Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 21 & 66; Zechariah 8:9-17; Luke 23:56b-24:11; Romans 12:3-8
It’s always good for me to read some of the familiar passages “out of season” if you will. By this, I mean it’s instructive to read the Christmas story in July; or – as is the case with this week’s lectionary readings – the story of Jesus’ passion in November. I say this because when you read them out of season, you tend to pick up on different themes or angles than you would otherwise. Take the women’s discovery of the empty tomb in today’s passage from Luke. In season, it’s easy to read this solely within the context of the Jesus’ story and not extend its meaning into the context of our lives. Today when I read the story, it invited me to think about the ways in my own life that I do what the women did: look for the presence of Jesus only in the places I expect him to be. Today’s passage reminds me that Jesus doesn’t work that way. He is constantly breaks out of the boxes (tomb or otherwise) in which we try to place him. The next time you walk into a meeting at work, for instance, ask yourself: “Do I expect to encounter the spirit of Christ here?” The next time you sit in the stands at your child’s soccer game, ask yourself: “Do I expect to catch glimpse of Christ somewhere from these stands?” The next time you are anxiously standing in line at a grocery store with your cart, look around you as you ask yourself: “Where might the essence of Christ be embodied right now?” Today, give thanks that our experience of Jesus transcends not only our boxes - but our expectations as well. Til next time…
It’s always good for me to read some of the familiar passages “out of season” if you will. By this, I mean it’s instructive to read the Christmas story in July; or – as is the case with this week’s lectionary readings – the story of Jesus’ passion in November. I say this because when you read them out of season, you tend to pick up on different themes or angles than you would otherwise. Take the women’s discovery of the empty tomb in today’s passage from Luke. In season, it’s easy to read this solely within the context of the Jesus’ story and not extend its meaning into the context of our lives. Today when I read the story, it invited me to think about the ways in my own life that I do what the women did: look for the presence of Jesus only in the places I expect him to be. Today’s passage reminds me that Jesus doesn’t work that way. He is constantly breaks out of the boxes (tomb or otherwise) in which we try to place him. The next time you walk into a meeting at work, for instance, ask yourself: “Do I expect to encounter the spirit of Christ here?” The next time you sit in the stands at your child’s soccer game, ask yourself: “Do I expect to catch glimpse of Christ somewhere from these stands?” The next time you are anxiously standing in line at a grocery store with your cart, look around you as you ask yourself: “Where might the essence of Christ be embodied right now?” Today, give thanks that our experience of Jesus transcends not only our boxes - but our expectations as well. Til next time…
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