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JESUS

From Audrey Whitefield <a.whitefield@quest.org.uk>
Date 27 Feb 1997 02:51:11
Message-Id: <32ECD389.33ED@quest.org.uk>
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 16:10:49 +0000
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Organization: Anglican Communion Office
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Jan. 27, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, England

[97.1.4.9]

JESUS (From Salisbury Cathedral)

(ACNS) Millions serve him as their Lord and worship God

Over the past two thousand years the Christian Church has spread to
every
country in the world.  In great cathedrals and in little churches, in
private homes and in the open air, Christians meet to worship God
through
Jesus Christ and to dedicate their lives to His service.

Jesus was born and lived in the area around Jerusalem.  For his first
thirty years he worked as a carpenter and craftsman.  For the next three
years he travelled constantly, proclaiming a message he called 'the good
news', the Gospel.

Jesus taught people to look on God as Creator and loving Father, and to
ask
Him to meet our needs as a child asks his or her father, secure and
confident of his love.  The prayer he taught his followers begins 'Our
Father' (You will find it near the end).

At the heart of Jesus' message was the good news of God's reign, God's
kingdom.  Where God reigns, there is love and peace, freedom and
justice.
He called people to turn from their old selfish ways and to start a new
life, placing themselves under the reign of God, and working for
justice,
truth and freedom for everyone.

He showed what this means by the way he lived his own life, serving
those
in need.  He used his remarkable powers of healing to relieve the
sufferings of many people.  He offered his friendship to those who were
excluded by respectable society.

Jesus saw himself as God's servant, God's chosen agent.  His loyalty to
God
forced him to challenge the authorities of his country in the name of
God's
kingdom.  Faced with this challenge they arrested him at night, hastily
tried him and convicted him and executed him the next day by nailing him
to
a cross.

Shortly after his death he appeared to his friends alive.  Christians
believe that he was raised from the dead by God and that his
resurrection
proved that he was God's chosen servant.

His followers came to realise that Jesus was not only a man.  He was
'the
human face of God'.  They worshipped him as 'The Lord'.

The risen Jesus is alive for ever.  Christians believe he is present
with
us in Spirit today.

Through him God offers forgiveness and the opportunity of a new life to
everyone.  Everyone is called to follow him.  You too are invited to
join
this community of faith and to discover the power and the joy that God
gives to those who serve Him.

If you feel this is a good time for you to consider this further, we
hope
you will make contact with your local Anglican\Episcopal Church.

Jesus said: 'Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest'.

(Matthew 11:28)

Jesus said: 'Do not worry, saying 'What will we eat?' or 'What shall we
drink?' or 'What will we wear?'  Your heavenly Father knows you need all
these things.  Strive first for God's kingdom and his righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well'.

(Matthew 6:31-33)

Jesus said:  'The Kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field.
Someone found it and in his joy went and sold all that he had and bought
the field'.

(Matthew 13:44)

Jesus said about himself:  'The Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many'.

(Mark 10:45)

This is the prayer Jesus taught his followers to pray.  You may like to
say
the prayer slowly, pausing to think about the meaning of each phrase.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and
the glory are yours
now and for ever.   Amen

If you would like to read more about Jesus, get hold of a Bible or a New
Testament you will find four Gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 
The
second of these, Mark, is the shortest.  It is probably the best one to
read first.
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