Fifth Week of Lent - Bear Witness to His Reign

Bear Witness to His Reign

We believe that the church is called to proclaim and be a sign of the kingdom of God. Christ ahs commissioned the Church to be his witnesses. ~Article 10, Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, 1995. http://www.mcusa-archives.org/library/resolutions/1995/1995-10.html

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”~Matthew 28:18-20

The [next] building-block in following Jesus is to be involved in the mission of King Jesus. IT is to let his Spirit guide us outwards – to speak in his name, to show acts of love and compassion which speak deeply of his heart for all, and to do all that we can to bring the world under his just and kindly rule. By our words and actions, we are to bear witness to others that Jesus is the world’s true king; each of us has a part to play in this vital task. Peter Walker, The Jesus Way, (Grand Rapids: Monarch Books, 2009), 89

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Daily Readings For the Week:

Monday – Matthew 13:1-9

Tuesday – Matthew 13:24-30

Wednesday – Matthew 13:44-52

Thursday – James 2:22-27

Friday – James 2:14-26

Saturday – Acts 1:1-14

Meditation For the Week:

To you is entrusted this demanding responsibility: to bear witness to the kingdom of God, to the truth. This means working to bring out ever more clearly the priority of God and his will over the interests of the world and its powers. Become imitators of Jesus, who, before Pilate, in the humiliating scene described by the Gospel, manifested his glory: that of loving to the utmost, giving his own life for those whom he loves. This is the revelation of the kingdom of Jesus. And for this reason, with one heart and one soul, let us pray: Thy kingdom come. Amen. ~Pope Benedict XVI, Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King, 2012.

Prayer For the Week:

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. ~A Collect for the Reign of Christ, 1979 Book of Common Prayer, 254.