Cross

In Remembrance

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For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you; that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread and when He had given thanks He broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.                                           1 Corinthians 11:23-24 ESV

That night when Jesus sat down for the last supper it seemed that just about everything was going wrong. Judas had gone to the high priest to betray him. The Sanhedrin had decided to have Jesus put to death. The other eleven disciples were spending part of their time at the table arguing over which one of them was the most important. But in the presence of so much going wrong the Bible tells us that on that night when he was betrayed Jesus blessed and shared the bread and then the cup. Not one single detail of His plan was stopped.

In some ways this scene reminds me of what we are passing through now with the Corona virus snatching away from us innocent lives. And in the middle of our own time of testing if we look to the Lord and remember we will find a promise of a rejoicing in faith; hope in the face of any sufferings and most of all the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord even in the shadow of the cross.

KIMG0025

For those wishing to share in an online service that includes communion I invite you to join us today at 9 Am 11 AM and 5 PM Eastern Standard Time. We are Generations Christian Church of Trinity Florida and whether you live in our community of not we would be delighted to have you join us! You can either just click on the link below or look for us online at Generationscc.com  – God bless and have a wonderful Lord’s Day!

Generations Live Worship

Giving Our All For Him

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

‘And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ‘ Mark 8:34 ESV

If I am learning anything during this Covid-19 crisis it is that service is far more important than position. The young person bringing my groceries out to my car ensures that we have food in the house. The insurance lady working from home takes my call and helps me to order medical supplies. In fact without the people who take away our garbage, mow our lawn and repair our water softeners our own lives would soon become intolerable. Strangely enough because of online worship sessions, we are also learning things about our pastor such as what his living room furniture and golden retriever look like and that he can lead worship with his own guitar. We have also come to a greater appreciation for the many phone calls from our family and have lingered just a little longer each time we get to see our grand kids’ faces on a video call. We are seeing clearly something we have known all along and that is that our lives are not defined by how important people think we are but by how we are loved and how we love in return by simple acts of service.

photo of people holding each other s hands

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Maybe that’s what Jesus meant when He asked us to follow Him. First He called us to serve at a specific place and to certain people. Then He commands us to put those people ahead of ourselves through the ministry that God has called us to do. Finally; He tells us to give our lives just as He gave; no matter the cost and holding nothing because we are giving our all for Him.

Sown in Weakness

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It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 1 Corinthians 15:43 KJV

The year was 33 AD and the place; a barren hilltop outside of Jerusalem. Some of the crowd pressed in to watch the terrible details while Mary, John and Mary Magdalene stood further back shuddering to think of His suffering. Hands that once held bread to bless were now helplessly nailed to a wood beam. Feet that had walked on waves now painfully pressed down against the cross to lift Him just enough to take His next breath.

Even those who had sung His praises were now silent for fear of the Roman soldiers and  their spears. Others who had privately hated him now cursed Jesus openly as they watched His weak body writhing in pain on the cross. Finally at His very lowest moment He cried out, “Why have you forsaken me?”

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Often we think of our own weakness and struggle as if at that moment we are also farthest from God. But when Jesus was being sown in dishonor and darkness, there was being accomplished in Heaven the glory of our salvation. As in weakness He tasted the vinegar and took His last breath the power of sin was broken for anyone who came to Him. We must never accept that there is no purpose to our weakness; only that God’s purpose has not been yet seen. No matter that our friends fall silent or that our worst enemies seem to have the upper hand. At our weakest we are joined with our Lord and one day at the time of His choosing we will understand when we see His face in glory.