Lent 03•08•2021: Show Me The Way

Monday, March 8th, 2021

🔸 Luke 4:24, 28-30 🔸

“In truth I tell you, no prophet is ever accepted in his own country.” …

“When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; and they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him off the cliff, but he passed straight through the crowd and walked away.”

Hi friends —-

In today’s culture many believe that the more people know and talk about something, the more important it must be. (1). The world is increasingly becoming a “numbers” game: # of followers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat (and those are just the ones I’m aware of); then there’s the top draft picks in every sport imaginable with salaries beyond comprehension. It seems like one’s popularity for whatever reason, must also live life LARGE, a big house, multiple homes, boats, cars, planes, a personal trainer, personal shopper, a chef, a nannie…the list is never-ending. It’s an “IN YOUR FACE” existence that seems to be trending. Friends, I do not believe this type of living is what God desires. It definitely is not the the life or lifestyle that Jesus lived and modeled for Christians.

As a believer here in 2021, I see Jesus with different eyes than the disciples did or even the people did during the life and times of Jesus. Henri Nouwen says this about Jesus: “There was nothing spectacular about Jesus’ life. Far from it! Even when we look at Jesus’ miracles, you find that he did not heal or revive people in order to get publicity. He frequently forbade them from even to talk about it. His resurrection too was a hidden event. Only his disciples and a few of the men and women who had known him intimately before his death saw him as the rise Lord.” (2).

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Matthew 8:4

And Jesus *said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Mark 5:43

“And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.”

Luke 8:56

“Her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.”

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With the popularity of Christianity in our world today it’s hard to fathom that Jesus revealed God in hiddenness. Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were not intended to astound us with the great power of God; God became a lowly, hidden, almost invisible God… (3). It is through Jesus’ life and how he lived that we see the great power of God. In the world today we often hear people asking God to prove himself and say things like, if God really exists why doesn’t he show himself and help us. We are all called to a purpose and to be the literal hands and feet of Jesus to the world, to where the Spirit leads us. When we are able to cut through some of the bitterness and sarcasm that has scarred so many, then we can begin to help them heal and perhaps open a pathway that leads to God. God is not about “fanfare” God is all about FAITH.

“The crowd loves fanfare and full bellies. They want the bread that Jesus provides, but not Jesus as the bread of life.” Quote by PAUL LOUIS METZGER https://www.patheos.com/blogs/uncommongodcommongood/2020/01/an-epiphany-jesus-signs-aim-at-faith-not-fanfare/

Lenten M•I•C•R•O Practice for today:

~ A New Gift – Day 17

Find a new charity or organization to support that energizes you. Share their mission with friends and family.

🔹 Prayer 🔹

Lord, I pray for all who witness for you in this world:

ministers, priests, and bishops,

men and women who have dedicated their lives to you,

and all those who try to bring the light of the Gospel

into the darkness of this age.

Give them courage, strength, perseverance, and hope;

fill their hearts and minds

with the knowledge of your presence,

and let them experience your name

as their refuge from all dangers.

Most of all, give them the joy of your Spirit,

so that wherever they go and whoever they meet

they will remove the veil

of depression, fatalism, and defeatism

and will bring new life to the many

who live in constant fear of death.

Lord, be with all who bring the Good News.

— Amen

~Charlotte, the Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

References:

Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing 

(1) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 64, paragraph 4.

(2) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 64, paragraph 2.

(3) Show Me The Way — Henri J.M.Nouwen • 1992 The Crossroad Publishing • Page 64, paragraph 3.

https://biblehub.com/

https://www.biblegateway.com/

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Christ-Concealing-Things

An Epiphany: Jesus’ Signs Aim at Faith, Not Fanfare

(NIV) New International Version Bible/Translation 

(NRSVA) New Revised Standard Version Apocrypha 

(NJBV) New Jerusalem Bible Version/Translation

https://hymnary.org/text/god_bless_the_poets_heart_and_hand