Trusting God Alone
Sunday, February 16
Jeremiah 17:5-8
Today we begin another week of the season of Epiphany. Due to flukes of the calendar, the full moon, and the equinox, the Epiphany season is a bit longer this year. We are therefore granted extra time to reflect on and celebrate the manifestation—the appearance—of Christ in the world. Nothing of this world offers salvation. There is nothing in this world that is worthy of our faith and trust—not wealth, security devices, reputation, institutions, law, or possessions. In these verses, to rely on earthly things is akin to being “cursed” (v. 5, NIV) because they prevent us from seeing all of the good things God offers—that only God can offer—the true treasures and joys of life as God’s good creation, as demonstrated by and embodied in, the manifested Jesus.
Heavenly Father, be my refuge and my shelter. Amen.
Submission and Sanctuary
Monday, February 17
Jeremiah 17:9-13
“A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary. Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame” (vv. 12-13, NIV).
The prophet Jeremiah continues to reflect on God as the source of all good things and the all-knowing One who discerns the truth in our hearts, minds, and actions. Our hearts may be deceived by the supposed promises and seeming glories of this world. Our hearts may lead us astray, may even betray us. But God is eager to redirect our hearts, to train them according to our one, true, eternal hope. Our hearts find true sanctuary before God’s glorious throne. Only in submission to the will of our loving God will we find true reward and not be forsaken.
Lord, let your presence calm my storms, and let your comfort be familiar in those moments. Amen.
Turn and Follow Jesus
Tuesday, February 18
Luke 5:27-32
“After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him” (vv. 27-28).
In The Way Up Is Down, spiritual-formation professor Marlena Graves writes that the path to being formed like Jesus is through our own voluntary self-emptying (Greek: kenōsis). When Jesus tells Matthew, “Follow me,” Matthew abandons all that he has, effectively emptying himself, just as the fishermen did before him (Luke 5:11). It is a form of repentance—a turning away from worldly preoccupations and a turning back toward God in the person of Jesus. The Pharisees are not willing to turn from their status, their knowledge, or their traditions. They remain turned toward the earthly things that define their self-worth. And so it is Matthew and other “sinners” who find righteousness.
Heavenly Father, may I continue to bring a song of worship and gratitude to be reminded of your love. Amen.
Receiving God’s Goodness
Wednesday, February 19
Luke 6:1-5
A Covenant pastor friend once suggested that both work and rest are rooted in God’s goodness; work is doing the good, while rest is receiving the good. In today’s passage, the disciples receive the good grain kernels for food—the result of another’s doing good work. Despite the law controversy in this text, to eat when one is hungry seems fitting on the Sabbath since the gift of rest is a gift of life! Moses taught the Israelites that on the Sabbath, “You shall not do any work…so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do” (Deuteronomy 5:14). In the Sabbath commandment, we find the promise of a life free of labor exploitation. And the Son of Man, who offers us abundant life, is Lord of the Sabbath. We practice Sabbath when we receive the good and create opportunities for our neighbor to receive the good as well.
Lord, lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves us. Amen.
Practicing Restoration
Thursday, February 20
Luke 6:6-11
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’” (v. 9).
In these verses, Luke invites us to ask again, what is Sabbath? This story begins in the synagogue, which is a good setting for how we often think of Sabbath practice: going to church. Just as Jesus challenges the common wisdom of Sabbath in his context, could it be that our own definition of Sabbath needs pushback as well? In this story, Sabbath is restoration—for the soul through Jesus’s teaching and for the body in Jesus’s healing of the unnamed man’s hand.
Jesus’s question for those who seek to accuse him is an absurdity. Is it lawful to do good or evil on the Sabbath? We know that it is never lawful to do evil. And it is always lawful to do good. Let us do good in all times and places. Let us be people who restore.
Heavenly Father, let your word be guiding and instruct me in all my activities. Amen.
Nothing Less Than God Will Satisfy
Friday, February 21
Luke 6:17-26
“Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort” (v. 24).
Are we who are rich, well-fed, or otherwise satisfied somehow cursed? Or doomed? What about our situation makes Jesus cry, “Woe”? Perhaps it is because we already have our comforts, or so we believe. Having found satisfaction in the supposedly good things of this world, we have thereby lost our desire for the better things—the truly good things—that God offers. We will go hungry because the things we feed on cannot satisfy. We will mourn and weep because the things that make us laugh are fleeting. Unlike the poor, the hungry, the grieving, and the despised, we seemingly have all that we need—so what could we possibly need from God?
The answer is everything. Woe to us who are satisfied with so little and cannot see all that God has to offer.
Lord, may I be a blessing to those around me and to those who are strangers. Amen.
Gratitude Makes Cheerful Givers
Saturday, February 22
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer elegantly writes of the many reciprocities in nature that she sees through her dual lenses as botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The color combination of aster and goldenrod together attracts more bees than each individually; as bees pollinate, all three species thrive. When grown together, corn, bean, and squash help each other flourish, both above ground and below. And as we humans enjoy the fruits of these partnerships—flower’s beauty, honey’s taste, vegetable’s sustenance—we too strive to be givers, not just takers. If nothing else, we can practice thankfulness. Today’s verses remind us that all good things come from our Creator God. As we grow in gratitude, we also grow in generosity. All true giving can be cheerful. We are cheerful in our giving because the act reminds us of God’s provision. Each gift is an opportunity to say thank you to God.
Everlasting God, let your disciples cheerfully proclaim that you are more than enough. Amen.
