No Greater Communion by Jill Carattini

Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of The previous day's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.

Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. (Matthew 18:2-5)

A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Showing us a child as a sign of the community of God’s kingdom, Jesus is saying something deliberate about the kind of community he is drawing together. Little children love readily with all of themselves. Their connections and unity are genuine, perhaps because the mind has not yet been deterred by suspicion, disappointment, or pride. As such, their hearts grasp something about communing we often do not. G.K. Chesterton, who said he learned more by watching children than any philosophy book, once observed that children have in their ownership the obscure idea of loyalty even to a thing. The child who has gone to bed without his toy does not only feel that he is sad without it. He also feels in some transcendental way that the toy is sad without him.

I believe Jesus urges us to see that those who will be like children, like men and women aware that the love we seek also seeks us, will find the kingdom of God. The very community we long for is governed by one who longs for us to be in it. If God is like the shepherd willing to leave the flock to go out searching for the one who has strayed, there is nowhere we can flee from his presence; there is never a time we won't belong. Indeed, there is no greater love, no greater connection, no greater communing.


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Slumber and Sleep by Jill Carattini

Take about 5 minutes to read this snippets version of The previous day's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Follow up by reading TODAY'S SLICE and forward any comments on your faith journey.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11)

"Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. (Exodus 31:13)

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)

A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
As I sit here daydreaming of sleep pods and power naps, I realize that we evidently need that reminder again and again. The seventh day is a gift, a nap pass--a gentle invitation, albeit a powerful sign between God and humanity. It is a day set apart from appointment books and pressing schedules to remind us that the most pressing aspect of our lives is that we are creatures made in the image of our Creator. Who we are is most authentically realized and most dynamically lived out when we are resting in the presence of God, sleeping like Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham and the care of a Father who guards us by day and night.(2)

Whether or not the notion of paying for a nap actually catches on, it is probably not reflective of the universal longing--and need--for napping. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" said Jesus to a crowd in Galilee. Yet if we slow down long enough to consider it, we might realize that Christ is also talking to us. We might remember that rest is not only a luxury, but that it is something he knows we need. We might remember that the labor of God is far more significant than our own. We might remember--and rejoice--that the God who watches over us neither slumbers nor sleeps.

*The Street Church is in need of donations for the homeless - clothing such as new underwear in the package, shorts and t-shirts; hygiene items as well as back packs/camping gear are all greatly appreciated.
*To comment on this thread, visit the blog.
*Read today's slice and email me with your comments/questions/prayers for
our next posting.
*Check out Life Devotions and see if you would like to receive their daily snippets.
*Invite friends and family to join us on this faith journey.