Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them,
“I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who
believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35
During this season of reflections and
renewal, join me in exploring the Bread of Life. When we encounter Jesus
Christ, this Living Bread feeds, satisfies, and transforms us. Come on this
journey and remember this Bread “is broken for you”. ~ Donna Oswalt
Many will follow [Christ] as far as the breaking of
bread, but few will remain to drink from His passion. Thomas
a’Kempis
Surely
He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten
by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His
stripes we are healed. Isaiah
53:4-5 NASB
The cross creates visual and emotional
pictures for us. While hard to fathom the violence of crucifixion, harder to
imagine is the evil from within humanity that would commit such acts. Morton
Kelsey, an American Episcopal priest and psychologist, writes, “The cross is
the symbol, alive and vivid, of the evil that is in us, of evil itself.”
History recalls countless examples of the evil within humanity, the horrors
that people inflict on each other. Most often we view the cross as empty in
celebration of the risen Christ; however, the crucified Jesus on the cross, no
matter how hard to face, reveals the very depth of our depravity. If we stand
at the foot of this cross, we come with those who crucified Jesus; we must stand
with the cowards, the self-righteous, the betrayers, stand with those who
represent “civilized vices” like fear,
bigotry, deceit, and indifference. In the shadow of this cross, we face our own
darkness; yet, this revelation is not the end but a beginning of
transformation. Christ endures unimaginable
suffering so Hope can be born for all. In defeating evil, the mystery of the cross allows
Perfect Love to be “pierced for our
rebellion …beaten so we could be whole”. – dho
Perfect
Love, let the cross disturb my indifference, my selfish acts, my fear – for You
suffered the everlasting effects of evil… for
me. Let the cross illumine my weaknesses, my failed-attempts to love, my
empty promises. In the shadow of Your cross I come face to face with my demons,
no matter how I try to disguise them. Let me embrace the cost of Your suffering,
especially when I pray, “Lord, always give us this bread”. - dho
Focus
Point: “You are more than the choices
that you’ve made; you are more than the sum of your mistakes… You’ve been
remade.” ~ Tenth Avenue North
All rights reserved; copyright 2016 by
Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author; Breathing Room
For My Soul
(blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat
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