Thursday, February 28

“But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” Some of the teachers of the law responded, “Well said, teacher!” And no one dared to ask Him any more questions. (Luke 20: 37-40)

I’m not sure that I actually selected the scripture for this, my humble meditation. I believe it was informally assigned to me, a very good thing. If I had selected scripture it would have been a familiar one from Sunday School days. Maybe this one makes me think a little deeper.

The words in Luke 20:37 start to jump out at me again and again, that He’s the God of the LIVING, not the dead. For to Him all are alive. Some of the teachers of the law in Luke responded “well said teacher.” That phrase had been used so many times.

My meditation and practice for this season came from my old friend, Bill Klein of Roanoke, VA who prays in his book “Prayers Public and Private,” published by Providence House, “once again, O God; we come confessing that we have failed you. Vows once made to you, we have forgotten. We are not worthy of your love nor do we deserve the great dreams you have for us. Deeper still, we are afraid of your love and terrified by your dreams, so we keep our comfortable distance. We put off the call to take up our cross and follow your Son. Instead we flee as did the disciples of old to the safety of moderate virtue which costs nothing, to the safety of conventional religion which disturbs no one, to the safety of public decency which even the godless observe. You, however, wait for us and the world waits for people not afraid to follow your Son courageously. Help us to be that people. Hear our thoughts and prayers and make us better than we are.” AMEN

Bill Stott

Wednesday, February 27

Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.” (Luke 20: 34-36)

This passage spoke to me, as I am one who has not yet been “given in marriage,” and have often felt myself unworthy, aided of course by the well-meaning but not-so-helpful pitying glances of my married friends, who ask if I’ve “found” someone yet and are met with my minimalist answer, “No.”

Prior to God’s new covenant with us through the resurrection of Jesus, one’s “worth” and “place” was defined by one’s relation to someone else – married, unmarried, widowed, childless, etc. In the “new age” of the resurrection through Christ, we are all worthy, as our most essential child-selves, being viewed first and foremost as God’s children. We are defined only by our relation to God.

I relish my role as a child of God, “... no less than the trees and the stars...” (Desiderata).

Thank you, Lord, for loving and accepting me as I am - and for guiding me on my way.

Jennifer Beckett

Tuesday, February 26

Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question. "Teacher," they said, "Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman and died childless. The second and then the third married her, and in the same way the seven died, leaving no children. Finally, the woman died too. Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?" (Luke 20: 27-33)

The Sadducees are posing this crazy, hypothetical scenario to test Jesus. We see this as a direct challenge to the hope and belief in God’s vision of the afterlife and the resurrection. The Sadducees know that there is no real answer, yet they want to see how Jesus will respond to their question. They do not believe in the resurrection and by asking this question, they expect that their beliefs will be justified. Their proposed sequence of events has the tone of an adversarial debate, one of absurdity that reflects their overall attitude toward Jesus and his followers. The fact that one woman is to be married to all seven brothers throughout her life is indeed ridiculous - and to speculate to whom she will be married at the resurrection seems quite the daunting task.

Reflecting and meditating on this scripture, we were compelled to read further and find out Jesus' response. To paraphrase, Jesus reminds the Sadducees that marriage is of this physical world and temporary – not eternal. For those who believe and have faith in the resurrection and Jesus' teachings, shall be alive and in the presence of God at the resurrection – as His children, of His being – with the Father, not with each other as a married couple. Our marriages, in this world, to one another will not be the defining relationships of our lives in the resurrection. We will be angels in heaven, the children of God. Marriage and reproduction are necessary to life on earth, a world where people die, but they are obsolete concepts in a world where beings live forever.

It is our hope that, even though marriage is not eternal, we who commit ourselves to one another in this life, shall still be together, side by side, as angels of God in the afterlife, surrounded by those we love.

John and Jessica Lenhart

Monday, February 25

He saw through their duplicity and said to them , “Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent. (Luke 20: 23-26)

One day as Jesus was teaching in the temple, his enemies questioned his authority. The question asked reflected how unpopular taxation was and put Jesus in a “Catch 22” position. If on the one hand he said: Don’t pay your taxes to Caesar, the Jewish officials would have brought him to the Roman Governor for sedition. If on the other hand he said pay your taxes to Caesar, he would lose his popular support because the Romans were the occupying force and hated by the general population. It was a case of heads I win, tails you lose. However with his answer, Jesus made the coin balance on its side.

It was an answer of pure genius. “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” He gave such good answers that they became silent, and no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Jesus uses the occasion of the Pharisee’s question about paying taxes to Caesar to address important truths concerning a believer’s obligation to the State and to God. Coins are made from precious metals and bear the image of authority. We are precious creations of God that bear His image. I believe that the question for me is: How should I be spent as God’s currency? What am I worth in terms of my willingness to support and love others? After all money is really nothing but a tool. Let me use money, as well as all my other gifts, as a force for good.

Sylvia Wadsworth

Sunday, February 24 – Second Sunday in Lent

So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Luke 20: 21-22)

It’s a set up deal; the authorities have sent spies to catch Jesus in a trap. First, begin with flattery, and then put the question. Hopefully no matter how he answers he is caught in the trap. If Jesus answers “yes” he will incur the wrath of the Jewish authorities; if he says “no” he risks arrest and a charge of “treason” from the Roman authorities. The horns of dilemma, but one which Jesus will cleverly avoid.

How easily you and I can be trapped by subtle flattery, which deceives us into an answer that we do not want to make and may not believe. “We know you do not show partiality but teach the way of God. Is it right???” We are called to live out our Baptismal Covenant and “strive for justice and peace among all people.” And in Lent we pray that God “will come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations.”

Fr. Ted Bishop

Saturday, February 23

Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. (Luke 20: 20)

Have I pretended to be honest when in reality I am acting like a spy? Who have I tried to “catch” saying something unkind or untrue so I can call them “down?” Why am I not building up the body of Christ? Isn’t that what Christ taught? Let us watch and pray that we may be honest and build up the holy body of Christ.

Pat Wilson

Friday, February 22

The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. (Luke 20: 19)

Luke recounts the story of the chief priests’ attempt at putting Jesus in a situation where his answer is certain to anger one side or the other. He is referencing the baptism of John (by God or by man?), and if we read a little further we find the passage everyone is so familiar with: “Give unto Caesar what is his and unto God what is His.” The subject is, of course, taxes. How relevant!

Instead of taking a stand themselves, the priests want Jesus to tell them, and the people, what he thinks is right. They want Jesus to answer both the baptism and the tax question - taunting him into answering questions that they are afraid to answer themselves.

I think the question, rather than the answer, may inform us more about relevance today. How often do we now see our leaders trying to make law but retain deniability and escape any backlash from “the People”? As are the chief priests, they are cowards, not wanting to anger the group at the bottom or the top. It is today, as it was in Jesus’ time, a struggle between those who have a lot and those who have little or nothing, between the common man and the “elite.”

Jesus’ answer seems to say that the politics of state are separate from the politics of the soul. While we hope that the state is run with fairness and compassion we can’t count on it, but we must be willing to participate in life even when our leaders are making unfair laws or, as the priests are, afraid to make judgments for fear of being on the wrong side. Because of fear, they do nothing.

The priests are playing games with Jesus. We see all around us people in positions of power, either in a church or in public office, playing games with words from both or either the Old or New Testaments. Are we playing games with ourselves? It can sometimes be too easy to “play around” with the meaning of what we are taught so that we can make it fit our personal goals and objectives.

John Power

Thursday, February 21

Jesus looked directly at them and asked, "Then what is the meaning of that which is written: The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." (Luke 20: 17-18)

In Luke 20:17, Jesus looked directly at them (the scribes and the Pharisees) and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: “The Stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” quoting from Psalms 118.22.

King David wrote this psalm of thanksgiving upon gaining full possession of the kingdom. David was the stone that Saul and his courtiers rejected, but was advanced to be the headstone of the building of God. The symbolism of the foundation stone, crucial to a building, indicates that God will vindicate his rejected leader. (Matthew Henry Commentary, 1706)

Jesus applies this metaphor to himself. He is a stone, for strength, firmness, duration, and life, in the building of the spiritual temple. This building-stone imagery made a great impact on the church. Rejected by the Jews; refusing to recognize Him as the Messiah; they would not build their faith upon him. (Matthew Henry Commentary, 1706)

In Scripture, foundation stones are symbolic of the basis of faith in Jesus Christ and the church. Christ is thus represented as both the foundation upon which the church is built, and the capstone that crowns the whole. (Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes, 2009)

In Luke 20:18, Jesus warns His ridiculers, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Jesus is the foundation stone of God’s plan. Rejected by the Jewish nation Jesus will be exalted. His enemies can expect to be destroyed. Even those that slight Him that stumble at Him shall be broken - he will fall upon them and crush them to pieces. (Matthew Henry Commentary, 1706)

As we observe this Lenten season with prayer and reflection in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us give praise and thanks to God for sending his Son to be the cornerstone and rock of our salvation.

Beth Errickson

Wednesday, February 20

Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!” (Luke 20: 13-16)

In the verses before this reading, the owner of the vineyard sends in servants first to straighten things out. They get beaten up. Then he sends his beloved son who meets a worse fate.

God sent prophets through the years, but their messages were often misconstrued or interpreted to one personal selfish benefit. And, of course, when Jesus came to earth, he was mocked, disbelieved, and murdered.

What messengers are sent our way and what do we hear? We have the scriptures and church worship as guides, but we also have prayer and our conscience. Taking moments in our daily lives to listen to God are today’s messengers. Giving prayerful thought to your conscience before making decisions are today’s messengers. Rejecting scriptures, church, prayer, and conscience makes us like the tenant farmhands in the reading. We can choose to live a self-absorbed life obsessed with material things, or choose to seek His plan and live according to it.

Jesus was killed once – let Him live in us. 

Dave Briggman

Tuesday, February 19

He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.” Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. (Luke 20:9-12)

If you interpret the scripture that the ‘Heir’ is Christ, then this parable becomes a very clear picture of our belief and faith. These men were going to kill Him. You never know who you are talking to. Heaven and eternal life are not clubs or societies that you can buy your membership. There is no need to fill a resume with self- absorbed titles and accomplishments. Instead our going home to heaven and eternal life is an extension of how we lived here on earth, judged by how we treat our fellow man.

You are tested every day in little ways. You may never know who it is that needs the most help. As this story tells us, you never know when Christ will be in your presence and may need a helping hand. Did you greet everyone today with a smile? Did you have love in your heart and did you share it with all? You never know when the simplest of deeds means the most to someone who you hardly or do not know.

In our All Saints family, look what we do with Room at the Inn, and other outreach programs. You never know who any of those people are coming through our doors. Welcome all as the next one in may be the ‘Heir.’

Warren Judge

Monday, February 18

Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Luke 20: 8)

While studying for my master’s degree I was shown the derivation of many formulae for probability and statistics. The classic ending of the proof was Q.E.D. which means “what was required to be proved.” To know the truth of the formula a logical progression of steps were used to find the answer.

In this reading and the verses preceding it, Jesus has been busy cleansing the temple of dishonest money changers and sellers of temple offerings; as well as teaching the people and preaching the gospel. The response of the chief priests, scribes, and elders is to discredit Jesus by asking a question: “by what authority do you do these things, or who gave you this authority?” Jesus, knowing what was in their hearts and minds, responded by requiring them to answer one question; “the baptism of John, was it from heaven, or from men?” Realizing that either answer would result in their being condemned by the people, they could only say they could not tell. Since they could not answer, Jesus also declined to answer.

I believe the answer to the above question is both. It was a baptism of repentance and pointed to the coming of the Messiah. When Jesus began baptizing he was forgiving the sins of the individual.

David Harden

Sunday, February 17 – First Sunday in Lent

They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." (Luke 20: 5-7)

It’s what I call a “lose-lose” situation! How can I make it come out so that I don’t look bad? How often have I answered, “I don’t know,” to avoid trouble? I could have prayed and sought wisdom’s answer. Maybe, it could be a “win-win” situation if I seek wisdom in all my transactions. Pray that we may be a conduit for wisdom and healing and knowledge.

Pat Wilson

Saturday, February 16

He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John's baptism- was it from heaven, or from men?" (Luke 20: 3-4)

Oh boy, what a pickle they were in. Either way they replied, they knew they were “in trouble.” We have all been in that situation either as a child or as a parent questioning our children. Being in a situation like that as a child can be very stressful!! Do you say what you want to say or say what you know will keep you or get you out of trouble? As an adult questioning a child, you know you just asked a loaded question. Either answer will tell you a lot. So, is it right to ask a question you know will make the answerer squirm? Maybe that was what Jesus was trying to do. Make them squirm. Make them really think about their answer and think about what their beliefs are. We all should be a little uncomfortable and squirm a bit so that then we dig deeper into our faith and our religion. Get to the heart of it by researching, digging, soul searching. By doing this, we can only then be closer to God. Let’s not just proclaim to know God, but rather squirm a little and require more of ourselves to get to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him!

Sandy Briggman

Friday, February 15

One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?" (Luke 20: 1-2)

When Jesus gave the people an authentic interpretation of law during his Sermon on the Mount he both codified and fortified God’s word. The people were amazed by his teaching because he had the authority of God unlike the scribes.

With this authority Jesus allowed the blind to see, the deaf to hear, raised the dead, and cast away demons in their midst, so that they might come to believe that the Kingdom of God was at hand. But it was a seemingly simple act of mercy which caused the crowds to glorify God; Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic by just speak- ing the word. By this act he announced to the world that atonement for sins could be done outside of the sacrifice of the temple. Jesus had divine power, he had authority from God.

The amazing thing is that Jesus freely gave his authority to his disciples so that they could perform many of the same miracles, they could forgive sins and they could provide authentic teaching to the people. He gave the Church the authority to continue these things in his name.

The Pharisees and Scribes did not like this challenge to their authority and therefore they questioned from what authority does his teaching come? Jesus, being the teacher, asks them a simple ques- tion about the source of John the Baptist’s authority. When they dis- cuss this among themselves they conclude that they cannot tell the truth that John was from God, but they cannot deny it for fear of the crowds, so they attempt to be politically correct and in the process condemn themselves.

In our times we face several important issues regarding the right to life for the unborn and the sanctity of marriage and we have to ask ourselves from whose authority do our beliefs come. Is our reasoning from God or from man? Are we willing to seek the truth and take a stand or just discuss it and come up with a politically cor- rect conclusion which will potentially condemn us? We need to hon- estly reflect on how our beliefs are formed.

When the message of Christ is contrary to what society is trying to impose on us it is a natural reaction to rebel against author- ity, to preserve our reason, our independent judgment. The real dan- ger is that we can fear the crowd and deny him or possibly join the crowd by yelling “crucify him.” We need to face the truth and take up his cross. 

So during this Lenten season, a time of reflection and sacri- fice, I ask that we reflect on the scriptures and the traditions of the Church and then pray that the Holy Spirit provide us guidance so that when we teach we are assured it is God’s will and not ours.

Ken White

Thursday, February 14

Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words. (Luke 19: 47-48)

In this scripture we can see the strong impact Jesus' teachings made on his followers. Although some were trying to kill him, the ones who trusted in his teaching were protecting him. The power of words can affect us in various ways. We can be influenced for the bad or good depending upon our motivation. In the eyes of the chief priests, teachers of the law and the leaders among the people, Jesus posed a threat to their power; therefore, their motivation was to kill him. On the other hand, the people protecting him believed He was sent by God to share his love and spread the word of salvation and everlasting life. Jesus teaches us that we need to follow our heart and conscience so we can do what is pleasing to God.

Dear Lord, I pray that when I read or listen to your words, I will be motivated in ways that my actions will have a positive impact on those around me. Amen

Jack Meyer

Wednesday, February 13 - Ash Wednesday

Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer;' but you have made it a den of robbers.” (Luke 19: 45-46)

On Luke 19: 45-46...I pray often that Jesus would drive out those who are selling in many situations in today's world the way he drove out the merchants in the temple. I wish he would drive those who make war for profit out of the countries they invade in the name of national security. I wish he would drive out those who televise suffering for ratings from the homes of the tragedy-stricken, and I wish he would drive out those who would bring down a national economy by giving mortgages to poor desperate people who could never pay them, all for the sake of fat bonuses. I wish many of these things, but they don't seem to happen. Or, at least not the way I would wish.

But when I take a closer look I see other things. I see people traveling to other countries to lend aid to the sick and poor. I also see reporters and writers exposing public scams at the risk of their own careers. I even see neighbors I never knew stopping to help an injured cat along the road...lending blankets, calling for help, offering comfort, and crying for a dying life that would otherwise die alone. And then I think that maybe Jesus is still driving a den of robbers out of the temple, in order to make a house of prayer. Then I think that maybe it really was, is and always will be "written."

Jeff Edwards