Scripture: Isaiah 61.1-2
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…

Guided prayers and meditations are a common part of Christian spiritual practice. Return to this prayer through the day or over the weekend, as it will be a different experience based on your mood and surroundings. — John

 Reflection: Kingdom Manifestation :: A Guided Prayer
By John Tillman

Today we read the passage that was the subject of Christ’s first sermon in Nazareth, and a passage in Matthew that reads like the fruit that proves the truth of Christ’s claim that Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled.

Pray the first verse, understanding that Christ sent us the Holy Spirit, telling his disciples that we would do greater things than he did…

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners

The Holy Spirit can guide you to manifest the kingdom in your world as Jesus did.

The paralyzed are given control of their limbs…
Ask the Spirit to help you move something someone can’t move on their own.

The sinful are forgiven…The unclean are accepted…
Ask the Spirit to help you to show kindness and acceptance to those who are accustomed to being shunned.

The outcasts are welcomed…
Look for opportunities to tangibly help and aid those who are rejected, oppressed, accused, and dehumanized.

The unobservant are invited…
Ask for wisdom to speak kindly to those with no regard for faith. May the Holy Spirit make you winsome and help you listen to understand instead of to argue.

The sick, the blind, and mute are made whole. The dead are raised to life.
Address your prayer to the sickness of sin in your own heart. There is a kind of sin-sickness that we nurse and maintain. Pray that it be healed.
Ask for your eyes to be opened as your blindness is revealed.
Ask to be raised to new life.

Christ’s compassion for the great needs of the community led him to pray.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Ask God to make you the answer to this prayer. You are called to make manifest the kingdom of God.

Pray God will use you in healing the infectious, in redeeming the lost causes, and in hospitality to the thieves crucified beside you. May your risk reap a great harvest for the kingdom.

Prayer: A Reading
In his honor Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus said to them in reply, “It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the upright, but sinners to repentance.” — Luke 5.29-32

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 61 (Listen – 2:23)
Matthew 9 (Listen – 4:09)

This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah 62 (Listen – 2:09) Matthew 10 (Listen – 5:07)
Isaiah 63 (Listen – 3:25) Matthew 11 (Listen – 4:06)

Additional Reading
Read More about Christmas is Upside Down :: Epiphany
Christ’s first expository sermon revealed his identity, proclaimed his destiny, and was also the occasion of the first attempt to violently take his life as an adult.

Read More about Radical Outreach to Outcasts :: Epiphany
The backlash that Jesus experienced in response to his Nazareth sermon was sudden and violent. One second they are talking about how well Jesus spoke, and the next they are shoving him toward a precipice, attempting to take his life.

Scripture: Matthew 8.26
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

Historically terrible decisions are often motivated by fear. Fear is the tool by which dictators gain and keep power. Dietrich Bonhoeffer preached this sermon in 1933 Berlin during a fearful time in Germany—right before Hitler seized power. It was only the beginning of a storm that would not soon end. — John

 Reflection: Fear in the Boat :: Throwback Thursday
By Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

Fear is in the boat, in Germany, in our own lives and in the nave of this church—naked fear of an hour from now, of tomorrow and the day after. That is why we become apathetic, why we complain, why we intoxicate ourselves with this and that.

But look here, right in the middle of this fearful world is a place that is meant for all time, which has a peculiar task that the world doesn’t understand. It keeps calling over and over but always anew, in the same tone, the same thing: Fear is overcome; don’t be afraid. In the world you are frightened. But be comforted; I have conquered the world!

Christ is in the boat!

And this place, where this kind of talk is heard and should be heard, is the pulpit of the church. From this pulpit the living Christ himself wants to speak, “You of little faith, why are you so fearful? I am in the boat.”

But the other side of the coin is also true. When Christ is in the boat, a storm always comes up. No one has to go through so much anxiety and fear as do Christians. But this does not surprise us, since Christ is the Crucified One, and there is no way to life for a Christian without being crucified.

So we will suffer and make our way through together with Christ, looking always to him who is with us in the boat and can soon stand up and rebuke the sea, so that it becomes calm.

Dear brothers and sisters, what do we know about what Christ can do and wants to do for us, this very evening, if we will only call upon him as we should, if we call out, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” That was fear all right, but it was faith in the midst of fear, because it knew where help comes from, the only place.

They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” We can well understand their amazement.

What sort of person is this on whom fear has no effect, who overcomes the fear in human life and takes away its power? By asking this question, we are already on our knees before him, praying to him, pointing to him, the wonder worker, and saying, This is God! Amen.

*Condensed for length. From The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Prayer: The Greeting
You are my hiding-place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. — Psalm 32.8

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 60 (Listen – 3:55)
Matthew 8 (Listen – 4:09)

Additional Reading
Read More about The Wrong Fear
Fear has made Americans Christians a paranoid and unpredictable group. Liable to believe fake news, liable to vote for candidates and support policies that two decades ago would have been inconceivable, and liable to turn on each other.

Read More about Joy Through Surrender
When this surrender overrides your fear, your pride in the self-made life, and the anger you have because of old wounds, joy abounds.

Scripture: Matthew 7.1, 16
Do not judge, or you too will be judged…
By their fruit you will recognize them…

 Reflection: Judging Our Hearts
By John Tillman

The most often quoted portion of Matthew’s seventh chapter is probably it’s first three words: “Do not judge.” Most people stop there.

If they continued, they’d realize that Jesus spends the rest of the chapter telling us different ways to judge and the methods to do so.

Jesus gives us the most specific instructions in the section on identifying false prophets. False prophets outwardly look like they belong. Jesus refers to their disguise as sheep’s clothing that conceals an inward nature that is a violent and ferocious wolf. How are we to see through the deception?

To explain this, Jesus switches metaphors to trees and fruit. But he does not focus on fruit that doesn’t match the tree, such as getting olives from a fig tree. That discussion is in James regarding the unnatural way that our tongue blesses God, yet curses humans made by God. It is more relevant to Monday’s post, Killing with our Hearts.

Jesus, instead, shows that fruit cannot come from a plant whose inner nature is not to produce fruit. He connects the nature of the fruit to the inner nature of the tree. If the tree is sickened at its heart, the fruit will be sickened as well.

The theme of inner life affecting outward life shows up again as Jesus gives us a window of discernment into people’s inner lives. But Jesus gives us another step that precedes that—we are to first judge ourselves.

Many people have attempted to interpret verses 1-6 to mean that no one can or should judge them, and interpret verses 15-20 as their blessing to judge others. But the parable about the speck and the log is not a command to leave people alone and not judge them, it is instead a step-by-step instruction of how to judge them.

We are unequivocally commanded to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. We must, however, follow the prerequisite step of removing the log from our own. Christ’s command assumes that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can achieve both tasks.

When it comes to judging, others and ourselves, it is wise to remember another oft skimmed over verse from this passage: “In the same way you judge others, you will be judged.”

May we judge rightly, guided by the Holy Spirit. And by his mercy and grace, we be judged in the same way.

Prayer: The Request for Presence
O Lord, I call to you; my Rock, do not be deaf to my cry; lest, if you do not hear me, I become like those who go down to the Pit. — Psalm 28.1

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 59 (Listen – 3:54)
Matthew 7 (Listen – 3:31)

Additional Reading
Read More about Philemon’s Speck and Our Log
Better that we remove the log in our own eye rather than seek to remove the speck from the eye of some deceased writer in another age.

Read More about The Churches Christ Attends
In Christ there is radical, loving confrontation and a passionate pursuit of reconciliation all wrapped up together. This is a mixture that our culture can’t stomach—we prefer excoriation to redemption.

Scripture: Matthew 6.19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 Reflection: Where Our Hearts Are
By John Tillman

If our hearts are where our treasure is, our hearts may well be in our devices.

The cost of technology is high when measured simply in the money paid for devices and the data-services required for them to function. But the costs are even higher when measured by the amount of time we spend on them.

From 2015 to 2017 that time increased by 20% to five hours a day. But the cost is even more staggering when you add the opportunity cost of what a person could have accomplished in that time.

Despite so-called time-saving technology, we aren’t being relationally or spiritually productive with our time. In an article for The Atlantic on distracted parenting, Erika Christakis notes, today’s parents have more time with their children than any parents in history, but their physical presence does not achieve greater emotional connection, partly due to the distraction of devices.

According to Christakis, “Our society may be reaching peak criticism of digital devices.” But despite developing awareness of damage, demand for devices continues to rise and prices soar. We claim to hate our phones, yet are certainly willing to spend more and more money on them.

If parents have more opportunities to connect with their children and are missing them, is it any wonder that we have more opportunity than ever to seek God’s heart through the scripture, but our hearts restlessly seek appeasement elsewhere.

If we are too distracted to pay attention to relationships with people we can see and touch, how much more at risk must be our relationship with God who must be worshiped in spirit?

Our devices can be tools to lead us to God’s heart, not away from it. This ministry’s mission believes in that. But there is danger.

The companies that make our devices are invested in our distraction. One of the most valuable resources on the planet is eyeballs on screens, and ever-increasing click-thru rates. The most profitable, most powerful companies in the world maximize their profits by more effectively diverting our time into their ecosystem of products.

No matter how distracted we become, and no matter how often we misplace our hearts—serving gods of mammon, fashion, and culture—God won’t forget us. He stands ready for us to return to him.

We must prayerfully, and carefully navigate the tension of distractions that our devices can bring. May God’s Spirit help us to do so.

Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
I hate those who have a divided heart, but your law do I love. — Psalm 119.113

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 58 (Listen – 3:09)
Matthew 6 (Listen – 4:35)

Additional Reading
Read More about sustaining ourselves in God’s Word: Take and Eat
It is through daily meditation that we carry the word of God with us—breaking down the whole into discrete parts which can be processed into our thinking and habits.

Read More about Sacred Presence
Perpetual technological engagement necessarily moves people away from community.

Scripture: Matthew 5.21-22
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, “Raca,” is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Reflection: Killing With our Hearts
By John Tillman

Some of the most popular sayings of Jesus are here in Matthew’s fifth chapter. So are many of the most ignored sayings of Jesus.

Christ’s words about how murder begins with inner violence, adultery begins with inner lust, and divorce is not only adultery, but a victimization of the vulnerable party are as shockingly harsh to modern ears as they would have been to the original audience.

When Christ goes into further detail about marriage in Matthew 19, his teaching about the unbreakable nature of the physical and spiritual bond of a man and woman in marriage was so extreme that his disciples despaired, saying to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

Even then, males seemed to fear commitment.

As much as we might be amused by a zinger at the expense of commitment-phobic men, all Christians are commitment-phobic about Christ’s teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.

“Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?” — Søren Kierkegaard

With Kierkegaard’s words in mind, let’s just focus on Christ’s first topic—murder. But more specifically murdering someone in your heart and with your words.

“I do not kill with my gun…I kill with my heart.” — The Gunslinger’s Creed, Stephen King, The Dark Tower Series.

Stephen King’s fictional Gunslingers understand Christ’s teaching about murder in a deeper way than some Christians.

We rush to soften Christ’s teaching about violent thoughts and words because we are unwilling to let go of them. We love calling opponents “libtards” or “deplorables” and if we are too classy to use those names, we call them idiots, or stupid, or brainless. And even if we don’t use these terms, we too often like them, share them, or comment with support.

According to Jesus, this places us in danger of the fire of Hell.

“It’s just name calling. Is it that important?” I think so.

Naming things is Adam’s first specific God-given job. Name calling is intended to be a holy and powerful affirmation. When we use it to dehumanize someone, we are taking humanity’s first ordained task and weaponizing it against our brothers and sisters.

May we commit to no more name calling. And may God have mercy on us when we fail.

Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Let my mouth be full of your praise and your glory all the day long. Do not cast me off in my old age; forsake me not when my strength fails. — Psalm 71.8-9

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 57 (Listen – 3:37)
Matthew 5 (Listen – 6:03)

Additional Reading
Read More about Choosing Gentleness Over Violence
We cannot continue posting and liking things that are resentful, quarrelsome, and the opposite of gentle, yet expect to represent Christ and the Gospel in the world.

Read More about Awe and Devotion
Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.