Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Sabbath, Study, Serve Taking the Sermon Into Our Week Scripture of the Week: Luke 9: 51-62 From the Sermon: Jesus continues to move on towards Jerusalem and his heart set on the ___________. Like the disciples traveling with Jesus, those along the road who wanted to become Jesus’s disciples didn’t fully understand what the Kingdom and being a __________ is all about. The excuses those along the road gave were: 1. 2. 3. Jesus was trying to do was set this man free from his perceived ___________, the obligations that culture and society had put on him, and instead give him a new ____________ to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The third man’s excuses was actually from the root of a lack of ________. Now are any of these things bad? Of course not. But they can also easily become _____________________ that cause people to walk away from the mission. Reflection: What are the excuses that we give to not follow Christ? How are salvation and discipleship related for you? Prayer: Lord, when we examine our hearts and lives we recognize that we, too, have excuses. We, too, have things that can quickly become stumbling blocks to following you whole-heartedly. They may be attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, or actions, but we bring them before you this day in an attitude of confession and ask that you transform them in our lives. Amen.

Transfiguration - Luke 9: 28-45

       The question that the Gospel of Luke invites us to ask this week is: Who is Jesus? For if we do not know the who, then there is no way we can even begin to grasp the how, because it is by the power of Jesus alone as the Messiah that the things we read about take place.

     But what is interesting in this particular scripture passage is that even when you know the who, it doesn't mean you understand everything else. Time and time again, Peter is seen missing the point in the midst of these two chapters. Yet, he still continues to follow Jesus.

     In contrast, Jesus states that not everyone will be a follower of Jesus. They don't understand the who so they are unable to follow him in the first place.

     The point of being a disciple of Jesus Christ isn't having all the right answers or understanding everything - no one can do that. Instead, being a follower of Jesus comes from recognizing who he is and being willing to follow him out into the world for the sake of the Kingdom.

Reblog from 02/ 2020.

Transfiguration Devo - Lule 9: 28-45

 February 21st, 2021

Devotional

“Transfiguration” - Luke 9: 28-45

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Pray” - Luke 9: 28

If I had to sum up this particular section of scripture I would call it “adventures in missing the point”. First, Jesus and his disciples are on their way from one village to the next when Jesus asks a question, “Who do people say that I am?” In other words, I know that people have been talking about me - what have you heard. And the disciples start to list-off what people had been saying from town to town. You’re Elijah! You’re John the Baptist! You’re one of the prophets! But then Jesus turned the question from what they heard to what they believe - “who do you say that I am?”

             Maybe the rest of the disciples were silent, but Peter always eager to please just had the words “You are the Messiah!” Burst out of him!

And at first glance, Peter is absolutely right. Jesus is the Messiah sent by God to be a fulfillment of the convent promise made to Israel. Peter got the correct answer to who Jesus is, but he didn’t understand what it meant to be called the Messiah, the Christ. 

Peter expected that the Messiah was who was going to come and restore Israel through military intervention. He was looking for the Messiah to be a conquering military hero. But that wasn’t God’s definition of restoration. Instead, Jesus came to restore people to the Kingdom of God, not through military conquest, but my sacraficial love. 

Which is exactly what Jesus goes on to say to his disciples - that the Son of Man will undergo suffering, that he will be rejected, and be killed, before rising again in three days. And Peter, the same Peter who just moments before had claimed that Jesus was the Messiah, started to rebuke him. Surly this isn’t true Jesus! Surely you don’t understand what you are saying. And now after this message they’ve received, they are off with Jesus praying. 

How would you answer the question, “who is Jesus?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we often are like the disciples. We do not fully understand. We miss the point. We think the way that we see things is the only way that they can be. Yet, you invite us to a new, fuller way of understanding in you. Transform us, we pray. 

Tuesday: “Changed” - Luke 9: 29-35

One would think that Peter would have learned his lesson, but a mere six days later he again finds himself in a situation where he misses the point. 

Peter has been on this roller coaster of a ride since Jesus called him and now he is hiking up a mountain, having no idea what to expect. And how could have any of the disciples expected this? In a split moment they saw Jesus shining before them talking with Moses and Elijah, the pillars of the Hebrew faith. Not only are they seeing this unexplainable sight, but they heard the voice of God. They…heard…the…voice….of…God. Excluding the prophets in the Old Testament, not many people could claim to have heard God since the patriarchs.

Peter knew that this was huge. We have to give him credit for that. But then, he seemed to just miss the point, by suggesting to erect three dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. And then they had to come back down the mountain, as Jesus told them not to tell anyone what they had seen. 

Tell of a mountain top experience in your life. How did you experience God in that moment?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we are overwhelmed by moments with you. Times when it seems like heaven meets earth and we experience your love in a new way. May those moments continue to propel us in our journey with you, as we come back down the mountain, we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Three Dwellings” - Luke 9: 33-36

What is so ironic about Peter’s zeal about commemorating the moment is that he totally missed what God told him to do. God’s message to the disciples in this story wasn’t anything radically new - this is my son; listen to him. Instead of absorbing the moment and taking it in for all that it was worth he got busy. We have a tendency to be like Peter as well at times. Instead of listening to Jesus we set out to do things for Jesus, instead of simply asking Jesus if this is in fact what he wants us to do. We get caught in this trap both as individuals and as churches. We want to do the next big thing for the Lord, when really if we would simply listen, Jesus is calling us to do something else completely. 

  The epistles of Peter tells us that while this wasn’t a long experience,  not even lasting a whole day, that it was seared in the disciples memories. Peter was impacted enough to write about what happened to him on the mountain. Listen to the words Peter wrote again. “We had been eye witnesses to his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We OURSELVES HEARD this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.” Peter had experienced God in such a way that it impacted his world. 

In what ways do we distract ourselves from the call of God?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we are so overwhelmed by your glory that we don’t know what to do with ourselves. We get so caught up in the busyness that we miss your call upon our lives. Give us hearts to listen, we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Back Down” - Luke 9: 37-42

Once again, we too miss the point from time to time do we not? We’ve all had mountain top experiences in our life of faith. Pause for a moment and think about a time when you undoubtedly knew that you were in the presence of God. We each have a unique story that tells of how God has interacted with and blessed up. Those moments when you feel engulfed by the total presence of glory. But how many times like Peter do we want to memorialize the moment, just sitting in God’s glory, instead of using that to fuel our journeys. 

Jesus had told his disciples what is to come. He had told them that he was to suffer and die. But they wanted to sit there, in an experience that seemed much more pleasant, then go out and face what is to come. This divine moment of realization in the transfiguration wasn’t the point in and of itself. It was simply a stop on the journey to continue to fuel the disciples to go forward. 

  Peter shows us in this piece of scripture that we can both be right and wrong at the exact same time. That we can say all the right words with our lips, but our hearts don’t fully understand. Or we can think we understand, but our hearts aren’t in the right place at all.

Tell of a time you would have rather stayed on the mountain top instead of coming back down. 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that when we miss the point you invite us to try again. You keep calling us. Keep using us. Even when we don’t fully understand. Thank you for the gifts onto of the mountain, and coming back down, Lord Jesus. Amen. 

Friday: “Healed” - Luke 9: 43-54

If the disciples had stayed up on the mountain, showering adoration on Christ, they would have missed what happens next in the gospel of Luke, the healing of the son. As Christians we sometimes get so caught up in what we believe to be the act of worship that we forget that we live a life of worship. We need to come down off the mountain and do two things

We need to share our mountain top experiences with other people. Christ told the disciples not to share what they had experienced of what they had seen. Until now. We serve a risen God. God created us each to respond to stories. One of the biggest honors you can be awarded is to share your life story with someone. Go. Share. Tell people how you know God exists because of how he has acted in YOUR life. Sometimes, your story won’t be the one people respond to, because stories touch us each in different ways, but they should still be shared, because you never know if your story will be the one to impact someone’s life.

We also need to use our mountain top experiences to full our faith for service. There are going to be times when it is hard to serve God and follow where he is calling. Times when we feel deflated, abused, and misunderstood. In those times we need to look back to our mountain top experiences to remember that God loves us in a personal way and is calling us to serve him in a special way. Looking back to the mountain and remembering gives us the strength and courage to move forward in faith.

How do your mountain top experiences propel you forward?

Prayer: Lord, we love to tell the story. The story of how you changed us. How you love us. Teach us to tell the story of how you are with us everyday, Lord Jesus, no matter what. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “Jesus Turns to Jerusalem” - Luke 9:51-62

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

 Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Luke 9: 28-45

From the Sermon:

___________ are places were powerful things happened in scripture.

While Jesus was ______________ his appearance changed and Moses and Elijah appeared to talk with them.

A cloud came over them and a voice came out of the cloud saying, “This is my _____; the Chosen; _____________________!”

We have big, holy days in the church - Easter, Christmas Eve, Pentecost, but we also have ___________________.

f we only tell the __________________________ - then we miss recognizing that Jesus is with us in the everydayness, and yes, even the valleys as well. I

Reflection Questions:

Who is Jesus?

If we keep looking telling the stories of spiritual heights, will people start to think that it isn’t normal when they don’t have those experiences all the time too? 

If we only look for the exciting moments, will we miss the call to reach out to love our neighbor?

Why were the disciples on the mountain?

Prayer:

Lord, we confess that we have not always been faithful in seeking you in the every day. We sometimes elevate special moments with you in our lives, often at the expense of telling the story of how you are with us every day. Forgive us, O Lord. Let us seek after you always. Amen. 

“Forgiven at Jesus’ Feet” - Luke 7: 36-50

    I have thrown many a dinner party in my day. Part of my supervised ministry setting in seminary was creating liturgy around elaborate meals that folks traveled to the retreat center to have. 

     But the best dinner parties were the messy ones. The ones with kids running around. People passing platters around cramped tables and laughter echoing everywhere. 

    I found that when I would get caught up in making everything perfect, it rarely was. I may have all of the details, but I would often get caught up there instead of being a gracious host. One who treated people with love and hospitality.'

    Sometimes we can live our daily lives like this, can we not? We can get so caught up in the details that we cease being a gracious host. Either to other people put along our path to love or even to Jesus, being a gracious host for the Spirit dwelling in our hearts. 

    We need to set aside what perfection looks like and instead embrace what it actually means to love in the messes of life. To love others. To love Jesus. And to love like Jesus. 

Forgiven at Jesus' Feet Devo - Luke 7: 36-50

 February 14th, 2021

Devotional

“Forgiven at Jesus’ Feet” - Luke 7: 36-50

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Reissue from 4/2019

Monday: “A Woman” - Luke 7: 36-37

  In the first few verses from the passage in Luke we meet an unlikely guest at the Pharisees house. The gospel writer describes her as “a woman who lived a sinful life”. This is the last person that you expect to be at the home of a Pharisee. You have to wonder how she even got into the home. She had to have known that the Pharisees looked down upon her and considered her to be unclean. She was not allowed to be at the table with them, and could have probably been stoned for even entering. Yet, she made it through the door of the home and knelt before Jesus.

 The woman had to know the hight cost of coming uninvited into this house, yet she risked it all to do so anyway. Why? Because the reward was greater. The reward of being redeemed and seen differently in the eyes of God than of her neighbor. 

  How are we called to risk it all for God today? 

Prayer: God, we thank you for the example of this humble woman who risked everything to come before Jesus in this way. May we, too, risk it all for the sake of holding high the name of Jesus and his Kingdom. Amen.

Tuesday: “Weeping” -Luke 7: 38

 As the woman knelt at the feet of Christ she began to weep. When I imagine this scene, I see a woman so broken by her sin that she is lamenting her very presence before the Lord. She knows that she is not worthy to be before the Messiah, but she feels indebted to him. The tears are a mixture of shame, guilt, and pain. But they are also a sign of joy. That she knows that she has been forgiven from all that she bears. 

 So we have this weeping woman who is risking her very life by being in a home that she should not be in. She has made herself completely vulnerable to Jesus by kneeling and crying before him. And then she takes down her hair and whip his feet, kissing them. 

 All too often, as we have removed ourselves 21 centuries from this scene, we get a mixed up image of what the washing of feet actually looked like. Yes, people generally washed their feet when they entered a home, but they usually did this for themselves. Once in a while a person of high status would have a servant whip their feet, but it would be someone of the same gender. This woman has broken all of the cultural rules as to how a woman should approach a man. This woman is intimately showing her love for Christ. 

 How do we show our love for Christ today?

Prayer: Lord, we confess that often we may say we love you, but we don’t always show it with our actions. In fact, at times, we do not even know how to begin to show it. Show us the way of love, dear Lord, and stir our hearts so we cannot help but respond. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Debt” - Luke 7: 39-43

 At this point the Pharisee standing off to the side had to have been in shock. A sinner has touched Jesus in an intimate way and has expressed love to him by offering this lavish, expensive gift. Why isn’t Jesus saying something to reprimand this woman?

 In Jesus’ style, he responds by telling the Pharisee a parable of two men owing two different sized debts. One man was behind paying about 50 days worth of wages, but the other was behind 500 days worth of wages. Both couldn’t pay back the moneylender, but he canceled both of their debts. While both would have expressed gratitude the one with the larger debt would have been elated. Especially considering what would have happened if the moneylender wouldn’t had been forgiving; they would have been in debtors prison until they could pay off the debt. The chances of the person who owed 500 denarii ever getting out did not look good.

 What debts has Christ paid for you?

Prayer: Lord, we stand before you acknowledging that we, too, are debtors in need of forgiveness. Our debt is one that we could never pay on our own, so you offered to do it in our place on the cross. Thank you, Precious Lord, for giving it all for our sake. Amen. 

Thursday: “Do You See?” - Luke 7: 44-46

   At this point you can just imagine Jesus turning towards the woman still drying his feet and acknowledging her debt, but also praising her for having enough strength for being in the presence of her very brokenness. Her love for Christ consumed her to act in ways that put her life at the mercy of Christ and all of the rest of the people in the room. She was truly grateful for the gift of being in Jesus’ presence. And there stood the Pharisee dumbstruck.

 I think this woman’s faith was best expressed not in her strong self-sufficient power, but her utter brokenness before Christ. When is the last time you were vulnerable before Christ? 

 It takes brokenness to heal brokenness. Ponder that statement for a few seconds. It took the broken body of Christ to heal us of our sins. But even on a very human level, we connect and can positively impact the lives of people who are struggling with things that we have struggled with. When we are working towards being healed, we offer hope to someone who only sees tears of frustration and pain. We offer much needed in sights to the people who are trying to hide from the tears by not acknowledging that anything is even wrong. But even knowing that it takes the broken to heal the broken, all too often we adopt the stance that we can make it on our own.We may sing songs and pay lip service to being set free from our chains of our wrecked lives, but sometimes we don’t really know what it feels like to be recreated by God because we want to be in control of our own lives.

  Do you find it easy to readily come before Christ broken? Why or why not?

Prayer: Lord, may we turn to you, both in our joy and sorrow. May we come to you, when we feel broken and when we feel whole. May we come to you for grace and healing and leave, as the woman did so long ago, a new person by your love. Amen.

Friday: “Forgiven” - Luke 7: 47-50

  The cost of following Christ is giving up complete control to him. It is the hardest price that humans can pay – being vulnerable. We have been hurt so many times by other people and disappointed that we don’t want to give control to the Creator. And with every inch of our lives that we reclaim we are blocking God from turning our ashes into beauty. We fear that he will change us and we won’t like who we have become.

 We need to actually acknowledge our brokenness, as the woman did. God knows that we are broken already. He knows us intimately. And as the Christian community we know cognitively that we all are broken in one way or another. Yet, because we do not acknowledge our struggles with one another because of pride we are hindering each other and creating this feeling that we are alone in our sin. Hiding that does not make us righteous. When we acknowledge our sin with one another and to God we are letting it go and emptying ourselves so we can be filled with the things God wants for us.

 We need to claim who we are in the eyes of Christ. There was no doubt in the woman mind from Luke’s gospel story today that God was madly in love with her as he forgave her of all of her sins, even when others labeled her as “a woman who lived a sinful life”. We need to open up our eyes and hearts and see as God sees, see the beauty in the ashes.

 How do we struggle, as Simon did, to see people through the eyes of God?

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we do not see people as you see them. Sometimes we let the labels of the world define us, instead of your love. Forgive us, O Lord, and let us first and foremost see ourselves and others as your beloved children, we pray. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to study and pray through next week’s text: “Transfiguration” - Luke 9:28-45

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Luke 7: 36-50

From the Sermon:

The truth is, that we take Biblical accounts that appear in the different gospels and ____________________________ in our mind to the point where we can’t tell one part from the other.

Simon is looking on and says within his own ____________________ that there is no way that Jesus is really a prophet like everyone was saying.

Jesus surprised Simon by able to spot and name what he was saying in the secret places of _______________________.

Jesus connected that _____ with the sin of those before him and the ___________ that God offers, before telling the woman to go, for her faith had saved her.

People prided themselves on being a good __________.

Because this woman was offered forgiveness, she showed ________________.

Reflection Questions:

What would Jesus see if he looked into your heart today?

What did you discover this week reading this text?

Prayer:

Lord, we confess that we put more stock in how others see us then what you find in the innermost places of our hearts. Forgive us, O Lord, and examine us again we pray. Transform us with your forgiveness and your love. Amen. 

“Are you the one?” - Luke 7: 18-35

      One of the ways that I live into my call is serving as a spiritual director. Every month I sit with folks and ask them a version of "how is it with your soul?" or "how are you noticing God?" 

      There is power to this question, even with it being asked on a regular basis. People go throughout their month, looking at the events they experience through the lens of these questions. And because of that they often notice all sorts of different ways that the Spirit is active in their lives. 

      Questions are powerful. They invite us to new understanding and help us live into new possibilities. 

     What questions are important in your life?

Are You the One? Devo - Luke 7: 18-35

 February 7th, 2021

Devotional

“Are You the One?”

Luke 7: 18-35

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Go and Tell” - Luke 7: 18-23

  John the Baptist is in a jail cell and finds himself having an important question running though his mind- “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” In other words, are you the Messiah or did we get it wrong and need to wait for someone else?

Its not surprising that John has this question. Jesus isn’t acting or speaking like anyone imagined that the Messiah would. He isn’t a conquering military hero, he is a man going through the country side teaching folks and performing miracles.

Jesus sends John’s disciples back to him with an answer, but not a “yes” or “no” that he expected. Instead he said, go and tell John all that you have seen and heard. In other words testify to what is happening. 

We continue to testify today. I don’t know about you, but I find a lot more folks who are willing to hear the Good News when it is connected to stories of what I have seen, what I have witnessed. It shows that the Kingdom of God isn’t just about words, but actions that change hearts and lives. 

How are you testifying to what you have seen and heard?

Prayer: God, we thank you that you didn’t just give John a simple answer, but instead invited people to bear witness. May we continue to bear that witness as your disciples today, all for the glory of your Kingdom and name. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Look At” - Luke 7: 24-27

There is a big difference between someone who goes to an event and someone who is part of it. Someone who goes to a dance recital and someone who is on stage performing. Someone who attends a baseball game and those players on the field playing their hearts out. 

It’s true in the Kingdom of God as well. There is a big difference between going out to just observe what is happening and committing your life to being a part of it. Jesus is trying to point this out as he is asking the crowds why they went out the wilderness. Were they just going to look at someone? To hear the words of this prophet? Or were they going to have their lives upended and changed by having what was being preached touch their hearts?

Pastor Mike Slaughter was known for saying on more than one occasion that he was done playing church. For him that really mean that he was done messing around or just observing what was happening, but instead jumping both feet first into the truly transformative work of the Kingdom. Are we willing to join as well?

What is the difference between looking and participating when it comes to the Kingdom of God?

Prayer: Lord, we confess we really like the passivity of watching. We like the idea that we can come and observe without truly having to commit to being a part of the work of your Kingdom. Shake us up, O Lord. Call us again to the work at hand. And send us out we pray. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Greater and Least” - Luke 7: 28-30

I have to wonder if the crowds who gathered around Jesus that day, as they had gathered around John in the wilderness before, really understood what he was saying. Think about it - Jesus was both affirming that John was a great prophet, the greatest of those born of humans, but in the Kingdom of God he is the least. 

What is Jesus trying to say?

I think he was trying to say that yes, you went to hear someone great, but it can’t just be about listening. Because greater things are to come through the power of heaven with the Kingdom of God. John is great, but he pales in comparison of what is to come. 

Think of the greatest things that we can experience on this earth. Or the best person we could ever listen to. They still are pale in comparison to the greatness of our God!

How would you explain Jesus’s statement about John?

Prayer: Almighty God, forgive us for the times we have uplifted humans, even humans you have appointed, as the end all, be all. Open up our hearts to hear what you are trying to communicate through them, but our souls to respond for your Kingdom alone. Amen. 

Thursday: “Children” - Luke 7: 31-32

We started out the sermon this week talking about how kids are excellent at asking questions, especially “why?” And they trust people to give them answers and not lead them astray. They have a fascination and sense of wonder that undergirds their questions that we have too quickly lost as adults.

But children also can get in a place where they are insistent on their own way and reasoning. Jesus picks up on this with his example about the children not getting the responses they expected by their music playing and wailing. They simply could not understand.

Sometimes we will ask questions and still get answers that we do not understand. However, the adult response is not to cease asking questions, but instead be open to unexpected answers that reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God.

What are marks of mature faith?

Prayer: God of Grace, we thank you that there are things we do not understand, for it reminds us that your glory is beyond our human comprehension. Free us to embrace the mystery of your Kingdom, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “John vs. Son of Man” - Luke 7: 33-35

  Jesus’s concluding mark in this passage is a difficult one to hear. He points out that people looked down upon John because of his abstinence and condemned the Son of Man equally for his engagement. 

While it might have been hard for the crowd to hear, it was also fully true. People are fickle. And as wise as we may believe our judgment and standards are, Jesus points out just how faulty. For people failed to recognize both who the Son of Man and John the Baptist were.

We can let our own judgement get in the way as well. What could change if instead we prayed to have the eyes of Christ and a discerning spirit? What could God be trying to reveal to us?

When was a time that you misjudged someone? What did you learn from that particular experience?

Prayer: God, sometimes we pretend that we know all of the answers or have everything figured out. Forgive us, O Lord, and renew in us a sense of curiosity and wonder, replacing the judgment in our hearts. Amen. 

Sabbath. Study. Serve.

 Sabbath, Study, Serve 

Taking the Sermon Into Our Week 

Scripture of the Week: Luke 7: 18-35

From the Sermon:

Are you the one we have been ________________?

Jesus sent them back to ______________ - to testify to what Jesus had done.

Asking questions was an active part of ________.

This passage is a reminder for us that questions ______________.

Are you just coming to look or are you coming to be a part of this ________________________?

Reflection Questions:

How does the way we live our lives testify of Jesus?

How are questions and action related in your life?

What questions do you not want people to ask you?

Prayer:

Lord, for far too long we have avoided asking questions or letting others ask questions of us. Open our hearts to being examined through questions we pray. Amen. 

Raising the Widow’s Son - Luke 7: 1-17

     Luke 7 prolcaims in a powerful way the authority of Jesus. Jesus has authority over healing. Jesus has authority over death. Jesus has authority that is unlike any other. And yet, the people around him don't understand. They get the authority of Jesus confused with the authority of the world. 

     But so do we.

     Every time we say that we have earned something or we deserve something - we are confused. Every time we attach Jesus's name to our desires as a pronouncement - we are confused. Every time we use Jesus as a stamp of approval instead of seeking first his ways - we are confused. 

     When Jesus has true authority over our lives, it changes us. It changes everything. How do you experience the authority of Christ in your life?

Raising the Widow’s Son Devo - Luke 7: 1-17

 January 31st, 2020

Devotional

“Raising the Widow’s Son”

Luke 7: 1-17

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Jewish Elders” - Luke 7: 1-5

  Last week, we heard how Jesus was criticized for healing on the Sabbath. What lies in between that experience and this week’s text, was a time of powerful preaching. In the Gospel of Matthew this particular preaching is titled the Sermon on the Mount. But in Luke 6, it bears no such title. However, it contains a lot of the same content. Blessings and woes. Expanding upon what people had previously been taught about the law. And then ends with a striking question, Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?

It is almost as if Jesus knows what is coming next. For as he is entering into Capernaum, the Jewish elders come to ask him a favor. Their own way of calling “Lord, Lord” but only when it suits them. 

In this particular case, they are coming to Jesus to ask for healing on behalf of someone they thinks is worthy of it - a Roman centurion. They are earnest in their request, for he treats them better than most. But it is not lost on those reading through the Gospel, that this is in stark contrast to what has happened in the previous chapter. 

What do you think about the Jewish Elder’s request and reasoning?

Prayer: God, we confess that sometimes we start to place people into categories - those who we think are deserving of having their prayers answered and those who are not. Forgive us, O Lord, and teach us again what it means to be those who seek first your Kingdom. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Not Worthy” - Luke 7: 6-7

Today another contrast emerges. The Jewish Elders have presented their case about why Jesus should heal the servant of the centurion. He is even headed towards him. But as Jesus approaches the centurion send word that he is not worthy of having Jesus in his house. 

The elders had just said all the reasons he was worthy, and now here is the centurion claiming that he is not worthy to have Jesus in his house. 

The centurion goes on to say, that if Jesus only speaks, even from afar, the servant can be healed. 

The centurion has an honest assessment of the state of his heart. We are not told if he is a God-fearing man, but we are told that he believes in the healing power of Jesus. He knows that Jesus has might and power beyond his comprehension, so he simply lays his heart out before him. 

Unlike the Elders who cried “Lord, Lord” to get a favor, the centurion realized that he is not even worthy to call him Lord in the first place. 

Do you identify more with the Elders or the centurion? Why?

Prayer: Lord, look into our hearts, we pray. See the places where we let our pride block us from demanding on you. Search out ever corner of our lives, so we can be honest before you, O Lord. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Authority” - Luke 7: 8-10

If anyone truly understands authority, its the centurion. He commands armies. He knows what it is like to have people follow his every word. Yet his authority is pale in comparison to Jesus’s. For Jesus has authority even over illness. 

Sometimes we toss around the word authority, without truly understanding what it means. The dictionary defines it as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. In light of this definition, what does it mean to say that Christ has authority? He is truly Lord of our lives.

Not just when it is convient to cry “Lord, Lord” but even when it is hard. Even when we cannot fully understand. Christ is the one that we follow. Christ alone. 

What is an example of the authority Christ has in your life?

Prayer: Almighty God, you are the King of Glory and Lord of our lives. Let these not just be statements we absently make, but truths that we live into daily. Be our Lord, we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “Do Not Weep” - Luke 7: 11-13

If we were scoring Christ on compassionate care at this moment, he probably wouldn’t have done well by our human standards. A widow is grieving the loss of her son. She is crying tears of deep grief. She is probably worrying about where she will go now and who is going to take care of her now that her son, her only son is dead. Yet, Jesus comes up to her and says “do not weep.”

Now, personally, I would not advocate for you to go around telling folks this in their deepest moments of needs. When we tell people not try cry, it is more often then not about our own discomfort then truly consoling them.

But for Jesus these were words of deep compassion, because he knows what comes next. He knows that life will come out of grief. And he wants to offer it to this woman, right here and right now. 

When has Jesus transformed your grief for his glory?

Prayer: God of Grace, thank you for manifesting your divine compassion - both to the widow long ago and to us today. Open up our hearts to see what you are doing, Precious Lord. Amen. 

Friday: “Rise” - Luke 7: 14-17

  Often when you ask folks about the scriptures where Jesus brings someone back from the dead, this is not the one they tell. It’s usually Lazarus, who Jesus brings out of the tombs, death linens and all, even after the point when his body was beginning to smell. 

This story is not often told, but in many ways it is just as powerful. For here Jesus looks upon the widow with compassion and tells her son to “Rise”. It is one of the first places in the Gospels we see that death does not have the final word. 

When read alongside the story of the centurion, it tells just how much authority Jesus has. Jesus has authority not just over illnesses, but over life itself! 

Where are the places in your life where Jesus is inviting you to rise to new life?

Prayer: God, you are constantly creating and re-creating, calling forth new life. Call that forth in us, as well, we pray. Transform us anew! Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic to prepare for worship: “Are You the One?” - Luke 7:18-35