Daily Devotions

Once, when he was in one of the cities, there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do choose. Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy left him. And he ordered him to tell no one.

“Go,” he said, “and show yourself to the priest, and, as Moses commanded, make an offering for your cleansing, for a testimony to them.”

But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray. Luke 5:12-16

He has a name, but we don’t know it. We don’t know who he is or where he originally came from. And yet we know much about him. All the information required is summed up in the phrase, “a man covered with leprosy.”

The medical diagnosis doesn’t matter. All that matters is the following formula:

Personal suffering + Public shame + Public rejection + Social isolation = ________________

Such is the self-protective feature built into human community. It has been repeated, rightly or wrongly, for as long as any of us can remember. It is one thing when it is applied to a highly contagious disease (we have long known that Hansen’s Disease [leprosy] is only mildly contagious) but quite another when applied to people who just don’t quite fit in to the definition of “cultural norms.”

Jesus doesn’t play that game. Or better put, Jesus doesn’t give a rip about what the neighbors might think or what “people might say.”

The man stands before him and asks to be made clean. Fearlessly, Jesus TOUCHES him, and he is whole. Then, strangely, he tells him to tell no one. Or maybe not so strangely when you realize again that Jesus is not a self-promoter. He doesn’t seek to monetize his power to heal.

But what Jesus does do is respect the community’s tradition around the restoration of community. We could say much against the holiness code, the long list of Levitical dietary and social restrictions that separated the Israelites from others, but we need to recognize that there was always room for reconnection.

In other places we read this as Jesus “came not to remove the law but to fulfill it.”

Now consider the rest of the story that we aren’t told. The part where the man appears before his hometown priest. The gratitude he feels. The wonder the priest feels. The joy with which he is welcomed home by his family.

All of this is why the church is at its best when it refuses to be a source of public shame, public rejection, or social isolation. This is what healing looks like. And what healing requires.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, there is a long list of people who have been doubly hurt by the rejection and shunning of others. As you reached out to touch a leper, may we reach out to touch the untouchable, to be safe harbor for the suffering, and to be vocal allies standing with those who continue to face social rejection because of who they are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:7-11

“Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” This is certainly not the response that we would expect to see. Everybody else – the crowds who followed Jesus to the shore, heard what he had to say, saw the miraculous catch of fish – ate it all up and wanted more. But Simon Peter was driven to his repentant knees.

But Simon Peter didn’t get what he asked for.

Jesus didn’t “go away” from Simon Peter. Jesus called him to follow him with the promise that his future would include influencing the lives of people, inviting them, as would Jesus, to new life in the kingdom of God.

As we continue our lives in the aftermath of the tragic events of these past days, months, even years, who will we be?

Will we continue to march with the crowd who wants what they want when they want it? The crowds clamoring for a free lunch, instant healing, and an inherited seat at the head table? The crowds who saw the good that came from Jesus but were blind to the reality of who and what he was?

Because here is the path those crowds would take – as soon as they realized that Jesus wouldn’t do for THEM what they thought he would do, how they thought he ought to do it – it was THEIR voices that cried for his crucifixion.

But Simon Peter’s reaction was different. He fell to his knees in repentance. This would not be the last time he would do so. Simon Peter was a guy like the rest of us. Today, he ought to be our model.

The path to following Jesus begins in submission. We receive the water of baptism. The new identity as a child of God is given to us. The path to following Jesus begins on our knees.

As I continue to listen to the voices now processing the events of this week, I continue to hear voices filled with resentment, voices committed to following conspiracy theories and lies, voices that continue to spin and manipulate and engage in the constant “whataboutism” that has plagued us for years.

But what I want to hear is this: I was wrong.

That is what repentance sounds like.

But Jesus wants far more both FOR us and FROM us than our own recognition of having been both deceived and complicit. There is a time to fall to our knees but we can’t follow from there. We have to get up. We have to get on board with Jesus’ agenda if we hope to realize the vison of new life that Jesus holds before us.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, we confess that we have sinned and fallen short of your glory. We confess that we are sinful, broken, both in what we do and what we fail to do. Take away our fear. Call us from our knees with a fresh resolve to follow your path of faith, of hope, of love, of justice, of mercy, of peace, of being the people you have created us to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. Luke 5:1-6

Words matter. Words share thoughts, spread ideas. Words evoke feelings and emotions. Words drive people to act. For good, or for ill.

The crowds gathered around Jesus because they wanted to hear what he had to say. Jesus got into a boat to speak both to escape the crush of the crowds and because the water acted as a natural loudspeaker, projecting his words even to those standing in the back.

The story tells us how Jesus spoke to the crowds, but it doesn’t tell us exactly what he said. It doesn’t need to. We already know that Jesus would have spoken from a place of honesty and love about the kingdom of God.

But then the story goes one step farther. We get to see the actions that Jesus’ words inspire. A huge haul of fish which the fishermen didn’t think possible. Those fish meant food on the table for many people. The response to Jesus’ words was a blessing to the people.

Ironically, this text for today comes on the heels of a dark day in Washington, DC. The out-going President of the United States spoke for over an hour to a crowd of people gathered in the nation’s capital to protest his loss. Late last night, using YouTube, I listened to every word he said. A word salad of lies, grievances, delusions, and scurrilous attacks on anyone who doesn’t do his bidding. And yes, he told them, “After this we will move to the capital building” and that is what happened.

The response to his words? The crowd not only moved to the capital building, they wreaked havoc when they got there. They broke windows, ransacked offices, attacked law enforcement officials, sending many to the hospital. At least four people died. The crowd desecrated democracy. They showed their true colors – deranged members of a destructive personality cult. We ought not have been surprised.

Words matter. Listen to Jesus!

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, this morning we are the crowd standing by the lake, eager to hear what you have to say. We need hope. We need healing. Yesterday’s events were tragic but not unexpected. They were the culmination of years of dishonesty and stoking resentments. Send us back out into the waters, that we might be surprised by the bounty of your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

At daybreak he departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them. But he said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.”

So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea. Luke 4:42-44

Once you become an adult, there are two times a day that you are pretty much control – when you go to bed and when you get out of bed. The glimpses that the gospels give us into the spirituality of Jesus show us that these were important prayer times for him. He went off by himself either early in the morning (as in this text), or at the end of the day. Why?

Why did Jesus need time for reflection, for prayer? For the same reasons we do.

Remember the first time someone told you there was a reason why God gave you two ears and only one mouth? That if you think you know everything then you can’t, or won’t, learn anything new? That the most important aspect of a healthy relationship is open and honest communication? That if you forget who you are, and what you stand for, plenty of other voices will jump in to answer those questions for you. All of this, and much more, is why prayer matters. For Jesus, and for us.

As soon as the crowds notice that Jesus is missing they head out in search of him. Why? Because they wanted what they wanted when they wanted it. Jesus had suddenly became their lottery ticket, their quick and easy answer. Like the selfish people who hoarded toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic, they didn’t want to be left out, left behind, left wanting.

But Jesus wasn’t anyone’s private property or personal lapdog. He still isn’t. He saw what they didn’t, couldn’t, refused to, see. His mission field was the entire broken creation.

You have heard the term “elevator speech” before, right? An elevator speech compresses an entire vision into a quick sound bite that can be delivered in a single ride up an elevator. You could say that Jesus’ elevator speech was ““I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God.” But the bigger question is, “What does THAT mean?”

Ask many Christians today what the Christian elevator speech is and they might say something like this: “God is perfect, merciful and just. We are sinners. Jesus died to forgive us but, in order to actually receive that forgiveness, we must believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and ask for forgiveness personally. Then Jesus forgives us. And when we die, we get to go to heaven.”

My sense is that Jesus’ personal explanation of the “good news of the kingdom of God” would be a little different. In fact, he already gave it to us. Remember these words?

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Let us pray: Dear Lord, there is something in us that wants to keep you all to ourselves, something in us that is largely blind to the real world implications of your sense of what good news means in our world and in our lives. Only you can open our eyes that we might more clearly see ourselves. Only your Spirit can do that within us. Keep working on us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

After leaving the synagogue he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked him about her. Then he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and began to serve them.

As the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various kinds of diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on each of them and cured them.

Demons also came out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah. Luke 4:38-41

The currently raging coronavirus pandemic puts today’s reading in a new light. Just last week we had a funeral for another victim of Covid 19. It was livecast on the internet. The only people in the sanctuary were seven members of her immediate family. All in masks. No touching allowed. A story that has been repeated, as of today, over 354,000 times. The people who continue to argue that this is “no big deal” ought to be ashamed of themselves.

The gospels tell us little about the family lives of those who followed Jesus. Obviously, Simon was married as today we read about his mother-in-law, but this is a rare mention. For all the talk about the Bible as the source of “Christian family values”, very little is said about anybody’s marriage or family. But this story does tell us a bit about how Christian values reflect what Jesus values.

When he finds someone sick – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually – he wants them to be better. He rebukes the fever, and she is restored. Jesus values health and wholeness.

The word soon gets out that Jesus can help sick people. Soon the crowd gathers, like a celebrity signing autographs, and Jesus lays his hands on them, and cures them. Again, only the demons fully appreciate what is happening. Jesus values people.

When the mother-in-law is restored, she serves a meal. That’s another Christian value: Our response to God’s love in our lives is to serve others.

I can’t imagine the pain someone who has lost a loved one to Covid 19 would feel in reading this story. Why wasn’t MY mother saved? Even reading about Jesus touching someone in their healing is hard to hear when people aren’t able to visit, or to be visited, in the hospital. Video chats and phone calls have their place but nothing replaces holding hands or hugs.

And it seems to quick and easy! One word. One touch. And people get better.

I get that. Such emotional responses are inevitable. Two of our four children have gotten sick with Covid 19. In both cases, they were better in a week or two. Kelley and I felt the fear that came with the positive test. The worry and then, for us, the relief. We felt helpless.

The truth is, health and wholeness are fragile. When we get sick, we feel vulnerable, like our bodies have betrayed us. The best response is not either/or but both/and. It isn’t either Jesus heals us or Jesus is a figment of our imaginations. It is both, we know in our heart of hearts that Jesus values wellness and wholeness and we know that not everyone or everything gets better. That is the mystery of life.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, we read about how you healed people and our prayers today go out to all who are sick and suffering, all pleading for your help. We pray for health care workers, that they find meaning and purpose in their work, and encouragement and rest when they feel overwhelmed. We pray for diligence in providing vaccines to as many people as possible. Give us hope, determination, and persistence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority.

In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, “What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!” And a report about him began to reach every place in the region. Luke 4:31-37

After a nice long – and very weird – Christmas break, today it is time to get back to work. Jesus makes the same move. After being chased out of his hometown, Jesus also gets back to work. He heals a man possessed of an unclean demon. Three things about this first healing.

First, many of us are uncomfortable with talk about “unclean demons.” We seek more modern, sophisticated, explanations for such things. We want to talk about mental health or physical ailments like epilepsy. On the one hand, that is understandable. We have learned a lot since the old days of leeches and bloodletting. On the other hand, our desire for plausible explanations is also a sign of our need to control everything.

If we can explain something, we can explain it away. We run away from a mysterious, unknowable, and uncontrollable world back to the comfort of what we think we know. Because, if we know, we can control. But we really can’t control life, try as we might.

Second, we are always surprised when the demons immediately recognize Jesus for who Jesus is while everyone else, including, if not especially, the religious leaders, don’t. Why is that? In Mark’s gospel the argument seems to be that the true identity of Jesus won’t be fully known until the resurrection. Until then, his identity remains a secret. But that is a bit different for Luke.

Luke – also the author of Acts – seems much more attentive to what we could call the “spirit world.” The Holy Spirit drives the action in Luke’s writing. Perhaps the demons, also cast as characters in the spirit world, are thus more quick to identify the Holy Spirit working in and through Jesus.

What does that suggest for us? While we might be uncomfortable with talk about demons and unclean spirits, what is more important? That we be right with our theories or that the Holy Spirit be given free reign to make us right with ourselves and the world around us?

This morning I prayed for a woman who is facing surgery today. I believe my prayer, and the prayers of others, play a role in her healing. Why? Because I believe the spiritual world is as active and present as the physical world. Jesus did too. His healing work brings them together.

And finally, notice that Jesus found this possessed man in the synagogue. How about, as we enter this new year, we remind ourselves that faith communities are hospitals for the sick, not country clubs for the self-righteous? Maybe that little reminder will help us let down our defenses and be open to the healing that God wants to work in all of our lives.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, you are our Healer, our help is every time of trouble. As we move now into a new calendar year, help us be attentive to the spiritual realities of our lives. Both to our own brokenness and the power you have to bring healing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.