My Jesus
Hebrews 1:1-12 (NLT)
Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
God also said,“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son.”
6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,“Let all of God’s angels worship him.”
7 Regarding the angels, he says,“He sends his angels like the winds,
his servants like flames of fire.”
8 But to the Son he says,“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
9 You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
10 He also says to the Son,“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
12 You will fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.”
Last year’s holiday season marked the beginning of a tumultuous time for my family. Shortly before Thanksgiving my father began experiencing severe health complications related to his kidneys and the colorectal cancer he’d been diagnosed with nearly eight years ago. As his physical and mental health eroded, the strain on my siblings, me, and especially our mother grew to a point that was nearly unmanageable.
Throughout all this, we were blessed to have many friends and neighbors offer their prayers and support. Every few days, I received a thoughtful text message, a phone call, a card, or an offer to go out for a nice dinner to help get my mind off things, even if only for a little while. These were the life rafts that kept me afloat when it seemed that the stress and sorrow would surely pull me under.
And yet when I think back on those difficult days, my heart is most tender for the memories of my time with Jesus. Kneeling in prayer at my bedside. Sitting in my car on my lunch break, pouring my soul and my tears into his hands. Knowing exactly who orchestrated the small miracles we received just in the nick of time. The kindness and love he demonstrated in my father’s final days.
Those are moments I will never forget ... moments with my Jesus, my sustainer and healer. Who ranks above angels and was given all the power and authority of heaven, who is who he says he is and whose promises are true.
Prayer: My friend. My everything. My Jesus. Amen.
Throughout all this, we were blessed to have many friends and neighbors offer their prayers and support. Every few days, I received a thoughtful text message, a phone call, a card, or an offer to go out for a nice dinner to help get my mind off things, even if only for a little while. These were the life rafts that kept me afloat when it seemed that the stress and sorrow would surely pull me under.
And yet when I think back on those difficult days, my heart is most tender for the memories of my time with Jesus. Kneeling in prayer at my bedside. Sitting in my car on my lunch break, pouring my soul and my tears into his hands. Knowing exactly who orchestrated the small miracles we received just in the nick of time. The kindness and love he demonstrated in my father’s final days.
Those are moments I will never forget ... moments with my Jesus, my sustainer and healer. Who ranks above angels and was given all the power and authority of heaven, who is who he says he is and whose promises are true.
Prayer: My friend. My everything. My Jesus. Amen.
Jennifer Greene, 1st United Methodist Church, Williamstown, WV, jennifergreene09@gmail.com Lay Leader
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