Theme: Healing of Jesus for our souls: Focus: We will use the rhythm of The Lectionary readings to unpack this theme.
Settings: Following the Bible’s definition of “soul” as the seat of our emotions. We will broaden this to cover the centre and core of who we are as our mother board from where we are wired. Possibly capturing the Image of God within us.
So based on that loose definition. From the lectionary texts we will examine what causes our central core to become faulty, to malfunction and to disconnect.
And then within the text identify how Jesus offers us healing.
7th April 2024:
Texts: Cause: 1. Possessed by possessions Acts 4:32-35 2. Fear and doubt John 20:19-31 3. Disunity Psalm 133 4. Deception 1 John 1:1-2:2
Offer: – be where the disciples are gathered John 20: 19-31 – be opened to hear and receive what Jesus is saying and doing John 20:19-31 – Blessings of Harmony Psalm 133 – Forgiveness 1 John 1:1-2:2
Suggested Practice: Find a quiet place and be still so that you can use your senses for this,
Meditation: Place yourself in the Gospel text of John 20:19-23
Acknowledge your Fear and allow yourself to see Jesus appear to you in the midst of your fear. Hear Jesus say to you, “ Peace be with you “
See and look when Jesus shows you his wounds in his hands and his side
Feel the joy that fills you.
Listen and receive as Jesus commissions you.
“ Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. “ Then he breathed on them and said. “ Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Do this for as many times as you are able in this week. If doubt is your fault then do the same steps above with the text from John 20: 24-31
Palm Sunday: at 8:00 am at Good Shepherd Amanzimtoti Maundy Thursday: at 18:00 pm at St Mary’s Kingsburgh Good Friday: 12:00 noon at Good Shepherd Amanzimtoti Sunday Easter Vigil: 5.30 am at Good Shepherd Amanzimtoti Easter Sunday: at 8:00 am at St Mary’s Kingsburgh
It’s been a busy but wonderful 2 months with you all, lots of pushing and pulling, lots of
encouragement, and some good lessons learned. Two very different but exciting Parishes, twice the amount of work but also twice the amount of love and support. Thank you all…I am so grateful for you all, young and the not so old 🙂
If today I had to ask you to describe how you are or were feeling this week or in general, in 3 words, what would your response be? My response would be Completely Overwhelmed but Grateful (4 I know)…
It’s consistently been a tough couple of months for me personally but that being said, I am also
extremely mindful of the fact that everyone, no matter who you are, or what you do, we are all taking immense strain and we are struggling, some silently and others not so silently.
We are struggling; some with illness, most people with the spiraling cost of food, petrol, the interest rate (thank God for a break at the last meeting), some with our children, some with our parents, and some with our mental health. That is the reality of life and so yes it is ok to not be ok for it is here that our Lord meets us.
As Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:16-18). God not only saved Elisha and his servant that day; He saved the entire Aramean force too, the king of Israel, and sent them home without the loss of a single life.
We are sometimes like the servant, well that’s true for me most of the time, we don’t see the whole picture and we assume the worst. Today, I want to encourage us to pray the prayer that Elisha prayed for ourselves, just 3 words, “Open my eyes or open our eyes”, so that we to can see beyond our pain and our struggles, to see what it is that God is preparing us for. In order for us to be used by God we must first be refined, fashioned, and shaped so that when we get through them we can know with
absolute certainty that God never once left us, that He was not just carrying us through but more than likely dragging us through in His loving arms.
I pray that God will open our eyes to the truth, to the struggles that everyone faces around us, to God, for who He is to us and for us. That God will open our eyes to the corruption and power struggles not just in government but also in the church, He will open our eyes to the young people who are
struggling to cope, open our eyes to those who are being abused and have to be silent because they have nowhere to go, OPEN OUR EYES, LORD.
Open our eyes, Lord, so that we make the right decisions, for our families, our church families, and our communities. Open our eyes to move in the direction that God is calling us to and to acknowledge the paths we need to turn back from that are causing pain and suffering to us and others.
Lord, You who have set the trajectory of our lives, open our eyes so that we may allow Your plan and purpose to be fulfilled, open our eyes…Just three words, “open our eyes” If we allow God the chance, He will turn our fears into opportunities, our disappointments into blessings, our despair into hope, our defeats into victories, our sadness into joy, and our mourning into dancing.
OPEN MY EYES, OPEN OUR EYES….
Perhaps, as we move into August when we celebrate our Women, we could and should ask God to open our eyes to what it is He wants us to see and with His help be courageous enough to make the changes necessary.
When Jesus says that those who obey won’t die, he is talking about spiritual death, not physical death. Even physical death will eventually be overcome. Those who follow Jesus will be raised to live eternally with him.
The great “I am” statement is one of the most powerful statements uttered by Jesus. When he said that he existed before Abraham was born, he was undeniably proclaiming his divinity. Not only did Jesus say that he existed before Abraham, but he also applied God’s holy name to him self. This claim demands a response. It cannot be ignored. The Jewish leaders tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy because he exclaimed equality with God. But Jesus is God.
