C4 Connextion Corner

RETHINKING SACRIFICE: SUBMISSION & SURRENDER: ON THE FLIP SIDE Rev. Lula A. Baker Psalm 9:10-11 (NRSV) The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed a stronghold in the time of trouble. 11. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, oh Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. This Season of Lent has been like none other! One year ago, no one could have imagined the magnitude of the inter-pandemic. Covid-19’s devastation, social/civic unrest, economic oppression, political upheaval with voter suppression, and educational pandaemonium left us flabbergasted! We had more loss, struggle, stress, confusion, contention, and frustrations than we knew what to do with. On the flip side, others prospered and faired exceptionally well during this period of uncertainty; wherever there is a crisis, there is commerce. Babies were born, virtual celebrations of birthdays, commencements, anniversaries, car blessings, housewarmings, showers, and drive-bys became our "new nor...

  Scripture: Roman 12:1 I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service Rethinking Our Presentation to God Rev. John Baker I often ask myself the question: what is the purpose of this or that? The Lenten season is a period of preparation leading up to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter. We tend to make sacrifices in our behavior (i.e. eating and Christian commitment). With that thought in mind, my spirit responded with when we are presenting to God, it is a two-fold process.   The body in presenting it to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body. And in your spirit, which are God’s." That simply means that we have a responsibility to God to take care of His body. ...

  Rethinking Relationships Rev. Michael R. Robinson   “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.   And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31) “Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage, THIS I tell you brother, you can’t have one without the…other” These are the opening lyrics to a famous Frank Sinatra song which served as the theme to a 1980’s sitcom called “Married…With Children”; which depicted the misadventures of dysfunctional family, the Bundy’s: Al, Peggy, and their children Kelly and Bud. This sitcom was Fox TV’s direct response to a very popular African American sitcom: “The Cosby Show”; a show which exemplified positive relationships among its family, friends, and community. The reasoning of “Married…...

Scripture : John 12:3-8 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”  Rethinking Our Sacrifice of Worship As I begin to write, I look outside and see the snow on the ground beginning to melt, uncovering what has been covered up for a week and questions come to my mind. During this Lenten season, what is being uncovered concerning our worship toward Jesus?  What do we keep placing over and above...

Remember back in the day your parents made you do spring cleaning.  Your parents made you clean places you never thought about cleaning before. Like under and behind the toilet bowl, cleaning the baseboards in the kitchen, cleaning windows inside and out, and let’s not forget throwing away items you don’t need. Those were the days! Well, we still have to do some deep cleaning even today.  Lent is about sacrifice, repentance, and cleansing. Spiritual Cleansing is important for the heart, mind, and spirit. Ps 51:10 say “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”  In this season of Lent, let's ask the Lord to remove the hatred, guilt, malice, evil stuff from our hearts.  Remove the negative, nasty, disrespectful thoughts out of our minds and keep our minds stayed on thee.  Allow God to grant you access to a new heart and new spirit.   An impure mind leads to an impure heart, and an impure heart leads to an impure spiri...

  Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…   Good day, or evening depending on what time you are reading this. With Resurrection Sunday a few weeks away, I am going to get a little ahead of myself; but I implore you to walk with me. As we picture the Savior on his way up Golgotha Hill; body bloody, bruised, and broken.   However, his spirit was at an all-time high.    We often think he did this for us (which is partially true), but the number one reason why Christ sacrificed his life on the cross: it was the WILL of the Father. Think about it if you will; Jesus Christ the second member of the Trinity, left Heaven to prove a valid point. Sacrifice for God must transcend human frailty. It must be an act rooted in The Will of God.   So fast forward to us, and if you are a member of C4 and reading this you will hear me repeat this often, “Everything we do must be done for the Lord”. We are currently in the seaso...

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-4 KJV Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Rethinking Sacrifice What do you think of when you hear "Lent"? For many, Lent or the Lenten Season is simply about giving something up for 40 days, but it’s deeper than that. Lent calls us to sacrifice. When we sacrifice, we release one thing and make room for something else.  The Lenten season begins today, with Ash Wednesday. In a typical year, Christians all over the world would bear Ash Crosses on their foreheads to honor the opening of this season. The text set before us discusses the time Jesus spent in private, praying to the Father. H...