Three times the Disciples of Jesus argue about who is the greatest. Can you imagine that? These disciples watch Jesus minister to the least, the last and the lost but they still are concerned with their pecking order in the followers of Jesus. Jesus overhears their arguments and gives them some advice.
Often differences among people can lead to division. Our nation in embroiled in racial tension and division in part due to the recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor among others. Unity does not just happen; we have to work at it. Rev. Julius Keller asks: what role can we who dare to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ do to bring about healing and reconciliation? What role can our church play in this process?
We have watched many people succumb to temptation. There are several court cases that are being tried right now of people who are unable to resist temptation. It is easy to compromise our ethics and morals. Jesus faced temptation and triumphed over it and in doing so he taught us something important about why we should resist it.
What is the Kingdom of God? It’s harder for us to understand the Kingdom of God today because we don’t have kings and kingdoms in the United States. Yet Jesus frequently talked about the Kingdom of God in three different ways.
Sometimes we fear other people. We are worried they might harm us in some way so we are ready to take action to stay safe. Our list of people we fear might include people of different ethnicity, religion or social standing. When we act toward others out of fear our actions are rarely commendable. Horrible acts throughout history have been committed when one person fears another or a whole society fears another society. How do we move from fear to love?
God has promised to accept us, so we as the people of God should accept one another.
There are two parts to life. The first helps us prepare for the second half. Psalm 92 says, “in old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap.” So how do we use our first half to infuse the second half of our life with significance?
We might seek relaxation, comfort and safety. We might even buy a Lazy Boy Chair. But Jesus calls us away from all that. God’s Kingdom is filled with adventure but will we leave the comfort behind and follow Jesus?
Every one of God’s creatures needs water. We certainly know that we can’t survive in the desert for long without water. In a similar way we need the “Living Water” that Jesus offers. Yet, we often choose to drink from other sources which pollute our soul. So where is you watering hole?