Imago Dei by Jill Carattini

Take approximately 5 minutes to read this shortened version of yesterday's 'A Slice of Infinity'. Post comments to the blog for spiritual collaboration. Please email your prayer requests too.

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 ESV

Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Being made in the image of God is not about maintaining a flawless facade, a perfect record, or even a life without scars. All the power of God that raised him from the dead did not erase the scars left by the Roman nails. The marks of suffering were not removed. The resurrected Christ, the perfect image of God, chose to keep the scars of the Cross. It is his image we are being made to reflect. And we are called to come as we are.

What the leprous man recognized in Christ was enough to bring him to his feet in worship. It is this image that continues to erect the heads of the poorest beggars and bow the shoulders of the greatest emperors. It was the image of Christ that made its way into the insecurities of some in my youth group. Though there was "nothing in his appearance that we should desire him," he lived as one touched by another kingdom, obedient to the Father even unto death. In Christ, God supersedes every longing and pain, every sin and scar, with a face that won’t go away. It is this image within us, this image we were made to reflect. Imago Dei is the hopeful commission to become more like the one we follow. It is the cry within us to be who we are: children made in the image of the Most High.

Comments:
I easily believe that God will accept me, 'just as I am'. Nevertheless, when I think of someone who is not living up to my expectations of what people should look/act like, I quickly forget that they also can 'come as they are'. I forget they too, are image bearers. Yes, there comes a time when a person must hear that they need to turn from wickedness and God requires an entire reorientation of our lives. What I have difficulty in doing is encouraging people to go in a Kingdom direction. To be sure, I want to show them who they can turn towards, but I often feel inadequate to do so; or simply do not know how.

I think this is where service can enter in: Service (ministering) humbles us and lifts the head of those we serve.

Also, sharing our own brokenness can be a great help. But I want to move past only being a counselor myself, and point people to the true Counselor.

Perhaps opening up to Christ comes when we see Him lived out. When we know who we are and who He is; and we know that He still loves us.

So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" John 4:28-29

In the Belly of Darkness 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.

He said,

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble,
and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead,
and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths,
and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me;
I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves.
Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence.
Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’

“I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me.
Seaweed wrapped itself around my head.
I sank down to the very roots of the mountains.
I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever.
But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!
As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord.
And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. (Jonah 2:2-7)

A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Sadly, Jonah's idols of self and comfort returned not long after the prayer was finished and his life was spewed back into normalcy. As he rages over the death of a plant and the saving of Nineveh, Jonah doesn’t want to see the God who saved him. The scene brings to mind Isaiah's description: "Surely the hand of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear, but...your sins have hidden his face from you" (59:1-2). Even so, the book ends on a note bidding us to see that God is always about the work of salvation. Whether in the lives of nations "who know not their right from their left" or in the lives of men and women blind with self and sin, God moves faithfully among us. Might we remember in distress and in safety, salvation comes from the LORD.

Comments:
How often it seems we push against God to enact our plan upon the world. May we continually be mindful of Jesus' prayer to Our Father: Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done! In what ways might we bring about the kingdom of God today? Jesus went about declaring that the kingdom of heaven is at hand while teaching, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, etc. In what way can I bring teaching, dignity and healing into the lives of those I come in contact with. Perhaps it is buying a homeless man a cup of coffee. Perhaps it is simply listening to the cashier at the store when I'm in a rush. Perhaps it is moving forward in real relationship with a close friend. Perhaps it is healing the sick. God, please grant us each the courage to let your life live through us.



*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.

Doormat Theology by Margaret Manning

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


“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. (Matthew 5:38-42)

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (Philippians 2:3-6)


A Slice of Infinity Snippets:
Many in our Christian world today bristle at such a suggestion. Surely, this kind of theology leads to low self-esteem and reduced self-image, they argue. Yet, a doormat theology doesn’t lead to a diminished sense of self. On the contrary, it leads to our deepened identity in Christ. James Loder adds, “Christian self-understanding drives toward the goal of giving love sacrificially with integrity after the pattern of Christ. This means the willing breaking of one’s wholeness potential for the sake of another, a free choice that has nothing to do with oppression because it is an act of integrity and everything to do with Christ’s free choice to go to the cross as an act of love.”(2) Indeed, if Jesus found his mission and calling in laying down his own life so that we could take advantage of the grace offered on our behalf, how can we do otherwise? The laying down of our lives provides the opportunity for others to walk over us, across us, and through us to the one who first laid down his life for us.

Chad's Comments:

Faith quote: "By actively participating in programs that help the poor and sick, immigrants and young people, unborn children and their mothers, families and one another, we are resisting what the pope calls "the subtle influence of secularism" and its claim that faith is a private matter that should only be proclaimed in church on Sunday." by Tim Hickey (Columbia magazine)


*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.