Tag: Luke

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The Context of The Widow’s Mite

Links for today’s readings:

May 29  Read: Zechariah 11 Listen: (2:40) Read: Luke 20 Listen: (5:07)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

May 30  Read: Zechariah 12-13.1 Listen: (2:30) Read: Luke 21 Listen: (4:18)
May 31  Read: Zechariah 13.2-9 Listen: (1:40) Read: Luke 22 Listen: (7:58)

Scripture Focus: Luke 20.47; 21.2-4, 6

They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely…
He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.””…
As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”..

Reflection: The Context of The Widow’s Mite

By John Tillman

Many lessons about the widow’s mite focus on how beautiful her faith is. 

The widow’s faith is beautiful because it is centered on God, not on an institution that is corrupted by sinful leadership. Her gift is beautiful because it shows how deep her faith goes—all the way down to her last pennies. Her gift is beautiful because it shows where her treasure truly lies.

We should praise the widow’s faith, as Jesus did, but taken in context, this scripture has more to say about unscrupulous religious leaders than about generous poor people. It tells us that judgment is coming on leaders who take advantage of the poor. 

In Luke and in Mark, the widow enters in the middle of a scene where Christ is confronting the religious leaders’ materialism and hypocrisy and, just afterward, tells his disciples that the Temple they value so much will be torn down and destroyed.

Luke includes the detail that Jesus “looked up” and saw the widow’s deed in the midst of his teaching. The words just off of his lips are ones of judgment on religious leaders who “devour widows’ houses.” When Jesus points out the widow, he is showing us that his meaning is not metaphorical. The widow’s story gives us someone to emulate in faith, but also points out someone we should serve with action.

Scripture doesn’t tell us what happened to the widow. Some propose that God would miraculously provide for her. If forced to conjecture, I pray that one of Christ’s disciples, being as concerned about the destruction of the widow’s life as about the destruction of the Temple, would take her in. Often miracles are simply disciples taking practical action. (I like to imagine that perhaps it was Mark.)

The bright light of the widow’s faith shines within the darkness of hypocrisy and abuse. What does the Spirit of Christ speak to you in the light of her faith? 

Are we like the religious leaders? Are we projecting piety while living extravagantly?

Are we like the rich? Are we giving because it looks good or until we feel good?

Are we like the disciples? Are we over-impressed with wealth and success, equating it with God’s favor?

Can we learn to live like the widow? Are we able to live in faith, despite our systematic victimization, despite our poverty, and despite the existence of corruption?

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

I have said to the Lord, “You are my God; listen, O Lord, to my supplication. — Psalm 140.6

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Vulnerable Quartet

The “quartet of the vulnerable” is a term for those vulnerable to harm, particularly in the Bible: the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, and the poor.

Vulnerable Quartet
Read more: Poverty, Policy, and Posture

The biblical causes of poverty are many. The biblical response to poverty is not. God expects compassion and action on behalf of the poor.

Poverty, Policy, and Posture
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Thanksgiving Stirs God’s Heart

Links for today’s readings:

May 14  Read: Zephaniah 1 Listen: (3:09) Read: Luke 5 Listen: (5:04)

Scripture Focus: Luke 5.8

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

Reflection: Thanksgiving Stirs God’s Heart

By John Tillman

When Simon (not yet called Peter) saw what Christ had done for him and his partners, he skipped right over being thankful to being fearful. “Go away from me! I’m not worthy. I don’t understand! You don’t know how sinful I am!”

Simon didn’t yet understand the heart of Jesus. He didn’t understand that he came for the sinful, that he was seeking that which was lost, and that Simon himself would be changed and would become, Peter, the rock. 

But whatever happened in this moment, he was changed enough at heart to follow when Jesus asked. This passage from Luke resounds with thankfulness from those touched by Christ. 

Richard Foster writes in his book Prayer, that seeing the heart of God is the key that opens the door to thankfulness in our hearts.

“If we could only see the heart of the Father, we would be drawn into praise and thanksgiving more often. It is easy for us to think that God is so majestic and so highly exalted that our adoration makes no difference to him. To be sure, the self-sufficiency of God is a precious doctrine, but we should always remember that words of Saint Augustine: “God thirsts to be thirsted after.”

Our God is not made of stone. His heart is the most sensitive and tender of all. No act goes unnoticed, no matter how insignificant or small. A cup of cold water is enough to put tears in the eyes of God.”

Foster goes on to list many who, with simple acts of thanksgiving, touched the heart of Christ. When we act in thanksgiving, acknowledging the gifts of God’s Spirit to us, it connects us to Christ and marks us as his children carrying on his work in this world. Foster continues:

“And what about us? Dare we hold back? It brings joy to the heart of God when we grip that pierced hand and say simply and profoundly, “Thank you, bless you, praise you.!””

And if we cannot grasp his hand in thankfulness (Luke 5.12-13), we can grasp the hand of our enemies in love.
And if we cannot provide him a place to lay his head (Luke 10.38), we can work that others might have one.
And if we cannot anoint his head and feet (John 12:2-3), we can anoint those who suffer in this world.
And if we cannot weep on his feet (Luke 7.37-38; 44-47), we can weep with those who weep.

For what we do to the least of these, we do unto Him (Matthew 25.40).

And what we would do for One, by His power, we may do for all.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting

My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge; you are worthy of praise. — Psalm 18.2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Paul’s Example of Thankfulness

Who has come alongside you during difficult times? Who has helped shape you into the follower of Christ that you are today?

Paul’s Example of Thankfulness
Read more: A Psalm for Thanksgiving

Everywhere nature sings to God…The days slow down, giving our souls the chance to join creation in a shout of joy.

A Psalm for Thanksgiving
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The Sound of Glory — Love of Advent

Links for today’s readings:

Dec 23  Read: 2 Chronicles 27-28 Listen: (6:27) Read:  Psalms 137-138 Listen: (2:13)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 138:1-5

1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple

    and will praise your name

    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,

for you have so exalted your solemn decree

    that it surpasses your fame.

3 When I called, you answered me;

    you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,

    when they hear what you have decreed.

5 May they sing of the ways of the Lord,

    for the glory of the Lord is great.

Luke 2:13-14

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Reflection: The Sound of Glory — Love of Advent

By Jon Polk

The first piece to feature the chorus in George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is the bold and declarative “And the Glory of the Lord.” Here, as he does nearly twenty times in his masterwork, Handel sets to music words from the prophecy of Isaiah, specifically from chapter 40 verse 5.

And the glory, the glory of the Lord

Shall be revealed

And all flesh shall see it together

What exactly is God’s glory? It is a difficult concept to grasp. C.S. Lewis wrestled with the idea in his book, The Weight of Glory. Lewis attempted to define glory in one of two ways, “Either glory means to me fame, or it means luminosity.”

Regarding glory as fame, Lewis initially felt that fame was a shallow, selfish pursuit that seems unbecoming and out of character with the nature of God. However, upon further consideration and reflecting on the work of other theologians, Lewis reframed his understanding of fame as “good report” or “approval,” in the same manner as a parent approves of a child or an artist takes pleasure in her or his work. He writes,

For glory meant good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgment, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.

By this definition, glory is to be of “good report” with God, to be accepted and welcomed by God, to be known by God. As Lewis concludes, this is the deepest desire of all our hearts.

Consider the angels appearing in the fields outside Bethlehem proclaiming God’s glory and peace to a handful of ordinary shepherds. Never in their wildest dreams did those herdsmen imagine that the God of their forefathers would look down on their lowly lives and embrace them, delivering to them first the greatest news in human history.

The Christ Child entering into our world is a heavenly proclamation from God, “You are loved. You are welcome. You are accepted by me.”

Isaiah’s prophecy and the rousing choral setting from Handel are truly an anthem, a declaration that God’s glory has been revealed to us and in us. God welcomes us into the family. God smiles on us as an artist admires his creation. 

May our response be that of the psalmist: to praise God with our whole heart (138:1), to sing and proclaim the goodness of God (138:5), and to find strength in God’s embrace (138:3).

And about glory as luminosity, imagine having been out in the fields with the shepherds that night…

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. — Psalm 67.1-2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Read more: From Silence, Peace :: Peace of Advent

We need the silence of Advent…time to turn off the noise of our self-reliance and to sit listening for God’s words of life. 

From Silence, Peace :: Peace of Advent
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Spirit-Filled Temples — Hope of Advent

Links for today’s readings:

Dec 5   Read: 2 Chronicles 5-6.11  Listen: (9:47) Read: Psalms 110-111 Listen: (1:57)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Dec 6   Read: 2 Chronicles 6.11-42 Listen: (7:17) Read: Psalms 112-113 Listen: (1:49)
Dec 7   Read: 2 Chronicles 7  Listen: (4:07)  Read: Psalms 114-115 Listen: (2:18)

Scripture Focus: 2 Chronicles 5.13-14

13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;
his love endures forever.”

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God.

2 Chronicles 6.1-2

1 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 2 I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”

Luke 1.35

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

Reflection: Spirit-Filled Temples — Hope of Advent

By John Tillman

The arrival, the Advent, of God’s Spirit brings order, love, light, life, and power.

When the angel told Mary the Holy Spirit would come on her, the Most High would overshadow her, and Jesus would be the Son of God, it was consistent with many other ways God revealed himself, including the dense cloud which filled Solomon’s temple.

Solomon said God dwelt “in a dark cloud” that now filled the temple he built. Solomon referred to the pillar of cloud over the tent where Moses met with God. This cloud once showed God’s approval and presence with Moses. Now it showed God’s presence in, and approval of, the temple, a space for meeting with all people.

Throughout the Bible, God manifested his presence and appeared to his people through various means.

God’s spirit hovered over the dark chaos waters, bringing light to the darkness at creation. God’s spirit filled the nostrils of the first humans with life, turning dirt creatures into dancers, lumps of earth into gardeners, and dead matter into magistrates of the cosmos. When those human rulers rebelled, spinning creation back toward chaos and death, God’s spirit groaned with all creation over its subjugation.

Through long generations of failures, rebels, destructive villains, and faithful remnants, God’s spirit hovered over us, judged the wicked, blessed the righteous, and saved those who called on him.

God showed his character as a true God among false gods (Psalm 4.2), a righteous judge (Genesis 18.25), a promise keeper (Genesis 21.1), a bringer of life and laughter (Genesis 21.6-7), a dream giver (Genesis 37.5-11), a changer of fortunes (Genesis 41:39-43; 45.7-8), a liberator (Exodus 6.6), a destroyer of empires (Exodus 14.30-31), a sustaining source in the wilderness (Exodus 16.9-12), and a faithful shepherd to lead his people home (Ezekiel 34.11-16).

God’s ultimate self-revelation is not as cloud or fire but as Jesus. (Colossians 1.15-20) Jesus is the perfect, clear, and tangible image of God and the most real, alive, loving, gracious, caring human who has ever lived. Jesus shows us both God as God wishes to be known and humanity as God wishes us to be.

God’s Spirit brings hope wherever it hovers, alights, moves, or indwells. In this season and every season, remember that his spirit indwells you. You are more precious than Solomon’s temple and all its gold. The Holy Spirit is upon us to announce the good news of the gospel (Luke 4.16-21). As  Christ’s body, we are the Spirit-filled temple through which God chooses to manifest his works and meet with all people (Ephesians 2.18-22).

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

For God, who commanded the light to shine our of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. — 2 Corinthians 4.6

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

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Read more: Unexpectedly Tangible Presence — Hope of Advent

Rather than a non-corporeal cloud, he became a poor, unhoused, itinerant carpenter and died as a slandered, tortured rebel.

Unexpectedly Tangible Presence — Hope of Advent

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Anticipated Surprises — Readers’ Choice


Readers’ Choice is here: Over two-thirds of our devotionals get emailed responses from readers like you. Hearing that what we have written is meaningful to you is meaningful to us. That’s why we love sharing some of your comments and messages. Thank you, readers. We do what we do to serve you. There’s still time to tell us about your favorite, most meaningful posts of the year. If you shared it with someone, or it helped you, let us know via email, direct message, or by filling out the linked form.

Links for today’s readings:

Oct 31  Read: 2 Kings 13 Listen: (4:33) Read: Psalms 62-63 Listen: (2:44)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Nov 1   Read: 2 Kings 14 Listen: (5:06) Read: Psalms 64-65 Listen: (2:39)
Nov 2   Read: 2 Kings 15 Listen: (6:21) Read: Psalms 66-67 Listen: (2:42)

Readers’ Choice posts are selected by our readers:

Brian, DC — Thanks for this reflection. I love beautiful surprises sent by The Almighty to me and my family…Thanks again for this wonderful reminder of how God works among us.

Like last year, we will repost all Christmas-themed Readers’ Choice posts together in one week. We pray our hearts are prepared to make room for Christ this coming Advent season. This post was originally published on December 4, 2024, based on readings from Esther 5.5-9 and Luke 1.45.

Scripture Focus: Esther 5.5-9

5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.” 

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” 

7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.” 

9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai

Luke 1.45

45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!

Reflection: Anticipated Surprises — Readers’ Choice

By John Tillman

Esther and Mary know about anticipation. What are you anticipating?

There’s a lot of anticipatory tension in Esther’s story. After Xerxes’s edict, the Jews anticipated a day of destruction decreed a year in the future. After prayer and fasting, Esther entered the king’s presence uninvited and waited, anticipating his decision to spare or take her life. “If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4.16)

When spared, Esther did not pour out her request immediately, but made Xerxes wait. He anticipated her request at two banquets she invited him and Haman to attend. 

It’s unclear why Esther delayed. It could have been fear or hesitation, but it seems more likely to be strategic. Xerxes appears rash (Esther 1.12), forgetful (Esther 6.3), negligent (Esther 4.11), and easily manipulated throughout the story. It is likely that Esther knew this and used anticipation to allow him to remember her charms and renew his affection for her.

Meanwhile, Haman also anticipated. Haman’s mind spun with selfish visions as he bragged about his growing power and closeness to Xerxes and the queen. But he was not content to anticipate good things for himself, Haman relished thoughts of torturing Mordecai, who he viewed as an enemy.

Haman had good reasons to anticipate his victories. Esther had good reasons to fear her defeat. We are not wrong to anticipate that the powerful will continue to abuse power and that violence will continue to be wielded against the weak. We are not wrong to expect the world to be wicked and our lot to include suffering but we are also not wrong to anticipate with hope the unlikely victories that God’s providence arranges.

Every wicked thing Haman anticipated was reversed and he became the victim of every device of torture he set up. Every wicked thing Esther feared was reversed and she became the victor over every scheme set against her. Our enemy anticipates our defeat but God loves turning anticipated losses into unanticipated victories.

God loves a surprise ending, like Esther’s. God also loves a surprise beginning, like Mary’s. Mary didn’t anticipate unwed pregnancy, uninvited shepherds and magi, or fleeing to exile in Egypt. There were many surprises of Jesus’ life in which anticipated doom was overcome by unanticipated hope.

God has unanticipated goodness ready to overturn anticipated failures, hurts, and sorrows. Anticipate surprises. Resurrection is the ultimate surprise ending God has promised. Set your hope on both the sure promises and the unanticipated blessings of God.

The Lord’s Prayer:

We will take a break from The Divine Hours prayers for the month of October and instead pray Dallas Willard’s paraphrase of The Lord’s Prayer:

Dear Father, always near us, may your name be treasured and loved, may your rule be completed in us—may your will be done here on earth in just the way it is done in heaven.

Give us today the things we need today, and forgive us our sins and impositions on you as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.

Please don’t put us through trials, but deliver us from everything bad. Because you are the one in charge, and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours-forever-which is just the way we want it!

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Read more about Scandalous Surprise of Hope — The Hope of Advent

Who are we to have such hope as advent promises? That Christ would come to us is baffling, surprising, and to some, scandalous.

Scandalous Surprise of Hope — The Hope of Advent

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