Pastor's Reflection for the day

The Gospel of Jesus Christ asks that we become like broken bread and poured out wine, becoming like the body and blood of Christ. The Gospel tells us that our movement beyond self and into brokenness is needed to decrease our rebellion against God’s divine plan, and thus become strong representatives of the Heavenly Kingdom in the world. These are easy words to say, and an ideal that many Christians would agree expresses an objective in their heart. Yet there is a counter-language in the Gospel to which we also aspire that calls us to be healed and made whole; a language that beseeches God to make us strong so that we will be able to defeat powers that strive to pull us away from our obedience to God’s will. It requires a strong faith in the unconditional love of God to bring these two points of view into a common purpose -- to be broken and poured out so that God can prevail, and also remain strong in our resolve to not yield to the temptations of the world. Paul makes the resolution of these seemingly contradictory desires most clear in 2 Corinthians 12:10 when he states, “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” The Gospel teaches us that in being broken, (moving beyond self), we are made strong for the purpose of God.