Let us join together in worship and prepare our hearts for the hearing of God’s Holy Word.
Readings from the Gospel of Luke based on The Daily Text series: “Listen to Him”. Reflections can be found on the Daily Text Website at https://www.seedbed.com/daily-text/
May God bless the reading and hearing of His Holy Word.
Let us join together in worship and prepare our hearts for the hearing of God’s Holy Word.
Readings from the Gospel of Luke based on The Daily Text series: “Listen to Him”. Reflections can be found on the Daily Text Website at https://www.seedbed.com/daily-text/
May God bless the reading and hearing of His Holy Word.
This Monday of Holy Week, let us take a few moments to worship together and hear the reading of God’s Word.
Though the song, “Sing Alleluia” may seem repetitive each day this week, I pray it’s words and melody may help set the tone of entering intentionally into God’s presence. I have also found that this melody is simple and haunting enough that you may find Holy Spirit opening your heart to new verses as you go throughout the day. If God does lay on your heart the words for a new verse, feel free to share in the comments. We would love to sing them along with you.
Readings from the Gospel of Luke based on The Daily Text series: “Listen to Him”. Reflections can be found on the Daily Text Website at https://www.seedbed.com/daily-text/
May God bless the reading and hearing of His Holy Word.
Give
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Luke 9:35, 20:19-47
He said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Luke 20:25
In Luke 20 we find the legal experts questioning Jesus on two significant issues of their day, taxes and resurrection. Things haven’t changed much. We still wrestle with these two universal and inescapable realities of life… death and taxes.
Many interpreters have made a big deal about Jesus’ understanding of marriage from this text, but that is not really the issue Jesus is addressing. The Sadducee's were not concerned here with a scriptural understanding of marriage. Rather, they were trying to trap Jesus on the issue of whether or not there would be a resurrection from the dead, for Jews were greatly divided on this subject. Marriage was simply the illustration they used to try to prove their point that the idea of resurrection was absurd.
Likewise, interpreters have made much about the issue of taxes and what actually belongs to Caesar. But in both cases, we seem to be missing the point.
These two questions, about taxes and death, are not really separate questions. They stem from the same root motivation which is to trap Jesus. Will Jesus challenge the law of Rome by rejecting the payment of taxes? Will Jesus deny the law of Moses concerning the responsibility of marrying a brother’s widow by affirming the resurrection of these widows with their many husbands?
Resurrection and taxes may be controversial issues, but in this case, they are merely smokescreens for a larger concern… how can we trap Jesus? We don’t really care if he breaks the law of the land or the law of Moses, so long as he breaks some law that we can use against him.
That is why Jesus answer in 20:46-47 is so significant. He sees right through their traps.
How easy it is for us to act pious and righteous because of our outward obedience the law or our “right” beliefs about the scriptures and how easy it is to use our “right” beliefs and behaviors and the litmus test by which to judge everyone else, including Jesus.
What if giving to God what is God’s is not just about “right” beliefs or “right” behaviors? What if giving our money to the temple is not enough? What if believing in the resurrection or not believing in it, depending on our understanding of scripture, is not enough?
What if all of these beliefs and behaviors have become our idols, the things which make us feel self-righteous because we’ve done or believed what is “right”?
It’s not to say that they are wrong. Though the Pharisees and Sadducee's disagreed on matters of resurrection, both groups were morally upright and blameless according to the laws of Moses and of Caesar. Both groups held fast to their belief in the Scriptures even if they did not always interpret them in the same way. All of this is to their credit, and ours to whatever degree we follow in their footsteps.
We have a problem when all of these issues that make us feel “right” begin to cover up the places in our hearts where we are “not right” in our relationship with God and one another.
As Paul writes,
If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever
1 Corinthians 13:2-3
It’s amazing how we can be so right in our knowledge or understanding or belief and how generous we can be in giving all we have to those in need and yet still be so wrong.
Without unconditional, sacrificial, spirit-filled love, all of our “right” behaviors and “right” beliefs amount to nothing.
Rejoice then not in being “right” or doing what is “right”, but in truly having a pure and righteous heart before God.
For Holy Week I find it best to keep things simple and let the Living Word speak directly to our hearts.
With that in mind, I simply offer a few moments each morning this week to center our hearts in worship, praise and prayer and to hear the Word of God aloud as we follow Jesus to the Cross.
Readings from the Gospel of Luke based on The Daily Text series: “Listen to Him”. Reflections can be found on the Daily Text Website at https://www.seedbed.com/daily-text/
May God bless the reading and hearing of His Holy Word.
Time for something a little different. Welcome to the final week of a 6 Part Lenten Video Series with Hei Hei, the chicken from Disney’s Moana.
Also be sure to check back on Palm Sunday for daily scripture readings to guide us together through Holy Week. Enjoy.
Forgive
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Luke 9:35, 18:18-30
Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus replied, “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”
Luke 18:26-27
We can read this challenging parable about the rich man forward or backward, but no matter where we start, we come to the same question and the same answer.
Question: “Who can be saved?”
Answer: “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”
If only we could just leave it there.
Reading the passage forward we begin with a rich man essentially asking this question, “Who can be saved?” or more specifically, “What must I do to be saved, or to obtain eternal life?”
He walks away disappointed when he learns that he must give up all of his worldly possessions. When given a choice between the Kingdom of Heaven or “the treasure buried in the field” (Matthew 13:44) or the treasure he had already obtained, he chose the one he had already earned for himself.
The first point to notice is that Jesus doesn’t soften the deal. He doesn’t try to bargain for less just to get the man to show up for church on Sunday. He doesn’t sugar-coat the cost of discipleship. Instead, Jesus sadly lets the man walk way.
The people of Jesus’ day assumed that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing and to learn that such wealth and blessing did not guarantee this man a first class ticket to eternity came as a great shock. “Who then can be saved” if not someone who has been so richly blessed?
As much as we want to question Jesus for demanding too much or perhaps to judge the rich man for making such a horrible choice, notice we are not told about this man’s eternal destiny. Jesus still gives us hope. “What is impossible for humans is possible for God.”
We don’t know the rest of this man’s story. Jesus may have only planted a seed that came to bear fruit much later in his life, or perhaps death did come like a thief in the night and take every last penny. The truth is we just don’t know.
What we do know is that no matter how wealthy or blessed this man may have been, it was not possible for him to earn his way to heaven.
But now let’s read the story backwards. The disciples are a bit worried about their own reward. “Look Jesus, we left everything to follow you”, they cried. “What about us?”
Jesus assures them that their sacrifice will be rewarded in eternity, but their eternal life does not come because of their sacrifice anymore than the rich man could earn eternal life through his wealth. It’s still impossible for humans… all humans… rich or poor… selfish or sacrificial… sinner or saint…. It’s still impossible…
Only what is impossible for humans is possible for God.
This is our hope. This is the hope of the rich man. This is the hope of the world.
So perhaps before we presume upon someone’s eternal destiny, including our own, we would be wise to remember… anything is possible with God. There is always hope for salvation, even for those who seem to have no hope. Thanks be to God!
Time for something a little different. Welcome to Part 5 of a 6 Part Lenten Video Series with Hei Hei, the chicken from Disney’s Moana. Enjoy.
Forgive
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Luke 9:35, 15:1-32
He answered his father, ‘Look, I’ve served you all these years, and I never disobeyed your instruction. Yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ Then his father said, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.’”
(Luke 15:29-32)
I’ve heard and even preached many sermons on this famous parable of the prodigal son, the forgiving father, or whatever else you might want to call it. Often they end with the conclusion that we often find ourselves in the shoes of the older brother and it is our choice whether to forgive and join the party or to stand outside and wallow in self-pity.
Such a conclusion generally comes on the heals of unpacking the entire story, demonstrating the overwhelming selfishness of the younger son and of course the extravagant, undeserved love and mercy lavished upon him by the father, who of course we should all desire to imitate.
This week, however, I want to begin at the end. Let’s start with the conclusion or assumption that we are the older brother. Yes, many hearing this may still be a long way off with the prodigal, wondering if you can ever be forgiven or loved. I don’t want to invalidate that in any way and as the story teaches, please know that you are always welcome in our Father’s House. Regardless of where we primarily find ourselves in the story in this season of life, however, all of us likely have at least some of the older brother hiding in our hearts.
As the older brother, we look upon that “sinner” who hurt us or our family, or perhaps upon those “sinners” we don’t even know, and our blood boils with anger, frustration, resentment, jealousy, righteous indignation, insecurity, and countless other emotions. Rather than simply telling us to “forgive” and join the party, as we might normally do at the end of this story, I’m asking you to pull up a log or a rock and sit outside with me for awhile as the party gets underway.
As we sit and reflect, angered by the sounds of undeserved jubilation inside, what is really bothering us?
Who are we really mad at?
Are we truly angry at that brother of ours who seems to get away with everything?
Especially if that “brother” is some abstract “sinner” or “group of sinners”, what have they actually done against us? Does their forgiveness in any way negate our own? Is there somehow not enough mercy or grace leftover for us if they get what may seem like an extra dose?
Are we angry with the father?
Of course we would never admit this, especially as “good Christians”. We don’t want to be angry with God. Maybe we feel like we can’t be angry with God. But the question remains… are we angry with the Father? Do we feel like God is being too lenient or unfair. Are we jealous because there is something more we wanted from the Father ourselves?
Are we angry with ourselves?
Do we wish we had gotten to enjoy that rebellious season like our brother, just to know what it felt like? Do we regret not having appreciated the love the Father has truly given us all along? Are we mad because we never bothered to tell the father how we felt, like servants in our own house, and allowed him to remind us of our beloved place as sons and daughters?
Before pick up our “good, responsible big brother” mantle again and trudge resentfully into the party, let’s take some time to ask, what is it that really bothers me about this story? What is keeping me from truly offering forgiveness to my brothers and sisters, whether I know them or not? Why must I keep seeing them as “sinners” instead of “siblings”, loved by the same father who loves me?
Time for something a little different. Welcome to Part 4 of a 6 Part Lenten Video Series with Hei Hei, the chicken from Disney’s Moana. Enjoy.
