Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Anointed One. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was the custom under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all people: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And the child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “See, this child is destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign which will be spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce your own soul too, and the inner thoughts of many will be revealed.”

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. And upon entering that very moment, she began to give thanks to God and to tell all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem about the child. When they had completed everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him.

And he told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor,
saying to them,
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast,
do not recline at table in the place of honor,
lest a more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this person,’
and then you would proceed with shame to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you, he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

And it came to pass that one sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

And he told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honor,
saying to them,
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast,
do not recline at table in the place of honor,
lest a more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
‘Give your place to this person,’
and then you would proceed with shame to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you, he may say,
‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Reflection for Today from Luke
Humility does not come easily for me.  I take pride in my accomplishments, and believe that I a decent person (for the most part).  But we are reminded in scripture to think better of others than we do of ourselves.  This can be very difficult, even near impossible at times, especially when the other holds different opinions and values than I.  Nevertheless, the cultivation of humility is an essential part of following Jesus, and so I must do the best I can to humble myself.

Quote for Today
“What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God” -  Monica Baldwin

Ephesians 2:19-22
So now you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
in whom the whole structure is held together
and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Psalm 19:1-5
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night declares knowledge.
No speech. nor words , whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and their message to the ends of the world.

Luke 6:12-16
And it came to pass that in those days
[Jesus] went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
And when day came, he called his disciples
and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he also named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
Matthew and Thomas,
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon who was called the Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Reflection for Today on Ephesians
To be a dwelling place for God’s Spirit . . . that’s what Paul tells us the Church is being transformed into.  The Church, built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone, and everyone of us as its member, is becoming a holy temple, a place where God’s Spirit resides and can be felt/experienced.  Is there anymore exciting for the Church to contemplate?  And then there is also these two facts:  we are not alone or alienated from each other, nor are we strangers and sojourners in this world. No, we belong to each other, and together, as the Church, we can do amazing things.

Quote for Today
“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” – Virgil

Ephesians 6:1-9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise:
“that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.”
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Slaves, obey your masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as you would Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that whatever good anyone does will be requited from the Lord
whether slave or free.
Masters, do the same way towards them, and give up threatening,
knowing that your Master is also in heaven
and that there is no partiality with him.

Psalm 145:10-14
All your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and all your saints bless you.
They will tell of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might;
making known to the children men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom . . . an everlasting Kingdom
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.

Luke 13:22-30
And [Jesus] passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.
Then someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter
but will not be able.

Once the master of the house has risen and shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will answer you,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
Then you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
But he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’
And there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

Reflection for Today on Luke
Just being with Jesus . . . in his presence, whether at church or during personal devotional times, is not enough.  The narrow gate is much harder to enter than walking through a church door.  Following Jesus entails action; it means doing the work of Jesus now.  Clean hearts must be matched with dirty hands.  Otherwise we may very well hear these words spoken to us:  “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!”

Quote for Today
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Bishop Desmond Tutu

Ephesians 5:21-33
Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of the wife
even as Christ is head and Savior of the Church, his Body.
As the Church submits to Christ,
so wives should submit to their husbands in all things
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and gave himself up for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the washing of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and shall cleave to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a profound mystery,
but I am saying it refers to Christ and the Church.
In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,
and the wife should respect her husband.

Psalm 128:1-5
Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the produce of your hands;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

Luke 13:18-21
Then [Jesus] said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what shall I compare it?
It is like a grain mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden,
and it grew and became a great tree,
and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of flour
until it all was leavened.”

Reflection for Today from Luke and Ephesians

The key for interpreting Ephesians 5:22-33 is Ephesians 5:21.  This passage is all about mutual submission to each other, not the husband lording it over his wife, since there is only one LORD in the lives of Christians (and as far as I know he doesn’t wear pants and has as his bride the Church).  The Psalm compliments the reading from Ephesians.  Any man who fears (read reveres) the LORD and walks (read lives) in the way of the LORD is not going to try be a god over his wife.

Quote for Today
“When I say ‘hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come,’ I should be adding in my mind the words ‘in and through me,’ and so giving myself to God afresh to be, so far as I can be, the means of answering my own prayer. And when I say ‘thy will be done,’ I should mean this as a prayer that I, along with the rest of God’s people, may learn to be obedient.” – J. I. Packer

Ephesians 4:32–5:8
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

And be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,
as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us
as an offering and sacrifice to God, a fragrant aroma.
But sexual immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you,
as is fitting among saints,
neither obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place,
but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person
(that is, an idolater),
has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of these things
the wrath of God comes upon the children of disobedience.
So do not be associated with them.
For you at one time were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
Live as children of light.

Psalm 1:1-6
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of scoffers,
but delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Not so the wicked,
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the time of judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.

Luke 13:10-17
Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath,
and a woman was there who had a spirit of disease for eighteen years.
She was completely bent over and was never able to stand up straight.
When Jesus saw her, he summoned her and said,
“Woman, you are set free from your disease.”
Then he laid hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.

But the leader of the synagogue began to speak with indignation
because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.
He said to the crowd,
“There are six days on which it is proper to do work.
Come on those days and be healed, but not on the Sabbath day.”

Then the Lord answered him and said,
“You hypocrites!
Does not each of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall
and lead it away to give it water?
Then shouldn’t this woman,
a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years,
be set loose from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

When he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame;
and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Reflection for Today from Luke and Ephesians
How easy it is for us to focus on what is non-essential, to get caught up in majoring in the minors.  The religious leader in the gospel lesson is so upset about a broken “rule” that he fails to recognize what is really important:  a woman who has been sick for 18 years has been healed.  We are often in danger of doing the same.  Perhaps the opening words of our reading from Ephesians can serve as a corrective for us:  “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. And be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love.” 

Quote for Today
“Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” — Eric Fromm

Ephesians 4:7-16
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Therefore, it says:
When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive;
and gave gifts to mortals.

Now what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended
into the lower regions of the earth?
The one who descended is also the one who ascended
far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.

And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to full maturity,
to the measure of the fullness of Christ,
so that we may no longer be infants,
tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching
arising from human trickery
or cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.
Rather, speaking the truth in love,
we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ,
from whom the whole body,
joined and held together by every supporting ligament,
with each part working properly,
brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.

Psalm 122:1-5
I rejoiced when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
And now are feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, built as a city that is bound together in unity.
To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,
according to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
thrones for the house of David.

Luke 13: 1-9
At that time, there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 
Jesus said in reply: “Do you think that these Galileans were the greatest sinners in Galilee
just because they suffered this? 
By no means! 
But I tell you, you will all come to the same end unless you repent.
Or take those eighteen who were killed by a falling tower in Siloam. 
Do you think they were more guilty than anyone else who lived in Jerusalem? 
Certainly not! 
But I tell you, you will all come to the same end unless you repent.”

Jesus spoke this parable:
“A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard,
and he came out looking for fruit on it but did not find any. 
The man then said to the gardener,
‘Look here! For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
and found none. 
Cut it down. 
Why should it exhaust the soil?” 
In answer, the gardener said,
“Sir, leave it another year,
while I hoe around it and put manure on it; 
then perhaps it will bear fruit. 
If not, then you can cut it down.”      

Reflection for Today on Ephesians and Luke
There are so many things one could say about these two passages.  I think I will just list a few for your consideration.

1. We have all been given the grace of Christ, and along with that we have been given spiritual gifts.  All of us.
2. These gifts have been given to us for building up the church, the body of Christ, so that it can do his work in the world today.
3. The goal of this is for us to attain the unity of the faith to become spiritually mature in Christ.
4. Love is once again the key.  We are to “speak the in love,” and the church itself, the body, is built up in love.
5. In Luke Jesus specifically condemns the desire that some have to connect tragedy with sinfulness.  Instead he calls ALL to repent.
6. Sooner or later we all need to bear fruit or possible face the axe.  Manure will only help us so far. 

Quote for Today
“Of all acts of man repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.” – Thomas Carlyle

Ephesians 4:1-6
Therefore, I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
and striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace.
[There is] one Body and one Spirit,
just as you were also called to the one hope of your calling;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

Psalm 24:1-6
The earth is the LORD’s and it’s fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who will stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are clean and whose heart is pure,
who does not lift up his soul falsehood,
nor sworn deceitfully.

He will receive a blessing from the LORD,
and justice from God his savior.
Such is the generation that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowd,
“When you see a cloud rise in the west
you immediately say that a storm is coming,
and so it does.
And he also said to the crowd,
“When the wind is blowing from the south
you say that there will be scorching heat, and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You can discern the appearance of the earth and the sky;
but why do you not know how to discern the present time?

“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
When you go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way,
lest your opponent turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the officer,
and the officer throw you into prison.
I tell you, you will not be released
until you have paid the very last cent.”

Reflection for Today from Ephesians
Today’s reading from Ephesians is one of my favorites from this book.  I particularly like when Paul admonishes his readers to “live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, and striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”

It is so easy for us to get all worked up when it comes to dealing with our brothers and sisters in the faith, especially when they disagree with our own views or have prickly personalities.  All four of of Paul’s points in this passage have to do with how we react to others.  We are told to be humble, to be gentle and to live with patience (or what is sometimes translated as “long-suffering”).  And why do we put up with people we might not normally associate with outside of the church?  Why put others and their needs before our own?  So that the unity of the spirit can be preserved.  A church divided cannot long stand, and further, it is an awful witness to the world around it.  There are far too many churches like that already.  We don’t need another one.

Quote for Today
“Humility is the secret of fellowship, and pride the secret of division.” – Robert C. Chapman