Today is Glenn’s 55th Birthday! Hurrah! Happy Birthday Glenn!
Prayer: Great God, You ask us today to come with You. We journey with You always knowing of Your power to hold and lead us and Your presence to stay with us when we are afraid. We thank You that You hearken to our every need, and You provide us with the wisdom to teach us in all things that we need to learn. Your hand will guide us this day in Your path, and Your shield will keep us from harm. The word of God will give us right speech and Your heavenly host will be our guard. Christ is coming. Amen.
Read St Luke 5: 27 – 39
Jesus meets Levi, the tax collector. Jesus says to Levi, “Come along with me”. And Levi leaves everything and invites Jesus to his home for a meal. We often read this story and don’t realize that Levi has just walked away from his job. Levi has walked away from being able to provide for his family and relatives. Not only does Levi walk away from his job, but he holds a very large supper for other tax collectors and disreputable characters. Wow!
The Pharisees come to Jesus’ disciples and ask what is Jesus doing eating and drinking with crooks and sinners (aka, Tax Collectors).
Jesus responds by asking the Pharisees, “Who needs a doctor? The healthy or the sick?” Well the obvious answer is “the sick”. Jesus continues that he is going to change the lives of the sick…. Jesus will change the lives of those who are outsiders in their culture and who are working jobs that make them unclean or unhealthy. Wow!
Changing lives from the inside and out.
Yet is Jesus asking each of us to toss our jobs, Seniors Pensions, Employment Insurance in order to change our lives from the inside and out? Nope, not at all. Jesus is stating that he has come to help those who need changing to be changed and renewed from the inside and out. No one had ever cared for the Tax Collector before. They were marginalized and unclean from the rest of the community.
This day, look around and see who is marginalized and unclean from the rest of your community. Then provide that person(s) with God’s peace.
Prayer: Great God, I commit myself to You today. With the help of Your grace and compassion, I will endeavour to keep Your commandments and to follow faithfully in the way of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Prayers for All Occasions. Forward Movement Press. 1964).
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