It is with great sadness that we pass on the news of the death of Denise Bailey. Denise is the wife of Thurman Bailey, the mother of Tiana, and sister of Kim Milligan and Cheryl Dandridge. Denise is especially known for being the hard worker behind the scenes at the funeral luncheons. She never looked for credit or praise but just did what had to be done. She will be sorely missed by her immediate family and her family at Nativity. Denise, may God hold you now in the palm of his hand and give you the peace that we all seek. You have been a good and faithful servant to so many. Rest now from you labors for you have lived your life well! Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.
Today, Jesus, in the gospel, asks, “who do people say I am?” and the he asks “And YOU, who do You say I am?” That’s the million dollar question that all of us have to answer. Who is Jesus to us? Is he a good man, a prophet, who lived 2,000 years ago? Is he the One we go to when things get tough and we need help? Is he the Lord we praise every Sunday? Do we admire him for his healings, his compassion, his good life? Or…do we see Him as the center of our lives? Do all of our decisions come from our relationship with Christ? Do we view life any differently than those who don’ see Christ as their Savior? If our lives are not challenged each day because we are a follower of Christ, then something’s wrong. If Christ is at our center, the we will see life differently than others. We will look from the bottom up rather than the top down. We will look at those who are poor and vulnerable as our most important priority. We will sacrifice comfort for the good of the other. We will form relationships with people we saw as different from ourselves. We will not be about status but about compassion. So who is Jesus to us? Are we willing to follow him?
Today, Jesus, in the gospel, asks, “who do people say I am?” and the he asks “And YOU, who do You say I am?” That’s the million dollar question that all of us have to answer. Who is Jesus to us? Is he a good man, a prophet, who lived 2,000 years ago? Is he the One we go to when things get tough and we need help? Is he the Lord we praise every Sunday? Do we admire him for his healings, his compassion, his good life? Or…do we see Him as the center of our lives? Do all of our decisions come from our relationship with Christ? Do we view life any differently than those who don’ see Christ as their Savior? If our lives are not challenged each day because we are a follower of Christ, then something’s wrong. If Christ is at our center, the we will see life differently than others. We will look from the bottom up rather than the top down. We will look at those who are poor and vulnerable as our most important priority. We will sacrifice comfort for the good of the other. We will form relationships with people we saw as different from ourselves. We will not be about status but about compassion. So who is Jesus to us? Are we willing to follow him?