Sunday, May 22, 2022
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to let a man examine himself and then partake of communion. 1 Corinthians 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. We live in a culture that does not allow much time for self examination. We are busy working or spending time on our phones, but we rarely take time to be alone with our thoughts and reflect on our spiritual life. Communion is a great time for us to reflect on our own spiritual life. Are we struggling with a particular sin? How is our daily prayer life? Do we read scripture regularly? How is our relationship with God? God loved us so much that He gave us His son to be sacrificed for our sins and for this we are thankful. Because our sins are forgiven, we have hope of everlasting life and for this we celebrate!
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Sunday, May 8th 2022
Jesus experienced a brutal crucifixion for our sins. He was whipped severely prior to being forced to carry His cross outside of the city. The Romans nailed his hands and feet to the cross and raised the cross over its hole in the ground where it slammed into its final location as Jesus' body jarred as its inertia came to an abrupt stop. He hung there for hours as he had to press with his legs to get breath in His lungs. Eventually people often suffer dislocated shoulders as the weight of their bodies takes its toll. The crucified body goes through dehydration as the muscles get weaker and weaker making it difficult to get air. At some point, the Romans would break the legs to force the body to not be able to get air and eventually suffocate. In the case of Jesus, He had already died prior to the Romans breaking His legs. What a horrible picture of our Savior who loved us so much that he endured this agony for our sins! Near the end of Jesus' physical struggle on the cross is a very unselfish and loving event. Jesus looks down at His mother who was watching her son suffer so greatly. What an emotionally painful experience for both. He then looks to His mother and His disciple, John, and says to her, "Woman, here is your son!" and then says to John, "here is your mother!" Jesus was caring for His mother even through the torture of crucifixion. What a wonderful picture of love under such a terrible circumstance. Let us remember the love that Jesus showed to all of us as we partake of communion. Sunday, May 1 2022
Numbers 21:8 NKJV Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” While God was leading the children of Israel out from bondage to the Egyptians and through the wilderness, many of the people began to complain. This angered God as the complaining was evidence of their lack of thankfulness and trust in God. Remember that God had already led the Israelites across the Red Sea and provided Manna from heaven to eat and water from the rock. God was providing for them throughout the entire journey. Because of the attitude of the people, God sent serpents to bite the people and many died in the wilderness. God later spoke to Moses and had him raise a brazen serpent up on a pole so that if the Israelites were bitten and looked upon the raised serpent, they would live. This is a type of Christ and His crucifixion. Like the brazen serpent, Christ was raised up. This time it was on a cross where he gave His life for our sins. If we look up to Jesus and His sacrificial death on the cross, we too may find life. The life that He gives will last for eternity! |