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Shabbat Shalom!
I have a friend who is a rabbi in the Houston area. When I used to Read More
Cory Driver | Read Luke 13:14-17
As we finish this week’s journey with God and ready ourselves to begin another week, we end with a cautionary note. When the leader of the synagogue saw Jesus call the crippled woman over and heal her on the sabbath, he became indignant. He believed that healing was a kind...
Lord God, we love you. Thank you for loving us first and best. Strengthen us for the journey that you have set out for us. Help us to love and encourage our neighbors. Prevent us, God, from inhibiting your kingdom. Instead, help us to follow you faithfully on the journey. Amen.
The readings in Jeremiah and Psalm 71 are repeated in a pair from earlier in the year (January 24–30). They describe the authors’ confidence that God has had plans for their lives since even before they were born. God similarly knows each one of us and has a calling on our lives. The reading in Hebrews gives us confidence in the permanence of the kingdom of God, to which we have access through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are not to take this lightly; we should worship God with due respect. In a synagogue on the sabbath, Jesus teaches a lesson about mercy. When he encounters a woman in need, he places her need above religious regulations. If religious traditions trump mercy, then our priorities are out of alignment.
Read Jeremiah 1:4-10. How can you trust God to empower you to follow God’s call? How can you encourage others to live into their calling?
Read Psalm 71:1-6. How can you continually praise God as your refuge?
Read Hebrews 12:18-29. How do you discern what is required of you in praising God in the new covenant?
Read Luke 13:10-17. How do you observe the sabbath now? What sabbath practice might you start that puts God’s reign into action?
Respond by posting a prayer.
