Message of 8-5-11
Published: Tue, 07/26/11
- resources for prayer and spiritual growth
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MESSAGE OF THE DAY
It is a poor thing to strike our colours to God when the ship is
going down under us; a poor thing to come to Him as a last resort,
to offer up "our own" when it is no longer worth keeping. If God
were proud, He would hardly have us on such terms.
- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), "The Problem of Pain"
(Thank goodness God is not proud in this sense.)
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LECTIONARY READINGS FOR THE DAY
http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
Dt 4:32-40; Ps. 77:12-13, 14-15, 16 and 21; Mt 16:24-28
R. (12a) I remember the deeds of the Lord.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron.
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MEDITATION ON THE SCRIPTURES
- from
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
What does Jesus mean when he tells us to deny ourselves, take up
our cross, follow him, and lose our lives for his sake? Clearly,
it means that we have to experience death and new life just like
Jesus did. But how can we do that? According to Luther's basic
ideas, we have to give up the selfishness and pride of our
self-made attempts to manipulate God into buying off our sins with
Jesus. Instead, we are called to live a life of faith and trust in
God by daily dying to sin through repentance and daily renewal of
our faith. To take up our cross means to have faith that gives us
confidence that we can be entirely restored anew each day. But we
still can't be like God. The best that we can do is live in the
image of God, which is without fear and anxiety. That is what it
takes to follow Jesus. Living by faith and through God's grace, we
are raised up to new life. According to Luther, a daily death and
resurrection experience will help us more clearly hear the Gospel
and be inspired by it, leading us to be more responsible, confident
and joyful new creatures rather than insecure slaves to the law.
We can get on with the things that Jesus told us to do rather than
worry about our sins or those of someone else. As new creatures,
we can operate out of faith, hope, and love.
- by Barbara Dilly
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SPIRITUAL READING
- Christ's Four Modes of Presence to Us
by Philip St. Romain
- 3. The Sacramental (part 1 of 3)
A traditional understanding of the term sacrament is that it is a
sign instituted by Christ to give grace. In many ways, then, the
Church is the first sacrament of Christ, as it is a visible sign of
his presence and a means through which his grace is given. The
Church is also the living context in which other sacramental
experiences take place--some of which are formally designated to
call to mind Christ's presence in special ways. All Christian
denominations recognize Baptism as a sacrament of initiation into
new life in Christ and membership in the Church (they don't all use
the term sacrament, however). Many others also celebrate
Eucharist, although there are differences among the Churches
concerning the nature of Christ's presence there. In addition,
Churches close to the Catholic tradition recognize matrimony,
confirmation, penance, holy orders, and anointing of the sick as
sacramental experiences.
- from "Jesus Alive in Our Lives"
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/jesus-alive-in-our-lives/11780728
(paperback)
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/41961 (ebook formats)
http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Alive-Our-Lives-ebook/dp/B00427YKNU/
(Kindle)
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Amazon.com gift cards - good for any occasion
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00067L6TQ/?tag=christianspiritu
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