John 2:13-32 (The Message)
Tear Down This Temple . . .
When the Passover Feast, celebrated each spring by the Jews, was about to take place, Jesus traveled up to Jerusalem. He found the Temple teeming with people selling cattle and sheep and doves. The loan sharks were also there in full strength.Jesus put together a whip out of strips of leather and chased them out of the Temple, stampeding the sheep and cattle, upending the tables of the loan sharks, spilling coins left and right. He told the dove merchants, "Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a shopping mall!" That's when his disciples remembered the Scripture, "Zeal for your house consumes me."
But the Jews were upset. They asked, "What credentials can you present to justify this?" Jesus answered, "Tear down this Temple and in three days I'll put it back together."
They were indignant: "It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and you're going to rebuild it in three days?" But Jesus was talking about his body as the Temple. Later, after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this. They then put two and two together and believed both what was written in Scripture and what Jesus had said.
During the time he was in Jerusalem, those days of the Passover Feast, many people noticed the signs he was displaying and, seeing they pointed straight to God, entrusted their lives to him. But Jesus didn't entrust his life to them. He knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were. He didn't need any help in seeing right through them.
Daily Prayer Online:
You can pick your nose but you can’t pick your family!!! Funny, right? Actually for some of us, family is the least funny thing we know. Whether at odds or in good with your family, these relationship have to be tended to if they are going to be of benefit to anyone, and they really can be of benefit to more than just you.
No man is an island. God assured us of that with our families. I think if you look at how God talks about family in the Bible we would probably see that family can be wonderful ties to people who can support us and love us and ultimately can’t ever divorce as much as we try. Family is often difficult but at the end of the day is going to take our individual investment for it to flourish.
Monday
Take a few minutes to map out your family tree back to at least your grandparents. Make sure to include step or half family members cousins and children of cousins and siblings. Yeah I know, that is going to be harder for some more than others, its okay to use more than one piece of paper. Once you get it all on paper, say a short prayer of thanksgiving to God for these people. And yeah, I know, doing this might be harder to do for certain family members.
Tuesday
Today just focus on your immediate family: Parents, siblings, and also all the halves and steps. Write down each name in list form. Next to each name write something that you like about them or something that has endeared you to them. When this is done, say this short prayer for each of them. “Lord help me love _____” (Keep this list)
Wednesday
Today pick two or three of your family members from yesterdays list and call them, for no other reason then to say hi. If you are feeling up to it, tell them what you wrote down about them on your list. Mom’s always like the phone call, so do that but maybe you need to call that sister you haven’t talked to in months or that nephew that you yelled at last time you saw him or your Dad who loves you but screwed up pretty bad when you were young. Basically, there are conversations that won’t start unless we start them.
Thursday
Grandparents. Our society is pretty much ashamed of old people. If they are not stuffed into nursing homes they are often simply forgotten. Take some time today to write them a card or letter (attach a picture of yourself), a phone call would be good to, or if you have the ability to, go see them. If you don’t have any grandparents left, then find that person in your life that holds the geezer status and honor them in their age and wisdom with your attention and love. (if you have opportunity converse with them….listen to what they have to say, they are dripping with wonderful stories and wisdom you can’t get anywhere else).
Friday
This will be a day of planning; plan a meal with your family within the next week. If making a short trip is not possible grab those people who are significant to you, “your family away from family.” If you are close in proximity to your family this should be easy. If family is an hour or two away, it’s worth taking the time and money to make the trip. I’m not talking about one of those quick dinners where you shoot the breeze till the food is gone. But one of those dinners where you turn off the TV, Radios, phones and share the experience. Whether you go out and have duck confit and cioppani or stay in and have macaroni and cheese, give them your attention, push through the awkwardness if need be and share an experience with them.
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