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Friday, 24 November 2017
Luke 4:16 Now when he went to Natzeret, where he had been brought up, on Shabbat he went to the synagogue as usual. He stood up to read, 17 and he was given the scroll of the prophet Yesha‘yahu. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of Adonai is upon me;
therefore he has anointed me
to announce Good News to the poor;
he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned
and renewed sight for the blind,
to release those who have been crushed,
19 to proclaim a year of the favor of Adonai.”[Luke 4:19 Isaiah 61:1–2; 58:6]
20 After closing the scroll and returning it to the shammash, he sat down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He started to speak to them: “Today, as you heard it read, this passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled!”, Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me,
because Adonai has anointed me
to announce good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted;
to proclaim freedom to the captives,
to let out into light those bound in the dark;
2 to proclaim the year of the favor of Adonai
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn,
3 yes, provide for those in Tziyon who mourn,
giving them garlands instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
a cloak of praise instead of a heavy spirit,
so that they will be called oaks of righteousness
planted by Adonai, in which he takes pride.
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Israel’s law included a provision (perhaps honored more as an ideal than in actual practice) that every fiftieth year was a “Jubilee” year in which people forgave debts, returned property and restored hope to all citizens (cf. Leviticus 25:8-10). Isaiah 61 evoked that idea as a model for what God would do for God’s people. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 to define his mission—he would do good things for us that we were incapable of doing for ourselves.
• God is the ultimate source of our “mantle of praise.” Or as researcher Robert Emmons put it, “We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received. This doesn’t mean that life is perfect; it doesn’t ignore complaints, burdens, and hassles ….We recognize the sources of this goodness as being outside of ourselves.” * How easy or hard do you find it to thank God for the good things in your life?
• After Jesus spoke, the people of his hometown tried to kill him (cf. Luke 4:28-30). Why? Scholar N. T. Wright said Jesus “speaks of Israel being called to be the light of the nations …. The servant Messiah has not come to inflict punishment, but to bring the nations God’s love and mercy. That was a central theme in Israel’s own scriptures, yet…Jesus’ claim to be reaching out with healing to
all people…was not what most first-century Jews wanted or expected.” ** Are you inspired or frustrated that the same love and mercy Jesus extends to you is also for all other people?
Prayer: Lord, thank you that even as I seek you, you have been seeking me. Help me respond by setting aside anything that might get in the way of loving and serving you. Amen.
* Robert Emmons, “Why Gratitude is Good.” In Greater Good Magazine, Nov. 16, 2010, found at https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
** N. T. Wright, Luke for Everyone. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, pp. 48-49.)
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Ginger RothhaasGinger is a graduate of Saint Paul School of Theology. She and her husband Rob have a son, a daughter, and a high energy dog. She loves writing, conversations over coffee, and teaching spiritual classes.
When I looked at the assigned scriptures for today’s post, the “mantle of praise” phrase jumped out at me. This phrase comes from the prophet Isaiah’s words, “mantle of praise in place of discouragement.” Then Jesus quoted these same words, hundreds of years later, in a sermon that we read in the book of Luke.
I began to craft a post about decorating our mantles for Christmas. Something along the lines of ‘what we put on the mantle is what we value and make a focal point in our lives.’ Then I began thinking about the function of a mantle over a fireplace and wondering how it became a focal point and decorative piece in our homes over time. I was heading down a mantle theme full force.
But, a thought occurred to me…maybe I should look up the Hebrew word for our English word 'mantle.' I wondered what Isaiah meant by mantle and then why Jesus found it important to preach these words.
Guess what….'mantle' has nothing to do with a fireplace!! The Hebrew word means a large clothing garment, like a robe, wrapped around you. Then I dug a little deeper and found that Isaiah uses this word in multiple places in his prophecy to describe a large piece of clothing worn as an outer garment wrapped around the wearer.
“A mantle of praise in place of discouragement.”
Imagine: a covering of gratitude and love wrapped around you to ease your discomfort and suffering.
That is how Isaiah is describing gratitude. That is how Jesus is describing gratitude.
Wrapping ourselves in a spirit of gratitude can bring instant comfort and healing. We all know this is powerful, but we so easily forget this sometimes. In this post-holiday state of mind today, and as we prepare for Christmas, I hope we will all remember that our mantle of praise is found in God consistently wrapping love around us to ease our pain. For that I am grateful.
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"Contentment: a learned attitude"
Saturday, 25 November 2017
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. 7 Then God’s shalom, passing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with the Messiah Yeshua., 10 In union with the Lord I greatly rejoice that now, after this long time, you have let your concern for me express itself again. Of course, you were concerned for me all along, but you had no opportunity to express it. 11 Not that I am saying this to call attention to any need of mine; since, as far as I am concerned, I have learned to be content regardless of circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in want, and I know what it is to have more than enough — in everything and in every way I have learned the secret of being full and being hungry, of having abundance and being in need. 13 I can do all things through him who gives me power.
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Many Bible students call Philippians Paul’s “epistle of joy.” From a prison cell (cf. Philippians 1:13), he wrote a letter “known for its emphasis on joy….Believers have this gladness because they know that
having problems, or even enduring harassment, doesn’t mean God has deserted them.” * But we need to observe that the apostle didn’t say his joy grew from a naturally grateful, upbeat disposition. Quite
the contrary—“I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance” was his testimony in verse 12.
• Robert Emmons’ research bears out Paul’s testimony: “Emotional venting without accompanying insight does not produce change. No amount of writing about the event will help unless you are able to take a fresh, redemptive perspective on it. This is an advantage that grateful people have—and it is a skill that anyone can learn.” ** What life experiences and choices have already helped you learn to live life from a more grateful point of view? What additional steps do you want to take to learn this important spiritual and life skill?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, if the aggressive, angry Pharisee Saul could learn to be the apostle who wrote an epistle of joy from prison, then I can learn, too. Guide and teach me in the ways of gratitude. Amen.
* Jerry L. Sumney, Introduction to Philippians in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 373 NT.
** Robert Emmons, “How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Times,” syndicated from Greater Good, Sep 12, 2013
at http://www.dailygood.org/story/532/how-gratitude-can-help-you-through-hard-times-robert-emmons/.
Family Activity: Gather as a family and bring paper, markers, magazines, glue, pens, scissors and envelopes. Together list at least seven people you would like to thank in some way. Consider family members or friends, firefighters, teachers, church staff or volunteers or police officers. Spend time creating thank you notes for each person. Older family members might write notes. Younger ones might draw pictures or cut pictures out of magazines. Have everyone in your family sign their name to each card. Place each card in an envelope, then address and stamp them. Pray over each one, giving thanks to God for each person. Pile in the car, head to the post office to mail the cards and stop for ice cream or hot chocolate along the way! Continue to pray for those receiving your thank you notes!
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
- Praise for the birth of: Ella Glen Owens, 8/14/17
• Kay Kimes and Kathy Ensign on the death of their aunt Winona Ensign, 11/13
• Carlene Adams and family on the death of her husband Jerald “Jerry” Adams, 11/12
• Randy Renfro and family on the death of his father Jerald “Jerry” Adams, 11/12
• Jack Dick and family on the death of his wife Cordelia “Corky” Dick, 11/12
• Melissa Bennett and family on the death of her mother Cordelia “Corky” Dick, 11/12
• Ryan Turnbull and family on the death of his father Reginald H. “Reg” Turnbull, 11/9
• Cherie Thomas and family on the death of her brother Roy Thomas III, 11/8
• Jim and Judy Sylte and family on the death of their daughter-in-law LaRie Sylte, 11/5
• Mark Jansen and family on the death of his father Donald “Don” Jansen, 11/5
• Joanne Montgomery and family on the death of her grandfather Donald “Don” Jansen, 11/5
• Suzanne Wallace and family on the death of her father Robert Wallace, 11/1
• Dee Anderson and family on the death of her aunt Leanna Moller-Little, 10/29
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You might also like
Gratitude for God’s works is always in order
Gratitude for “food and clothing” fosters contentment
Gratitude keeps spiritual life from being choked out
Jesus himself often expressed gratitude
Jesus appreciated gratitude
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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You might also like
Gratitude for God’s works is always in order
Gratitude for “food and clothing” fosters contentment
Gratitude keeps spiritual life from being choked out
Jesus himself often expressed gratitude
Jesus appreciated gratitude
Or download this week's printable GPS.
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©2017 Church of the Resurrection. All Rights Reserved.
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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