O Lord our God, you sustained your ancient people in the wilderness with bread from heaven: Feed now your pilgrim flock with the food that endures to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.[Yesterday's collect]
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? (Mark 8:34-37)
The Communion that wants to save its own life will lose it, and the Communion that loses its life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.The Church that wants to save its own life will lose it, and the Church that loses its life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.
The congregation that wants to save its own life will lose it, and the congregation that loses its life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it.
The political party that wants to save its own life will lose it, and the political party that loses its life for the sake of the People, will save it.
Jesus made it really clear.
Will we listen?
Will we learn?
Are we willing to lose our lives or will we insist on clutching them tightly in a death grip?
Almighty and most merciful God, drive from us all weakness of body, mind, and spirit; that, being restored to wholeness, we may with free hearts become what you intend us to be and accomplish what you want us to do; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.--the BB
2 comments:
now I really like this one, and am thinking about it hard. most churches are trying too hard to survive...instead of dying. we don't really believe in the resurrection.
It's not that we always need to die, per se, though that is sometimes the case. But we need to lose our lives, to be about mission for the life of the world rather than for survival. It is moving from an attitude of scarcity to abundance, from fear to faith, from self-preservation to self-giving. We all know that is the model Jesus gives us but we seem to do one hell of a poor job of living that way.
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