Christian Reflection and Prayer

Jesus begins in the Sermon on the Mount by affirming
that everyone in his audience is called, loved, powerful,
and valuable. This was remarkable in his day because
the religious people in Jesus' day liked to say some
people are out and some people are in, and the way
that you get in is by doing things the right way and not
being sick. People like lepers and people with bleeding
diseases were believed to be cursed by God because
of a sin of their parents. There was this system in place
where some people were in, and some people were out. 
Jesus comes on the scene in the Gospel of Matthew in
Chapter 5, and he begins with the beatitudes in which
he says that everyone belongs. He begins by saying
"blessed are the poor in spirit." Don't misunderstand,
being poor in spirit is not a virtue. Poor in spirit means
you're spiritually bankrupt. Blessed are you if you mourn.
Blessed are you if you've been a doormat your whole life.
In Luke, he says blessed are you if you're poor, if you're
persecuted, if you're unwanted, if you're uninvited. Jesus
says to these people you are called, you are loved, you
are light, you are salt.

 

PRAYER:

 

Dear God, thank you for accepting me. Even through my
weakness, illness, and sin, I am loved by you and the
salt of the earth.

 

REFLECTION: If you were there in Jesus day, do you
think you would be in or out?

 

(Pastor Bobby Schuller)

Verse

 

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore,
love is the fulfilling of the law.  Romans 13:10

 

Voice

 

But no one should ever be locked away
simply because they share the same race,
ethnicity, or religion as a spy or terrorist. If
that principle was not learned from the
internment of Japanese Americans, then
these are very dangerous times for our
democracy.         Fred Korematsu

 

Prayer

 

God, remind us that all of humanity is
invited to feast at your table.
adapted from Common Prayer

Verse

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

 

Voice

 

The outstretched arms of Jesus
exclude no one, not the drunk in the
doorway, the panhandler on the street,
gays and lesbians in their isolation,
the most selfish and ungrateful in their
cocoons, the most unjust of employers
and the most overweening of snobs.
The love of Christ embraces all without
exception.    Brennan Manning

 

Prayer

 

Surround us with living saints who
remind us of the sort of people we
are trying to become.   Common Prayer

(Sojourners,   sojo.net)

 

(**A special note- Today is International
Holocaust Remembrance Day. Let us
remember the millions of innocents
murdered by the Nazis, the many
Christians who put their lives on the
line so that Jewish people might live,
and those who survived but still struggle
with bitter memories and crippling poverty.       
(International Fellowship of Christian and Jews).
WE REMEMBER THEIR DIGNITY AND
SACRIFICE