February 25                                      1 Corinthians 7:  25-31; Mark 5:  21-43

 

 

One of the things I love about Pastor Denise’s sermons is how I always end feeling as if I understand how that week’s scripture passage is speaking to me, in the present day, in my life.  Denise gives such depth of emotion to each reading.  I tried to interpret the three passages I read in this manner.  I must say that the first two passages were challenging, to say the least.  I quite obviously don’t have Denise’s skills interpreting scripture, but these readings spoke to me in I Corinthians, reminding me to put God first!  Regardless of our situation, married or not, children or none, children’s sport and activity schedules, work duties, no matter what the distraction, the challenge is to put God first.  It just seems so easy to get distracted by everyday life that I forget how fortunate I am.

 

Mark 5 says to me that I should reach out to Christ as the woman in the passage did, and Christ will welcome me.  I have always felt that the passage in Mark 5, where Jesus raises the young girl from the dead, is a powerful passage.  Through Christ anything is possible, even that which we may believe impossible.  What a challenge to our faith to believe so completely.  Though I struggle and fail at times to be that strong, I try.  I want to be that strong in faith!

 

This Lenten season I will commit myself to pray, not only for a few minutes as I begin and end my day, but throughout the day.  I will remember to be thankful for all of the small joys that fill each day.  That all of the small gifts, the smile I receive from someone, the hug from my children and wife, the nourishment and warmth of my home and more, are all blessings from Him.  I will try not to be distracted or frustrated by the difficult events of the day, but focus on the fact that it was He who got me through it.  I will try each evening to leave the world in a slightly better state than I found it in the morning.  I will try to give that extra smile and be a positive force in someone’s life that mine may touch each day.  I will believe there can be peace in the world and ask Christ to “Let it begin with me” (which is just about my favorite song in the entire hymnal).

 

In Christ anything is possible!!

 

 

~ Bruce Langevin