Throughout Lent, we’ll be publishing daily devotionals written and narrated by members of our congregation. This year, our theme is Transformed in Christ. Today's episode is narrated by Adrienne Hardt, and features a reflection written by Roger Theimer, followed by an application written by Adrienne Hardt.
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Thanks for listening!
Hello! I am Adrienne Hardt and welcome to King of Kings’ Lenten Devotions, “Transformed in Christ”
Today is April 2nd and this week we are reminded to Be Like Jesus with Commitment to Community.
Today’s truth that transforms is: Jesus Makes Us One as the Church
Our Scripture readings are from Colossians and John
Colossians 3
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
John 13
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
How are we “Transformed in Christ” and shaped to be more like Him?
Drive through any countryside, town or city and you will pass a wide variety of churches. “Why so many?” becomes the obvious question. There are different teachings and different denominations. We might even say, “Some have it “more right” than others. Our human natures enjoy a good self-righteousness comparison. But what does Jesus say? This is the body of Christ. The church is one because of Me. That’s bigger than finding agreement at a denominational level. It is Jesus making us one despite our differences. Now the differences become assets instead of obstacles. A wide variety of personalities of churches mean that more people without a church home have invitations from people in several types of churches. Jesus calls us to be one. We don’t get rid of all our differences, but we do love one another as Christ loved us.
This is a particularly timely topic in our current world of COVID. For most of us, we thought our lives would be a certain way and then we ran into a pandemic for which none of us were prepared. It's hard to be as "one," to forgive, to be thankful as we live in a time of demarcation with barriers that separate us. We have to work on being Christlike in breaking down these walls of separation. But as we strive to be as "one," it means developing a moral tolerance, a spirit of forgiveness, and a true fellowship of believers of all shapes and sizes.
Perhaps you have struggled with these as you have had discussions with someone who is not like-minded, but you can rely on the grace of God to assist you in demonstrating genuine humanness. Balancing it out with those who share your beliefs serves as your support system and bolsters those convictions. So, you can see it goes way beyond COVID, which only encapsulates the world of 2022. We need others in our lives: those with differing opinions and those who are like minded, because that is the world we live in and the world in which we have the ability to "transform lives."