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Epiphany of the Lord

Added Jan 11, 2018 •

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Fr. Tom Wilson, Pastor January 7, 2018

Show Transcript

tonight we're just going to take the first minute or so plus to do a little spiritual reflection and prayer experience to take us back to places and and people who are good enough to to compliment complement us to tell us the things that we're that we're good at and say say things of of kindness and and all that and I like you too will take about 75 seconds or so to do that and I was like about the things that people say when they're saying good things to you and about you and then think about who says it and and it will it will come back to this in an in about 75 seconds on the trusted Seco please close your eyes okay open your eyes all right we are all created uniquely in the image and likeness of God and so I suspect if we ask people to save the kinds of things and the in the people that that share then it would be different for for most of us all right and when I did this when I did this exercise myself earlier this week I was a bit I was a bit okay first of all people actually do say nice things about me once in awhile okay alright but but second of all as I as I as I ask the Holy Spirit to go to generate those things from from from my past that that came up virtually everything that came up was was task Talent OR skill or achievement related alright I remember people I could really I could really read a balance sheet I do I was good at reading a balance sheet all right every once in awhile have people say I'm good at giving a short homily okay alright things like things like that well I don't know exactly what God produced in your mind and heart while we're doing this this exercises I thought about it doing it might doing it myself it really did bring to mind the kind of culture that we live at right the kind of culture that we live in that values action and productivity so much we live in production-oriented culture we live in an action-oriented culture and so natural we're going to look at each other and we are going to compliment and see good things and people who can contribute to that culture who can help move it forward who can bring things to the to the table in our families and our workplaces and and it's like that almost all of them almost all of them are going to be rooted in inaction okay and it actually doing something right but the truth is the truth is we know we take care of those of us that are getting a little bit older we know that there's more to life than just the stuff that we do there's more to life than just the tasks that we accomplished there's more to life than simply putting a to-do list together and getting it done we all know and Ken stand at any acts and yeah in the world in which we live sort of The Strokes in the compliments and and all that are almost all going to come from that list almost all going to come from the tasks in the achievements that we have I bet that we have accomplished and no one wants to know if no one wants to belittle that we got to have people that are that are willing to work we got it we got to move in and get into action right but there is more to life than just the DD action alright I suspect I suspect if I asked a show of hands of anybody who came up with both a person in their life and I had a gift that wasn't like that it wouldn't it would be very very few alright if somebody actually came up and said you know you have this gift you have this ability to really see God in places that no one else does to be able to see it appreciate the the Divine where other people don't you have this ability to recollect on things and an enviable to bring that to it to the table I suspect hardly any of us I suspect hardly any of us have people in our in our life that would that would recognize it sometimes because it's it can be pretty invisible can be pretty difficult to see even if we're looking at it but the truth is the truth is we might actually have sometimes the opposite if we are person who is akan template who started who serve looks in wax often times often times the world around us might say you know what that person is a Daydreamer that persons not getting any work done all right and lasted it happens just in it in a secular workplace alright why are priests I know a lot of pastors who have Associates that that are working for them and I don't and I hear not not an in regular basis from up some of my pastor friend that will complain about their associate Turner praying too much that's all they're doing is praying that's all I'm doing is praying when the world is he doing when we get some work done thanks again I know it's a pretty good start all right it's a pretty good start and most of all I can say and you could follow their example you can follow their example to get close to the guy that you're supposed to be working for is a to 2 p.m. to appreciate see honor and adore Jesus Christ is a good thing it is not something that we would put in a category of measurable in a performance appraisal at work but it is a very good thing it is a very necessary think it is a thing that we actually do especially during this holy season sing at beautiful beautiful song all you Faithful come let us adore him come let us adore him what does that mean it means to be in his presence to receive his love and to love him in return and when we do that when we do that when we follow that piece that call of our discipleship we walk right along with a mage either celebrating remember tonight the major who came from a from a long-distance in order to Simply do I manage and add or the Lord Jesus as Matthew tells us how we how they the Mage I got in there they were and they adore they gave him his gifts nothing in their suggest anything whatsoever that they were sent away with a to-do list to do list their call to worship The Rock call to praise they were called to a door and that is what they did and it is in their adoration then that they were able to then go out and say I know I know the king and I'm going to share the King I love him and he loves me that's where it began that's where that that's where it begins and that's what we are called to do a lot of people that people that look at us as a body is as the church the thing said they will hold out the things that they can respect even if they don't like us even if they don't like some of the things that we believe if they don't completely understand our life in the in the body of Christ they will look again so you know what they put these schools together in the edge people pretty well they run all these hospitals and care for sick people they treat them they treat the poor with respect and dignity and try to help them and serve them and they can look at that things are yeah I can buy into that I can buy into that all the stuff about the Divine and in teaching morals and all that stuff that that maybe maybe I don't know right but the truth is the truth is all of these things and there's a there's a significant of our Western society and culture that says we can do all those things without the presence of God we don't we can do it on our own we can educate people without God we can have a hospitals without God we can see without God but I will tell you a hundred percent accuracy all of those things as widespread realities in the culture that we live they loved adored and May Jesus Christ and then and then were called into action to say it all we need to educate everybody we need to educate the masses not just the people who are wealthy and separated from everyone else people who are sick need have a place to go to be cared for people who are poor cannot be ignored because we are Disciples of Jesus Christ but it all began adoration it all began with love of the person of Jesus Christ and the truth is when it when it separates when those things when the things that we do in the name of Jesus become separated from Jesus and he eventually dries up and shrivels up we know that we know that even in our mod they even in our modern-day the missionaries of Charity Mother Teresa's sister Mother Teresa's Saint Mother Teresa sisters alright they have it with people that frankly most of us wouldn't ever even draw getting close to there in the theater in the trenches every day except one every single every single Community its parts built into their rule every missionary of Charity house in for most of them it's Thursdays Thursday's they do not leave the house they stay in and they pray and they learn about Jesus they get close to Jesus and they don't answer the door and everybody who works with them knows that you don't bother you don't bother the sisters on Thursday cuz it's the time that they're their adoring Jesus every single day they beat they begin their day and several hours of prayer and I suspect they are among the most productive people I've ever encountered in my life they're very very productive they get a lot done and what they demonstrate to us and what the Saints of the past have demonstrated to us with Jesus try to remind us is that when we the foundation of adoring and loving Jesus Christ then we have the platform by which we can do the things that we are called to do and we remind ourselves of it during this during season of a Eurasian are season of love and the truth is the truth is many people are not going to recognize it if they see it they might misinterpret it right but we are definitely called in our discipleship to go out into a but we can't go into action without first having our hearts fed with the person of Jesus without first acknowledge in our love for him being in his presence and allowing him to love us were there anybody recognizes it or not within us alright the ability the ability to see to love adore and to receive the love of Jesus is a great gift it is a a gift that should be recognized and whether anybody recognizes it in us for not it is absolutely essential for all of us as Disciples of Jesus Christ to love honor and adore him providing that seal providing that platform for all of us then to go out into the mission that he calls us into

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Epiphany of the Lord

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