Last Call Place Your Bets!

When we think of Jesus the images that usually come to mind are of a man of peace who brings healing and forgiveness to people, the man who saved the life of the woman caught in the act of adultery, and the man who raised dead people back to life. But there are some passages in the Bible that can really rattle our teeth.

So what does Jesus mean when He says that His mission is not to spread peace but division? What follows sounds like a script from the worst of all soap operas, where everyone is fighting with everyone else! Could this possibly be what Jesus intends? Certainly not!

Jesus' point, which He expresses in His customary hyperbole, is that His mission is to press us to make serious choices, to speak a clear 'yes' or 'no' to God, and not just a lifelong 'maybe.' As He says in another place, His whole life is a wholehearted 'yes' and never anything less.

I'm reminded of this all too often when I'm asked to visit a family at the time of a death. I can’t begin to tell you how often I’m told 'Oh Uncle Fester believed, more or less, but he never went to church,' or 'Granny didn't care for organised religion but she was a Christian.'

Yet there I am, representing The Church, asked to invoke Christ's name and our unfailing belief in the Resurrection at the funeral. In other words, when time runs out, we scramble, hoping that we're covering all bets...just in case.

If you find someone wandering about in the Land of the 'Eternal Maybe,' neither getting better or growing visibly worse, try this: offer them God's invitation to a new life. We pray that they don't turn Him down!

It could be their last chance.

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Anglican Prayers

Lord our Father, the path Your Son made for us contains no stones. His path is clear. Guide us to that path so that we may grow closer to You. Remove our fears, our doubts, our insecurities. Walk with us as we make our own journey serving You and celebrating all You have bestowed upon us. In Your Son’s name we pray. Amen

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We Are Never Alone

Thank You Sarah

How the Other Half Lives