Drinking from Easter Cups…
THE CUP OF PEACE
It’s still Easter… the season of Easter. We are closing out week three and beginning week 4 of Eastertide. But there has been so much happening in our country and our world, maybe you’ve forgotten all about Easter. Maybe it’s cold and grey or even spitting snow again, and signs of new life are hard to find. We all held our breaths as we waited on the jury in Minneapolis.
We prayed for peace and justice to roll down like mighty waters!
Easter got lost in gun fire and senseless loss over and over again since Easter!
We need the cup of Peace today!
When Jesus appeared to his followers, who were hiding in a locked room, after his resurrection, his first words were
“PEACE BE WITH YOU”.
And the PEACE of Jesus that he gave and gives to us, too, is SHALOM… so much more than our small definition of peace!
Shalom is wholeness… harmony. Peace & completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility!
I sure need to drink from this cup of peace today& drink in the Shalom of God!
Make a Cup of Tea
Make a cup of tea (a drink of peace & hospitality) and drink in God’s Peace today.
Take time to drink in the Shalom of Jesus.
And continue to pray for peace, too, and true shalom to overflow in America and our world.
Along with the CUP OF PEACE, Jesus gives us the CUP OF FORGIVENESS.
Jesus poured out love and forgiveness to his disciples,
to his followers who’d betrayed him
And denied him.
To those who were afraid to forgive themselves.
Jesus gave the cup of forgiveness to those who doubted that he was risen, or at least doubted the beliefs of their friends.
Jesus gave them all the cup of forgiveness so they could drink it in and truly know that they were forgiven.
And he told them that their new mission was to pour out forgiveness to other people all over the world!
Hold your Cup
HOLD YOUR CUP
What if we all drank from that cup of forgiveness today?
What if we truly received the cup of forgiveness and wholeness?
What if we realized that Jesus didn’t ever shame his followers for their shortcomings,
or for their doubts,
or because of their unbelief
or for their fears.
Jesus NEVER gave out cups of shame! Instead, Jesus hands out overflowing cups of his LOVE and FORGIVENESS.
He gave his disciples the cup of forgiveness to drink deeply from each day.
And Jesus gives this cup to each of us too!
How have you been drinking from the cup of shame rather than the cup of forgiveness this week?
How have you drunk in bitterness, or criticism this week?
Talk to Jesus about this.
How have you poured out shame or criticism rather than forgiveness to other people?
Ask Jesus to forgive you and pray for those people.
As you hold your cup… imagine Jesus sitting across from you with a large mug.
This cup is filled to the brim with LOVE and FORGIVENESS.
Jesus reaches across the table and hands you that large mug!
Jesus smiles and his eyes are filled with compassion and love for you.
Jesus knows how often we don’t drink from this cup for ourselves.
Jesus knows how often we don’t let ourselves hand this cup to other people who’ve hurt us, or people who’ve broken our trust, or don’t think or believe as we do.
Receive the Cup of Forgiveness from Jesus
Receive that large cup of FORGIVENESS from Jesus today.
DRINK deeply.
Drink in forgiveness…
forgive yourself, allow Jesus to help you forgive others.
Allow Jesus to help you receive and drink from this cup of FORGIVENESS!
Ask Jesus to help you and to refresh you!
EACH day this week as you make your tea or coffee, consider who needs to know God’s peace and forgiveness and pray for them, and then DRINK in peace and drink in Forgiveness from Jesus for yourself.
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com
Our best selling book, To Garden with God and The Gift of Wonder Prayer Cards bundle is on sale until May 11th. Makes a great gift!
2 comments
Oh Lilly, thank you for such a profound and timely offering ❤️
# Shalom is complete wholeness like you wrote. Thanks, because in my reading or hearing no one states this.I must have known it from a Messianic Jew.
#2. You begin with peace and end with love. The more we get love from God the more we can pass it out. I have written
that this process is like oxygen is passed all over living tissue.
a.. Spiritually, . We have the breastplate of righteousness that protects our spiritual heart and lungs=pneuma. So we can send our love to Jesus in out worship to our spiritual lungs. pneuma is the work of the Holy Spirit. So, the Holy Spirit takes this love and it can be spread over all us..
b. Recently, I have taught many times that I believe Revelation 3 v 20: When Jesus knocks on my door I want to let Him in so I can dine with Him. Thanks, you have written what Jesus can do for us as we dine with Him!
This happens to me every AM when I awake with a song to sing as I praise and worship.
d. I have taught for years about like a cup. Humility is to remove all your thoughts not Christ like 2nd Corinthians 10 v 5.
When you do The Holy Spirit can fill it to overflowing Ps 23. If you keep your own thoughts the Holy Spirit can’t fill it!
When our cup is full and running over we have joy. also. Galatians 5 vs 22-23.
(“Joy to the world the Lord has come let earth receive her King.. Let every heart prepare Him room..”
You see the writer says that one must :’every heart prepare Him room.’ Like I have just written.” )