Dear Friends,
I’m looking forward to our retreat this coming weekend. As we dig into the theme of life as the beloved, we will be making a connection between ourselves as the body of Christ and the communion bread which is also the body of Christ. Repeatedly in the New Testament, we see Jesus, who called himself the bread of life, take bread, bless it, break it, and give it.
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)
At our retreat, we will be talking about how we, as the body of Jesus, not only receive Jesus as the bread of life, but are, along with Jesus, taken (or chosen), blessed, broken, and given. This sums up the life of the beloved - of those who have been adopted as God’s very own beloved children - those who are becoming one with Jesus.
Last week, I encouraged you to watch a video of Henri Nouwen speaking about being the beloved at the Crystal Cathedral in 1992. If you will not be joining us at the retreat, I recommend you watch a second video of the teaching he gave the following week on the life of the beloved and invite the Spirit of Jesus to speak to your heart about through the themes of taken, blessed, broken and given. "Being the Beloved" (FULL SERMON Part Two) | Henri Nouwen at the Crystal Cathedral
Love in Christ,
Michelle
