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Minister's Page
MINISTER'S MESSAGE FOR LENTDear Friends, Jesus called it the "greatest and first commandment." In Matthew 22:36F, a lawyer asked Jesus a question designed to put him to the test--"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." I want us to think about the last part of that command--to love God "with all your mind." I thought about it recently when I heard an advertisement on the radio for a new church in DeSoto County. They talked about free donuts and coffee, exciting worship, and messages from the minister that are helpful, interesting, and "nothing heavy." Nothing heavy. I suppose if you're trying to attract new Christians, baby Christians, then you need to have messages that are fairly simple, easy to digest, and not too challenging. On the other hand, Jesus commands me to love God with all my mind. If I'm going to follow Jesus as his disciple, it means I have to do some thinking. The Bible says when we're children we think like children, but then we grow up, and we give up childish ways. We move on, to heavier things. To questions for which there may be no answers. And we discover that we are blessed simply in struggling with those questions, even though the answers may have to come later. I worry when the church makes it too simple and too easy. The gospel of Jesus Christ is demanding. Lent is a season for thinking deeply about the way we live our lives, that we are living in a way that is faithful and honest. It can be pretty heavy, but the alternative is even more so. I remember, long ago, when my dad would challenge me to "put on my thinking cap." I think Jesus would say "Amen!" Grace and peace, Don Feb 25, 2010
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