Today’s scripture: Luke 22:7-8, 13-20 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

This has been a difficult passage to write about for me. That may seem odd if you know me, because I regularly participate in worship services and partake in communion. But for me, this passage holds a great deal of significance with regard to the common rituals found in many Christian churches.

I am not particularly attached to rituals. But this ritual is one of the ways we remind ourselves of exactly what it is we share in common, this belief that Jesus was sacrificed for our sins. Whether I believe that this is a literal occurrence, or a metaphor for something divine does not really change the significance of what is being celebrated.

There are many lessons we can learn during a sermon on any given Sunday. We may hear a lesson on forgiveness, or maybe a sermon about generosity. We may learn some history of Biblical times, or maybe learn about some character that is not familiar to us. But regardless of what we may reflect upon during the sermon, at our church we are always brought back to the same place at the end of the sermon. The sharing of communion is a special ritual.

We collectively remind ourselves that we are welcome, we are forgiven, and we are loved. We take this time to remember the story of that fateful evening when Christ surrendered to the authorities, knowing full well what was to become of him.

But when I read the passage, I do not sense any remorse on his part during this dinner with friends. I believe that Jesus wanted them to understand the significance of what was happening. He wanted them to have a chance to say what they needed to say. Sometimes it is just important to make sure that we have the opportunity to show each other how we feel about each other. There are so many times when we do not know that this is the last time that we will see our loved ones alive. There are so many times when we wish that we could have told them how much we love them. I believe that the significance of this dinner is not to be minimized.

I see such kindness on the part of Jesus. Although some very painful things were about to happen, he wanted the Disciples to understand that he gladly gave his life. He also wanted them to have this ritual that would remind them of how much he loves them.

We carry on this tradition so that we can all be reminded of how much Jesus loves us — all of us. Worship services can take many forms, but I do not believe that we can ever partake in the communion ceremony without a real sense of worship. We take this time to pray with one another, and share in the body and blood of Christ.

Thought for the day: God, let me always approach the communion ceremony with humility and thankfulness for what it represents, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ that was sacrificed for the forgiveness of my sins.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

Today’s scripture: Matthew 20:20-28 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?

My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. –Douglas Adams

Not many of us are comfortable with the whole concept of being servant. There is great difficulty in finding strength in service to others. This reminds me of many conversations I have had with my relatives about someone who married into our family who does not believe that he should have to do anything for himself. He grew in an environment where all of his needs were met by others. Someone picked out his clothes, someone made his meals. They cleaned his house, and laundered his clothes. Somehow he grew up believing that it was a sign of strength to simply pay someone else to do anything that you did not care to do for yourself.

What I have noticed about him is that he does not have much respect for the people who are taking care of his needs. Somehow, by virtue of the fact that he can afford to pay them to do things for him, he feels superior to them. I have also found that he does not seem to have much respect for people who choose to do things for themselves. I have heard him ask someone why they were mowing their own lawn. He said that you could “just pay someone to do that.”

We may not all take the whole servant concept quite as far as he does, but we still do not see the strength and honor in service. But this story demonstrates how Jesus taught His disciples that service was the only way that they would ever be successful in His ministry. Arrogance and pride have no place in the God’s realm.

There are many ways that we can be of service to others in our lives. We can be helpful at work. We can be generous with our time when someone needs us. We can do charity work. One of the ways I like to be of service is by helping my children do their chores sometimes. It always amuses me the looks they give me when I just step up and begin to assist them with a job that is theirs. I don’t ask for anything in return; I just offer to help and then move on when we are done. I have found that they are much more eager to do an extra chore when it comes up later. I think I may be teaching them the value of service without even saying a word.

I believe that an important component of service is love and kindness. I think the act of service loses its preciousness if it is done with resentment. I try to be constantly on guard that my attitude matches my intentions. I want to be of service, and I want to serve with love.

Prayer for the day: God, help me strive to be of service to You by being of service to those around me. And help me to serve with love.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

When I think about the message in the first chapter of James, I am reminded of the beautiful flowers that result from planting bulbs deep in the ground. I’ve read that the bulbs actually need to pressure and stress of pushing through the ground in order to properly bloom. If they were not planted deep enough, and therefore not forced to work hard enough to push through to the surface, they would not be as beautiful when they bloom.

I think of my life’s journey in a similar way. When I am tested in my life, it is like I am one of those tiny bulbs that have been planted deep in the dark earth. I may be temporarily cold and uncomfortable, but the final result will be worth it. My life will be more beautiful, fuller, and richer in color.

When I think back on the hardest times in my life, I can easily see some of the most valuable lessons I have ever learned came as a result of them. Do not get me wrong when I talk about these times. They were difficult, and my faith was often tested. I remember there was a long period of time that I kept a saying on my refrigerator: Faith is not faith unless it is all you have to hang on to. The wisdom on that little poster got me through some really tough times.

My childhood was far from easy. There was abuse and poverty. Yet I look at who I am today, and I see someone who does her best to be kind, gentle, and grateful for all I have. I do not believe that I would have many of the same attitudes if I had not experienced those hardships. I am pretty sure that I would not feel things as deeply as I do today. I am happy with my life now. I have two beautiful children who have never known most of the pain I experienced as a child. They seem to be secure in my love for them and secure in their value as human beings. This is a direct result of my experiences as a child.

My adult life has certainly had its moments as well. But, as I see it, I am who I am as a result of everything that I have been through. I know compassion as a result of having experienced difficulties. I have the ability to share this compassion with those around me. I feel fortunate to have been given this gift. My life is rich and colorful, and I owe much of that to difficulties I had to overcome.

Prayer for the day: Give me the ability to see my current situation, no matter how hard it may be, through your eyes, God, and let me see how this will only make my life better. Strengthen my faith, and hold my heart. The beauty of my life is a gift from God.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

This has been a real focus for me for this last couple of years. I have made a concerted attempt to learn to be less judgmental of others.

I heard this passage often in my Southern Baptist upbringing, and my experience was that most people definitely did not want you to judge them. But they seemed to be perfectly willing to judge you. Unfortunately, as a result of such behavior in the adults in my life, I grew up to be very judgmental of others. I am not proud of it, but I have to be honest.

What I have been trying to learn lately, is a way of interacting with other people that is much more understanding and empathetic. I know that the passage here seems to say that we should be this way to avoid being judged ourselves. I think there may be other reasons to be forgiving of others.

We read later in the chapter about not bargaining with God. Just ask for what you want. Be genuine. Do not just do good things to get something in return. If your heart is in the right place, you will have everything you need.

I have tried to focus on being less judgmental for many reasons. In my spiritual journey, I want to be the kind of person who exemplifies a very different kind of being. I want to be kind and empathetic because I genuinely care for people. I realize that we are all flawed, and most of us are just doing the best we can. I look at my children and I see such wonder and such hope. Why can I not seek to see the same in the eyes of the people around me? They were once someone’s child filled with awe and wonder.

What I have found is that when I am less judgmental, people are less defensive. We can learn how to live better together. We can all learn how to be more generous with each other. There is less fear. There is more love. I appreciate when people are gentle with me when I have made a mistake. Now I am learning that it also feels better to be gentle with them when they falter. My world is becoming a much kinder place to be.

Prayer for the day: God, help me to be less judgmental. Let me always remember that You know the heart of us all so much better than we know ourselves. If you can forgive, who am I to be judgmental?

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

What might Jesus have meant when he said that we should not be tempted to role-play before God? Another version says to pray in secret. Both seem to stress that we should be as sincere as we are capable of being when we address God.

I realize that it is often difficult to keep our pride out of the way when we are asked to pray in public or in a small group, but I think that it is just as important to be humble and sincere when you are praying in the midst of a group. It really serves no purpose to make a spectacle of yourself when worshiping or praying. The purpose of these activities is to bring us closer to God. This has nothing to do with anyone else. Our self-consciousness and pride only hinder the closeness we could achieve.

I have learned over the years that it does not matter what I say, if God’s Will is sought, then the others will hear what they need to hear.

In a class I took recently, we discussed that we all live in our own stories. We perceive things to be as we believe them to be. “Reality” is rarely the only factor in what we understand. If this is true in our communications with each other, then how can it not also be true in our spiritual lives?

Additionally, if we make too much of a spectacle of ourselves, then we are bringing attention to us and not to God. And then when we fail, as humans do, all our performing will just provide a bigger target on us. Then our failures reflect upon God and can be a barrier to the understanding of others.

Whether we are showing off, or acting as a bad example of a Christian, neither of these situations is in the service of God.

Thought for the day: Lord, let me continuously seek Your company without bringing attention to myself. Let Your goodness be the focus. Let me be an example of a faithful servant, and not be too proud to give You all the glory.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.

My thoughts (Brenda Corbello):

For some reason, I could not get past the first line of Matthew 5. I can just picture it. Crowds are gathering all along the bottom of the hill. And Jesus ever so quietly just saunters up to the top of the hill and calmly sits down. I can see all of the heads of the disciples turning and wondering what he was doing. I can see them one by one gathering at His feet and waiting for Him to speak. Once they had settled in, He began to teach. The hush must have come over the crowd, trying to hear what He had to say.

This whole scene reminds me of many of the kindergarten and elementary teachers that I know. When they want to get the attention of their students, they do not shout or raise their voice in any way. They just whisper until a hush spreads across the room and everyone is trying to hear what she is saying. It is a very powerful thing to experience.

I find it absolutely amazing when someone is so confident in themselves that they do not feel obliged to force anyone to listen to what they say. When they speak, people are eager to hear what they have to say and eager to learn as much as they can from them. I imagine Jesus was this kind of teacher. He spoke with such confidence and quiet authority that you could not help but trust the words he spoke.

When I try to imagine what kind of impact I want to have in my community, I often think about what it would be like to have this kind of confidence in myself. The times that I have felt it most earnestly are the times when I have been willing to stop what I am doing before I speak and to invite God into my conversations. When I have quieted myself long enough to separate what is my responsibility and what belongs to God, I have been more successful in communicating the correct message. I am not sure why I forget to do that so often.

Thought for the day: As I rise in the morning, let me invite God into my every interaction. Let me remember what my responsibility is and what is out of my hands. Let me gladly relinquish to God what belongs to God.

We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.