Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 

Lent for the Redemption of All Creation

Bible Reading: Jonah 3

Key verse:  Vs 5

The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that every one should fast  and all the people from  the greatest to the least put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

DEVOTION

Jonah 3 shows us how wide and generous God’s mercy is. When Jonah finally listens to God and goes to Nineveh, the people take his message to heart. They repent, fast, and commit to changing their ways. Even the king and the animals join. This reminds us that God’s care extends to everyone and everything He has created.
Building on this, Lent is a season that encourages us to turn back to God. Jonah 3 teaches us that repentance is more than simply saying we are sorry; it means making real changes in how we live. When the people of Nineveh turned toward God, God responded with mercy. This assures us that God is always ready to forgive when we sincerely choose what is right.
As the biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann reminds us,
“Repentance in the biblical sense is not merely remorse for the past but a reorientation of one’s whole life toward God and the flourishing of the world God loves.”
During Lent, we think about how our actions affect others and the world. God calls us to care for His creation and treat each other with kindness and respect. When we turn our hearts to God, we join His work of redeeming and healing creation.
 

PRAYER

Lord, change my heart this Lent, and use my life to heal Your creation. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The kind of fasting I want is this.. Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice and let the oppressed go free. Isaiah  58 :6

Riya Varughese
St. Andrews MTC, Westchester

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more