Devotional - March 9, 2022
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
An audio recording of last Sunday's service can be found on our website: https://www.citrusspringscongregational.org
Bible Study at 10 am. on Wednesday
Choir practice Friday at 11:00 am.
Luke 17: 20-37
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”
37 “Where, Lord?” they asked.
He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”
As we begin, we need to address the context of the verse above. It immediately follows the lesson about the ten lepers where only one returned to offer thanks; the one being a Samaritan (Luke 17: 11-19). Do you understand the significance of the transition? The topic changes, but the flow of reasoning used by Luke is important to understand. He uses the encounter with the lepers as background for the discussion concerning the coming of the Kingdom of God. Many miss the significance of how the Gospel is written, and in so doing, miss the Gospel. What you read in today's text is what you often experience in our society. People want to know when the Kingdom of God is coming and when it will replace what we have now. They care little about what is going on, most wanting to escape our current situation, and think that they are shoo-ins for the Kingdom to come. They never stop and think, why would God want them in the Kingdom to come, when they live such self-centered lives on earth. Jesus heals ten lepers and nine keep going thinking they somehow deserved to be healed. They never considered their healing was due to the love and grace of Another. Somehow, I think you may know how that feels. Like I said before, I do not think their response angered Jesus as much as it proved His point about society. Many want the coming of the Kingdom because it serves their agenda, their needs. Well, verses 30-33, speak to one's self-centered philosophy. Granted, I am not proposing a life where you give everything away, responsible living is Godly living, but being greedy (even ideologically) and self centered is an issue. Our gifts and talents are given for the greater good. The Pharisees thought the Kingdom of God was coming for them and no one else. Jesus rebuts their theology saying, it is not to come, it is already here. And it was there in Jesus who served all and welcomed all, because the Kingdom of God was open to all. It does not belong to the few who think it is only for them. It belongs to God and God will decide who is in and who is not. Jesus makes it clear that the Kingdom is not for everyone. It is interesting that Jesus warns them against desiring things left behind; their desire to keep their world intact (Mark 2: 21-22). Being able to keep yourself grounded while allowing your core ideals to be challenged takes faith. Jesus teaches the listeners that His teachings on the Kingdom of God are not hidden in secret code or only found in one particular place. Like lightning that spreads across the ski lighting up everything in it's path, Jesus' teachings are readily available to everyone. It is not just to be found "here" or "there" (v. 21) or in another claiming to be Him (v 23).
In the spirit of Lent, take some time to consider the Kingdom of God, what it means, and what it means for you to be therein. Make that question a prayer and listen and watch for God's response...
Pray with me ...Gracious and All-wise God, we know that You know our hopes and dreams. Often, we confess, they become our world, our obsession. They are not built on faith as much as they are built on our wants, and not our needs. Help us to truly understand the kind of love that You teach. Be with our loved ones, bless them according to their needs. Lord, hear us as we pray for peace in our world. Bless our church, so we can continue to be the blessing You call us to be, in Jesus name, Amen.
God's peace,
Pastor Brian
