Christian Reflection and Prayer

“Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this
message of the Lord to the people: ‘I am with
you,’ declares the Lord.” — Haggai 1:13

Think angels are confined to heaven? Think again!
Angels are all around us and you can be one too.
How? Be God’s messenger and feed the hungry.
Do His will and clothe the poor. Can you say some
comforting words to a sad-looking stranger? Or
give a child a hug?

Be somebody’s angel. It doesn’t matter that you
are human. In God’s eyes, and to the person that
you help, you are just as much an angel as those
spirits in the sky.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

Scripture:
John 3:5-8
 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit.  7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Reflection:
It has been an exciting day for me, for today I welcomed a family member into our family of God. What an exciting day for all of us, for today a new birth has taken place, a life is changed, a family has grown.
You know I have always wanted to be part of a large family. A family that was filled with joy, with pain, struggle, happiness and love. A family that shared their thoughts and feelings, their happiness and fears, their disappointments and victories.
I found this family. In biblical times this family was referred to "The Way". Since I have become part of this Christian family I have discovered the real meaning of what family is. I have discovered the true joy of love and happiness.
This Christian family is growing and today it has grown by one. A very important one, a person who is close to me, a person who is very important to me, a person whom I love.
This person has been shown the light upon the path. He no longer walks in darkness but now has seen a great light.
Today he demonstrated, for all to see, his joy that he has found in his Savior Jesus Christ. Today he said yes to love and no to hate, he said yes to happiness and no to sadness, he said yes to compassion and no to apathy, he said yes to enlightenment and no to darkness, he said yes to togetherness and no to loneliness, HE SAID YES TO JESUS CHRIST.
Welcome my brother in Christ, Welcome To The Family Of God!
Prayer:
Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for the joy of family, thank you for your love thank you for togetherness. Thank you Almighty God that today I have a new brother in Christ. Bless him, love him, and keep him safe. In the name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.

THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD

"If anyone wants to be a follower of Mine, let
him renounce himself and take up his cross
and follow Me" (Mark 8:34).

Many years ago, a film called "The Man Who
Played God" was released. It featured the great
character actor, George Arliss, playing the part
of a prominent, rich musician. Because he was
losing his hearing, the musician became
embittered and cynical. Not only did he turn his
back on his friends, he turned his back on God.
He moved into a penthouse where he began to
learn the art of lip-reading. From his penthouse
window, overlooking a park, he would look through
a set of high-powered binoculars and try to read
people's lips. One day he concentrated on a young
man whose lips were moving in prayer. He
determined what it was the young man was praying
for and then dispatched his butler to deliver it to
him. On another occasion he read the lips of a
woman who was telling another about something
she needed and wanted desperately. Again, the
wealthy musician saw to it that the need was met.
And each time he performed one of these services,
the cynical musician would look heavenward and
laugh in God's face. He found it laughable that he
was playing God but didn't even believe in God. But
as time went by, and his eccentric method of meeting
people's needs continued, something strangely
wonderful began to happen. The man who played God,
found God. Through the game he was playing -- the
game of serving people's needs -- the very God he
didn't believe in became real to him, because God is
a God of service.

(Sunday Sermons on Line)