Suggested Reading: JOHN 15: 1-8
We have all received the Word of God through Sacred Scripture,
Divine Revelation, prayer, and our unique relationships within this community.
We have also received it through our special relationship with God. Just the
fact that we are gathered in Christian Fellowship and because what I have
written is being read right now tells me that there has been an exposure of some
sort to God. This exposure leads to a relationship which leads to what is known
as the Christian Experience. This experience will develop and change every
moment of our lives if we just surrender and permit it to do so.
We are the Christian Experience. Jesus tells us that he is with
us always. When things in our lives are going well he is there. When we are
encountering obstacles and tribulation he is there. Life is not like a
motivational seminar where everything is happy and perfect. It is not a television
commercial or a magazine advertisement where there are constant smiles. There
will be challenges, sadness, and disappointments. As long as we recognize that
Jesus Christ is the source of perfection and the path through the chaos we can
persevere through all that is bad and achieve a higher awareness of who we are
and what is truly important in life.
The branches receive their nourishment from the vine and it is
through the vine that it receives the sustenance that is required to bring
forth fruit which comes in the form of good acts, living rightly, and
experiencing our existence with Christ in our lives. Christ is the single
factor which will bring everything else in focus. He has the capability of
overriding everything else that might present itself as positive or negative.
During our experience we will still suffer. As Christians, it is
part of our birthright to suffer. That being understood, it can then be
accepted more readily that this is going to happen. Instead of being
overwhelmed by this suffering we can embrace it and recognize that Jesus Christ
is shaping us all the more through what we encounter and how we overcome the
challenges which we confront. When we succeed in what we do, we are forever
changed by the experience. A new creation through Jesus Christ emerges and we
can then understand more fully what Jesus wants from us.
We can all feel the presence of God. We know when he is with us
and working actively in our lives. It is no secret. Our conscious leads us to
where we have to go. We all truly know what we have to do to live rightly and
peacefully through Our Lord Jesus Christ. All we have to do is listen. This is
accomplished by dismissing all the noise and clutter that surrounds us so that
we may become more receptive to God. God prefers to come with little or no
fan-fair. He is here already.
Embrace and hold onto the presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deacon Tom
Deacon Tom
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