Epiphany 4 / Ordinary Time 4
Devotional
Water From the Rock
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle C
Object:
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said: "Is not this Joseph's son?"
-- Luke 4:22
There is something in us that is amazed at the gracious words of Christ in our lives. At the same time, we also want to reduce Christ to the practical knowledge of "what's in it for me?" We want Jesus to demonstrate his usefulness in our lives. We want Jesus to be a service provider rather than a prophet. That same consumer mentality surfaces in our relationship with the body of Christ. It is far more common to complain that the church has failed to meet my needs than it is to complain that I have failed to meet the needs of Christ in his body. As a congregation, it is easy for us to want to think about our survival as an organization rather than about our faithfulness as the body of Christ. How often do we survey our needs as an organization and find them in tension with a faith that calls us to serve those beyond us?
Unlike Jesus, the head of the church, we consider survival to be the first order of business and only then do we turn and consider our mission. Yet God keeps forcing us outside of ourselves. What is hard for us to accept is that we are healed by our becoming a channel through which the word of God is made plain. While there is no evidence that Jesus sought out the opportunity to suffer, he did not make the avoidance of suffering the primary purpose in his life. We are blessed by becoming a blessing. The Christian faith often asks for sacrifice at a time when we are demanding service. Our faith invites us to risk responding to the needs of others precisely at the time when we feel needy. To respond to such an invitation requires an act of faith. It is much easier for us to recall the human origin of the one who brings us the word of invitation: "Is not this Joseph's son?"
We say that the church is a business, and we cannot do any good if we go out of business. But then we pause and consider where we might be if Jesus had responded to the threat to his life in the same way.
-- Luke 4:22
There is something in us that is amazed at the gracious words of Christ in our lives. At the same time, we also want to reduce Christ to the practical knowledge of "what's in it for me?" We want Jesus to demonstrate his usefulness in our lives. We want Jesus to be a service provider rather than a prophet. That same consumer mentality surfaces in our relationship with the body of Christ. It is far more common to complain that the church has failed to meet my needs than it is to complain that I have failed to meet the needs of Christ in his body. As a congregation, it is easy for us to want to think about our survival as an organization rather than about our faithfulness as the body of Christ. How often do we survey our needs as an organization and find them in tension with a faith that calls us to serve those beyond us?
Unlike Jesus, the head of the church, we consider survival to be the first order of business and only then do we turn and consider our mission. Yet God keeps forcing us outside of ourselves. What is hard for us to accept is that we are healed by our becoming a channel through which the word of God is made plain. While there is no evidence that Jesus sought out the opportunity to suffer, he did not make the avoidance of suffering the primary purpose in his life. We are blessed by becoming a blessing. The Christian faith often asks for sacrifice at a time when we are demanding service. Our faith invites us to risk responding to the needs of others precisely at the time when we feel needy. To respond to such an invitation requires an act of faith. It is much easier for us to recall the human origin of the one who brings us the word of invitation: "Is not this Joseph's son?"
We say that the church is a business, and we cannot do any good if we go out of business. But then we pause and consider where we might be if Jesus had responded to the threat to his life in the same way.
