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Page 9 April 2008
TOWER CHIMES
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Do People See Christ In You?
(From Hillcrest UCC’s newsletter 11/02,
from a sermon by Rev. Co DuToit)
As people
of faith, most of us will gladly say “we want more peace in the world.” Or
we nod sagely in agreement when the minister preaches on the text in
Matthew 25 where Jesus tells His followers, “whatever you do for (someone
else), you do for me.” We may even proclaim sincerely that we want to
“follow Christ’s example.” But do we really mean it?
Try some of these ideas
and see if people can then see Christ in you:
1. Make every stranger you meet glad to have met you. Have you ever known
a person whose presence in any group made everything else different?
Someone who, when he or she entered a room, the mood and spirit of that
meeting lifted? Why not make it a matter of principle that no-one who
comes into your presence will ever leave feeling any way other than
better?
2. Bring peace to every meeting. Have you ever given yourself the
opportunity og going through just one day concentrating on totally
accepting everyone you meet, and making no judgments about anyone? Try
“not keeping score of wrongs” for one day, and see what happens – to you,
and to others.
3. Say only nice things about people. There is a lot to be said for the
old expression, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at
all.” When you train yourself to look always for some good quality in
others, you’ll be surprised how much easier it gets each time you meet
someone.
4. Look for the image of Christ in all creation. The Holy One we call our
Christ can be found in every aspect of creation. The family cat who
awakens you in the morning; the birds who sit singing on the fence; the
flowers that spread their fragrance over the garden; the child playing in
the schoolyard; the homeless man fumbling for aluminum cans – all share in
the image of Christ, and are therefore both our responsibility and our
joy.
For each of us who can
manage to reproduce the image of Christ through the way we “love and serve
God” in all we do and say, that image of Christ grows a little clearer, a
little sharper each day. This is how we can serve our Christ, serve our
God, in serving others.
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A Little Humor
Helps, Too!
PALM SUNDAY:
IT WAS PALM SUNDAY AND, BECAUSE OF A SORE THROAT, FIVE-YEAR-OLD JOHNNY
STAYED HOME FROM CHURCH WITH A SITTER. WHEN THE FAMILY RETURNED HOME, THEY
WERE CARRYING SEVERAL PALM BRANCHES. THE BOY ASKED WHAT THEY WERE FOR?
“PEOPLE HELD THEM OVER JESUS’ HEAD AS HE WALKED BY.” SAID HIS FATHER.
“WOULDN’T YOU KNOW IT!!” THE BOY FUMED, “THE ONE SUNDAY I DON’T GO, HE
SHOWS UP !”CHILDREN’S
SERMON:
ONE EASTER SUNDAY MORNING AS THE MINISTER WAS PREACHING THE CHILDREN’S
SERMON, HE REACHED INTO HIS BAG OF PROPS AND PULLED OUT AN EGG. HE POINTED
AT THE EGG AND ASKED THE CHILDREN, “WHAT’S IN HERE?” “I KNOW!” A LITTLE
BOY EXCLAIMED. “PANTYHOSE!! “ |
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