The Three Doors of Praying, Celebrating and Imitating Jesus.
Good Morning Friends,
Today we continue our preparation for Pentecost. With the Passover events as the backdrop and with the Risen Christ in our hearts we explore a message for our collective journey until Jesus returns. We look at prayer in a passage from James with a passage from Acts about preaching in the name of Jesus. We look at scripture from Luke on the celebration of the prodigal son’s return even as we remember him in the celebration of the Eucharist, and finally in a passage from Hebrews we explore the power and necessity of imitating Jesus. Here at the corner of the Sword and the Spirit in preparation for the celebration of Pentecost and in memory of the wind and fire of Mt Sinai we consider what it means to follow our leader’s faith as we open The Three Doors of Praying, Celebrating and Imitating Jesus.
Scripture: Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.
James 5:14 (NRSV)
But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Acts 4:17-20 (NRSV)
Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;
for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15: 21-24 (NRSV)
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7 (NRSV)
Message: Studying the Bible is not enough. Developing ideas is not enough. Developing a life-time habit of living in the Scriptures is a worthwhile endeavor, but there is more to realizing its reality than its reading. We need to become inspired by God to act in a way that prays, celebrates and imitates Jesus. In these three ways combined we become inspired, perfected and equipped for every good work. Enter the mystery of Jesus, heal your hearts and minds….celebrate life… it is the only way.
Yogi Berra once said that, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re likely to end up someplace else.” I would add at if you do not know who you are following you will end up in the wrong place. There are a lot of people the world tells us to imitate with the false promise of success. Ultimately we must consider the future and resolve to follow the true promise of Jesus. We need to follow the one way of Jesus, with one line of thought that over a period of time guides us to settle on a pattern of lifestyle that keeps us on track, focused in prayer, empowered in celebration and achieving much in the imitation of Christ.
Friends, today’s message is about the power of a persistent prayer, a joyous celebration and a manifest witness that over time erases our doubts about Jesus. Here at the corner of the changing Church and the changeless Christ we contemplate what it means to remember, follow, obey and submit to Jesus.
Pray we celebrate and imitate Christ’s love. Pray we affirm God’s invitation to us to follow in His path of peace and justice. Pray our practice of corporate prayer and reading of scripture be a legacy gift to the next generation because those prayers have been manifested in a baptism of fire. Pray we realize it is not enough to have learned the Scriptures. Pray we realize it is not enough to be assured that the teachings of Scripture show us truth. Pray we realize that it is not enough to know that our teachers and leaders share the truth. Pray we realize that we who have the gift of a life are to celebrate in Christ. Pray we abide with Christ in the Word as a body, as a community in love. Pray we realize that the box of a body breaks because God is bigger than the box.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 