- Isaiah 50: 4-7
- Psalms 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23, 24
- Philippians 2" 6-11
- Matthew 26: 14-27:66
- Persecution possible?
- Have you ever felt that your Christianity put you at some sort of a disadvantage?
- How did that make you feel?
- If someone were going to persecute you for your beliefs, what would you want for them to accuse you of believing?
- Vaya con Dios
- Do you feel that God is with you in all that you do?
- What difference has that Presence made in your life?
- How do you keep from wandering from God?
- Humble is so hard to do
- What things in your life humble you?
- Do you think that God gave those to you?
- Are you a better person for experiencing those things?
- The imitation of Christ
- Jesus calls us to follow in His footsteps. Just how does that work in practice?
- Is it just a matter of avoiding what we know Jesus does not want for us?
- Or is it something deeper, that you actively seek what Jesus wants for you, no matter where that might lead?
- Or is it something deeper yet, in which you abandon all that is not from God, out of a supreme desire to be close to Jesus?
- What sort of character traits/personality lives that way?
- We have names for such people. What are some of them?
- Am I truly living out my Christian values?
- Does God's presence in my life fill me with hope?
- Am I willing to embrace Jesus' humility?
- How am I showing the glory of God to those around me?
Alone
It's easy to share the good things in life with those around you.
The vacation plans, that income tax rebate, an unexpected inheritance.
It's easy to bond with others over shared experiences of plenty.
But what of the suffering? What gateway is there
For the widow who is still lonely after years of waking up to a quiet house
Or the cancer patient going through one round of therapy after another.
Reaching out to such is hard to do, especially when you've not been there.
Better to leave that sort of contact to the professionals, you tell yourself.
I'll just make them feel bad for all that they don't have going for them.
I wouldn't know what to say, how to act, how to be in their presence.
And maybe the reason reaching out to someone in need is so hard,
Is that we're all hard wired to come up with a fix, the silver bullet.
That will make their lives better in a matter of hours,
Cure their problems, give them joy again.
Maybe I just need to learn how to listen, to be with the poor.
Maybe I just need to learn to be with them in their life,
And not try to fix everything that's wrong around me,
And learn to give myself away, even if there's no way to measure the effects.
Shalom!
The vacation plans, that income tax rebate, an unexpected inheritance.
It's easy to bond with others over shared experiences of plenty.
But what of the suffering? What gateway is there
For the widow who is still lonely after years of waking up to a quiet house
Or the cancer patient going through one round of therapy after another.
Reaching out to such is hard to do, especially when you've not been there.
Better to leave that sort of contact to the professionals, you tell yourself.
I'll just make them feel bad for all that they don't have going for them.
I wouldn't know what to say, how to act, how to be in their presence.
And maybe the reason reaching out to someone in need is so hard,
Is that we're all hard wired to come up with a fix, the silver bullet.
That will make their lives better in a matter of hours,
Cure their problems, give them joy again.
Maybe I just need to learn how to listen, to be with the poor.
Maybe I just need to learn to be with them in their life,
And not try to fix everything that's wrong around me,
And learn to give myself away, even if there's no way to measure the effects.
Shalom!
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