Christian Reflection and Prayer

A lover of exotic birds finally gave in to her hidden
 desire for a parrot that could really talk. After
months of searching, she found the parrot of her
dreams. That bird could talk a blue streak!
Unfortunately, it had been previously owned by a
man whose everyday vocabulary included a great
deal of profanity. Nevertheless, the woman worked
hard at teaching the parrot good sayings, like
"Praise the Lord," "I love you," "God is good.
" One day, the woman forgot to feed the parrot
before leaving the house for the day. When she
returned home she heard him uttering all the curse
words he had ever learned. Whereupon she picked
up the bird, put it in the deep freeze, and as she
shut the door, she said, "I'll teach you not to use
those bad words ever again." A few minutes later,
she opened the freezer door and asked. "Have
you learned your lesson?" "Yes Ma'am," the
shivering parrot replied, "but can I ask a question?"
"Yes, you may," said the woman. The parrot replied,
"I thought I knew all the bad words, so tell me, what
did that frozen turkey in there say?"
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Eugene O'Neill wrote a wonderful play called
"Lazarus Laughed." The play begins with Lazarus
being raised from the dead by Jesus, as in the
Bible story. People have gathered at Lazarus' home
in Bethany for what they thought was going to be a
funeral. They had come to mourn. But now, Lazarus
has been raised from the dead and the grieving has
been transformed into rejoicing. And then came the
questions: "What did you see during those four days
when you were dead? What was it like -- the life beyond?"

In the midst of it all, Lazarus' father proposes a toast:
"To my son, Lazarus, whom a blessed miracle has
brought back from death!" Hearing this, Lazarus says,
"No! There is no death!" And the people, holding their
wine goblets in midair all echo his words as a question:
"There is no death?" And Lazarus laughs, and he says
happily,

"There is only life! I heard the heart of Jesus laughing in
my heart. 'There is only eternal life,' it said. And my heart,
reborn to love of life, cried 'Yes.' And I laughed in the
laughter of God. Laugh, laugh with me! Death is dead!
Fear is no more! There is only life!"

We hear the words... we may even echo the words, but
do we really believe them? We say, 'This sort of talk is
hard to endure! How can anyone take it seriously?' And
then like Peter we answer, "Lord, you have the words of
eternal life. We have come to believe"...

HAVE YOU COME TO BELIEVE?

( Sunday Sermons Online)

Scripture:

"God blesses those who are poor and realize
their need for him,* for the Kingdom of Heaven
is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for
they will be comforted. God blesses those who
are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
Matthew 5:3-5, NLT

Reflection:

Jesus began his sermon with words that seem
to contradict each other. But God's way of living
usually contradicts the world's.
If you want to live for God you must be ready to
say and do what seems strange to the world.
You must be willing to give when others take, to
love when others hate, to help when others abuse.
By giving up your own rights in order to serve others,
you will one day receive everything God has in store
for you.

(Life Application Daily Devotion)