Closing Thoughts Part One – Food for the Journey

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

April 7, 2022

Closing Thoughts

Part One – Food for the Journey

Today and tomorrow, I am closing my Meditations in the Season of Lent. On Monday, April 11, 2022, my meditations will be for Holy Week, the week before Easter. In closing my Lenten meditations, I have two takeaways from this Season of Lent.

In the last two years, Holy Communion, or the Eucharist, has become increasingly important in my spiritual life. Initially, it was like the proverb “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Two years ago, churches closed. Some churches offered ‘drive-through’ communion, and some even offered virtual communion. I have theological issues with these offerings of the sacrament and abstained from participating. As an ordained minister, I could have presided at a communion service for Cheryl and myself, but I did not sense the Lord’s calling for such a service. After abstaining for six months, we located a church that was open and offering a full Eucharistic service. The first time I knelt at their altar to receive the bread and cup, I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit and knew I had come home to the Lord’s Table. I recall reading that Saint Thomas Aquinas referred to the Sacrament as ‘food for the journey.” He was so right as our participation in the Sacrament sustained us through the pandemic. Since then, we have been blessed to receive the sacrament several times each month, and with each tasting of the bread and cup, I experience anew the presence of Jesus in my life as I look forward to his coming again in final victory. (More on his coming again tomorrow.)

For me, the actual tasting of the communion elements is the heart of the Eucharistic service. However, the entire liturgy is so very important to my spiritual growth and well-being. Two portions of the liturgy that I find most compelling are the confession and pardon, and the affirmation of faith. Our church uses the Nicene Creed, and I find my affirmation of the historic and traditional doctrines of the church comforting to my soul.

My Takeaway: The communion liturgy, and especially the Nicene (or Apostles’) Creed, is a summary of the Kerygma that I discussed on March 21, 2022. The Kerygma is summarized in the Great Thanksgiving of the United Methodist communion liturgy:

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Next week, as we consider the passion and death of Jesus, which includes his institution of The Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, I invite you to make time to prayerfully consider how your participation in this sacrament will help you worship God with reverence and awe.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Peace to You in the Messiah

Meditations in the Season of Lent

April 6, 2022

Peace to You in the Messiah

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Read: 1 Peter 5:8-14

Jesus told us about our enemy, Satan, the force of evil in the world. In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us Satan is a liar, the father of all lies; the truth is not in him. Also, that Satan’s mission is to steal, kill and destroy the people of God. The Apostle Paul also identified this threat to the new community of believers and instructs us that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) In the following verses, Paul provides us with our weapons against the evil forces: God’s righteousness, the Good News, faith, our salvation, the word of God, and prayer.

Peter follows this same formula. He calls us to stand firm against the forces of evil, and to be strong in our faith. (v. 9) He also reminds us we are not alone; “our family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering.”

I have no doubt that the forces of evil, the great enemy of God, are directing the attack on Ukraine which has caused the death of so many civilians, including hundreds of children. Since the Age of Enlightenment, the world’s culture has tended to put humankind at the center of life and removed God from world affairs. Modern culture looks at Peter’s admonishment to watch out for our great enemy, the devil as silliness from antiquity. We do so at our peril. The warnings by Jesus, and Peter, and Paul are as relevant to our lives today as they were in Jerusalem and Rome 2,000 years ago.

My Takeaway: For the title of today’s meditation, I used N. T. Wright’s translation of verse 14. We seek the life in Christ as our way of life because there is peace for us in the Messiah, Christ Jesus.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Cares for You

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

April 5, 2022

God Cares for You

And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

1 Peter 5:4

Read: 1 Peter 5:1-7

Paul calls us to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) Peter takes that same insight in today’s reading as he lifts Jesus up as the Chief Shepherd and urges his followers to have the same qualities as Jesus. We are called to served, with humility, and to submit to those with leadership responsibilities in the church.

When I read about submitting to authority, I recall a visit to the Museum of Westward Expansion, at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The museum has a quote from the journal of Lansford W. Hastings, an Overlander, in the exhibit:

‘We had proceeded only a few days travel, when the American character was fully exhibited. All appeared to be determined to govern, but not to be governed.”

Such is human nature, and a part of our nature we must submit to God for redemption.

My Takeaway: As I seek the life in Christ as my way of life, I always strive to “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28b-29) I believe this is an achievable goal when I keep in mind Peter’s assurance that I can cast all my anxiety on God because God cares for me. (v.7) And He cares for you too! 

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Suffering for Being a Christian

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

April 4, 2022

Suffering for Being a Christian

So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

1 Peter 4:19

Read: 1 Peter 4:12-19

Four parts of today’s reading caught my attention. First, Peter is continuing to assert that the followers of Jesus understand their lives within the context of looking forward to Jesus coming again in final victory. It is this truth that enables us to understand and make a difference in the world today.

Secondly, Peter reaches back to Zachariah 13, to a passage that Jesus quoted in Mark 14:27, to affirm, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” (v. 12) The reference Jesus quoted was “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” (Zechariah 13:7) Even though Jesus has defeated the powers of sin and death, in our present time as we await Jesus’ return, we will experience persecution as we align ourselves with God’s Messiah, Christ Jesus.

The third point is that when we align ourselves with Christ and stand with him in our world, when we are insulted because of the name of Christ, we are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us. (v.14) Those persecuting us think they are diminishing the name of Christ, when in fact they bring glory to God in Christ Jesus.

My Takeaway: Peter not only draws on the OT prophet Zachariah to make his point, he also quotes Proverbs 11:31 in verse 18. Peter was a fisherman and an apostle. He was very well schooled in the scriptures, and as a follower of Jesus, should I be. 

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Living for God

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

April 1, 2022

Living for God

Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

1 Peter 4:11b

Read: 1 Peter 4:1-11

As I read today’s passage, I again (March 23, 2022) thought of the first three of Covey’s Seven Habits: be proactive, with the end in sight, and don’t let the urgent trump the important. (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey)

First, because we are proactive, we won’t spend the rest of our lives chasing our own desires, but we will be anxious to do the will of God. God has given each of us a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (v. 2,10)

Next, I jump to habit 3 and strive to put first things first as I remember that we will face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. (v.5)

Then, in verse 6 I remember to keep the end in sight. Peter affirms that our death is not the end. Through our death, we will live forever with God in the Spirit. Keeping this promise ever before me brings much comfort in times of distress.

My Takeaway: I know it is a most ambitious goal to have as my epitaph, “Everything he did brought glory to God through Jesus Christ.” Nevertheless, I hear God in Christ Jesus calling me to make this my ambition in life. How about you?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Christ is Supreme

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

March 31, 2022

Christ is Supreme

Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

1 Peter 3:22

Read:1 Peter 3:17-22

Peter begins this passage writing again about the suffering the new community of believers was experiencing in the culture, especially from the civil authorities. He then connects our suffering to the suffering Jesus experienced.

Many churches use the Apostles’ Creed in one of two versions. In one, the Creed affirms Jesus “. . . suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven.” Another version of the Creed affirms Jesus “. . .    suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven.”

The word ‘hell’ is used by tradition, but the word should be translated, ‘Hades” which was a place where all the dead went as opposed to hell which is a place of punishment. The NLT and the NRSV uses the phrase “spirits in prison” for verse 19.

Peter’s point is that these spirits had been disobedient to God. He then uses the experience of Noah to show how our baptism is a way of expressing our salvation brought through the resurrection of Jesus.

My Takeaway: In verse 22, quoted above, Peter is affirming that Jesus has all authority and is supreme over all creation. This is my periodic reminder to read again of the supremacy of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All Christians

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

March 30, 2022

All Christians

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

1 Peter 3:15

Read: 1 Peter 3:8-16

I believe the context of this passage is seen perfectly in the quote I had in my meditation from March 9, 2022:

“Beloved brethren…[we] are philosophers not in words, but in deeds;
we exhibit our wisdom not by our dress, but by truth;
we know virtues by their practice rather than through boasting of them;
we do not speak great things but we live them.”

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, A.D. 256

Peter was urging his congregation to live out their faith. This reminds me of a series of sermons James Moore preached using the title: When You're a Christian...The Whole World Is From Missouri. (Dimensions for Living (October 1, 2010)) Missouri is the ‘show me’ state. When you live your life by faith in Christ, with Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection at the center of your life, people will notice. They will look to see if your life reflects the world’s culture or are you marching to a different beat.

In the last two years, we have faced many challenges with the pandemic, shortage of commodities, war in Ukraine, and inflation. We have also encountered illness, and deaths within our family and friends. Much of the prevailing culture has responded with a spirit of fear, hoarding, and anger. Like James (my meditation on March 17, 2022), Peter is beckoning the followers of Jesus to a patient lifestyle that participates in God’s mission. Remember, it is not about our control; rather, we seek a lifestyle trusting God.

My Takeaway: As we live hopeful lives, entrusting the future confidently to God, our neighbors will notice. If they ask about our hope as a believer, let’s always be ready to offer them Christ.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.