Calling All Seekers

Feb 20, 2022 To those who are open to hearing Jesus, he calls upon us to respond to any evil done to us in a way that feels at once both counter-cultural and dangerous to self-preservation. Why would we do good to those who would not do the same for us?  How can that bring about transformational change, not just in us, but in the very people to whom we offer forgiveness instead of judgement? What example does Joseph, son of Jacob, provide for living into such a life of reconciliation and hope in Genesis 45:3-11, 15? What is one thing, however small, that you could do to show that you are open to disrupting the destructive cycles of hate that consume so much of this world by treating someone who may have hurt you as an equally beloved child of the same God?

In three separate readings, Jeremiah 17:5-10, the first Psalm, and Luke 6:17-26, we hear words of healing, of blessing, and of warning. Jesus meets all who follow him for his Sermon on the Plain on a level playing field.  There are no favorites, and there is no one left out.  Even the healing Jesus provides is for all. When Jesus speaks of God's blessings and warnings to those gathered around him, is he providing practical advice?  Or is he speaking more to how God sees and responds with compassion to the suffering of our brothers and sisters, and what may become of us when we are called to do the same but turn inwards instead? How does Luke's Sermon on the Plain differ from Matthew's Sermon on the Mount?  What does Jeremiah and the Psalmist reveal about what types of actions bless and sustain us?

In both Isaiah 6:1-8 and Luke 5:1-11, we see both the prophet Isaiah and the apostle Peter being called by God to follow him. For both protagonists, they fear their own sinfulness, and they risk losing everything. What gives these two men the strength to follow God? Is there any place in your life where you hear God--mysteriously, gloriously--calling you?  What is he calling you to do?  What do you need from Him to be able to answer that call?

In the second lesson of the day in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Paul reminds the church in Corith them that no power, no gift is more meaningful than that of love. What kind of love is Paul describing in this letter?  How can we bear witness to this type of love in relationship to ourselves and others? If the audience to one of Jesus's first sermons in Luke 4:21:30 in his hometown of Nazareth had themselves been open to this kind of love, what kinds of feelings, besides rage, could they have had access to?

On this Second Sunday of Christmas, a group of magi in Matthew 2:1-12 are moved by the rising of a star to set out upon on a journey to pay homage to a newborn child. Who are these magi?  Why are they so moved? As we approach our own season of Epiphany, what mysteries will we come upon in our own lives that will motivate us to give of our own time and treasure?

The Psalmist cautions us against fretting about the intentions or actions of others in Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42. Fretting doesn’t just distract us from what’s important; it steals from us the energy we need to be part of the world around us. What are some of the tools that Christ has given us to let go of the need to fret and to turn ourselves outward in love once again?

When Jesus gives his Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:17-26, it is easy for us to retroactively interpret these blessings and woes so as to receive the former and evade the latter. But as we listen more intently to Jesus’s words and the very meaning of blessedness, we are all challenged to not presume a state of ease and comfort as we await the Kingdom of God. What does it mean to you to be blessed? Is it something that is earned, or is freely given? Something that is reserved for the few, or is open to all willing to receive?

As we witness the beginning of Peter’s transformation from fisherman to disciple in Luke 5:1-11, we are called to put ourselves in Peter’s place to ask the question: If Jesus were to appear to us today, would we be willing to leave our lives as we know them behind? What would we lose? What would we gain? If you had to ask God for the strength to leave your world behind, both the good and the bad, what would that look like? In what ways may God have already prepared us for this challenge?

If Jesus is willing in Luke 4:21-30 to openly challenge his own hometown’s sense of comfort and belonging through the use of Scripture, what does that mean for all of us as we both struggle with our own sense of identity and witness God’s grace spilling outside all predefined boundaries of human community? If we were to listen, what would Jesus as truth-teller be telling us right now?

After Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah in Luke 4:14-21 and declares the fulfillment of this Scripture, are we as surprised as his fellow Nazarenes to hear this Good News? What are some of the ways in which the poor, the blind and the oppressed, in body and in spirit, still feel excluded from the continual Jubilee to which Jesus has invited us all?  How can we re-extend that invitation to renewal?

As we can clearly hear the words of a mother dutifully directing her son to save a wedding celebration in John 2:1-11, you are called to bear witness to the extravagance of joy, hope and love that Jesus pours out for all of us.  What is Jesus directing us to do in response?

As we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in Luke 3:15-17, 21-22, we long for signs from God that are as direct and as powerful. You are asked to examine more closely some of the truly most miraculous aspects of Jesus’s baptism, and to explore how God may be trying to connect with and speak to you in your everyday life.

In our celebration of the Epiphany, as captured in Matthew 2:1-12, you are invited to reflect upon just how powerful a force it must have been that pulled three Magi to travel to, worship and bestow gifts upon a child they had never met.  And you are challenged to ask yourself what epiphanies are happening in and around you that are calling you to see God made manifest in Christ Jesus. As an exercise for you, pick a word that speaks to you and that centers you in Christ.  Choose to meditate on that word and see how its deeper meaning draws you closer to God.