“Have you ever stopped to think that Christ never gave anyone money [in the Gospels]? The riches of the world were his for the taking and his to give away, yet when the poor and hungry came to him, he didn’t give them money, and he rarely gave them food; he gave them love and service and the greatest gift of all–himself.”
Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American Congregationalist clergyman in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations, ed. Martin H. Mansur (Louisville: WJKP, 2001) 122.
As we draw near to Passion Week, the cross, and the resurrection, let us reflect on the implications of this for our lives. Even as Christ gave love, service, and His life for us, what does that mean for each of us? Will we follow suit?
The proclamation of Paul in Galatians 2:20 ring in my ears: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Let this be our collective response.