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Photography by Nikhil Kumar

APRIL 4, 2017
by Alexia Cameron

EMBRACING THE MYSTERY OF DEATH & REBIRTH

 

“You were dead in your sins; by grace you have been saved through faith.”

It is not that God is angry when when we sin. God is saddened when we choose to live in ignorance, fear, hate, anger, bitterness, greed, and selfish pursuits, because She knows we can find peace and joy by choosing faith, love, and selflessness. We may feel we have what we want in the moment, when we block out the sense of God and focus on ourselves, responding to our most basic emotions and desires. But are we truly alive?

If we are dead in our sin, how can we be reawakend? What can redeem us to rebirth? First comes acceptance of where we are in each moment. Even when things are decidedly not right, we must say, “It is all right.” God sees us, knows us, loves us, even in our death and our sin. In each and every moment, no matter where we are, we are forgiven and must forgive ourselves. To become free, we allow ourselves to be laid out, vulnerable, before God. We are invited into the eternal mystery of resurrection; new life is breathed into us. No matter how terrible the death, we may be reborn with each new breath. This is God’s gift; we only need accept it.

It is only in accepting the death of self, turning instead towards rejoicing in and caring for one another, that we may be truly alive.

ART
Alexia Cameron, "Beginnings Are My True Calling" c. 2010; collage & ink on mat board.
PRAYER

Lord, thank you for this one life that we get to live. Thank you for this one day, and the unique lessons it has taught us, for it is different than any other day of our lives. Help us to accept ourselves and forgive the sins of the past, and breathe new life into our hearts as we prepare for the peace of tomorrow.

MONDAY
APRIL 3

by Lois Haight

SUNDAY
APRIL 2

by John Barich

SATURDAY
APRIL 1

by Matt Oppenheimer
Copyright © 2017 Church of the Apostles, All rights reserved.


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