By Kathleen Tetzlaff
Begin with 2 minutes of Silence
Scripture
Hebrews 13:16- Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Devotional thought Let’s put ourselves in the place of the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews. The Romans oppress us because we are Jews, but we no longer have the comfort of belonging to the Jewish community because we are followers of Jesus. We are between a rock and a hard place and some of our friends have already turned their backs on Jesus. In this letter we have been reminded of how incomparable Jesus is! He is superior to everything we have known in the past. As our high priest, He has offered Himself as a sacrifice, torn open the veil and led us into the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God.
We are warned not to turn our back on Jesus but rather to encourage one another to persevere. We are inspired by a great cloud of witnesses from the past who by faith have persevered and were either delivered or martyred. Then, he exhorts us: “Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of “sacrifice”—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets. ”Heb. 13:16 The Message
Sharing becomes an act of worship when it is in response to what Jesus has done for us......
Sharing becomes an act of worship when it is in response to what Jesus has done for us and when our minds are present with those in need. “Regard prisoners as if you were in prison with them. Look on victims of abuse as if what happened to them had happened to you.” Heb. 13:1, the Message.
Question to consider What is my response to what Christ has done for me and how can that response overflow today in doing good and sharing who I am and what I have been given? Notice how it feels to give with a consciousness of these things.
Prayer Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Heb. 13:20,21 (NRSV)
End with 2 minutes of Silence