God spoke into the void…
… And there was life!
Maundy Thursday
A Reading for Maundy Thursday
Luke 22:39-65
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.
Holy Wednesday
A Reading for Holy Wednesday
Luke 21:37-22:38
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.
Holy Tuesday
A Reading for Holy Tuesday
Luke 21:5-36
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.
Holy Monday
A Reading for Holy Monday
Luke 21:1-4
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.
Rise Above It
THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE - PART 6
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.
Palm Sunday
A Reading for Palm Sunday
Luke 20:19-47
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.
heihei - A Lenten Disturbance: Part 6
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.
Humble Thyself
THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE - PART 5
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!
heihei - A Lenten Disturbance: Part 5
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.