March 19, 2020, Thursday in the Third Week of Lent
Hello Everyone!
In light of the strange new world we are now living in because of COVID-19 I thought it would be good to send out to you all a bit of “Daily Grace.” The same will be posted each day on my “Pastor’s Blog” on our church’s website, in case you would prefer to read it there. Each time you will find a scripture reading, a meditation, a prayer, and a brief suggestion for contemplation. The scripture reading will be drawn each day from a common daily lectionary used by many denominations around the world.
In this unprecedented time of necessary social distancing we need more than ever to feel connected, and meditating together on Scripture can be a most helpful tonic for our souls. My prayer is that these offerings of “Daily Grace” may be used of the Lord to contribute in some small way in both directions.
Sincerely,
Pastor Dave Gilbert
Scripture: Luke 11:14-23
Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven.
But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? —for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Meditation
“… the kingdom of God has come to you.”
Luke’s Gospel recounts the delightful scene of the Visitation, when the Spirit enabled Elizabeth to recognize the coming of the Lord among his people. There in the doorway of a simple Jewish home, the Good News is first proclaimed between two women! This moment of great joy stands in stark contrast to the response of the crowds in today’s reading. Rather than recognizing that God is in their midst, some accused Jesus of colluding with the devil, while others seek to test him as Satan once did in the desert. They have not recognized the moment of their visitation — the moment when God has come to dwell among them
In this season of COVID-19, which began among us during the Lenten season, I think the Lord desires to remind us that “the kingdom of God has come upon [us].” It is not as a judgment of pestilence that it has come; and it is not a distant reality. No, it is present here and now, even as we await the final fulfillment of this promise. Against the frightening and disrupting background of COVID-19, can we still recognize the moments of our visitation, and even rejoice in the presence of our Lord at work within us and around us throughout our day? Yet for us Christians, recognition is only the beginning! We are called to be people of the Kingdom, making the Kingdom present in our world today as we offer others Christ’s presence and love. COVID-19, despite its unwelcome appearance, focuses this calling for us.
In today’s reading, Jesus makes it clear that we each must make a choice in this regard: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Faced with these two conflicting sides, we must choose whom we will follow. We cannot stay on the fence, for if we do not choose Christ, we will be counted against him. Still, it is consoling to realize that for those of us who do choose Christ, the victory is already at hand! If we give our lives to Jesus, he will overcome the “strong man,” casting out the darkness in our hearts and setting us free to love and serve him.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I choose you! In this time of the corona virus, I want to be all yours, and to gather others to you through the witness of my life and love. Like the crowds in today’s Gospel, I know that I have often failed to recognize your presence within me and around me. Help me in this time of crisis to be aware of the many ways you are at work in each moment of my day, and allow my heart to resound with gratitude and love. Help me to bring this love to others — over the phone, or by writing a letter, or however I can.
Contemplation
I choose Christ.