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Mini-Worship
Feb. 27 -March 3,2024
Take a few deep breaths and center yourself and quiet down.
Entering the presence of God
2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
Confession:
Our great Shepherd, our life paces are hectic. Our life challenges and responsibilities are many. Sometimes we feel so exhausted that we are like downcast sheep and hardly move on at end of the day. Come to us. Lift us up. Comfort us. Strengthen us and help us to reset feet on our own. Take us into your presence to be cheered and nurtured by you. We pray in your name, Amen.
Scripture Reading
Mark 10:13-16 (NIV)
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
Thoughts to share and to ponder
After many years of trial and error in parenting, I came to realize that my own self-righteous style of parenting was a complete failure. It did not produce good fruits in my children and in me at all. When I re-read this passage, I learned something profound. That was, God was using my children to raise me just as Jesus used these children to raise his disciples.
Then I learned how the kingdom of God worked in my parenting. While I let the kingdom of God rule in my person, I am disassembled, reorganized, and reconstructed. My self-righteous ego goes away. My selfish dreams and demands go away. The complexities in me are simplified. I am changed and transformed in my thinking, feeling and behaving. I find an open space to accept them as who they are and embrace their world. I become a non-anxious and non-threatening presence to them. We create a common playground to become friends. We share our chaff and grain in our lives. We enter deeper understanding and fellowship. We grow together. There is no more embitterment and exasperation between us.
This learning applies to our marriages too. Jesus was teaching a marriage for a lifetime prior to this Scripture passage. His disciples wondered its possibility. Jesus used those little children to raise their awareness. The secret of a marriage for a lifetime started from our receiving the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus. It means that let ourselves and our marriages come to under the reign of God. Each goes to Jesus and dwells in the ruling of God. Let old person go. Let the new person emerge. So, it becomes possible that two new persons stay for a lifetime.
It is interesting that in our culture, we call brides and grooms as new women and new men. We see that a marriage symbolizes a new life stage. We look forward to a new life that is filled with new hope and new joy. However, we bring all kinds of our old stuff into our marriage and they ruin our hope. We really have no way to make a person into a "new" person. The power to create the newness of our persons is found in the kingdom of God.
Will we be like little children, running to Jesus to receive the reign of God? He will lead us on the high way either in marriage or in parenting. Our marriage or parenting will be changed and transformed in the blessings of His hands.
Prayer Suggestions:
Is marriage or parenting difficult for you to bear? Come to receive the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus. And allow him to take you, your marriage and parenting into his arms. Learn his way. Let him place his hands on all and bless all.
God of blessings, we confess that oftentimes we set up our selfish egos over our loved ones in our marriage and parenting. Your word opens our eyes to see the struggles rooted in us. Now we come to you. We bring our marriage and our parenting to you. We bring ourselves to you. Take all to your arms and let them be transformed in your blessings. May your reign lead us go that high way of marriage and parenting. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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