URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 17 December 2024

St Luke 6: 20 – 26

Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said:

‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.

‘But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
‘Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Reflection

We are so used to these sayings of Jesus that we do not realise how radical this message is. God in Jesus here is blessing those who are considered as worthless in society and warning those who have the most now that the blessings they enjoy may not mean that they are God’s favoured ones. 

The woes follow. They feel like they are aimed at me. I am relatively rich, I am well fed and I am happy now. What does God require of me?

I might spiritualise these words, thinking I am hungry for justice for all, I give to charity, I do know what sorrow is from experience. But I am challenged.

Jesus is clear –  following his way, we must be prepared for opposition and the more we get, the more we are doing as Jesus did.

Many of our churches are putting themselves at the service of the hungry and the poor. Are we also speaking up for them? Are we experiencing disrespect and opposition in our championing of those whose voices have been silenced by the powerful. Are we compromising the message of Jesus by trying to conform to the norms of our consumerist society?

God is always on the side of the disadvantaged and against those who hold on to what they have  and do not follow God in love for the poor, the hungry and the despairing.  The prophets were often on the wrong side of the powerful because they spoke up for God and against those who should have been following the Law but were not.
We have good news for the poor to proclaim so we should not be surprised if we are not universally popular especially when we speak up for the marginalised in our society. Let’s rejoice when we are criticised and sidelined and be encouraged to speak up even more because we can be sure that we are following in Jesus’ way when we do so.

Prayer 

Lord, you challenge us to be as radical as Jesus.
Help us to love as you do,
Speak as you do,
Follow you into conflict and persecution.
Give us the courage to stand with you
Against evil in all its forms,
Being not only your hands but your voice;
Speaking truth to power
And hope to those in need;
One with your Spirit
Taking up our cross as Jesus did
Amen