Greater Things
Very truly I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. --John 14:12
Of all the things Jesus teaches, this may be one of the hardest teachings for us to receive as his disciples. How in the world can WE do what Jesus does? Not to mention "greater things?"
Jesus heals the sick and the wounded and the traumatized. He lifts up and empowers those who have been crushed by the world's systems; the discarded, the forgotten. He stands with the scapegoated , the condemned, those being bullied. He removes labels and shame; he names people in new, life-giving ways. He overcomes the power of death to define life. He feeds the spiritually and physically hungry. He pitches his tent among the poor and inaugurates an order that puts them first. He forgives--removing obstacles, lifting burdens, loosing that which binds us and constricts our generosity. He shows us how to love without measure. He draws close, getting to know God's people . He listens carefully. He judges ONLY with love.
We can participate in all of these expressions of God's love!! Write down some concrete examples you can think of. .
How can our church embrace this ministry of Jesus Christ as fully as possible?
Of all the things Jesus teaches, this may be one of the hardest teachings for us to receive as his disciples. How in the world can WE do what Jesus does? Not to mention "greater things?"
Jesus heals the sick and the wounded and the traumatized. He lifts up and empowers those who have been crushed by the world's systems; the discarded, the forgotten. He stands with the scapegoated , the condemned, those being bullied. He removes labels and shame; he names people in new, life-giving ways. He overcomes the power of death to define life. He feeds the spiritually and physically hungry. He pitches his tent among the poor and inaugurates an order that puts them first. He forgives--removing obstacles, lifting burdens, loosing that which binds us and constricts our generosity. He shows us how to love without measure. He draws close, getting to know God's people . He listens carefully. He judges ONLY with love.
We can participate in all of these expressions of God's love!! Write down some concrete examples you can think of. .
How can our church embrace this ministry of Jesus Christ as fully as possible?
As I read this text and reflect on the questions posed I find myself thinking of Jim McGinnis' "Pebbles of Love" lesson. That we can change the direction of the scale from the boulders of violence weighing us down to the pile of pebbles of love having more weight in our world. We can continue to do Jesus work through daily pebbles and interactions with others. We can listen intently to those around us and truly hear them. We can engage new ways of taking care of one another by simply doing small acts of love throughout the day for one another. Embracing the ministry of Jesus Christ fully will require us to overcome our fears of stepping outside the 'norms' of society and engaging new empowering ways of standing with one another through joy, pain, excitement, and sorrow. These small acts of love add up to a world full of love for one another. Jesus did his work in this way. Standing with people one by one and handing out 'Pebbles of Love' throughout his ministry.
ReplyDeleteSome concrete examples of Pebbles we can engage while embracing the ministry of love fully
- calling people in our community and checking in via zoom or audio call. Once social distancing is over going out and seeing one another, even though we may not have seen for a long time or those who we previously wouldn't have taken the time to see
- Listening fully and hearing one another stories. Tending to one another as we share all parts of life's excitements and pains.
- Tending to those in need through a deeper ministry of providing basic needs but also providing spiritual and emotional love through conversation and getting to know those we serve.
-Going out into the town and meeting people, talking with people, tending to one another during and post pandemic.
From Miss Bonnie:
ReplyDeleteI do believe that forgiving one another is something every one of us needs to work on. Jesus found a way to forgive his enemies... could we do the same thing as Jesus has done? How do we learn to release our anger and frustration to those who have hurt us??? We must learn to follow Jesus’s example and begin the process of forgiving with God’s love and guidance.