No; anyone w ho wants to be great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Most people do not know it but Florida is the lightning of America. Anywhere in the state a person is close to water and the storms that sometimes are violent that bring the lightning. Even though you can’t see it thunder is a result of the lightning. My pets hide and people are in real danger, if caught outside in the elements. My mother when she was a young girl saw a man on horseback hit by lightning. The fear and terror of the moment never left her. She became visibly fearful every time it stormed.
Saint James and his brother were the sons of Zebedee and called the “the sons of thunder”. They were humble fishermen who used their hands and not their voices. But Jesus enabled them to speak. I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak. We have the thunder and the voice of Jesus in us. There are many times I don’t know what to say. Sometimes the thunder of our words is just being there. We may not see the lightning, but the thunder of our presence is still there.
We are only the earthenware jars that hold this treasure, to make it clear that such an overwhelming power comes from God and not from us. We are in difficulties on all sides but never cornered; we see no answer to our problems but never despair; we have been persecuted, but never deserted; knocked down, but never killed.
For all you sports fans out there this reflection has nothing to do with the Oklahoma Thunder Basketball team. Still in these earthenware jars that we call our bodies we have the words of thunder that can help and heal our world. We do this because like Saint James we are servants. Instead of fearing the problems of the world and around us we need to let the thunder of God’s grace serve His people. We have the power of thunder in us. The power is not ours but God’s and we need to use it to serve His people.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for the soul of our beloved Pontiff, Pope Francis and for his successor, Pope Leo. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace! The impossible could and can happen. Never deny God.
