Listen
This is the reflection I sent to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church.
44[Jesus said to the eleven and those with them,] “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Sundaysandseasons.com says, “Jesus leaves his disciples with a commission, a blessing and a promise of the Holy Spirit.” This is true, but there’s one more crucial piece that Jesus did before this. “…he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (v. 45). Without this opening and understanding, there’s no way they could accept the commission.
Once the disciples’ minds were opened, they could listen and hearJesus’ teaching on the scriptures concerning who he is in a new way. And if they didn’t listen, they’d miss out on the infilling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost because Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem until then.
We have a hard time being still. We are usually in a hurry. It is hard to catch people at home when you call them. Often people talk on the phone while they’re doing other things: working, driving (hands-free, of course!) or any other host of activities. What do people often say when you ask them how they’re doing, what’s new? “I’m so busy,” is the common reply.
Can we be still for a few minutes a day just to listen to what God might say to us? Perhaps just before we fall asleep is a good time. Or maybe, you’re a morning person and would prefer getting up before the rest of the family and the critters to have that time with Jesus. Start out with just 2-3 minutes of silence to listen and see what happens. It will probably be a struggle, but keep at it. Before you know it, you may be able to increase your time.
If we give ourselves to God and scripture in such a way, we too, can experience the power of the Holy Spirit and be witnesses to the good things God has done in our lives. In the Book of Acts we see the results in the disciples’ lives with phenomenal growth of the church. It all comes down to listening to what the Spirit is saying to us today as God’s church.
Gospel: Luke 24:44-53
44[Jesus said to the eleven and those with them,] “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”45Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Sundaysandseasons.com says, “Jesus leaves his disciples with a commission, a blessing and a promise of the Holy Spirit.” This is true, but there’s one more crucial piece that Jesus did before this. “…he opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (v. 45). Without this opening and understanding, there’s no way they could accept the commission.
Once the disciples’ minds were opened, they could listen and hearJesus’ teaching on the scriptures concerning who he is in a new way. And if they didn’t listen, they’d miss out on the infilling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost because Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem until then.
We have a hard time being still. We are usually in a hurry. It is hard to catch people at home when you call them. Often people talk on the phone while they’re doing other things: working, driving (hands-free, of course!) or any other host of activities. What do people often say when you ask them how they’re doing, what’s new? “I’m so busy,” is the common reply.
Can we be still for a few minutes a day just to listen to what God might say to us? Perhaps just before we fall asleep is a good time. Or maybe, you’re a morning person and would prefer getting up before the rest of the family and the critters to have that time with Jesus. Start out with just 2-3 minutes of silence to listen and see what happens. It will probably be a struggle, but keep at it. Before you know it, you may be able to increase your time.
If we give ourselves to God and scripture in such a way, we too, can experience the power of the Holy Spirit and be witnesses to the good things God has done in our lives. In the Book of Acts we see the results in the disciples’ lives with phenomenal growth of the church. It all comes down to listening to what the Spirit is saying to us today as God’s church.
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