Scripture: Romans 14:7-9
We don’t live for ourselves and we don’t die for ourselves. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to God. This is why Christ died and lived: so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Thought for the Day: Today will be the final of about three weeks on Paul’s Letter to the Church in Rome. Though there is still so much to discuss, I thought I would end with these words. For Paul, these are thoughts offered to the community itself, and within them, we find more than a calling for simple tolerance. It is a Christ-like living that bridges all divides, including the valley of death. The community to which Paul is writing is more than the diverse group of Christians living in Rome, but also those followers who have died. We tend to draw our definition of diversity based upon a limited spectrum, but in Christ, the calling is to include the Great Cloud of Witnesses who have gone before us. We bicker over divisions of gender, race, politics, sexuality, economics and nationality, but Christ continues to broaden the scope by which we view his community. We tend to separate the dead from the living, but Christ is Lord of both. And if Lord of both, then we stand – the living and the dead – together in the Kingdom where Christ is Lord of us all.
Prayer: Though separated by death, I am connected to brothers and sisters who reside with you, O Lord of Life and Life Everlasting. Let me draw upon their witness and example as I strive to be more Christ-like in my daily life. As the world seeks to divide itself along so many different lines, you call us to find unity in your gift of Jesus Christ. Help us to live as one for the sake of your kingdom here on earth. Amen.
JOIN THE PRAYER GATHERING
A Nehemiah Ministry
Today at 12:15pm
In the Chapel
