By Beth DeCristofaro
(Hannah prayed,) “O LORD of hosts, if
you look with pity on the misery of your handmaid, if you remember me and do
not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the
LORD for as long as he lives; neither wine nor liquor shall he drink, and no
razor shall ever touch his head.” (1 Samuel 1:11)
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the
Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority and not as the scribes.
(Mark 1:21)
Piety
Look upon me
kindly, Lord. Help me Lord to pray with
my thoughts, words and actions so that your Glory might be visible to anyone
who interacts with me today.
Study
There is a radio ad
I’ve heard frequently in which a representative from Dale Carnegie’s enterprise
explains why her world-wide company relies on a particular web design
company. She explains that Dale
Carnegie, which focuses on public speaking, branding, personal persuasiveness gets
out its word with the efficient and effective product designed exclusively for
Dale Carnegie.
When I was a
fledgling volunteer coordinator I took workshops on making speeches. We want to get across our message, sell our
merchandise, promote our ideas and opinions and there are proven methods which
work pretty remarkably. In these days of
data mining, tips can be narrowly tailored to fit just the right “demographic
audience.”
Jesus had none of
these tips at his disposal. Jesus had no
consultant coach him and no analyst to target his words. Jesus spoke with and was filled with
authority directly from God. He was
astonishing. His message, his presence was over and above the expertise of
religious authorities. He did not need
to tailor his message as his life was his message. His words were both challenge and
invitation. He challenges and invites us
today, every day.
Action
Hannah knew that no
human knowledge or action would give her the child which would assure her place
in society. Her story is one of great
faith, great challenge, great invitation.
How do I share my experience of Jesus?
Do I open myself up to His presence accepting both challenge and
invitation? Does his authority shine
through in the study, piety and action of my life?
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