Weather Alert:

Church programs for Monday, Jan. 22 will resume their normal schedule at all locations this evening.

Programming Note:

Leawood’s Sunday night in-person worship has been moved to 4 pm for Sunday, February 11. 

Search
Close this search box.

Limit distractions today

March 29, 2022
SHARE

Daily Scripture

Luke 12:35-59

During Lent, we are using short videos to share a daily idea (linked to the gospel of Luke) on how to grow spiritually. Watch today’s video. Click here or on the image below:

40-days-day-24.png?mtime=20220328102042#asset:36130

Note: We are reading the entire gospel of Luke in the GPS. Some day’s readings are longer than usual. We hope you’ll have an extra cup of coffee, or use your lunch break, and read Luke’s entire story of Jesus.

35 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be like people waiting for their master to come home from a wedding celebration, who can immediately open the door for him when he arrives and knocks on the door. 37 Happy are those servants whom the master finds waiting up when he arrives. I assure you that, when he arrives, he will dress himself to serve, seat them at the table as honored guests, and wait on them. 38 Happy are those whom he finds alert, even if he comes at midnight or just before dawn [Or in the second or third watch]. 39 But know this, if the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he wouldn’t have allowed his home to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Human One [or Son of Man] is coming at a time when you don’t expect him.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”

42 The Lord replied, “Who are the faithful and wise managers whom the master will put in charge of his household servants, to give them their food at the proper time? 43 Happy are the servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes. 44 I assure you that the master will put them in charge of all his possessions.

45 “But suppose that these servants should say to themselves, My master is taking his time about coming. And suppose they began to beat the servants, both men and women, and to eat, drink, and get drunk. 46 The master of those servants would come on a day when they weren’t expecting him, at a time they couldn’t predict. The master will cut them into pieces and assign them a place with the unfaithful. 47 That servant who knew his master’s will but didn’t prepare for it or act on it will be beaten severely. 48 The one who didn’t know the master’s will but who did things deserving punishment will be beaten only a little. Much will be demanded from everyone who has been given much, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.

49 “I came to cast fire upon the earth. How I wish that it was already ablaze! 50 I have a baptism I must experience. How I am distressed until it’s completed! 51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I have come instead to bring division. 52 From now on, a household of five will be divided—three against two and two against three. 53 Father will square off against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

54 Jesus also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud forming in the west, you immediately say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And indeed it does. 55 And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘A heat wave is coming.’ And it does. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret conditions on earth and in the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret the present time? 57 And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going to court with your accuser, make your best effort to reach a settlement along the way. Otherwise, your accuser may bring you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you won’t get out of there until you have paid the very last cent” [Or leptos (1/128 of a day’s wages)].

Daily Reflection & Prayer

Few of us want to be earthly “servants,” but Jesus used that image for our relationship to God. Good servants were always ready to respond to their master. Bad ones lost their jobs (or, in Roman times, even worse). Jesus didn’t endorse Roman cruelty. He simply made the point that choosing to serve God is a matter of eternal life or death.

  • Jesus’ words about bringing division rather than peace (12:51-53) may strike us as odd. Isn’t Jesus “the prince of peace” (cf. Isaiah 9:6)? Yes—but he knew his kingdom’s principles (including peace) were so unlike the world’s that at times they’d cause division. Have family members, friends or co-workers ever misread or criticized choices rooted in your loyalty to God?
  • In verse 41, Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” Jesus seemed to say that the parable was for all who wish to be “faithful and wise managers,” which invited Peter (and us) to take it seriously. As we keep reading Luke, how can you ask about each passage you read, “Lord, what do you want me to hear in this passage”?

Click here to incorporate music and worship from the COR Worship Collective into your daily practice and devotion.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for equipping and calling me to serve. Make me a “faithful and wise manager,” valuing myself and who you made me to be. Amen.

GPS Insights

Lydia Kim

Lydia Kim

Lydia Kim serves as one of the pastors of Connection and Care at Resurrection Leawood. An avid believer that growing in faith pairs well with fellowship and food, she is always ready for recommendations on local restaurants and coffee shops.

In high school, I worked at a department store as a cashier. I worked the express lane, the 10 items or less line. My “faithful and wise” manager told me I needed to be intentional, not just speedy. My job was to serve our guests.

I didn’t understand what he meant until my first Black Friday. Every lane at the store was packed. Lines were long, people were cranky, and I was distracted. Instead of focusing on who I was called the serve, I focused on everything else around me.

My manager quickly noticed I was making mistakes and took me aside to remind me 1) I had all the tools needed to do my job well and 2) my purpose was to serve the guest. Focusing on that person helped everything else to become background noise.

Likewise, Jesus calls us all to be spiritually ready. We have tools called essential practices: worship, prayer, study, service, giving, and sharing our faith. We also have a clear purpose: to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. When we remember these things, we can find ourselves ready no matter what comes our way.

© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References