Readings

Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

Psalm 14

1 Timothy 1:12-17

Luke 15:1-10

Devotion

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ!

Losing something special to you has to be one of the worst feelings. You know exactly where you put it the last time you used it. If you are anything like me, you look all over the house, taking things out of drawers, moving furniture and vacuuming, calling friends and family in case they borrowed [whatever “it” is], and searching unlikely places.

Jesus is attracting the tax collectors and the sinners in town to come and listen to him (Luke 15:1). As usual, the Pharisees and the scribes are having a fit over Jesus associating himself with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:2). They question Jesus, “How can you be associated with them? How can you welcome them into our group?”

True to his form, Jesus tells the Pharisees and the scribes three parables. All three parables involve an individual losing something, looking and finding it, and rejoicing that they found it. The first two parables are covered in this week’s reading but the last one (the lost son) will be read during another time in the lectionary.  The first parable involves a shepherd losing one of his sheep. The listeners would probably think the shepherd is ridiculous for going out looking for one sheep when he has ninety-nine other unattended sheep. No shepherd would leave ninety-nine sheep to look for a wandering lost sheep when predators could attack the herd.

Yet the shepherd does leave the ninety-nine sheep to go look in the wilderness for the one missing sheep (Luke 15:4). When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he carries it home on his shoulders and rejoices (Luke 15:5). Once home, the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors and says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost” (Luke 15:6 NRSV). No one in their right mind throws a party for finding their lousy lost sheep, because the sheep is not regarded as a pet but as an income source. If anything, a shepherd may call a friend or two to recount how they had to go into the wilderness, get bitten by bugs, and walk up the biggest hill to find the lost sheep. We have all been there: your child, dog, or cat ran off outside and is not in sight. You panic and yell their name while racing around looking for them. After a few minutes, you may call friends and family to look for your dog, cat, or child while scanning the area. When you finally find your lost one, you do not rejoice but scold them for making you have a heart attack.

I remember being home alone at night for the first time with my oldest pup, Lily. My roommate who usually took Lily out at night was gone for the weekend. Before I went to bed, I took Lily out one last time and, sure enough, she saw a squirrel and chased after it. Since I am in an electric wheelchair, I could not chase after her down the hill. All I could do was yell her name and hope she came back. However, I did not rejoice when Lily came back; I scolded her for running off and called my roommate to tell him what happened. Don’t get me wrong: I was happy Lily came back, but knowing she could do it again and not come back scared me.

So, if sheep were not considered as valuable as our personal pets in the time of Jesus, why does Jesus tell this story?  He explains his hyperbole to the Pharisees and the scribe. He tells them that there is more joy in heaven over one repenting sinner than over ninety-nine righteous individuals who have no need to repent (Luke 15:7). God cares so deeply about the one sinner who changes how he/she perceives and responds to the world to serves. God’s forgiveness and grace transforms the sinner who was found in the darkness. The parable shows the deep love God has for the sinner – the lost. God may have ninety-nine righteous individuals, but he continues to seek the one individual who is lost; he wants you.

The second parable is similar to the first one: the woman loses one silver coin out of ten (Luke 15:8a). The woman spends an entire evening looking for the one silver coin. She lights a lamp and sweeps to carefully search her whole house (Luke 15:8b). It seems crazy to us to spend an evening looking for a single coin when you have nine more. A coin has little value – one, five, ten, or twenty-five cents – to most Americans with good paying jobs, warm homes, food for three meals, and clothes on their backs. You cannot buy much with a single silver coin. However, a coin to the man on the street corner could be the difference in eating a meal or buying a warm winter hat. Families living under the poverty level understand the value of a quarter, though these days a quarter cannot buy much of anything. Parents save every cent they can to buy the essentials for their child.

In Biblical times, a single coin was worth one day’s wages, which could probably pay for the woman’s groceries for a few days. So yes, the woman furiously looks for a single silver coin an entire night. She sweeps and gets on her knees to carefully search her whole house. The woman is desperate to find the silver coin, because it means food for her and her family and could have been part of her dowry too.

When the woman finds the silver coin, she calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate. She says, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin I had lost.” (Luke 15:9b NRSV). The woman throws together a small get-together to celebrate finding the lost coin. She is relieved that she can buy food for her family and friends to share a meal with them. Her day’s work was not wasted.

Jesus explains that God’s angels are joyful when one sinner repents (Luke 15:10). God spends his entire existence seeking us in our darkness where we hide in shame. We are not worthy of God’s grace, forgiveness, and love. Are you kidding? We have done it all: hated our parents, shamed the homeless, took food from children, denied someone shelter and protection, turned away the sick, killed our neighbor with our bitterness and unforgiveness, and [whatever “it” is] we are ashamed of. We hide in the darkness, because we are ashamed of our past; there is no going back and undoing our sins. But this is what gets me: God the Father celebrates each time a sinner repents by turning to Him. He even sent his only begotten son to suffer into this world to get beaten, get crucified, and to die on the cross for our sins – my sins, your sins – not just for a select few people but for all of us.

If the Lord searches for us as furiously as we do for our worldly stuff, we are pretty darn lucky. No other god or goddess searches for their children. But our God is so desperate to find us in the darkness that he sends his only begotten son as the light of the world to give and show us the way home to the Kingdom of God where angels rejoice every time a single sinner repents. We are pretty lucky to have such a loving God.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for furiously searching for us in the darkness by sending Jesus Christ as the light of the world. Lead us to repent as broken, unworthy sinners. Lead us to tell others of your love for them. Let us rejoice every time we welcome a new saint into the Kingdom of God. Thank you for undying love for us, your children. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant located here.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. What have you lost?

2. What are you searching for?

3. How do you feel God’s love for you?

Readings

Jeremiah 18:1-11

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

Philemon 1:1-2

Luke 14:25-33

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Don’t get me wrong: I love my father. I love how I make my father proud of raising a strong woman who has a master’s degree, owns her own home, pays her bills, travels to conferences, and follows her passions. Whenever  anyone treats me like a four year old because I am in electric wheelchair and have Cerebral Palsy, my father tells them that I have a Master’s in New Testament. I love making my father proud.

However, don’t ask my father to tell you about my calling to write devotions or my passion to explain how God continues to heal individuals in the world. My father does not understand my devotion to the Lord and how I am making a difference. To him, I spend my time at home on my computer doing [whatever “it” is] I do. I do not hate my father for not understanding my career as he does my brother’s computer networking job, my sister’s teaching job, or my sister-in-law’s dentist job; mine is not clear cut job. Some days all I do is listen to people on Facebook and Twitter talk about their days and look for resources for them. Some days I am on a plane and the person next to me needs to hear the good news and to receive absolution. Some days I dwell in the Word and argue with the Apostle Paul (who has been dead for two thousand years). Some days I read theology books and write reviews in order to converse with the authors. Some days I find myself just dictating devotions from the Lord. Some days I sit in prayer. Some days I do errands and find myself sitting quietly next to a stranger bringing them the gift of presence. Some days I am glued to the news and praying for those affected by [whatever “it” is] that is happening. Some days I volunteer at the hospital.  My job is not easy to explain to someone who does not understand ministry. It is a hard career to explain.

In the gospel reading, Jesus is speaking to a large crowd about what discipleship means – the job description for a disciple. Jesus knows some people in the crowd are not in it for the long haul; they are enjoying the entertainment – the healings, the speeches, and the free food – but they are not going to stand with him for the sake of the good news. Nope, the minute things get tough, these people will run back home where it is comfortable.

First, Jesus warns the crowd that others are going to be reluctant to be associated with them. English translations do not capture the true meaning of what the author of Luke is explaining. The Greek word μισέω in Luke 14:26 means to love others less than the Triune God. Jesus is saying we need to be reluctant to love with our whole hearts someone who does not believe as well as other believers in the Good News, not that we should hate everyone who is not a disciple of Jesus Christ. We are still able to love these individuals (remember, we are called to love our neighbors) (Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27), but we are to love God more than anyone and anything, even life itself. This passage is a warning there is going to be some tension within households. Everyone is going to be at odds with each other – fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. The household is going to be redefined.

In the Biblical world, a person’s identity was based on their kinship (family name and family trade). Your parents raised you doing their trade and one day the shop would be handed down. With Jesus going around speaking the Good News, members of households are leaving home to follow Jesus; something new is happening. This has an economical cost to households – no one is producing, and families cannot buy food or clothes. We have to face possible alienation from our families in order to follow Jesus. We have to willing to give up our family name and the only way of life we know; we are going into the unknown. This tension between us and family members as well as between us and people in the world puts our lives in danger at times, but Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus is asking the crowd, “Are you ready to give up your life to follow me?

Today, we understand tension between family members. With divorces and arguments between family members, we understand what it means to not get along. What we miss is the near total alienation that would come with being in conflict with family members in Bible times. Nowadays, if we are disowned or only go home on holidays, we have other connections – friends, co-workers, and others – who will walk with us through life. Today, our identity is not often based solely on our family ties, but our identity becomes what we make it. However, we still feel the pain of not measuring up to others’ expectations. We want to make [whoever “it” is] proud of us. When we make the decision to follow Jesus Christ, we do it knowing not everyone we love and care about is going to support us. Some people will alienate us for believing Jesus died for our sins. Some will remain in contact merely to be polite. Others will criticize us for following Jesus. We understand the tension Jewish families felt.

Second, Jesus says we have to be willing to carry the cross (Luke 14:27). When he speaks to the crowd, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to face his crucifixion and death. Jesus is asking the crowd, “Do you want to watch me get beaten, crucified, and die?” Jesus knows what is going to happen in the future, and it is not going to be pretty. Crucifixions were gruesome and brutal deaths. Jesus seems to be giving his followers fair warning: “If you have a weak stomach or dislike angry crowds, you may want to start packing up and heading home, because after this gathering there is no turning back.”

Jesus uses parables to explain his point. Jesus describes how a builder draws up plans for a tower in order to estimate the costs before starting to build. The builder does this to ensure he can complete the project; otherwise, he would look foolish for not being able to finish it (Luke 14:28-30). Then Jesus explains how a king first considers if he can wage war against another kingdom before going into battle; otherwise, the king sends a delegation to settle terms of peace (Luke 14:31-32). The people in the crowd understand how a builder and a king would need to calculate risks before taking on a project.

Jesus is asking the crowd to evaluate the risks of following him to the cross. Nothing from here on out is going to be easy. “You are going to have to watch the Roman Empire beat and kill me,” says Jesus. “Are you sure you are up to this?”

Jesus also is warning the people that they are going to be killed for following him. Following Jesus means you have no self interests, no self desires, or no other loyalties. You give up your kingship – the stable lifestyle – for the sake of sharing the Good News. You are following Jesus for one reason only: to spread the good news. And yes, you may face persecution in his name. Andrew, Bartholomew, Jude, and Peter all were crucified, like Jesus; they all suffered the same gruesome and brutal death as Jesus. Others would be beheaded and beaten to death. Today people are shot, imprisoned, gassed and beaten for being disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is asking the crowd, “Are you willing to die in my name?”

Third, Jesus tells us that we will have to give up all of their possessions (Luke 14:33). In Biblical times, those who were cut off from family were forced to travel with just what they could carry. They literally had to give up all of their possessions and travel with just the clothes on their back to follow Jesus to the cross and to spread the Good News. Nowadays, we do not have to give up every thing; however, this does not mean we should have [whatever “it” is] we want just because we can. In American, we can have almost anything we want within a day or two – just go on Amazon.com with your Prime membership and click. The world is full of temptations, but we serve the Triune God most when we give up the extras in order to help the neighbor. Jesus asks, “Are you sure you are up to this?”

We are given a new identity when we become disciples of Jesus Christ. The new identity is not for the faint hearted; it comes with tension, suffering, and the just basics. Jesus is giving those not willing meet these three requirements – loving God more than life itself, carrying the cross, and giving your possessions – an out to go back to their comfortable lives. Today we use these three requirements to examine our lives as Christ’s disciples. Jesus asks, “Are you sure you are up to this?”

I love my earthly father for adopting me as an infant, for providing everything I needed as a child, for teaching me the value of a dollar, for instilling family values in me, for giving me the tools to evaluate life’s situations, and for being proud to call me his daughter. However, I love my heavenly Father more for adopting me – a sinner, for showing me the way out of the darkness, for protecting me from the Devil, for giving me an earthly family to love and to love me, for giving me what I need at the right time, and for sending Jesus Christ to die for my sins. I am up to being Jesus’ disciple for the sake of the Good News. The Triune God has empowered me to spread the Good News by equipping me with spiritual gifts of patience, understanding, writing and courage. I may fall from time to time, but God picking me back up. Nothing in the world compares to what God has to offer me.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving Jesus the strength to give us a little tough love so we know what is expected of us. Help us to love people less, to carry the cross, and to give up what we do not need in order to share the good news. Lead us into the world with the courage to face criticism from your opponents, even if they are our own family and friends. Thank you for giving us an out, but we stand by you, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant located here.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. How do you love God more than life itself?

2. When were you first asked to carry the cross?

3. What possessions are you required to give up?

Readings

Jeremiah 2:4-13

Psalm 81:1, 10-16

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream for equality – for black children to be given the same opportunities as white children. In the 1960s, African Americans were demeaned and oppressed by racism and institutional injustice in countless ways.  They could not share public places with white Americans. They were forced to use designated bathrooms, required to sit in back of the city buses, and required to attend different schools than white children. They were not allowed to vote. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus Christ’s successful practices of non-violent activism to bring about social justice, 50 years ago this week, Dr. King led the great March on Washington and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King worked until his dying day to obtain equality for African Americans.

Jesus is having a meal at the Pharisees’ leader’s house on the Sabbath (Luke 14:1). Jesus watches the Jewish leaders take the seats of honor before he tells a parable (Luke 14:7). Jesus tells his listeners, “When you go to a wedding banquet, you should sit in the lowest place (Luke 14:10) and not in the place of honor (Luke 14:8). After all, taking the seat of honor puts your host in the position of having to ask you to move to a less prominent place and your haughtiness may lead to disgrace (Luke 14:9). However, when you sit in less prominent seats, the host has the opportunity to invite you to sit in the place of honor, which gives your name honor among the other guests (Luke 14:10). Humility leads to honor.

In the Jewish culture, it was important to have powerful and distinguished roles in society. Being invited to the Pharisees’ leader’s house for the Sabbath meal and sitting in the seat of honor signified you as a prominent member of society. No one wanted to be asked by the host to move to a less prominent seat, yet all of leaders expected and chose prominent seats. These leaders thought highly of themselves and did not expect the host to reserve the place of honor for anyone else; they expected it. Jesus challenges the norm of the Jewish culture by asking prominent leaders to take less significant seats. This way the host can give the place of honor to who he chooses, reducing the opportunity of being for public shame. Rather than expecting honor you should take the less prominent seats and have the host choose to honor you.  Honor should be given – not expected.

Then Jesus turns to the host and says, “When you make your guest list for a dinner party, you are accustomed to inviting friends and family, prominent leaders, people who are rich, and others who have had you to their house as a way to return the honor. However, you should invite the poor, the disabled, the blind, and the homeless when you have a party. These individuals cannot return the favor, but you will be rewarded in the Kingdom of God” (Luke 14:12-14).

When we tend to the needs of those who are less fortunate, we invest in eternal life in God’s Kingdom. We become less conscious of what people think of us and more aware of the needs of others. We tend to the needs of others in our community. When we put aside our need to have the world honor us, God offers us the Kingdom of God as our inheritance.

The fact God invites us into his kingdom is truly amazing. We are sinners who have lost our way and are needy. We have no business in the Kingdom of God with our greedy, sinful, and guilty ways. We are not godly as God imagined us to be. Yet through Jesus Christ, we are made new again and are invited into the Kingdom of God, because he loves us so much. If God is inviting a brunch of sinners to his banquet, how can we not invite the poor, the disabled, the blind, and the homeless to our parties? If God is not worried what the angels think of him, why are we so worried about what others think about us? Radical change always forces us out of our comfort zones.

Like Jesus, Martin Luther King, Jr. was calling for radical inclusion in the American society. Dr. King did not concern himself with having the right friends or the right public connections. Rather Dr. King concerned himself with what Jesus taught the disciples: love your neighbor. Like Jesus, Dr. King put himself in harm’s way and died for what he believed in. Radical change does not come about without sacrifices. Jesus and Martin Luther King Jr. were both killed for standing for radical change in the justice system. How are we standing for justice in our world today?

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for radically changing the social system in our world through the great men and women of history. Help us to continue to fight for Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of equality. Remind us to continue to welcome into our communities those who are different from us. Lead us to share your blessings and mercy with others. Thank you for inviting us into your kingdom. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant located here.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. Who do you invite to parties?

2. What kind of host are you?

3. What kind of expectations do you have as a guest and as a host?

Readings

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Psalm 71:1-6

Hebrews 12:18-29

Luke 13:10-17

Devotion

Peace be with you!

According to the Bible, Sabbath means a day of rest. There is even a commandment stating that we should rest on the seventh day. But in this modern society, do we ever take a day per week to rest? Do we even know how to rest? Do we know what it means to rest?

My body has a Sabbath clock built in. If I am on the go constantly too many days in a row, my muscles shut down on me. Last month I went to Minnesota for five days for a conference. I was up early each day for lectures and discussions and up late each night visiting with friends. I flew home on a six o’clock flight in the morning so I could be home for an appointment in the afternoon. I was tired when I finally got home, but I had every intention of getting up the next morning to volunteer at the hospital. My step-dad said I was never going to make it to the hospital, but I insisted I would. The next morning, my alarm went off; my brain attempted to wake up but my muscles just laughed at me and I couldn’t manage to get up. Finally, my brain surrendered and I fell back to sleep. My body needed twelve hours of sleep – a day of rest.

On the Sabbath, Jesus is in the synagogue like most good Jews when he sees a woman who is unable to stand up straight (Luke 13:11). A spirit has crippled her for eighteen years (Luke 13:11); she walked around bent over for 6,570 days, unable to straighten up and unable to see what was in front of her. Her back was in constant pain from being bent over.

Jesus calls her over and says, “Woman, you are set free of your aliment” (Luke 13:12 NRSV).  The woman stands up straight for the first time in eighteen years when Jesus lays hands on her (Luke 13:13ab). Immediately, the woman begins praising Jesus (Luke 13:13c) because for the first time she is without pain and can see what is in front of her. Jesus has compassion for the woman, not because she asks for the healing or makes a statement of faith, but she is oppressed by her aliment.

The synagogue’s leaders have a fit over Jesus healing the woman on a Sabbath. To the crowd, the leaders say, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day” (Luke 13:14c NRSV). The leaders are quoting the Sabbath commandment from Exodus 20 where the focus is on the fact God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Jesus turns the argument around on the leaders by pointing to Deuteronomy 20:15:

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 20:12-15 NRSV).

Jesus is telling the people, “You rest on the Sabbath to remember the Lord saved you from being oppressed in Egypt.” So Jesus asks the leaders, “Why should this woman not be healed on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:16). By being healed, the woman was set free from her disability, which prevented her from enjoying life. Healing the woman honored the Sabbath commandment according to Jesus.

We often focus on the not working aspect of the Sabbath commandment. What would it look like if we spent the Sabbath focusing on being free of oppression? We could use the Sabbath to lift the spirits of others by empowering them to be their best. We could work on letting go of those ideals which cause us to withhold ourselves from the community. Worship encourages us to come together as a community to free those around us from our shortcomings and to build each other up as God’s children. The world’s oppression, which tries to keep us from God, is laid on the altar where the needs of the community are lifted up in prayer. The inclusive Christian community invites all people to look forward to the Kingdom of God where oppression does not exist.

On days when my muscles shut down, I am reminded of my body’s limits. Due to Cerebral Palsy, I am constantly battling my muscles to do what I want them to do: brush my hair, stand up, type an email, paddle my bike, and [whatever “it” is] I need to do. However, when my Sabbath alarm clock goes off, my muscles force me to relax and be quiet and stationary. Being still causes my muscles to forget the oppression they battle every other day. I often forget how much work it takes for me to function until my body demands a day of rest – not because I do not understand my own limits but because I am too busy in the world. On my shut-down days, I am reminded how much I need God the Father to give me strength.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us the Sabbath to rest and to release us from oppression. Help us to honor the Sabbath as a way to worship you. Give us the strength to let go of what oppresses us. Release us from the world’s oppression as we go out to share the good news. Thank you for releasing us from oppression to be in a relationship with you. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant located here.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. How do you honor the Sabbath?

2. When and how do you experience oppression?

3. What would it look like if we spent the Sabbath focusing on being free of oppression?

4. How does your body force you to take a Sabbath?

Readings

Jeremiah 23:23-29

Psalm 82

Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Luke 12:49-56

Devotion

Peace be with you!

There is no doubt that our actions affect people around us. When a gentleman holds a door open for me, my smile gets bigger; but if someone walks through a door and lets it close on me, I become bitter for a while. You act out what you believe in – volunteering at the soup kitchen; helping children learn how to read after school; being a Big Brother or Big Sister to a child without a good role model at home; listening to the stories of the disabled, sick, and others; praying before a meal in public; giving up your seat on the bus for an elderly person; and [whatever “it” is] you do without thinking. Your actions speak volumes about what kind of a person you are.

Jesus is under a lot of stress as he continues to travel to Jerusalem where he knows he will be persecuted, whipped, and crucified. And he does this for people who continue to reject his message of the good news? As Christians, we have this image of Jesus being a mild-mannered, sweet, gentle person so when we get to passages like this one we gloss over it. We do not like the stressed out Jesus who is frustrated with us.

When my mom is frustrated with me, she throws up her hands, says “Whatever, Erin; you are going to do what you want,” and walks away. My mom usually knows the bigger picture , but I do not always want to hear it. My mom does the only thing she can do: speak her piece and walk away before she loses her cool.

Jesus walks on earth as a teacher of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. His students (even his twelve disciples) try his patience, and now Jesus is going to say his message plainly. There will be fire on earth and divisions among families and households (Luke 12:49, 51b). His disciples and others have mistaken the call for change in their relationship with family members and with God for their hopeful peace. You cannot blame the disciples for thinking Jesus’ focus is always peacemaking. After all the new commandment to love one another and the focus on welcoming the stranger means that we will always all get along, right?

Jesus corrects his disciples by stating he will fire into the world (Luke 12:49). God led the Israelites out of Egypt with a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:17-22) and the disciples received the Holy Spirit through tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). Fire recalls God’s judgment in Egypt and His purifying of the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years. The Israelites made burnt sacrifices in order to be made pure in God’s eyes. Fire also represents God’s presence in the world as his people experienced it in the pillar of fire and tongues of fire. Like fire, baptism makes us pure in God’s eyes and shows us his presence in the world and in us. Jesus baptizes us with water and invites us into a relationship with God the Father.  However, baptism also points to the cross, where Jesus is heading to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sins.

His disciples and followers have mistaken Jesus as a peacemaker when he is causing divisions among family members and household members (Luke 12:51b-53). The division changes our relationships with one another and with God. Jesus challenges how individuals interact with one another. A young Jewish man may accept Jesus’ call to welcome the Gentiles into the fold, while an elder may not accept his teaching and not allow his son to go listen to his speeches. We have seen this happen during civil rights movements in the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his career to the desegregation civil rights movement and met resistance in the south where there were Jim Crow Laws. Any kind of change tends to meet resistance, and Jesus is not talking about a yearly event where Jews and Gentiles share a meal but a daily occurrence. Like Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesus is calling his listeners to change how Jews and Gentiles interact with each other.

Where God is involved, what matters changes. Being followers of Jesus Christ causes us to be blind to heritage differences: divisions between Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans no longer matter. God uses us to carry out his plan. When we do not act as he asks us, his plan is stalled. God asks us to love our neighbors; when we refuse to love those we meet, we put ourselves before him. Jesus did not say loving our neighbors would be easy; he admits it will cause trouble within our own families and communities. Loving the poor, the homeless, the sick, the lonely, and unbelievers will cause us anguish and pain. People will call us crazy; our lives will be threatened; those we love will disown us. But when we act against God’s plan, we don’t get to be part of his work in the world. We are his agents in the world to carry out his plans. Our lack of compassion limits God because we are in the world to share his grace, love, and forgiveness with everyone we meet

Jesus expresses his frustration with us for not accepting the time for him to return to God the Father (Luke 12:54-56). We do not take his message seriously. Jesus is heading to the cross, and we have not yet fully accepted the good news; he is going to die on the cross for our sins and offer us forgiveness, and we do not follow his example; he will come back to judge the living and the dead, and we keep the good news to ourselves. Jesus exclaims, “Wake up, people! The time has come. I am going back to the Father so you can be in a relationship with him and join us in his Kingdom. Wake up, people! God the Father is near!

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for setting a fire under us to go into the world and share the good news. Help us to be faithful agents of your work in the world. Give us the courage to offer your forgiveness to others. Humble our hearts as we care for others. Thank you for Jesus’ example of humanity. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant located here.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. How do your actions reflect your identity as a Christian?

2. What divisions do you experience?

3. How are you changed by the God’s involvement in the world?

Readings

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Luke 12:32-40

Devotion

Peace be with you, brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ!

I have to admit that I thought being thirty and graduating from seminary with a Masters in New Testament would make me a great Biblical scholar. Publishers would be calling me to write books, and I would be speaking at conferences. Somehow, having a diploma was a rite of passage. Unfortunately, reality is a little different. I work hard to be a solid Biblical interpreter who focuses her work around the experience of healing, but not many people know of my work. Among the peers who know me, I am respected and called upon to discuss the healing process. Outside of my network, however, I am just another person who claims to know what she is talking about. Who knew how much time it took to meet thousands of Biblical scholars and to make a name for yourself?

Sometimes I fear life is slipping me by; somehow I should be doing more to be a well-known Biblical scholar. Isn’t thirty when you are suppose to have your life together? I sure have collected enough papers, keepsakes, household items, books, and other items to show the world I have it together. Jesus tells us not to worry about worldly matters, because God the Father will give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32). Many of us allow our fears get the best of us. We fear being in danger, we fear the unknown, failure, being left out, and [whatever “it” is] that holds us back. Fears cloud our vision and keep us from God’s blessings. God will protect us as we go out into the world to share the good news.

People in the world treasure material items, like clothes, big homes, the latest technology, and [whatever “it” is] they just have to have. Last week, I admitted I have a shopping compulsion, especially with clothes. I like nice things. However, Jesus calls us to sell our possessions and to give alms (Luke 10:33). To follow Jesus, we do not need a plethora of nice things to fill up our spacious homes. A month ago I finally went through the mountain of papers in the office. I found the closest it was hiding along with the memories it swallowed. The mountain of papers grew over several moves and years. I found forgotten pictures of friends and family, books from my childhood, and other keepsakes mixed in with old bills, old manual books, and other paperwork. Once I sorted out the junk from the hidden treasures, I was free from the burden endless paper and prepared to move forward. I was able to release the painful memories in the mountain and take the good memories with me as I make new ones.

By giving up our unneeded possessions, we are better prepared to do God’s work in the world. The clutter keeps us from seeing how God is working in our lives causing us to miss the blessings he gives us. Once we remove the unneeded clutter, we are able to move past the things holding us back from the past to move forward into the future. The mountain of papers reminded me of my ex-husband. It took me a year to find the courage to sort through the papers and throw out what I no longer needed.

While it took me a whole afternoon, I am now free of the fear of finding stuff I no longer want. I am free to make new memories and new friends. I no longer have to explain the mountain of papers. I can be more alert to the present without having to look back.

Jesus begs us to be alert to the present to be aware of how God is using us to do his work in the world and how he is blessing us (Luke 12:37). As a community, we never know when God is going to call upon us to bless someone else. When we hold onto grudges within the community, we lose sight of God’s plan and how he is using us in the world. Once we move past the past, we as a community can move forward into the future. We can look forward to Jesus’ second coming when we will enter the Kingdom of God and worship him.

When we are alert, God is able to use us freely to carry out his plan. We hear God knocking and welcome him into our hearts. We see how God is blessing us and pay it forward. Once we de-clutter our lives, we are able to see the many blessings in our lives

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the many blessings in our lives. Help us to de-clutter our lives in order to see how you are using us to do your work. Remind us to let go of the past in order to be alert to the future. Use us to carry out your plan for the world as we stay alert for Jesus’ second coming. Thank you for helping us move into the future. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. What are your fears? How do they hold you back?

2. What clutter do you keep in your life? How do you plan on getting rid of your clutter?

3. How does God bless you?

Readings

Hosea 11:1-11

Psalm 107:1-9, 43

Colossians 3:1-11

Luke 12:13-21

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Like most women, I love buying new clothes, especially dresses. When I try on a dress I really love, I tend to buy it in two or three different colors. This summer I have been gravitating towards tennis style dresses – light-weight, wrinkle-free, easy-to-clean, and stylish. I have one style of dress in four different colors. I have a bit of a greedy compulsion when it comes to shopping.

Jesus is speaking right to me when he answers the man from the crowd who said: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” (Luke 12:13b NRSV). Jesus answers the man, “Friend, who made me the mediator between you and your brother?” (Luke 12:14). Jesus’ mission is not to settle disputes among us, like a mother does with her children; rather, his mission is to bring us back into a relationship with God the Father. We are broken children who need to hear the good news.

However, Jesus goes on to warn both the crowd and us against greed, because our lives cannot be controlled by our possessions. When we live our lives according to what and how much we own, we allow ourselves to be in a state of discontent and disharmony with ourselves and with others. Possessions are wonderful when you have others to share them with. However, some people hoard their possessions and always have to buy the latest version of [whatever “it” is] they want, especially in the technology world. We see it every time Apple comes out with a new iPhone or iPad. People stand in lines for hours, even if their current iPhone or iPad works just fine, so they can have the “latest and greatest.”

Jesus tells the crowd a parable about a rich farmer whose crop comes in better than he expected, so he decides to tear down his barns to build bigger ones. This way, he will be able to store his whole crop and live out his days in the lap of luxury (Luke 12:17-19). And why not? The rich farmer has put in his time, his hard work, and his resources, and now he can relax, eat, drink, and be merry. People should be able to enjoy the benefits of their hard work, right?

That is what the world tells us, yet God expects more of us. Possessions are not all there is to life. God says to the rich farmer, “You fool! If you die tonight, who will enjoy the crop you have saved for yourself?” (Luke 12:20). When you die, you cannot take any of the stuff – [whatever “it” is] – with you. All of our stuff belongs in the world, even the stuff God gives us, because everything we need is already in heaven.

[Whatever “it” is] we save and collect does not make us rich according to God (Luke 12:21). We do not impress God with how well we save our [whatever “it” is]. God calls us to be humble communities that share the gifts and talents he gives us with the world, even with those who do not know him. We are called to embody his forgiveness, love, and grace and to share it with those in our communities and those beyond our communities. God gives us what we need to take care of each other and ourselves – not to hoard it. What God gives each of us belongs to the community, not to just one individual.

I admit I have a lot of clothes, especially dresses, and maybe bit of a hoarder. I do make it a point to go through my closest every six months and donate the clothes I no longer wear. A few of my friends are around the same size as me, and I will give them the items that I think they would enjoy.

Living according to God’s will involves sharing the blessings he gives us with the whole community. Blessings are not for one individual alone but for everyone in the community.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the humble communities which we are a part of. Help us to share the blessings you entrust us with others in our communities. Remind us to be humble citizens of the world so that we can go out and share the good news of your blessings. Thank you for the many blessings you give us. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant located here.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. How are you greedy?

2. How do you share the blessings God entrusts you with?

Readings

Hosea 1:2-10

Psalm 85

Colossians 2:1-19

Luke 11:1-13

Devotion

Peace be with you!

I have been travelling alone for over half of my life, and I have very specific ways to pack and get around. Before I even buy my airfare, I always make sure I have people to help me with eating and other care. My last trip was a bit last minute, and the friend who planned on helping me most of the time ended up having to be out of town. So a few days before I left, I was freaking out and emailing anyone and everyone who I thought was still in the St. Paul area where I attended Luther Seminary. Patricia Lull, who served as Dean of Students when I was at seminary and is now a dear friend, reminded me that God always provides. Did she forget I lost twenty-five pounds my first year of seminary because my personal caregivers did not show up half the time? Did she forget I have to eat to function? It is an incredibly vulnerable feeling to be constantly dependent on someone for your very sustenance.

The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). It seems like a simple task to most of us: bow your head, thank the Lord, and ask for [whatever “it” is] you need. But how many of you really pray when you need something? We think others’ needs are more important, or we only pray when it is something major.

Jesus gives the disciples a quick “Praying 101” crash course. Jesus says, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial” (Luke 11:2-4 NRSV). Most of us know these words as the Lord’s Prayer, and we say them every week at church. On the Working Preacher website, Dr. David Lose argues this prayer should be called the Disciples’ Prayer. He points out it is a communal prayer – give us and forgive us … as we forgive others. Jesus teaches his disciples to call upon God the Father on the behalf of the community. Praying as and for the community is how Jesus instructs his disciples and us to pray every day. The community comes before the self – you serve your neighbor before yourself.

Jesus demonstrates the power of prayer through a parable: a man has an unexpected guest late one night and has to go wake his neighbor for some food (Luke 11:5-6). His neighbor does not want to get up and wake the children, but he does so to serve his neighbor (Luke 11:7-8). By today’s standards, waking your neighbor for food seems outrageous. However, in biblical times, neighbors helped each other out to keep others from being disgraced. Members of the community took care of each other for the well being of the whole. The neighbor comes before the self.

As a result, prayer invites us into relationships with others in the community and invites us into a relationship with the Triune God. When you pray for and with others, at some basic level you have to know who your neighbor is and what is going on in their lives. This past Sunday a friend had a pastor and a group of us pray over her for healing as she faces back surgery in a few days. It is a scary time for her and for us as we fear the worst and pray for the best. We did the one thing we could do as a community: PRAY to the Triune God and put our trust in him.

Jesus goes on to say:

Ask, and it will be given you;

search, and you will find;

knock, and the door will be opened for you.

For everyone who asks receives,

and everyone who searches finds,

and for everyone who knocks,

the door will be opened.  (Luke 11:9-10 NRSV).

These words strike me with such awe and wisdom. I am finding it difficult to explain their deep meaning: God grants us anything we ask, search, or long for. Others try to meet our needs, but God does it so much grander and with such a meaningful purpose because it all a part of his plan.

I thought I was going to St. Paul to learn and discuss evangelism (which I did at the Rethinking Evangelism conference), but God had other plans for me as well. God was probably laughing as I was worrying about finding people to help me and thinking, “Oh, Erin, my sweet child, you talk with your friend almost everyday. You really do not need to hang out with her for five days. I will give you one night with her, but I really need you to meet with a few others who need to hear about my healing powers. They need to hear your healing story and they need help to look within themselves to see how my healing powers are already at work in them.” I am pretty sure if God replied to my panic email, that would have been his reply. I found myself talking about healing with everyone with whom I shared a meal. One friend needed to hear my story of how and when I accepted my disability, while another friend needed to discuss how one moves on after being divorced. Even during the conference, I talked about healing during the breakout sessions, because evangelism involves us listening to others’ stories and sharing the good news with them, including reminding them that God’s healing power is already working within them.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for teaching us to pray. Help us to come to you with our needs and desires in prayer as a community. Guide us to share our stories with others, to listen to their stories, and to share your good news. Thank you for the power of prayer and the good news. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. When do you pray? Do you invite others to pray with you? Do you pray quietly by yourself?

2. What do to you pray for?

Readings

Amos 8:1-12

Psalm 52

Colossians 1:15-28

Luke 10:38-42

Devotion

Peace be with you!

In the wake of the George Zimmerman trial, there have been protests and blogs posts defending both sides of the argument. Social media sites have been hosts to the debates too. Although, I don’t plan to settle the debate in this space, what I would like to do is to ask two questions: 1) How are we being sincere neighbors to each other? and 2) How are we being good hosts and guests in this debate? These questions are unnerving for me to answer, especially when it is a debate that opens old wounds of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement as well as personal experiences of race tensions. For me, the Zimmerman verdict debate underlines how far we have to go to come to healthy relationships between races in the United States.

Last week Jesus expanded our neighborhoods to include anyone we meet in our lifetimes. The Samaritan was the caring neighbor to the dying man; the priest and the Levite were afraid of being made unclean by coming into contact with a dead man (fearing being separated from the Lord). We all have fears stopping us from being good neighbors to the person next to us. We do not know what fears Mr. Zimmerman had that night he ran into Trayvon Martin. Unfortunately, killing of an unarmed teenager happened in the Deep South where Jim Crow laws and slavery beliefs are still hung onto. Why did Zimmerman feel threatened by Martin? What happened in Zimmerman’s past that led him to assume Martin was up to no good?  Was he attacked by an African American in the past? Have we given Zimmerman a chance to tell whole side of his story? For those of you who agree with the not guilty verdict, are you a parent? Do you feel Martin’s parents’ pain for having to bury their teenage son? How safe do you feel tonight sending your child outside? Are we truly listening to each other? Are we being neighborly to one another?

Today’s gospel reading shows us what happens when we get distracted. Jesus visits Mary and Martha in their home on his way to Jerusalem. Martha is stressing out in the kitchen preparing the meal, while Mary is sits with Jesus, listening to what he has to say (Luke 10:39-40). Martha becomes frustrated with being left to prepare the whole meal by herself when Mary could and should be helping her. She asks Jesus to send Mary into the kitchen to help her (Luke 10:40).

Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NRSV). I wish we knew Jesus’ tone – relaxed and comforting as if to say, “I will finish making dinner. Come relax with us, Martha,” or stern and short as if to say, “I am here to visit both of you; chill out and come relax.” No matter what the tone, Jesus’ point comes through: come visit with me and join the conversation.

We have all been in Martha’s place at one part in our lives. It could have been a family gathering, a fundraiser, a school event, a wedding, or [whatever “it” is] where you are responsible to show people a good time or teach them something. With all the distractions,responsibilities, and pressures of the event, we miss what is happening. Martha is missing the most important part of the visit: being able to have a conversation with Jesus.

No one can discredit Martha from being hospitable. Martha enjoyed being in the kitchen and cooking meals and baking goodies. Just last week during the weekly Tuesday nights Church and Social Media Tweetchat (#chsocm), we were discussing what social media platforms different Biblical characters would have used. I image Martha would have used Pinterest to pin recipes daily to share with her followers. Cooking is what Martha enjoyed doing, but with Jesus she was probably going overboard and needed an extra set of hands.

Jesus tries to get the point across that there is more to hospitality than preparing meals and having a clean home. Part of hospitality is spending time with your guests and being in conversation with one another. There is always something we can learn from the other person.

Whether or not Zimmerman racially profiled Martin, the Florida law let him be found “not guilty” based on the “stand your ground” laws. These laws do not require individuals to wait for the police to arrive and defend them if they feel threatened. For those of us who disagree with the verdict, it is hard to understand and accept the jury’s decision. Many of those belonging to the African American community feel frightened by the implications of the verdict. We should not discount their feelings; however, the true issue is how we go forward to make safe communities for all individuals, especially for minorities and younger generations.

This case opens up conversations about the “stand your ground” laws and racial profiling done by civilians. These conversations are important for us to have so that all Americans feel protected. We should view the Zimmerman verdict of “not guilty” as an invitation to have these conversations. It means both sides need to show hospitality to the other, so all arguments will be heard. Listening to one another is the more important aspect of being in community with each other.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Mary and Martha showing us how to be hospitable to others. Help us to invite individuals into our communities and to create safe communities. Guide us as we have difficult conversations within our communities. Slow our reaction times as you guide us to listen to one another. Remind us we are all invited through Jesus Christ to enter the Kingdom of God. Thank you for inviting us into your Kingdom. Amen.

Works Cited

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below.  Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.)  You can answer as many questions as you would like. 

1. How do you show hospitality to others on a daily basis?

2. How will you join the conversation in your community?