“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
-1 Peter 5:6
March 10, 2021
Called to be Humble
“There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time,” Malcolm X so wisely stated, having been betrayed by his mentor and religious family. Yet it is in this current time that his words travel the decades to speak to all of us.
Nearly a half-million lives have been called beyond our terrestrial bounds—have we not lost? When we watched the native impulses of our unjust nation permeate our politics, invade our sacred spaces and vandalize our very precepts for peace and justice, did our hearts not break? We are being called to humble ourselves amid uncertainty.
God is calling us, not to evade the pain of the moment or patch over our grief with empty platitudes until the “sun comes out again,” but to be humbled, to surrender to life and its forces. Then and only then, in our time of humility, repentance, and prayer, shall we receive those seeds as Brother Malcolm shared and grow anew and be lifted in due time.
Prayer: Creator of All, we acknowledge that your work is never done, the dust still falls on your workshop floor. Till us, your soil, so that we may receive your blessings and be transformed for your holy purpose. Amen.
Brother Jonathan E. Botts
Church School
Lent 2021
The members and friends of Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church
have written their devotions and reflections on the impact of the season of Lent
in their lives. Each testimony in the booklet is a personal reflection of their experiences.
We welcome you on this journey with us as we discuss our sacrifices and hope
that some aspect of the scripture, reflections, or prayers will inspire you as you
experience the season.
Read along with us each day or download the book to read along with us offline. May God bless and keep you throughout this season of reflection.