Read 1 Peter 3:8-12 (NRSV)
 |
| "Full Measure" 18 x 24 Acrylic on Canvas by Susan Savage www.susandsavage.com |
10 For ‘Those who desire life
and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
and their lips from speaking deceit;
11 let them turn away from evil and do good;
let them seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’
and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
and their lips from speaking deceit;
11 let them turn away from evil and do good;
let them seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’
Questions for Personal Reflections by Jerry Tankersley
By virtue of baptism into Christ we clothe ourselves in Christ and accept what God has done for us as a gift. C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity that each day after our baptism the Christian awakens to put on Christ for the sake of being and becoming a Little Christ. We know that we are not Christ. Nevertheless, over a lifetime of pretending we progressively become like him. In becoming like him, we become who we are in all of our uniqueness. Fake it till you make it, the slogan goes. Does this bother you that you are a work in progress?
Pretending means we take seriously the unity of the Spirit within the fellowship of the church. Yet, we are all so different. Christians are not of one mind on everything. What are the essential truths that the church confesses? Read the Nicene Creed (set forth below). Is this Creed easy to affirm? Are there elements of it that you do not understand and with which you disagree? Can you let it be the church’s historic affirmation of the faith even though parts of it may be difficult for you to affirm?
Pretending means we take seriously the unity of the Spirit within the fellowship of the church. Yet, we are all so different. Christians are not of one mind on everything. What are the essential truths that the church confesses? Read the Nicene Creed (set forth below). Is this Creed easy to affirm? Are there elements of it that you do not understand and with which you disagree? Can you let it be the church’s historic affirmation of the faith even though parts of it may be difficult for you to affirm?
Think about your life experiences that have given to you the ability to develop sympathy, tenderheartedness, and humility. Write about one of those experiences and how it led you into deeper spiritual maturity, even though it may have been painful at the time.
How has God used an experience of failure, loss, or disappointment to deepen your understanding of life and to help others?
What is the blessing you would like most to inherit?
If you could guess how people beyond LPC see and regard our church, how would they see us? Someone said that LPC is a class act. What might they mean? Do you agree?
Prayer
The Nicene Creed was written during the 4th century A.D. in an attempt to unify the Christian church under emperor Constantine. It is heavily influenced by the theologian Athanasius and the work of the first two ecumenical councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). It was adopted by the council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451. Its central doctrines are those of the Person of Jesus Christ and the reality of the Holy Spirit. It is the only creed accepted by all three major branches of Christendom including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
