Tag Archives: Role Model

Role Model

Epiphany

January 11, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

When I read this scripture for today, my mind flashed back to a recent Facebook post I received which simply displayed several of Mother Teresa’s famous saying and I thought about just quoting them here and be done. A link to a website that lists many of them is below*. Mother Teresa was a great role model in word and in deed following in the steps of Jesus who saw the need to be baptized to set an example for all. God knows our hearts, so I do not think God needs us to be baptized to testify to our acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty in our life and our faithful commitment to Jesus Christ as our roll model. We are the ones who need to outwardly demonstrate the inward changes in our lives brought about by our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

We all probably need to be sent back to school routinely to learn the changes being made in grammar since we were in grade school. I routinely run a grammar checker and am surprised at times what it identifies as wrong or not preferred. I was pleased to see that it is now okay to split infinities and end a sentence with a preposition, but I  see nothing wrong with the way I use what the checker defines as passive voice but apparently is on longer the preferred choice for writing.

Time and understanding cultural changes alter the way we demonstrate our love for our neighbors. We now attend classes that teach us proper engagement with others in our diverse society of genders and faiths and races/ethnicities and disabilities. The call to love our neighbors as ourselves does not change. We rarely know the circumstances of life that impact the ways another person understands our behavior toward them. A firm handshake can bring a person with arthritis in their hands to tears. A pat on the back of an adult who has been abused can instantly flash bad memories through their minds. Simple questions can ease the confusion. “My I shake your hand?” “What do you prefer to be called?” “I’m a hugger may I hug you?”

Prayer: Thank you Lord for being a role model of how to love God and love one another as we outwardly display our inward quest to be a role model like you even in a world that is constantly changing. Amen.

*https://www.goalcast.com/2017/04/10/top-20-most-inspiring-mother-teresa-quotes/

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

‘Who Do You Say that I Am?’

Who do you say that I amLiving in the Spirit
August 23, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ —Matthew 11:23

One of the reasons I write these daily devotions is that it makes me delve into scripture in ways I would not have considered without having to face the public scrutiny of my interpretation. It forces me to be honest with myself and makes me be as honest as I possibly can be with the reader. We intuitive-introverts aren’t particularly comfortable with such openness and sometimes find it challenging to explain what we feel in our guts. Doing something outside of our comfort zone is good for us though, right?

The disciples in our scripture today clearly recognized that Jesus was someone special. He is in really good company being compared to John the Baptist and Jeremiah, but especially Elijah. Elijah was taken up to heaven and did not die. He was projected as being the forerunner of the Messiah. The disciples probably were experiencing some of those gut level reactions that said, “This man is more than that.”

Today, who do we say that Jesus is? A great role model, he is put forth by many as the example of how we all should live. A great teacher, he helped all with whom he came into contact understand better what life was all about and still helps us today. The Savior, he came to free us from our chains of separation from God and be the link that would forever bind us to God. I believe that is all well and good and accurate. But Jesus the Christ is so much more than that. He is the one who has ushered in a whole new form of governance with a foundation of love that is the hope of the whole world.

Prayer: Thank you God for a great role model, a great teacher, a Savior and most of all we thank you for the One who is ushering in your Kingdom now and forevermore. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.