Loading more...
Hope Springs Forth
Throughout the year, we have continued to celebrate the 90th anniversary of The Upper Room daily Read More
Garrett Jacob | Read Luke 23:33-43
When reading scripture, I’ve learned to get curious when I pick up on a pattern. In this text from Luke, three different people say that if Jesus truly had the power he spoke of, then he ought to save himself. Groups of three should draw our attention as representing something...
Almighty, your power is beyond all we may ever know. Fill your people with your heavenly power over our simple, sometimes selfish, earthly version. Amen.
There is irony in attributing the title of “King” to Jesus. All our passages paint a picture of the Savior’s reign, but they describe it in a way that does not exactly scream, “all-powerful king.” Jeremiah prophesies about a future king who will bring security for all the people; Luke records the song of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, which promises a child who will bring mercy; the Gospel reading tells the story of Jesus’ death as an act of mercy for our forgiveness; and in Colossians, Christ is placed above all earthly rulers and powers. Does this absence of physical might mean there has been a mistake somewhere along the way? Not necessarily. A large part of the work of Jesus was challenging the beliefs of his time, and kingly language regarding a man who practiced non-violence, participated in the forgiveness of sins, and preached the ultimate importance of love, is no exception.
• Read Jeremiah 23:1-6. What does hope for redemption look like in a world that can sometimes seem so far from it?
• Read Luke 1:68-79. How have you seen God fulfill promises in your life? What was the moment like when you realized God had a plan all along?
• Read Colossians 1:11-20. Where are you needing endurance and patience? How can your relationship with God positively affect the way you exist in those spaces?
• Read Luke 23:33-43. What are ways you expect God to show up in your life today? How might these expectations be keeping you from seeing God already at work?
Respond by posting a prayer.
