Christian Reflection and Prayer

I am not a visionary. I claim to
be a practical idealist. The religion
of nonviolence is not meant merely
for the rishis and saints. It is meant
for the common people as well.
Nonviolence is the law of our species
as violence is the law of the brute.
The spirit lies dormant in the brute
and he knows no law but that of
physical might. The dignity of man
requires obedience to a higher law-to
the strength of the spirit...

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Scripture:

“Whatever you do to the least of these,
you do to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

(The following is a portion taken from a
sermon given by Tony Campolo titled
"The Gospel of King Jesus".
What do think about what he said?)

How many of us take the words of Jesus
seriously? Sell what you have. Give to the
poor. Show mercy. Do you really think we
should love our enemies? Jesus said,
“Love your enemies,” didn’t He?

You think that this is radical stuff, that it’s
dangerous stuff. It’s about time we face the
fact that Jesus never played it safe. It’s
about time that we realize that they didn’t
put Him on the cross because He said nice
things, but because He said dangerous
things. Dangerous things include loving your
enemies, forgiving those who have hurt you,
forgiving those who made life hard for you.
Are you ready to take the words of Jesus,
the teachings of Jesus seriously? A people
that would do that are kingdom people.

The second thing is that they are people
who will be able to find Jesus in those who
are called the least of these. In the twenty
fifth chapter of Matthew, He says, “Whatever
you do to the least of these, you do to Me.
” Are you able to find Jesus in the least of
these?

A friend of mine is a pastor of a church in
the Midwest. It’s an inner city church, and
they run a soup kitchen every day of the week.
The people in the soup kitchen started coming
to worship on Sunday. It’s a very a wealthy
and prestigious church, and one of the deacons
of the church said, “Pastor, I think we need to
have a separate service for those people. You
know, they are dirty and smelly and I think we
need a separate service for them.”

And my friend said, “I don’t think so, because
I believe everybody should have a chance to
meet Jesus face to face.”

The deacon said, “I believe that, too, but can’t
we have a separate service?”

He said, “I’m not talking about them, I’m
talking about you.”

When you look into the face of those who are
in need, if you are filled with the presence of
Christ, if you have surrendered to Christ, if
Christ is a living presence in you, when you look
into their faces, you will see Jesus staring back
at you, and you won’t be saying in the depths of
your being, whatever I do to this person, I do to
Him.

Andrew Young, the onetime mayor of Atlanta,
Georgia, decided to dress up in raggedy clothes,
go out on the streets, and be homeless for three
days to see and experience what the homeless
experience. The people on his staff said, “It’ll
never work. They’ll recognize you. You’re so well
known they’ll recognize you. It won’t work.
” Three days later, he came back and they asked
him, “Well, how did it go? Did people recognize
you?”

And with great sadness, Andrew Young said,
“Nobody recognized me because nobody looks
into the faces of the homeless.”

I look at my own life and I think of how I also
turned the other way. I don’t want to see them,
I don’t want to confront them, I don’t want to meet
them, and Jesus encourages us that, if you don’t
want to meet them and love them and minister to
them, don’t think you can have a relationship with
Me. “Whatever you do to the least of these, you
do to Me.”

The famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright,
designed some unusual buildings. On a
university campus in Florida stands a library
designed by Wright with an extremely low
ceiling, so low that if you are six feet tall and
not careful, you keep bumping your head. A
man who was having this trouble asked why
Frank Lloyd Wright had designed such a
building. "This was a characteristic of his
architecture because he hated tall people,"
A teacher explained.

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Do you sense that God is on your side?
On the very day I call to you for help, my
enemies will retreat. This I know: God is
on my side.O God, I praise your word.
Yes, Lord, I praise your word. I trust in
God, so why should I be afraid? What
can mere mortals do to me? I will fulfill
my vows to you, O God, and offer a
sacrifice of thanks for your help. For
you have rescued me from death; you
have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence,
O God, in your life-giving light.
(Psalm 56:9-13 NLT)

Scripture:

1 Samuel 31-2 Samuel 2:7

Reflection:

Do you try to play God?
"Of course not" , you reply, "I know my place,
And besides, what little I know of God shows me
I'm not up to His job."
But take a minute and think again.  Do you look
at another person, perhaps a person in your family,
and try to manipulate that person into the shape
he or she should become?
Do you set a goal for yourself even one that you
believe is God's will and go towards that goal with
full force and purpose closing your eyes to
people who might brush you aside in your wake?
Do you view someone else actions through
your very narrow eyes and say, " I know that;s sin",
and then purposely avoid that person?

You see I have come to believe that there is a
very fine line between using the abilities that God
has given us to bring structure in our lives and
rushing ahead trying to do what only God should
do. I have come to learn in my life that it is hard
enough to learn to be myself let alone trying to
play God.  

Just how much of our money will go to the military
next year?

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By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Scripture

Read Matthew 2:9-11.

And going into the house they saw the child
with Mary His mother, and they fell down and
worshiped Him... (Matthew 2:11a)

Reflection

Few people enjoy Christmas more than children.
Simply recall their unbridled enthusiasm and the
wonder and jubilation beaming from their faces
as they rush down the stairs on Christmas
morning. The joy of the wise men might have
actually topped theirs. Matthew says, "When
they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly
with great joy."

The Magi travelled a long way to see Jesus.
They heard God's Word telling them where His
Son would be born. They saw the star go ahead
of them until it stood over the house, and they
saw the King of Israel-probably only a toddler at
the time. They fell before Him and presented Him
their precious gifts.

What an amazing picture! These weren't children
running down the hall to see the presents waiting
for them under the tree. These were grown men-
important, dignified, well-educated men. Yet they
were gripped by an incredible joy impossible for
them to contain.

We know so many things they didn't know. We
know this was God's eternal Son. We know He
came to live the perfect life we can't. We know He
grew up to heal the blind, deaf and lame, to drive
out demons and raise the dead. We know He died
on the cross and rose again to give us eternal life.
But with all of that, do we share their overwhelming
joy at our Savior's birth, life, death and resurrection
for us?

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, fill me with joy at Your first coming to
save us from our sins. Then on the Day You return
to judge the living and the dead fill me with
overwhelming joy to worship and praise You forever.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Scripture:

Read Matthew 2:1-2.

... behold, wise men from the east came to
Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:1b)

Reflection:

During these last days of the Christmas season
we turn to the wise men. We mentioned briefly
last week that these men were counselors and
advisors to their king. They were considered
experts in nature, astrology and medicine. While
studying the heavens, they spotted a special light
that announced the birth of a great king. God had
placed it in the sky to guide them to His Son.

There are many mysterious things about the wise
men. We aren't sure what country they came from;
though they certainly didn't come from the Far East-
the Orient. We don't know how many there were;
we only know they presented three gifts to Jesus.
We don't even have enough information to know the
nature of this "star." The Greek word can refer to a
comet, a conjunction of planets or a special
miraculous light God placed in the heavens. But
one thing is clear: the star convinced them the great
King had been born.

As they arrive in Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel,
one great mystery remains for them. They ask King
Herod "Where is He who has been born king of the
Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have
come to worship Him."

Throughout this Christmas season God has shown
you the certain fact that He sent His Son Jesus into
our world to save you from your sins. Will you be
like the wise men, leaving everything behind to
worship your Savior and learn more about Him?

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, give me the certainty You gave
the wise men, that Your Son was born King of the
Jews and my King. Move me to worship Him and
want to know more about Him. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation
has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Reflection:

Today is the first day of 2012.  You have an
opportunity to make this the first day of the
rest of your life.  I would like to make a
suggestion, BELIEVE IN CHRIST! not simply
of Christ, or about Christ, but IN CHRIST!.
Bring Him into your life, make Him a psrt of
your life. I guarantee your life will change.
When you give your life to Christ, the old
passes away and the new begins.  
Remember God Loves You, believe in that
love, give that love to others. believe in
Jesus Christ.

BE HAPPY IN JESUS!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

New Year's Prayer

Lord, this year I want to change,
and I've said that in the past.
but now my prayer is different
'cause I understand at last.

I wanted my own way before,
I ignored your loving plans.
But now I'm putting everything
into your nail-scarred hands.

I promise to obey you
out of gratitude and love.
I won't be giving orders
to my Father up above.

I finally realize the truth
and so I've changed my prayer.
The safest place for me to be
is in your gentle care.

(by Jack Zavada)

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Scripture:

Read Matthew 8:23-27.

...and His Name shall be called ...
 Mighty God .... (Isaiah 9:6b)

Reflection:

Last June tow truck driver Pedro Arzola
was working under a 1990 Cadillac Seville
when the car lurched forward. The front
right tire ran over his torso and dragged
him about 10 feet before he was finally
pinned under the rear tire. He yelled to his
wife to help him. Even when she was joined
by two strangers they were unable to lift
the car.

That's when Danous Estenor, an offensive
lineman for the USF football team walked by.
Hearing the screams he joined them but was
also unable to budge the car at first. Then he
backed up, felt energy come into him and tried
again. This time he was able to lift the 3,500
pound car and save Arzola's life.

At one point or another in our life we will all face
troubles larger than we are, situations from
which we can't save ourselves. We will
experience that helplessness when our last hour
on earth comes. No one on earth will be able to
save us-no doctor, lawyer, celebrity-not even a
football player.

Isaiah wrote, "To us a Son is given ... and His
Name shall be called Mighty God." No situation
we face is too difficult for the Baby of Bethlehem.
The devil and all his fellow, fallen angels tried every
trick in the book but were unable to overpower Him.
Even as He was dying on the cross the mighty Son
of God was able to crush the devil's head while
paying for our sins. By His resurrection He has
defeated death and opened for us the doors of
heaven.

PRAYER:

Savior of the world, thank You for Your great might.
You have crushed all my enemies and promise to be
at my side always. Protect me through this life and
bring me to heaven when You return.
Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)