Christian Reflection and Prayer

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because
God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest
among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so
that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we
have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to
be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10

Look into the Bethlehem manger, pray in Gethsemane's
Garden, stand before the Roman cross, and go into the
empty tomb. There you will see a love so pure, so
undeserved that it is unique in all the world. Never before
and never again will the world see such care and compassion.

These places show that God is love.

THE PRAYER:

Dear Lord, grant that we -- having seen and been saved by
Your love -- may reflect that love to a world, which is lonely,
lost and despairing. May they also see the Savior who is
visible proof of Your love. This I ask in the Savior's Name.
Amen

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Today, let’s declare that no matter where life takes us, we
will remain firmly planted in faith and obedient to God. We
may not get to choose the circumstances in our life, but
we can always choose our disposition. Let’s resolve to act
with faith, integrity, and kindness in any situation, just as
we would today.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

"What can we say the Kingdom of God is like?" (Mark 4:30).

The Kingdom of God was the number one topic of Jesus'
teaching. The subject of Jesus' first sermon when He came
into Galilee was the "Kingdom of God": the "Kingdom has come,
" He said.  From that time on, almost every parable of Jesus
begins, "The Kingdom of God is like ..." But many of us know
very little about it, or we misunderstand it. We're like the little
boy in religion class who was asked, "What did Jesus say about
people getting married?" He answered immediately, "Forgive
them, for they know not what they do." If someone should ask
you, "What did Jesus say about the Kingdom of God?" your
answer might well be as unenlightened as that little boy's.

Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God is the most important
thing in life.  He told us to seek it first, before all things.  He told
us it's the one thing needful.  He told us it's like a treasure hidden
in the field that is so valuable if you ran across it you would sell
everything you owned in order to possess it.  He told us that it is
the pearl of great price.

But that leaves us with a real problem.  I want to ask you honestly
now, in the average week how many times do you think about
the Kingdom of God?  How many times does it enter your
conversation?  How many times does it become a part of your
decision-making?  For most of us who claim to be His people, the
Kingdom of God, which meant everything to Jesus, is not an
important part of our lives at all. It doesn't tie into the way we're
feeling, loving, laughing, and crying. 

Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries in Laos and
Vietnam, the kings of those countries reached an agreement on
taxation in the border areas. Those who ate short-grain rice, built
their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian-style serpents
were considered Laotians. And those who ate long-grain rice, built
their houses on the ground, and decorated with Chinese-style
dragons were considered Vietnamese. The kings taxed the people
accordingly and therefore had no need for boundaries. It was simple:
each person belonged to the kingdom WHOSE VALUES THEY
SHARED AND WHOSE KING THEY HONORED.
   
In telling us what our lives are leading up to, Jesus, our King of Kings
has provided us with a blueprint for the values we must live by. He
has provided us with the climactic ending for us all. And in telling us
what our lives are leading up to, we are empowered as in no other
way to deal with the events that will occur along the way. Jesus'
testimony unravels the mystery of the Kingdom: God's Kingdom is
the Kingdom of Love  .

(The Staff and editors of Sunday Sermons Online). .