Good Morning Faithful Servants of the Lord! What an awesome, serving, loving, praying, providing congregation and gathering of believers God has blessed us to co-labor with in Emmaus! PTL! and continue to pray for that to grow, flourish and explode around the Lehigh Valley. Yesterday began with another great day of serving and ministering through our bread ministry. So many are feeling God's love as we meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. One man who is being drawn by God said, "I have never felt so close to God as I do when I am here." Yes God is living and loving and drawing through us! PTL! God carried me through an amazing day of being used, being loved and of loving through me. The building's spring cleaning should be finished this morning just in time for my vacation next week and will be ready for our festive family worship and celebration of the Resurrection Sun. at 10 with communion. Invite some family, friends and even enemies to come and see and experience the love of God with you.
What a blessing for me and us last evening as we gathered to feast, fellowship, study, pray and enjoy an evening together. God was very present and bringing His Word alive as we looked at the events of this week before the resurrection. Gina and Marie (a new servant that is joining us) offered to and prepared dinner and cleaned up. They relieved me of my duties for the evening and blessed me and us as they took to heart Jesus' command to His disciple after washing their feet to serve as He served and new command to us all to love as He loved us. Thanks ladies! What a blessing! Check out ODB below as it speaks into Jesus' example. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and showed God's kind of love by being a servant leader. I am so thankful for all the servant leaders God has placed in our fellowship for such a time as this! His love is real, growing and being felt by many as it comes alive through us and our servant leaders! Praise God for them and continue to pray for us all to live and love more like Jesus this year. Become more in '24! Amen!
The Upper Room uses one of my life verses, Rom. 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." Here is a whole years worth of stuff to work on to become more like Jesus! Think about how He chose to live this out these last few hours before the crucifixion. "I have given you an example to follow." And the Good News is that He has forgiven, cleansed, equipped, empowered and gifted us to love and follow well. PTL! Live to honor and glorify Him.
TWFYT reminds us of something we've been working on for years now--healthy balance--choosing God-honoring healthy rhythms for our lives. We always work on that healthy balance Jesus exhibited and left as an example for us between UP-IN-OUT relationships. Our congregation and ministries over these years has moved to being pretty balanced at this, even through COVID. Thank you for striving towards this and keeping this in mind as we go and love more like Jesus. We are becoming a dynamic movement of God that is very balanced in our up relationship with the Father, in relationships with each other, and out relationships with those God is sending. We are a pretty healthy church! PTL! But there is always an intentionality needed to keep balanced well. TWFYT reminds us of the balance needed between grace and truth. A balance that Jesus lived well and left as an example. Really love people and help them to become all that they were created to be by showing much love, grace and the patience God shows us while speaking the truth in love. This is again a reminder of the importance of small groups of friends that are working on life in Christ together with permission to speak truth in love to each other, hold feet in the fire with love, and help each other to move towards our fullest potential in Christ well. Who is (are) the partner(s) for you? Jesus' command to love as He loved us is following His examples as He made disciples--loving patiently and helping His friends.
Life lived well in Christ is really all about love. Loving God, self and others well and offering ourselves as a living sacrifice (agape love) that is a pleasing aroma to God to be used for His glory. How can we help each other with that? Jesus commands us and left an example for how to love as He has loved us. How does that look for you and what is your custom part in doing that balanced and well in Christ and as part of His Body? Who is helping you or are you helping? What are you putting into practice? It does take practice to become all you are created to be and to reach your fullest potential. God REALLY loves you! He has great custom plans for you! Rejoice! Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer with some loving friends as a start towards His best for you. Amen! Now where's that towel?
ODB:
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In a tradition starting as early as the thirteenth century, members of the royal family in the United Kingdom give gifts to people in need on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. The practice is rooted in the meaning of the word maundy, which comes from the Latin mandatum, “command.” The command being commemorated is the new one that Jesus gave to His friends on the night before He died: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).
Jesus was a leader who took on the role of a servant as He washed His friends’ feet (v. 5). He then called them to do the same: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (v. 15). And in an even greater act of sacrifice, He lay down His life, dying on the cross (19:30). Out of mercy and love, He gave Himself that we might enjoy the fullness of life.
The tradition of the British royal family serving people in need continues as a symbol of following Jesus’ great example. We may not have been born into a place of privilege, but when we place our faith in Jesus, we become members of His family. And we too can show our love by living out His new command. As we depend on God’s Spirit to change us from within, we can reach out to others with care, affirmation, and grace.
By Amy Boucher Pye
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How have you observed or embodied servant leadership? In what ways could you “love one another” today?
My great Savior, what a gift of love You give! Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
What does it mean that Jesus gave a “new” command to love (John 13:34)? A command to love was already central in Jewish faith (Leviticus 19:18). But what seems “new” is to love “as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the disciples would be given a new example of self-giving love that should shape their lives. But far more than just an example, Jesus would also give them the ability to love this way. Through the gift of Christ’s Spirit, they could experience and share the love Jesus shared with the Father (17:22-24).
Monica La Rose |
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UR: Our Greatest Hope
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:12 (NIV)
Learning about all the injustices around us and throughout the world can lead us to question our own humanity. Today specifically I prayed about two serious global situations: the suffering caused by the war in Ukraine and the repressive, brutal treatment women endure in some societies. We live in a time of uncertainty and anguish. Is it possible that we are ignoring completely that each of us was created by the mighty hand of God and for God’s glory?
Stubbornness, lies, and arrogance distract us from God’s divine plan and cause us to overlook the suffering of others. But the Lord is our one true Source, on whom we can rely. And so our greatest hope is to persevere in word and deed — prayer and action — asking God to forgive and renew us by the Holy Spirit so that we may be in harmony with God and in harmony with all God’s people.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, cause the Holy Spirit to move in us and through us to confront injustices and work to honor you, our rock and our strength. Amen.
TWFYT:
Here are the devos we use that are available at church and can be oredered on line:
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