Greetings!
Thank you for joining us in prayer and reflection during this season of Lent. We will travel through daily scripture, reflection and prayer. Additional people have been joining us each day. Please feel free to forward these reflections to others. We invite you to explore the other resources for the season found at the bottom of the page as we continue the journey together. Christian Formation Commission |
Scripture
So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.The Father and I are one."
John 24-30 |
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Jesus continues with the metaphor about the Good Shepherd. The essence of Christian life is to follow Jesus and his teachings - those of love, compassion, forgiveness. Sheep never outgrow their need for follow the shepherd and I would suggest that we never outgrow our need to follow and live into Jesus' teachings in our world today. There are times when it may be challenging but we are always called and welcomed back into the fold. |
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Prayer
Once you have made the choice to say, "Yes, I want to follow Jesus," the question is, "What disciplines will help me remain faithful to that choice? If we want to be disciples of Jesus, we have to live a disciplined life. By discipline, I do not mean control. In the spiritual life, the word discipline means "the effort to create some space in which God can act." Discipline means to prevent everything in your life from being filled up. Discipline means that somewhere you're not occupied, and certainly not preoccupied. In spiritual life, discipline means to create that space in which something can happen that you had no planned or counted on.
Henri Nouwen
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