Lenten Meditations

Welcome to Lent 2008!

During the season of Lent, through spiritual discipline and devotion, we seek to develop the soulful attitude we need to celebrate the Royal Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, on Easter morning.

First, Lent is a time when we should undergo a spiritual experience rather than a time when we must forego material things.

Secondly, Lent ought to be about doing something good or for the good and not just doing without something.

Finally, although during Lent, we generally give up something, we honor the Lord’s sacrifice more profoundly by taking on something. This is a good time to take on some new work, like volunteering for the Loaves and Fishes Ministry. Think of the meaningfulness the 40 days of Lent would become if every Christian would commit to one “out of the way” kind act each day. How about 40 days of no negative comments about anyone. In other words, we would spend 40 days wearing the character of Lord Jesus Christ.

If ever there was a time in our history when we individual Christians and our messy world needed more to put on and to live by the Spirit and teachings of the character of Christ, it is Lent 2008.

Your Pastor,

Emanuel Cleaver II

Saturday, March 22, 2008

"Who Can Hear It"

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said this is a hard saying; who can hear it? John 6:60"

by Olivia McFalls Watson

The teachings of Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum were to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ. These literals were inconceivable to many that followed him. John 6:66 tells us "From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him".
Today the communion ritual we perform is symbolic of our accepting the manifestation of God’s will in our actions: forgiving those that betray us, loving those that hate us, feeding those that steal from us, turning the other cheek to those that smite us. WHO CAN HEAR IT?
What this statement really means is: This is too hard; this offends my pride; I don’t want to do this. But as Christians who profess our faith in Christ, we make a commitment to the inconceivable, the unbelievable, the miraculous, to that which takes submission to the Divine will. It is hard. When God gave us His Word, His Spirit, His Son – that to, had to be hard.
Let us not waiver.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace. Help me to place your will before my selfish wants and pride. Guide my efforts to fashion my actions, thoughts and deeds in accordance to your Holy will. Amen.

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Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he who keeps the law, he is blessed. -Prov. 29:18 (MKJV)