, continue to love me unconditionally.
How will you choose to observe Memorial Day today? Will you celebrate your liberties with shopping and barbecues? Will you visit the grave of someone who died serving our country? Will you remember by spending time with a survivor, witnessing to their time in combat and grieving with them over the loss of comrades and friends?
We have plenty of time to gaze upon icons or up into Heaven as those we read about today did. But it seems like the one thing we don’t get around to doing is actually following Jesus.
So this week let’s make a joyful noise, clap our hands and sing praise to God.
by Maria Evans AM Psalm 85, 86; PM Psalm 91, 92 Ezek. 1:28-3:3; Heb. 4:14-5:6; Luke 9:28-36 Both our reading from Ezekiel and
I can’t imagine that Jesus ever meant for us to strip other peoples of their ancient understandings and way of life, their culture and their religion, as Christians, in an attempt to carry out the Great Commission, have done – over and over again.
Rather than try to imagine the heat, the hatred that could move someone to mass murder, I would rather try to wonder whether I would open my door to a stranger, or trust the offer of a ride to a hospital reunion, as normal social barriers and defences were blown away by this awful and cowardly act.
Believing that worship can be fun and playful doesn’t take the seriousness away from church. I believe that the more serious we take church, the more we can be playful with church.
It’s an important part of my routine each morning, as I prepare for the day to come, to select a cross to wear. And, yet, I’m pretty sure that when Jesus invites me to take up my cross daily, this isn’t quite what he means.
Never in the history of the world have we needed great scholars of religion, science, and history to help us as we do now. So, in gratitude and in hope, let us give thanks for scholars and let us pray for more.