From: asimpledesire.wordpress.com, emu.edu, biblegateway.com, thirdway.com:
Daily Readings and Devotionals:
A Sip of Scripture
Daily Scripture:
Proclaim
At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose."
Reference: Luke 4: 42-43
Luke 4:42-43 (New King James Version)
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
**************************************************************
Glimpses of God's Hand
Carol Honderich invites you to study the lives of women of the Bible with her in a twice-monthly column.
Glimpses of God's Hand
Reflections on God's hand at work in the lives of women of the Bible
Sharing a Tent With Sarah
Genesis 11:27 Genesis 23
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Genesis 17:15-16.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
The first mention of Sarah in the Bible (Genesis 11:29-30) tells us two things: she was Abraham’s wife and she was “childless because she was not able to conceive.” Sarah’s struggle with infertility is not the only such story in the Bible. Rachel, Hannah, Ruth and Elizabeth all shared this difficult situation. In Bible times the inability to conceive was considered the problem and weakness of the woman. Without a way to continue her family line, the barren woman lived in a tenuous state. We can only imagine the disappointment, sense of failure, frustration and grief that Sarah would have experienced, month after month, year upon year, not being able to conceive a child.
At the age of 65, Sarah was still a woman of great beauty. Her loveliness opened doors in difficult situations, smoothed the way, and created opportunities for Abraham as they traveled to the land God told them to inhabit. Sarah left her homeland and family to follow her 75-year-old husband to this land of God’s promise, where God said he would create a great nation with Abraham’s offspring, and with the assurance that Abraham would become a channel of blessing to all nations of the world. Throughout the chapters of Genesis, God repeated his promises to Abraham, that he would be the father of a great nation, and Abraham believed – but what about Sarah?
Sarah watched Abraham build monuments in each sacred place where God had spoken to him. Surely, Sarah wanted to believe God’s promises, too, but the land God gave them was already occupied, and the family God promised could not come from her barren body. How difficult it must have been for Sarah to hear Abraham talk of his encounters with God and of God’s plans for them, and yet not see the fulfillment of it.
Sarah longed to be part of God’s plan, too, but now in her 70s, there was still no child. Finally, Sarah thought she understood what her role needed to be in helping God fulfill his promises to Abraham. When her own body failed her, Sarah turned to her servant girl Hagar, and offered Hagar to Abraham as the solution to Sarah’s infertility. And Abraham said yes.
In her tent, I imagine Sarah weeping after entrusting Hagar to Abraham. I imagine tears of frustration at her barrenness and her age, mixed with tears of hope for the future, and tears of fear at the possible outcome of this proposition. Sarah saw this as her only way for a child, her only hope to realize God’s promise of a family for them. If Sarah thought she could accept this method of resolving her childless state, how much more bitter were her tears after Hagar conceived Abraham’s child, and then turned against Sarah? Hagar’s pregnancy confirmed two things for Sarah – that Hagar was able to conceive when Sarah could not, and that the relationship of mistress and servant would never be the same.
In her tent, Sarah held this bitter cup of betrayal – betrayed by her own body; betrayed by Hagar, her own servant girl; by her husband who now loved this wild boy of Hagar’s womb; and betrayed by God whose promises had not come. And from her tent, she watched as three strangers approached. She watched as the old man Abraham rushed to greet them and offer hospitality, and heard them mock her barrenness even as she prepared a meal for them. Yes, she laughed. She was 89 years old, and they now promised a child by this time next year, a son from her own body. She laughed at the pain of it, at the ridiculousness of it. Of course she laughed.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Posted 1/29/2011 7:00:00 AM
**************************************************************
Related Blog
A Simple Desire
The weblog "a simple desire" provides brief commentaries on "A Sip of Scripture" from a Mennonite perspective, The commentaries are written by Carole Boshart, of Oregon; Will Fitzgerald, of Michigan; and others on occasion.
Short commentary on “A Sip of Scripture” from Third Way Cafe
For this purpose sent
leave a comment »
“At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” ( Luke 4: 42-43 )
Jesus was hit. The people came to him bringing the ill and possessed, and Jesus healed them. Naturally they wanted him to stay. As I read stories and accounts of current missionaries, I hear about the successes, and the warm welcome and sense of belonging that has developed between them and the people they serve. But these missionaries move on.
It didn’t use to be that way. Missionaries back in my childhood settled in a place and were there for most of their lives. But at some point I imagine they stopped being symbolizes of a “different way” and became simply neighbors and friends. Proclaiming “the good news of the kingdom of God” does not mean settling down and establishing roots in the community.
The good news is alive and active, and it is not limited to one place or completed in one telling. Just as good news in our secular world travels, so does the good news of God. And the tellers of the good news travel too. Lest you think missional reader that means you must move your home or move on from your current place of employment, let me hasten to say it is not so. What it does means is that you cannot tell just one person or a small group of people, and then done. No, as you travel to new and different places in your live, you take the good news with you. And those who come to faith through encounters with you spread the news to others. The word of God and gospel of salvation is ever on the move, as the Spirit is always on the move. For that is the Holy Spirit’s purpose.
May you missional reader be but one stop on the traveling Spirit that is our Lord. Selah!
Written by Carole
February 6, 2011 at 12:18 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Website
Soul Space
You are invited to take some time each day for "Soul Space," written by Wendy Miller and posted on the Eastern Mennonite University website. Each day's guidance centers around a theme for reflection and prayer drawn from the lectionary readings for the week.
Morning- Week Four
Opening the day with prayer.
As darkness fades and dawn awakens
Lord, give me the joy of your saving help
And sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
In the tender light of morning
Help me as I pray.
In the name of Jesus, bright and morning star. Amen.
Morning by morning God wakens–
wakens my ear
to listen
as those who are taught. Isaiah 50:5
Coming
Loving God,
Bringing light—epiphany–
Awaken my soul.
Open my eyes to see,
Help me to hear
Jesus among and within us.
Amen
Silence
Be still.
Open your awareness to God’s presence
Within and all around.
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Being With- Epiphany Week 5
Season of Epiphany: Week Five
We are on retreat, along with the early disciples, and Jesus. He is taking us beyond the reach of the Mosaic Law and its traditions, into the realm of fulfillment–the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven. We may struggle with this word righteousness, because it may conjure up religious rigidity, and more rules to obey. It may also conjure up a goal which is impossible to reach. Before we tune Jesus out, we are invited to stay and listen, and in time to know what he means when he says that our righteousness is to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).
First of all he assures us that although he deeply respects the law, there is something more that is needed. He has come to fulfill the intent and meaning of the law. The scribes and the Pharisees sought to preserve and teach the Mosaic law and its traditions with utmost strictness. But as Jesus observes them, he sees more deeply: they teach the law but do not keep it themselves. They fail to tend the soul. Hence his emphasis on both teaching the law and doing it. What we teach we are to practice. This is righteousness: the integration of what we know and teach with what we do in action.
Before we rush into anxious doing, Jesus’ earlier words bring further light on our life path: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3)
All of our trying, our working, our doing, does not make us righteous. As we shall discover as we stay on this mountain retreat with Jesus, he will probe more deeply into the realm of our inner kingdom, the heart. And he will reveal what is there. Knowing and accepting what is there is part of this journey of listening and following. Coming up short in our ability to be perfect is part of this journey. Knowing that Jesus came, not to call the righteous, but sinners, is also indelibly written into the path we will walk as we follow.
Gradually we discover that being poor and disabled in spirit is the dwelling place of God – the doorway into God’s gracious realm.
It is this joining together, this integration of knowing, this deep and vulnerable knowing and doing which transforms who we are and how we are present in the world. We become salt of the earth: flavor in a dull, flat world; cleansing and preserving in a selfish and fragmented society. We also become the light of the world. Our actions—our good works—speak a language of their own which people see and hear, and in time recognize that our lives are the way they are because we belong to God’s family. Here God is brought into the picture which people watch on the screen of this world. We become a living visual – a vast difference from a hour of TV programs, or from virtual reality. Now the kingdom of heaven is happening in full sight. A glimpse of God’s goodness and greater righteousnss shining through our vulnerable obedience!
Prayer before reading:
Lord Jesus Christ,
You come to us.
Help me to see as you see,
To recognize your presence,
And your call
To follow you.
Guide me, us as I learn to walk in your way.
Read slowly. Listen deeply. Indwell the scripture.
Scripture Guide:
Season of Epiphany: Week Five
» 1/31 Monday: Matthew 5:13-16
» 2/1 Tuesday: Matthew 5:17-20
» 2/2 Wednesday: Psalm 112:1-10
» 2/3 Thursday: Isaiah 58:1-12
» 2/4 Friday: I Corinthians 2:1-16
» 2/5 Saturday: Matthew 5:13-16
» 2/6 Sunday: Matthew 5:17-20
Evening- Week Four
Closing the day with gratefulness.
It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;
To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning
And of your faithfulness in the night season.
Psalm 92:1,2
As I come to the end of this day,
For what am I thankful?
How have I known God’s faithfulness this day?
What do bring to God . . .?
For confession . . .
For forgiveness . . .
For help . . .
For God’s holding.
Reading
The psalm for this week’s lectionary readings.
Silence
Closing Prayer
Living God,
In you there is no darkness;
Shed upon us through this night the light of your forgiveness,
Your healing and your peace.
Cover us with the blanket of your protection.
When we wake from sleep
May we know once more the light of your presence,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
Daily Readings and Devotionals:
A Sip of Scripture
Daily Scripture:
Proclaim
At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, "I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose."
Reference: Luke 4: 42-43
Luke 4:42-43 (New King James Version)
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
**************************************************************
Glimpses of God's Hand
Carol Honderich invites you to study the lives of women of the Bible with her in a twice-monthly column.
Glimpses of God's Hand
Reflections on God's hand at work in the lives of women of the Bible
Sharing a Tent With Sarah
Genesis 11:27 Genesis 23
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Genesis 17:15-16.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
The first mention of Sarah in the Bible (Genesis 11:29-30) tells us two things: she was Abraham’s wife and she was “childless because she was not able to conceive.” Sarah’s struggle with infertility is not the only such story in the Bible. Rachel, Hannah, Ruth and Elizabeth all shared this difficult situation. In Bible times the inability to conceive was considered the problem and weakness of the woman. Without a way to continue her family line, the barren woman lived in a tenuous state. We can only imagine the disappointment, sense of failure, frustration and grief that Sarah would have experienced, month after month, year upon year, not being able to conceive a child.
At the age of 65, Sarah was still a woman of great beauty. Her loveliness opened doors in difficult situations, smoothed the way, and created opportunities for Abraham as they traveled to the land God told them to inhabit. Sarah left her homeland and family to follow her 75-year-old husband to this land of God’s promise, where God said he would create a great nation with Abraham’s offspring, and with the assurance that Abraham would become a channel of blessing to all nations of the world. Throughout the chapters of Genesis, God repeated his promises to Abraham, that he would be the father of a great nation, and Abraham believed – but what about Sarah?
Sarah watched Abraham build monuments in each sacred place where God had spoken to him. Surely, Sarah wanted to believe God’s promises, too, but the land God gave them was already occupied, and the family God promised could not come from her barren body. How difficult it must have been for Sarah to hear Abraham talk of his encounters with God and of God’s plans for them, and yet not see the fulfillment of it.
Sarah longed to be part of God’s plan, too, but now in her 70s, there was still no child. Finally, Sarah thought she understood what her role needed to be in helping God fulfill his promises to Abraham. When her own body failed her, Sarah turned to her servant girl Hagar, and offered Hagar to Abraham as the solution to Sarah’s infertility. And Abraham said yes.
In her tent, I imagine Sarah weeping after entrusting Hagar to Abraham. I imagine tears of frustration at her barrenness and her age, mixed with tears of hope for the future, and tears of fear at the possible outcome of this proposition. Sarah saw this as her only way for a child, her only hope to realize God’s promise of a family for them. If Sarah thought she could accept this method of resolving her childless state, how much more bitter were her tears after Hagar conceived Abraham’s child, and then turned against Sarah? Hagar’s pregnancy confirmed two things for Sarah – that Hagar was able to conceive when Sarah could not, and that the relationship of mistress and servant would never be the same.
In her tent, Sarah held this bitter cup of betrayal – betrayed by her own body; betrayed by Hagar, her own servant girl; by her husband who now loved this wild boy of Hagar’s womb; and betrayed by God whose promises had not come. And from her tent, she watched as three strangers approached. She watched as the old man Abraham rushed to greet them and offer hospitality, and heard them mock her barrenness even as she prepared a meal for them. Yes, she laughed. She was 89 years old, and they now promised a child by this time next year, a son from her own body. She laughed at the pain of it, at the ridiculousness of it. Of course she laughed.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Posted 1/29/2011 7:00:00 AM
**************************************************************
Related Blog
A Simple Desire
The weblog "a simple desire" provides brief commentaries on "A Sip of Scripture" from a Mennonite perspective, The commentaries are written by Carole Boshart, of Oregon; Will Fitzgerald, of Michigan; and others on occasion.
Short commentary on “A Sip of Scripture” from Third Way Cafe
For this purpose sent
leave a comment »
“At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” ( Luke 4: 42-43 )
Jesus was hit. The people came to him bringing the ill and possessed, and Jesus healed them. Naturally they wanted him to stay. As I read stories and accounts of current missionaries, I hear about the successes, and the warm welcome and sense of belonging that has developed between them and the people they serve. But these missionaries move on.
It didn’t use to be that way. Missionaries back in my childhood settled in a place and were there for most of their lives. But at some point I imagine they stopped being symbolizes of a “different way” and became simply neighbors and friends. Proclaiming “the good news of the kingdom of God” does not mean settling down and establishing roots in the community.
The good news is alive and active, and it is not limited to one place or completed in one telling. Just as good news in our secular world travels, so does the good news of God. And the tellers of the good news travel too. Lest you think missional reader that means you must move your home or move on from your current place of employment, let me hasten to say it is not so. What it does means is that you cannot tell just one person or a small group of people, and then done. No, as you travel to new and different places in your live, you take the good news with you. And those who come to faith through encounters with you spread the news to others. The word of God and gospel of salvation is ever on the move, as the Spirit is always on the move. For that is the Holy Spirit’s purpose.
May you missional reader be but one stop on the traveling Spirit that is our Lord. Selah!
Written by Carole
February 6, 2011 at 12:18 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Website
Soul Space
You are invited to take some time each day for "Soul Space," written by Wendy Miller and posted on the Eastern Mennonite University website. Each day's guidance centers around a theme for reflection and prayer drawn from the lectionary readings for the week.
Morning- Week Four
Opening the day with prayer.
As darkness fades and dawn awakens
Lord, give me the joy of your saving help
And sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
In the tender light of morning
Help me as I pray.
In the name of Jesus, bright and morning star. Amen.
Morning by morning God wakens–
wakens my ear
to listen
as those who are taught. Isaiah 50:5
Coming
Loving God,
Bringing light—epiphany–
Awaken my soul.
Open my eyes to see,
Help me to hear
Jesus among and within us.
Amen
Silence
Be still.
Open your awareness to God’s presence
Within and all around.
“Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Being With- Epiphany Week 5
Season of Epiphany: Week Five
We are on retreat, along with the early disciples, and Jesus. He is taking us beyond the reach of the Mosaic Law and its traditions, into the realm of fulfillment–the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven. We may struggle with this word righteousness, because it may conjure up religious rigidity, and more rules to obey. It may also conjure up a goal which is impossible to reach. Before we tune Jesus out, we are invited to stay and listen, and in time to know what he means when he says that our righteousness is to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).
First of all he assures us that although he deeply respects the law, there is something more that is needed. He has come to fulfill the intent and meaning of the law. The scribes and the Pharisees sought to preserve and teach the Mosaic law and its traditions with utmost strictness. But as Jesus observes them, he sees more deeply: they teach the law but do not keep it themselves. They fail to tend the soul. Hence his emphasis on both teaching the law and doing it. What we teach we are to practice. This is righteousness: the integration of what we know and teach with what we do in action.
Before we rush into anxious doing, Jesus’ earlier words bring further light on our life path: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3)
All of our trying, our working, our doing, does not make us righteous. As we shall discover as we stay on this mountain retreat with Jesus, he will probe more deeply into the realm of our inner kingdom, the heart. And he will reveal what is there. Knowing and accepting what is there is part of this journey of listening and following. Coming up short in our ability to be perfect is part of this journey. Knowing that Jesus came, not to call the righteous, but sinners, is also indelibly written into the path we will walk as we follow.
Gradually we discover that being poor and disabled in spirit is the dwelling place of God – the doorway into God’s gracious realm.
It is this joining together, this integration of knowing, this deep and vulnerable knowing and doing which transforms who we are and how we are present in the world. We become salt of the earth: flavor in a dull, flat world; cleansing and preserving in a selfish and fragmented society. We also become the light of the world. Our actions—our good works—speak a language of their own which people see and hear, and in time recognize that our lives are the way they are because we belong to God’s family. Here God is brought into the picture which people watch on the screen of this world. We become a living visual – a vast difference from a hour of TV programs, or from virtual reality. Now the kingdom of heaven is happening in full sight. A glimpse of God’s goodness and greater righteousnss shining through our vulnerable obedience!
Prayer before reading:
Lord Jesus Christ,
You come to us.
Help me to see as you see,
To recognize your presence,
And your call
To follow you.
Guide me, us as I learn to walk in your way.
Read slowly. Listen deeply. Indwell the scripture.
Scripture Guide:
Season of Epiphany: Week Five
» 1/31 Monday: Matthew 5:13-16
» 2/1 Tuesday: Matthew 5:17-20
» 2/2 Wednesday: Psalm 112:1-10
» 2/3 Thursday: Isaiah 58:1-12
» 2/4 Friday: I Corinthians 2:1-16
» 2/5 Saturday: Matthew 5:13-16
» 2/6 Sunday: Matthew 5:17-20
Evening- Week Four
Closing the day with gratefulness.
It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;
To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning
And of your faithfulness in the night season.
Psalm 92:1,2
As I come to the end of this day,
For what am I thankful?
How have I known God’s faithfulness this day?
What do bring to God . . .?
For confession . . .
For forgiveness . . .
For help . . .
For God’s holding.
Reading
The psalm for this week’s lectionary readings.
Silence
Closing Prayer
Living God,
In you there is no darkness;
Shed upon us through this night the light of your forgiveness,
Your healing and your peace.
Cover us with the blanket of your protection.
When we wake from sleep
May we know once more the light of your presence,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen.
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