2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14. Elijah is taken up to heaven and Elisha receives his cloak and his spirit.
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20. The Psalmist cries out to God, remembering God’s miraculous work in saving Israel through Moses and Aaron.
Galatians 5:1, 13-25. Christ gives us freedom, but not as an excuse to engage in destructive behaviour. Rather, through Christ we receive the life-giving fruit of God’s Spirit.
Luke 9:51-62. Jesus calls many people, all who have reasons to delay or decline. Jesus proclaims that God’s Reign calls us to choose now – to live it and proclaim it.
The Rev. Tania writes,
The central and persistent call of the Gospel is at the heart of this week’s readings. For our world to change, for real transformation to happen, for life to be the abundant, beautiful, joyful experience that God created it to be, we must embrace, proclaim and live what is good, what is
creative and what is healing. The journey into living the values of God’s Reign continues.
The good news, though, is that we are not alone as we strive to embrace the way of Jesus. God has given us the presence, power and anointing of God’s Spirit – the same Spirit that worked through Jesus – in order to strengthen and guide us in this new way of living. As we learn each day to open ourselves to this Spirit, and as we learn to trust God’s goodness, our lives become a proclamation of the Gospel. We may never say a word about our faith, but when we live the Jesus way more fully, others will notice it, and they will notice the positive impact it has on us – and on them. This is the most powerful witness we could ever have.
This week the focus is God’s call for us to embrace the positive power of God’s reign, and the difference it makes in the world. Elisha is called to be a prophet and follow Elijah’s ministry. The Psalmist recognises God’s saving work, and the way God leads God’s people into the ways of life and lifebringing.
In Galatians, Paul contrasts the destructive ways of evil and sin with the life-giving fruit of God’s Spirit.
And in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus urgently calls all people to follow him and to live and proclaim God’s reign immediately – not as some after-death hope, but as a world changing reality that we can experience and share now, right where we are. This week we explore how embracing God’s goodness in the power of Spirit changes us and those around us.
Blessings as we Grow into Christ. Rev. Tania.