Lenten Reflection for Day 37
Date: Wednesday April 20, 2011 (Wednesday in Holy Week)
Author: Rosemary Affeldt
Bible Passage:
Matthew 10:16 (NRSV)
16 “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Reflection:
God our Father sent his beloved Son like a sheep out into the midst of wolves. Likewise Jesus sent out his followers with instructions to go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and proclaim the Good News - that the Kingdom of Heaven has come. His followers were asked to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons. They were to go and take nothing: and receive no payment. They were told to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Times have changed today but the mandate remains the same - go out to the lost sheep and be wise. The riches and distractions of today's world will distract you from your mission; friends and family might dissuade you; the sheep may be less visible and found in places where most of us don't go: homeless shelters, HIV/AIDS orphanages, safe houses, street corners, jails. You may not be welcome!
Be wise as serpents in your ability to see Jesus in the sheep of the 21st century. Let your innocence, presence and love proclaim the Good News that in Christ there is always Hope and Salvation.
Prayer:
Father, help me to know through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, how I am to speak without being distracted, and what I am to say to your sheep today to bring them the "Good News of Salvation" through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen
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