The Henri Nouwen Society of Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Daily Meditation: "HNS Christmas Appeal 2017" & "Acting in the Name of Jesus" for Saturday, 18 November 2017
Our 2017 Christmas Appeal
Dear Friends,Despite its bustle and busyness, Christmas really can be the most wonderful time of the year. For people of faith, people like you and me, Christmas is a time of intense joy as we remember and celebrate the Incarnation. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
When my children were little, Christmas was a time for connecting with family and friends. It was a time for carol singing, exchanging gifts, and going to church together. Christ was, and still remains, the center of our Christmases.
For many people of my generation, family dynamics - especially family faith dynamics - have changed significantly. I have had many conversations with close friends whose grown children have moved away from the church, away from their childhood faith, and away from any sort of religious considerations whatsoever.
For them, perhaps all of life - not just Christmas - is full of bustle and busyness.
Although it's painful to see young people detach from their faith traditions, this is where Henri Nouwen can have a tremendous impact. Henri's gift is one of profound simplicity. He can make the most perplexing spiritual concept easy to comprehend. The nature of truth is that it resonates. It reaches into those empty, hollow spaces within our hearts and takes root. That's why Henri, more than twenty years after his death, speaks so effectively to Millennials and Post-Millennials.
Henri's words speak to every generation.
I am more and more convinced that Henri Nouwen offers a side door, so to speak, to God's kingdom. Those who are uncomfortable or uninterested in the church of their parents and grandparents often find something irresistible in Henri's depth, vulnerability, and honesty. Henri's writings have a way of reviving a spiritual hunger that longs to be fed and nurtured.The Henri Nouwen Society has been making significant inroads in connecting with young people through youth retreats and campus book-study groups. Last year we created a Young People's Advisory Committee to help us plan activities and events to reach youth who are looking for spiritual direction and resources.
From what I have seen, this younger generation longs to reconnect to God and find God's purposes for their lives. They want meaning, they want something other than the end goals offered by culture and society.
Your support will enable us to expand our outreach to young people while sustaining our other vital initiatives.
This Christmas season, please consider a donation, or invest in our various outreaches by becoming a monthly donor. We are so grateful for your gifts and to have you partner with us to extend the work and ministry of the Henri Nouwen Society.
Faithfully,
Karen Pascal,
Executive Director
Henri Nouwen Society
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DAILY MEDITATION: "Acting in the Name of Jesus" for Saturday, 18 November 2017
Photo courtesy of SDGimagery.com
Ministry is acting in the Name of Jesus. When all our actions are in the Name, they will bear fruit for eternal life. To act in the Name of Jesus, however, doesn't mean to act as a representative of Jesus or his spokesperson. It means to act in an intimate communion with him. The Name is like a house, a tent, a dwelling. To act in the Name of Jesus, therefore, means to act from the place where we are united with Jesus in love. To the question "Where are you?" we should be able to answer, "I am in the Name." Then, whatever we do cannot be other than ministry because it will always be Jesus himself who acts in and through us. The final question for all who minister is "Are you in the Name of Jesus?"" When we can say yes to that, all of our lives will be ministry.
For further reflection...
"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3: 17 (NIV))
Your response...
Comment on this Daily Meditation.
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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Scripture chosen by L. Yeskoo.
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