Following Jesus Today: Weeping Over Our Cities
Grief over injustice and suffering isn’t the end of our response, but just the beginning. As we take our grief to the Lord, we ask what he would have us do. We offer ourselves as instruments of his peace, as seekers of his justice in every part of life, and as people who love in deed and not only in word. Weeping opens us up to feel God’s heart, receive God’s direction, and join in his kingdom mission. What this means for each one of us will be distinctive, given our situation in life and our particular callings. But we can all do something to advance the cause of justice in our part of the world and to stand in solidarity with the African American community in the midst of our current crisis.
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Following Jesus Today: A Humble Beginning
What does it mean to follow one who was born in a manger? It does not mean that we must necessarily sleep on beds of straw. But it does mean that the one we follow will lead us in the way of humility. The same Jesus whose birth was so humble is the one whose death was designed to maximize humiliation. We follow Jesus by surrendering our preoccupation with comfort and honor, choosing instead to give ourselves away in service to God and others.
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God’s Construction Project – Part II
Are we willing to sacrifice for the flourishing of our local church, the relational community and the institution which embodies it? And why should the local church be that important to us? The answer for me lies in God’s intention for the local congregation to be a “living sacrifice” that models Christ’s sacrifice to the watching world.
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God’s Construction Project – Part I
Instead of working with inanimate object like wood and stone, God is constructing a building that is alive, made of human beings. Strangely, we are not only construction materials but participants in the construction process. As today’s text says, God is constructing a house made of “living stones.”
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Prayers for Workers: The Earth is the Lord’s
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it—including your workplace, tools, plans, products, inventory, colleagues, customers, employees, capital, profits, and influence. Honor and glorify God through your work today since, in the end, it all belongs to him.
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God’s Miracle and Mary’s Work
Why does this matter? Because we often ignore the human part of God’s work in the world. We celebrate the miracles without also celebrating human labor.
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