Christian daily devotionals

You Choose

Posted on by Betsy

Every time I read Psalm 1, it takes me back several years to a time when my youngest daughter had a guinea pig who needed to go to the vet. I drove him to the office, and carefully carried him down the sidewalk to the entrance. Then I noticed that there were two sidewalks and two entrances: one marked “Dogs” and the other marked “Cats.” I stood there, looking confused, and tried to decide if Gus was more dog or cat. I spotted the vet tech laughing at me as she stood in the window that was between the two doors. When she caught my eye, she pointed toward the Cat door. Makes sense when you think about it, since cats arrive in cages and dogs arrive on foot.

That little moment reminded me that we are often confronted with two choices, and the path that we choose will determine what happens next. We have a choice to do good or do evil. We have a choice to offer compassion or ignore people’s needs. We have a choice to work for the betterment of our community or stay home and leech off of other people’s efforts. We have a choice to uplift or condemn. We have a choice to follow God or ignore him.

Psalm 1 offers a clear delineation of two choices. You can be a wicked and disrespectful sinner, or you can be a happy person who knows God’s word and follows God’s instruction:

Psalm 1 (Common English Bible)

The truly happy person
    doesn’t follow wicked advice,
    doesn’t stand on the road of sinners,
    and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful.
2 Instead of doing those things,
    these persons love the Lord’s Instruction,
    and they recite God’s Instruction day and night!
3 They are like a tree replanted by streams of water,
    which bears fruit at just the right time
    and whose leaves don’t fade.
        Whatever they do succeeds.

The Psalmist is clear in describing the results of your choices. People who follow God bear fruit and are successful, but woe unto the wicked:

4 That’s not true for the wicked!
    They are like dust that the wind blows away.
5 And that’s why the wicked will have no standing in the court of justice—
    neither will sinners
    in the assembly of the righteous.
6 The Lord is intimately acquainted
    with the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked is destroyed.

Not everything in life is so black and white, unfortunately. The path isn’t always so clearly marked as it was at the vet’s office. Many people find themselves going down a wrong path after making an ill-considered choice.

That’s when it is time to look at the window in the middle. Christ himself stands there, ready to re-direct, forgive, and help us back on the right path.

Have you strayed from the place where God put you? Have you wandered away and lost your footing?

The good news for us today it that there is always a way back. Trust, obey, and come on in. The door to happiness and salvation is always open. Thanks be to God!

Reflections of Grace by Kathy Schumacher

Push Out Into Deep Water

Posted on by Betsy

Our Scripture today is a true classic. You will recognize it as soon as your read it. Now that I live on the Outer Banks, all the fishing stories in the Scriptures have a different meaning for me. I am surrounded by boats, water, fishermen, nets, and beautiful ocean sunrises.

(Okay, in complete transparency, it is my friend Michelle who gets up at o-dark-thirty to capture the sunrises, but I live vicariously through her photography. When I get up. Two hours later.)

Luke tells the story of Jesus encouraging the fishermen to go back out to the water and try again to catch some fish after a long day of fishing with no results. This is a little like that time your Dad told you to try again when your legs, arms, or brain were too tired from your fruitless exertion as you attempted to do something. Whether it was learning how to ride a bike after countless falls, pitching poorly in the eighth inning in the Georgia heat, or having to re-take your SATs, Dads are always pushing frustrated kids to try again. Jesus is just like that here:

Luke 5 (The Message)

 1-3 Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.

The fishermen only scrub their nets at the end of the day, so you know they were over it. Finished, pooped, kaput … they were DONE.

4 When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

So now Jesus tells them not only to try again, but to push out into deep water, which meant rowing farther and harder than they had all day. I’m sure there was an eye-roll or two among them. Didn’t he notice that their nets had returned empty? Come on, Jesus!

5-7 Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch.

Oh, my goodness. Pushing out to the deep as Jesus instructed resulted in a bounty of fish so great, it took two boats of tired fishermen to haul it back to shore.

8-10 Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. “Master, leave. I’m a sinner and can’t handle this holiness. Leave me to myself.” When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee’s sons, coworkers with Simon.

10-11 Jesus said to Simon, “There is nothing to fear. From now on you’ll be fishing for men and women.” They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him.

Where is God calling you to ”push out into the deep?” Is he telling you to move beyond your comfort zone to do his will or his work? Do you feel unworthy, like Peter? We all do. But this story is a great reminder that when you are obedient to God’s instruction to ”try again,” he will multiply your blessings.

All you need to do is follow him.

Pushing Out by Michelle Robertson

Loyal Love

Posted on by Betsy

We use the word “love” a lot nowadays. From the deepest relationship love to the most casual, “Girl! I love your shoes!”, the word love is often on our lips. Everyone is in the habit of saying “Love you!” at the end of a phone call. Have you ever embarrassed yourself by signing off on a call with that familiar phrase, only to remember that you were talking to the lady at the water department? I have!

What are some things that you love? It might be a favorite sports team, a pet, your children/parents/spouse, Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies … we are blessed to have a list of things we love with all our hearts. I recently preached a sermon on 1 Corinthians 13, the famous ”love passage,” and found a lovely illustration on children’s thoughts on love. One young girl explained that love is like when her grandmother got arthritis, preventing her from being able to bend over to paint her toenails, her grandfather started doing it for her, even though he has arthritis in his hands. That is loyal love, my friends.

David wrote a beautiful psalm about his love for God, and God’s love for him. David knew God intimately, and these words reflect the depth of David’s appreciation and understanding for a God who loves us with a deep and abiding love:

Psalm 138 (Common English Bible)

I give thanks to you with all my heart, Lord.
    I sing your praise before all other gods.
2 I bow toward your holy temple
    and thank your name
    for your loyal love and faithfulness
        because you have made your name and word
        greater than everything else.
3 On the day I cried out, you answered me.
    You encouraged me with inner strength.

Let’s pause there a moment and think of God’s love for us. David describes it as ”loyal love and faithfulness.” I agree with that. Too often, as we go about our day, we neglect to show God the appreciation that he is due. This Psalm is a good reminder that whenever we cry out, God answers us.

Do you need to cry out to God today? He is always listening.

4 Let all the earth’s rulers give thanks to you, Lord,
    when they hear what you say.
5 Let them sing about the Lord’s ways
    because the Lord’s glory is so great!
6 Even though the Lord is high,
    he can still see the lowly,
    but God keeps his distance from the arrogant.

I know a young man who is extremely arrogant. His over-inflated sense of self-worth led him down some dangerous paths as he sought to feed his insatiable ego. Then came a life-changing downfall. Did God abandon him? No. Did God keep his distance? You bet.

7 Whenever I am in deep trouble,
    you make me live again;
    you send your power against my enemies’ wrath;
    you save me with your strong hand.
8 The Lord will do all this for my sake.

So here is the good news for that young man, and for us as well. David writes that whenever he was in deep trouble, God provided the strength to get out of his situation. The problem with arrogance is that we think we have it all under control, and so we don’t seek God’s help. Arrogance prevents us from being willing to yield to God’s will. But when we lay down our egos, God can come in.

Your faithful love lasts forever, Lord!
    Don’t let go of what your hands
    have made.

I love that last line … don’t let go. You see, even in our most despicable times, God may distance himself from our sin, but he NEVER LETS GO. His reach is beyond measure and his love is loyal and faithful.

I hope that gives you encouragement today. If you have gotten too ”full of yourself,” you can always repent and return. When you do, you’ll find that God had his long arm extended with his sure grasp on your shoulder the whole time. Thanks be to God!

God Never Lets Go by Michelle Robertson

By Grace

Posted on by Betsy

I know a young woman who has made a remarkable journey from a normal, upper middle class upbringing to a normal, upper middle class college education to living on the streets for five years as a heroin addict. Today she is fully recovered. She owns her own business, enjoys a happy marriage, and is a strong and passionate voice for others dealing with drug use. Her pain, suffering, and struggles are now employed in helping others understand addiction and recovery. To me, she embodies the possibility of complete and total transformation that comes through the grace of God. We do recover!

I thought of her this morning as I read Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. Paul underwent a tremendous transformation of his own, going from being a murdering persecutor of Christ’s church to being one of its strongest advocates. Most of what we understand about theology comes from Paul’s letters, and his work in taking the gospel all over the known world speaks for itself. He is the reason we have the church today, and his words still have relevance thousands of years after he wrote them.

1 Corinthians 15 (Common English Bible)

15 Brothers and sisters, I want to call your attention to the good news that I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. 2 You are being saved through it if you hold on to the message I preached to you, unless somehow you believed it for nothing. 

3 I passed on to you as most important what I also received: Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, 4 he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures. 5 He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve, 6 and then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once—most of them are still alive to this day, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me, as if I were born at the wrong time. 9 I’m the least important of the apostles. I don’t deserve to be called an apostle, because I harassed God’s church. 

10 I am what I am by God’s grace, and God’s grace hasn’t been for nothing. In fact, I have worked harder than all the others—that is, it wasn’t me but the grace of God that is with me. 11 So then, whether you heard the message from me or them, this is what we preach and this is what you have believed.

“I am what I am because of God’s grace.” Can’t we all say that? Where would you be without it? I know I would be lost. Paul gives God credit for the hard work he put in, realizing that is grace alone that enables us to do good works.

Is God calling you to transform some aspect of your life? Are you engaging in something harmful that requires a stepping away and giving it over to him? Are your relationships in need of repair? Do you need God’s grace to move on with your life in a new direction?

Lucky for us, God’s grace is abundant, amazing, and free to all who seek it. If addicts can recover and murderers can be redeemed, your situation can be changed if you yield to his will and his mercy. You are not alone!

God’s grace is ENOUGH.

Enough by Michelle Robertson

Temptations

Posted on by Betsy

Think of something that tempts you. It might be food, cheating, lashing out in anger, lying, engaging in substance abuse, pursuing an inappropriate relationship … temptations are all around us. As we mature, we learn coping strategies for not giving in every time. Most of the time. But then there are other situations where the temptation gets the best of us, and we are lost.

I have come to realize, after years of marriage and divorce counseling, that temptations are often the root cause of a broken marriage. Adultery, overspending, angry words, the need to dominate … relationships can easily be sunk when one partner can’t resist a temptation and gives in to it.

In our passage from Hebrews, we find a word of encouragment for those times when we are tempted to do something unhealthy, ungodly, or unholy. And oh, does it please the devil when we give in to temptation! He lives for those moments when our weakness overcomes us and he wins. But the writer assures us that by becoming flesh and blood, Jesus also encountered temptations. The good news for us is, he overcame every one and with his power we can, too.

Hebrews 2 (Common English Bible)

14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, he also shared the same things in the same way. He did this to destroy the one who holds the power over death—the devil—by dying. 15 He set free those who were held in slavery their entire lives by their fear of death.16 Of course, he isn’t trying to help angels, but rather he’s helping Abraham’s descendants. 

Did you get that? Jesus shared in all of the same things that we deal with on a daily basis. He was tempted by all the same things we struggle with, but he overcame every one. In so doing, Jesus destroyed the devil’s power over flesh and blood. Praise God! We have a savior who GETS US.

17 Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way. This was so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, in order to wipe away the sins of the people. 18 He’s able to help those who are being tempted, since he himself experienced suffering when he was tempted.

What is tempting you right now? Go to the One who overcame it all for your sake. He has experienced what you are experiencing in your suffering, and he is ready and able to hear your prayers and give you strength.

Dawn Patrol by Tim Beacham

Escape

Posted on by Betsy

New Year’s Eve brought something unexpected to my little family this year: fireworks. Very close fireworks, which possibly came from the back yard adjoining the little townhouse we were staying in. It felt in some moments that the fireworks were in the room with us. That is annoying when your idea of welcoming in the new year is to be in bed by ten, and fall asleep hoping you will remember to start dating things with 2022 the next day. But for my dog, fireworks are terrifying.

Georgia is not bothered by storms, thunder, Nor ’easters, etc, but when that high whine of something about to explode happens, she takes her 100lb. body and tries to find the smallest place of safety in the house. We have spent many a July 4th huddled with her in the kneehole of the built-in desk of our guest room. On New Year’s Eve, my husband sat with her on the laundry room floor until the jubilation was finally over.

Where do you go to escape? When the cacophony of stress threatens to deafen you, when your eyes have seen more tragedy than joy, when your heart breaks with the absence of your one true love, where do you flee?

I hope you flee to God. I pray that you know that in any circumstance, God is a sound-proof rock cave that can withstand any type of assault … whether it be physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual.

Listen to how the psalmist put it:

Psalm 71 (Common English Bible)

I’ve taken refuge in you, Lord.
    Don’t let me ever be put to shame!
2 Deliver me and rescue me by your righteousness!
    Bend your ear toward me and save me!
3 Be my rock of refuge
    where I can always escape.
You commanded that my life be saved
    because you are my rock and my fortress.

4 My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked;
    rescue me from the grip of the wrongdoer and the oppressor
5     because you are my hope, Lord.
    You, Lord, are the one I’ve trusted since childhood.
6 I’ve depended on you from birth—
    you cut the cord when I came from my mother’s womb.
    My praise is always about you.

I don’t know what is about to explode in your life right now, but I do know where you can go for shelter. God’s power is available to deliver you and save you from all manner of evil, slander, wickedness, oppression, and harm. And explosions.

Flee to the Rock, and you will find hope.

Check out my friend Shannon’s thought-provoking post, and sorry about the song that will get stuck in your head all day!

Sheltered by Michelle Robertson

Gladdened Hearts

Posted on by Betsy

You may recognize the phrase ”May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord.” Perhaps you have heard a pastor pray this out loud just before s/he begins a sermon. When you hear this, you are actually hearing a quote from a Psalm. Personally, I don’t pray this before I preach … I silently pray, ”HELP ME, JESUS!” before I stand up. That is all I can muster in that moment of sheer panic. Luckily for me, Jesus is always nearby. Mind you, I still have preached some real clunkers, but I have yet to faint or throw up, so I call that a win.

Psalm 19 is a beautiful way for us to begin this week. The language is lush with images of heaven, sky, night, sun, and gladdened hearts.

Our hearts should be gladdened whenever we read Scripture! God calls us to meet him in his holy word and we always experience his presence there. Even when the word is harsh and convicting, we still feel the comfort of knowing that he heals the repentant heart and forgives all our sins when we respond in obedience to his Spirit.

Read this and imagine the words coming to life in your imagination. Then read it again for meaning and understanding. God’s law is as sweet as a honeycomb and his creation sings of his glory! Let us partake.

Psalm 19 (Common English Bible)

Heaven is declaring God’s glory;
    the sky is proclaiming his handiwork.
2 One day gushes the news to the next,
    and one night informs another what needs to be known.
3 Of course, there’s no speech, no words—
        their voices can’t be heard—
4     but their sound extends throughout the world;
        their words reach the ends of the earth.

God has made a tent in heaven for the sun.
5 The sun is like a groom
    coming out of his honeymoon suite;
    like a warrior, it thrills at running its course.
6 It rises in one end of the sky;
    its circuit is complete at the other.
        Nothing escapes its heat.

7 The Lord’s Instruction is perfect,
    reviving one’s very being.
The Lord’s laws are faithful,
    making naive people wise.
8 The Lord’s regulations are right,
    gladdening the heart.
The Lord’s commands are pure,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 Honoring the Lord is correct,
    lasting forever.
The Lord’s judgments are true.
    All of these are righteous!
10 They are more desirable than gold—
        than tons of pure gold!
    They are sweeter than honey—
        even dripping off the honeycomb!
11 No doubt about it:
    your servant is enlightened by them;
    there is great reward in keeping them.
12 But can anyone know
    what they’ve accidentally done wrong?
    Clear me of any unknown sin
13         and save your servant from willful sins.
        Don’t let them rule me.
Then I’ll be completely blameless;
    I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.

14 Let the words of my mouth
    and the meditations of my heart
    be pleasing to you,
    Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

May your rock and your redeemer be in the forefront of everything you see, do, and say today.

The Sun is Like a Warrior by Michelle Robertson

What Love Isn’t

Posted on by Betsy

How many of you have ever heard 1 Corinthians 13 read at a wedding? I can imagine many of you sitting at home with your coffee mug in one hand and raising the other. It is a well-known wedding Scripture for a good reason: it speaks to the heart of what love is. But did you ever stop to notice that it actually says more about what love isn’t?

It is in the ”isn’ts” that this passage has its greatest power, especially in a world so filled with hate. Somewhere, somehow, we as a society turned a dark corner where hate-filled rhetoric is not only accepted, it is the norm. Just look at the flags, bumperstickers, social media posts, and click-bait ”news” bits where self-important commentators inflame the audience with derogatory and damaging statements that go unchecked. Unchecked, until the online comments begin. Then hate parries hate, and things escalate until you stop and think to yourself, ”Where is the love? Where is the goodness? Where is civility? Where are your manners?”

Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth had nothing to do with weddings. He was facing a contentious congregation that was devolving into patterns of us-versus-them, and hate was unleashed. So he wrote these timeless words:

1 Corinthians 13 (Common English Bible)

13 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. 3 If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever.

4 Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, 5 it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, 6 it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. 7 Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.

So that is what love isn’t. It isn’t arrogant, so love would never think its own opinion was more intelligent or valuable than another person’s idea. Indeed, love would quietly accept diverse thoughts, and would silently agree to disagree.

Love isn’t jealous and doesn’t covet the things other people have or seek its own advantage, so love celebrates everyone else’s achievements and success, and doesn’t put someone down in order to lift itself up. When there is no jealousy, there is no competition for attention.

Love isn’t rude, so love wouldn’t post anything that is offensive, even if it agreed with the meme/post/article. Love wouldn’t hide behind flags that use profanity (or euphemisms for profanity), even if it doesn’t like the person to whom the profanity is directed.

Love isn’t irritable, so when love sees those flags, she bites her tongue and keeps on driving.

Love never enters an argument with a list of past grievances, because love FORGIVES.

One of the things love doesn’t love is injustice, and so love works hard to be sure everyone is treated fairly. And love loves truth, especially the One who is the Way, the Life, and the Truth.

8 Love never fails. As for prophecies, they will be brought to an end. As for tongues, they will stop. As for knowledge, it will be brought to an end. 9 We know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, what is partial will be brought to an end. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things. 12 Now we see a reflection in a mirror; then we will see face-to-face. Now I know partially, but then I will know completely in the same way that I have been completely known. 

We have a chance every day to choose love. That’s it. That’s the choice. You either love or you hate. May we choose a love so vibrant and strong that it brings glory to our Father and honor to our family. Remember, they will know that we are Christians by our LOVE.

13 Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.

Love’s Pure Light by Alice Rogers

Being Known

Posted on by Betsy

Can you name someone who really, really, REALLY knows you? (And loves you anyway?) It might be a parent, a spouse, a lifelong friend … there is a blessing in that kind of understanding and acceptance in a relationship. I have a friend who I only see three or four times a year, but I feel that he ”gets me” in ways that others do not. I made a joke recently about being ”vaxxed, maxed, and relaxed” and he burst out laughing and said that my statement was such a ”Bets thing.” (I don’t know if that is good or bad ….) He has called me ”Bets” since we first met, and I feel a special affinity for him because he intuitively uses my family name. It is like we have known each other for much longer than we actually have. When these little moments occur in our all too brief interactions, he makes me feel like I am known. There is great joy in that.

Who knows you like that?

In our lectionary passage today, we meet the marvelous prophet Jeremiah at the very beginning of his ministry. Jeremiah was ”only a boy” when God called him to be a prophet, and I would imagine that this calling to be a prophet to the nations at such a young age was quite a surprise … not to mention terrifying.

The first four verses set the stage for the startling revelation of who Jeremiah really is:

Jeremiah 1 (The Message)

1 1-4 The Message of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah of the family of priests who lived in Anathoth in the country of Benjamin. God’s Message began to come to him during the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon reigned over Judah. It continued to come to him during the time Jehoiakim son of Josiah reigned over Judah. And it continued to come to him clear down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah over Judah, the year that Jerusalem was taken into exile. This is what God said:

5 “Before I shaped you in the womb,
    I knew all about you.
Before you saw the light of day,
    I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—
    that’s what I had in mind for you.”

God tells Jeremiah that he shaped him in the womb and had holy plans for him. Let’s ponder that for a moment. God is truly the one who knows all about us from our conception. God forms us in his image and has PLANS FOR OUR LIVES. We scarce can take it in! Even before we are born, God knows what he has in mind for each of us. Mind you, as we exert our free will in making choices and decisions that fall out of God’s will, God’s plans take a back seat to how we choose to live our lives. Perhaps that is life’s greatest challenge: to discover what God had in mind for us at our birth and try to align ourselves with his vision for our future.

Jeremiah is reluctant to put on the mantle of ”Prophet to the Nations.” Who could blame him? He tries to hide behind his young age:

6 But I said, “Hold it, Master God! Look at me.
    I don’t know anything. I’m only a boy!”

God had a ready answer for Jeremiah, one that brings confidence and the assurance that his abiding presence would bring:

7-8 God told me, “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a boy.’
    I’ll tell you where to go and you’ll go there.
I’ll tell you what to say and you’ll say it.
    Don’t be afraid of a soul.
I’ll be right there, looking after you.”

I’ll be right there, looking after you. This is God’s word for us today. If your life has taken a significant turn, take heart! God is right here, looking after you.

So if illness, the death of a loved one, a job loss, a relationship break up, or a major disappointment has derailed you, know this: God formed you in the womb with holy plans for your life. Keep looking to him to help you find your way forward. He will never leave you or forsake you. Don’t be afraid … God is right here, looking after you.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made by Jackie Church


  

Joseph’s Son

Posted on by Betsy

I am the daughter of Fred. Fred was a hard working cost-control accountant for Owens Corning Fiberglass. He was an excellent bean-counting number-cruncher. I am also the daughter of Nancy. Nancy began a career as a front office clerk in a high school and eventually became the school’s chief financial officer, managing a multi-million dollar budget and overseeing contracts, building projects, and the like. The daughter of Fred and Nancy should have an affinity for math, yes? No. I recently saw a meme that explains exactly who I am. It was two monkeys having a thoughtful conversation. The first one said, ”Name a book that made you cry.” The second one responded, ”Algebra.” Yep. The daughter of Fred and Nancy is the second monkey.

Jesus had the same problem. People tried to judge him as the son of Joseph and Mary. Unfortunately, their preconceived notions of who he should be did not match up to the reality of being the Son of God, and their disappointment was tangible … and violent.

Luke 4 (Common English Bible)

21 He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.”

22 Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?”

How often do we put each other in a box? How often do we think we know someone by simply observing very tangential bits of information? Do we continue to make assessments based on gender, color, age, appearance, and socio-economic circumstances? You betcha.

Jesus went on to do exactly what Jesus was meant to do. He schooled them.

23 Then Jesus said to them, “Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum.’” 24 He said, “I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet’s hometown. 25 And I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land. 26 Yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 There were also many persons with skin diseases in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha, but none of them were cleansed. Instead, Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.”

Jesus points out that their rejection of him was more about them than it was about him. Their unspoken ”demand for a sign” was met with his reminder that prophets, healers, and even the Son of God don’t respond to that. In referencing Naaman, Jesus reminds them of the humility of the gentile Naaman, who approached Elisha in faith and did exactly as Elisha instructed, setting aside pride and cultural divisions as he put himself completely under the prophet’s authority. Obviously there was none of that in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth, where Jesus’ ability of speak with grace was immediately suspect.

28 When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger. 29 They rose up and ran him out of town. They led him to the crest of the hill on which their town had been built so that they could throw him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.

This is a great reminder to us today to look beyond labels. The challenge is to reconsider someone whom you dislike. Are your feelings based on true experience, or prejudice? Have you made assumptions? Have you given them a fair chance? Do your preconceived notions of their heritage prevent you from seeing them as they truly are?

Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamt of time when people would assess each other by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. We still have a long way to go.

God calls us to accept our brothers and sisters without judgement or bias. I bet you know someone who deserves a second look. Go, and make amends.

Recycled Trees by Michelle Robertson