Luke 9:28-36
The Transfiguration 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209%3A28-36&version=NRSVUE 
 
Has anyone ever asked you, “Why do you pray? Prayer doesn’t change anything.” I had a pastor once who always prayed for world peace. Another parishioner asked him why he always prayed for world peace because prayer wouldn’t change the conditions in the world. My pastor said, “Maybe not, but prayer changes me.” The Transfiguration shows us how prayer changes us. Verse 29 says, “While [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Jesus experienced a physical transformation to reveal the spiritual power within him. The glory of God was revealed through Jesus. We receive the same power that Jesus did when we pray. People should be able to see a change, God’s light, within us when we are transformed as disciples.

What were the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, doing during Jesus’ transformative spiritual experience? Sleeping. Jesus prayed. They slept. The NRSV translation phrased it as they were “weighed down with sleep” (v.32). The CEB translation said they were “almost overcome by sleep.” The Message said they were, “slumped over in sleep.” The disciples were not having a little power nap after their mountain climb. They slept deeply and almost missed God’s glory shining through Jesus.

This seems to be a trend with them. They slept again in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus takes them there to pray prior to his arrest. Jesus prayed so fervently that he changed again: “his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground” (Luke 22:44). Yet, the disciples missed this transformation too because instead of praying, they slept. Again, they had not just nodded off, as we might do in church while the pastor prays. They entered a deep sleep brought on by something. In this case, it was grief (v.45). Perhaps they were so overcome by grief that they could not bring themselves to pray.

When Jesus found them sleeping, “he said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray…’” (v.46). From his own experience, Jesus knows that prayer changes us. It may not change the outcome of our situation. Jesus was still arrested and killed. But prayer changed his heart to be able to make it through his suffering. Whatever caused the disciples to be “weighed down with sleep,” prayer can change them.

Jesus consistently prayed throughout his time on earth. His physical appearance didn’t change every time he prayed, but over time, he transformed. God’s light visibly shone through him, and people around him saw a difference in him. People should be able to see a difference in us as disciples. When we are in times of trial, we don’t just sleep through them. We pray fervently for God’s strength and perseverance. When the people around us are suffering, we’re not slumped over or weighed down by what is happening to them. We pray for them. God’s light shines through our prayers and makes a difference.

The Transfiguration was important because through Jesus’ transformation, our own transformation is possible. Our transformation is an ongoing process of listening and receiving strength through prayer. People will notice a difference in us, as we carry out the work God has called us to do. Prayer changes us because God’s light changes us when it shines through us. 
 
Reflection Questions:
Do you feel that prayer changes you? 
Can people see a difference in you because of your faith? 
Have you ever been sleeping when you should’ve been praying? 
Jesus shines with God’s glory, and then gets back to his work of healing. How might God transform you to sustain you in your calling?
 
Pray:
Transform our hearts, Lord, to shine your light. Help us to make a difference by shining your light.

Action:   
Make an intention to pray fervently every day this week. (Resist the urge to fall asleep!)
 
*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Luke 6:27-38
Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain Continues
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A27-38&version=NRSVUE
  
Jesus continues the Sermon on the Plain to “you who are listening” (v.27). Remember from last week’s passage, there were different groups of people who had come to hear Jesus: a crowd of disciples and a multitude of people who came to hear him and to be healed (v.18). With a multitude of people, it would be difficult for all of them to hear him, so some scholars think Jesus is referring to the disciples as the listeners. In the previous passage, he was speaking to the disciples, and so we can assume they were the listeners.

I’m not so sure that’s a safe assumption. How many of us stop listening to a sermon when it gets a little too challenging? Why do we tune out those closest to us when they lovingly point out our faults? Recently, I took one of my children to the doctor for an annual physical. Before he was given a hearing test, the medical assistant asked, “How’s your hearing?” I was tempted to say, “Selective.” I can’t tell you how many times my children stop listening when I ask them to stop doing something really annoying like singing “Baby Shark” for the millionth time or aggravating their brother. They don’t want to stop. They enjoy it too much, so they pretend they don’t hear me. My children are also notorious for tuning me out when I ask about school, homework, or chores. But the moment I whisper something to my husband about ice cream or Christmas presents, they all of a sudden have supersonic hearing. We hear what we want to hear. We listen when it’s something we desire.

The multitude of people came to hear Jesus because they desired to listen. It could have been just to hear all the hubbub about this man called Jesus or it could have been because the people were desperate for healing. The disciples listened because they had just experienced a life-changing moment when Jesus revealed his glory and called them to follow him. They don’t exactly know what they’ve signed up for, so they are probably hanging on Jesus’ every word. They are compelled to hear what comes next.

The listeners listen, even when it’s something they don’t want to hear, like “love your enemies” (27). This teaching is contrary to Rome’s standards just like the previous teaching about blessings and woes. Jesus continues the same thread in this sermon about going against the world’s standards. In Rome, it was more like “kill your enemies,” if they posed a threat, or “crush your enemies” to show you are powerful and they are weak. “Avenge your enemies,” for sure, to show that they may have won the battle, but you have won the war. “Love your enemies” was not in their mindset, but this teaching from Jesus is so important to being a Christ follower. They will certainly encounter enemies.

These words are so full of wisdom. Life-transforming, heart-changing words that are the key to following Jesus and a fulfilling life. We can’t hold on to hate or lash out even when someone deserves it. Hate poisons our hearts, and we become more like the world, instead of more like Christ. This teaching is hard to hear when we’ve truly been hurt or what we’ve cherished most has been taken from us. So, we don’t always listen. We tune it out or have selective listening, listening to only Jesus’ easy words or the ones that benefit us. We listen to Jesus’ healing words, but, these words, truly heal us.

Loving our enemies sets us free from the hate and hurt caused by others, and the hate and hurt we have inflicted on others. Hate and revenge continues the cycle of hate, just as love continues the cycle of love. Jesus calls the listeners to live to a higher standard because love always wins. Love is the standard in God’s kingdom.
 
Reflection Questions
Do you listen to Jesus? Even when it’s something you don’t want to hear?
What challenge is Christ calling you to do? What enemy is Christ calling you to love / pray for?
How have you been someone’s enemy? What have you done or become that would make it hard for someone to love you? How can love resolve this?
How do you respond to Jesus’ call to love your enemies?
How does your community of faith follow this gospel teaching?
 
Pray:
Help us, Lord, to love our enemies. We cannot do it without your love flowing through us.

Action:   
Do a tangible act to show your love of an enemy.

*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 

On a Level Place
Luke 6:17-26
Jesus Teaches About the Kingdom of God
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206%3A17-26&version=NRSVUE
 
Prior to this passage, Luke tells us that Jesus “went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer.” (v.12) He prayed about whom to call as his apostles, the first followers to take Christ’s message into the world. He then called the twelve, and “came down with them and stood on a level place” (v.17). Jesus is high on a mountain alone, he calls the apostles to join him, and then they come down together on a level place. They were equal and balanced with Jesus. What drew my attention was the logistics, really, and how these details communicate Jesus’ upcoming teaching.

This passage also tells us that they stood “with a great crowd of disciples,” and a “great multitude of people” (v.17). There is a distinction between the people on this level place. The crowd of disciples are followers who chose the way of Jesus, yet there are others there, Jew and Gentile, who came to hear Jesus and to be healed. Some may have come to hear this great preacher that they’ve heard so much about. Some may have come just to be healed or blessed. Some may have come to see the spectacle of it all. Some were there because they had decided to drop everything and follow Jesus. Even though there are differences in why people are there, there is one unifying aspect: “All were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all” (v.19). Christ’s healing presence knew no distinction. It didn’t matter why they were there. They showed up and received healing by being in Christ’s presence.

After this, Jesus teaches the disciples about the kingdom of God, and the life-changing work they were embarking on. Scholars refer to this teaching as the Sermon on the Plain, as they were on a level place, and well, Jesus speaks plainly to his disciples. Verse 20 tells us that “Jesus looked up at his disciples and said…” This teaching was not for the multitude of people, but delivered specifically to the disciples, the ones who would be doing this work. Jesus sat down when he preached, so this might explain why he looked up at his disciples. They were probably standing around him, and he lowered himself to them when he “leveled with them.”

Jesus did not mince words and tells them exactly the kind of work they will be doing. They are disrupting the status quo of their hierarchal structure.  To carry out the message of Christ’s love will go against the world’s values and hierarchal structure, particularly Rome’s since that was their current political power. Rome valued wealth and did not value nor take care of their poor. The poor were exploited and ignored. The hungry, the widows, and the orphans were not valued nor seen, as caring for them would take away from Rome’s stockpiling. The Roman soldiers were not afraid to use violence to yield their power, so if someone went against them, they could lose their life. The people may not want to do something that would make someone hate them. It would be much safer to lay low, keep their head down, and their mouths shut. Choosing to follow in the way of love instead of the way of Rome would be very risky, yet Jesus promises that they will be blessed in God’s kingdom.

God’s way of seeing the world is different from how we see it. What the world values is different from what God values. The pursuit of happiness usually means striving for and gaining material wealth, which purchases possessions that we think make our lives more comfortable and easier. There are those who get rich over night, but most of us spend our whole lives producing and accumulating. During that time, the changes in our hearts are subtle. Then, one day, something happens, perhaps the loss of our stockpile, or our ability to provide for ourselves, and we realize that we’ve put our trust in ourselves. Jesus said that the poor, hungry, and grieving are blessed because they trust in God to provide. They have tried to overcome their situations to no avail, and have learned that God is the only one who satisfies their needs.

Author and public theologian, Brandon Robertson, said, “The way God sees and has organized the world gives blessing to the humble, those who serve others, those who walk with others through dark valleys. As subservient as it sounds, those are the only ways to experience the life we were created for.”[1] Jesus levels himself with the disciples as he invites them – and us -- to join with him in the leveling of a more equitable kingdom. This is the life and work disciples were created for.
 
Reflection Questions
Where do you see yourself in this passage? Are you in the crowd of disciples or the multitude of people? Does that matter? 
How do you understand the paradoxes of Jesus’ blessings and woes?
Rewrite a modern version of the “Blessings and Woes” that is relevant in our culture today.
Where might Christ be calling you to create a more equitable community as part of your discipleship?

Pray:
Give us the strength, O God, to continue your work to offer compassion to those whom society overlooks, even in the face of conflict and outrage.

Action:   
Do one thing this week that blesses someone who is woeful.

*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 
[1] Disciplines: A book of daily devotions 2022, Upper Room, 62.

uke 5:1-11
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%205%3A1-11&version=NRSVUE
 
Jesus continues his ministry and begins to build momentum. He goes to the shore at the Sea of Galilee and sees a large crowd has formed. The people are pressing in on him to hear “the word of God” (v.1). Jesus had to think on his feet to accommodate the crowd. So far, according to the gospel of Luke, he had taught in synagogues and healed in small villages, but God was about to grow his ministry exponentially.
 
At the shore, Jesus knew by the size of the crowd that not everyone would be able to hear him, so he looked around to see what resources were available to him. He saw “two boats” (v.2). The fisherman had gotten out of them while they were washing their nets. The all-night fishing trip was over, so now the boats were available to be used for Jesus’ purposes.
 
Jesus got into Simon’s boat and asked him to push off from the shore. Jesus wasn’t alone in the boat. It’s not quite clear in the beginning, but in verse 4 Jesus asked Simon to “go deeper” and let down his nets, after Jesus finished speaking to the people. We can assume that when Jesus got into Simon’s boat, Simon went with him. Jesus probably needed someone to help row it as well to get to the desired location where his voice would carry across the water.  
 
However, Jesus saw Simon as a resource too, someone who could do more than just row the boat. Jesus saw him as a partner in his ministry because he took him out deeper to show him what they could do together. When Simon fished without Jesus the night before, he came back with empty nets and a deflated attitude. With Jesus, they caught “so many fish” (v.6).
 
Yes, Simon expressed his doubt, his frustration, and his reluctance to follow what Jesus instructed. After all, he was tired and had just washed the nets. He was just ready to go home and sleep. He didn’t want to have to wash the nets again. Simon had just fished this lake, all night in fact, when fishing is typically more successful. How could dropping the net now receive a different outcome? Listening to Jesus, when the instructions are counter to what we know or have experienced, is really hard to do. Yet, Jesus showed Simon what can happen if we listen to him and what happens when we surrender our doubt, frustration, and reluctance. We get to a point where we just need to do what Jesus asks us to do.
 
A lot happened in that first boat with Jesus. So much so, that it required an additional boat. Verse seven tells us: “So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.” The other boat belonged to Simon’s partners, Zebedee and Sons, who came to help them, but instead of helping, their boat began to sink too because of “so many fish” (v.6). Our work with Jesus will require partners to help us. None of us can accomplish the work we are called to do alone. When Simon’s partners come to assist him, they are mutually blessed. They become more than helpers. They become partners with Jesus.
 
Jesus started with one boat, then two boats, then four partners who dropped everything to follow him and to catch people. Jesus multiples and repurposes the available resources for his ministry. He welcomed partners in his ministry who will experience unbelievable possibilities with him. They may have dropped everything to follow him, but they will soon learn that they gained more than they could imagine.     
 
Reflection Questions:
What do you have that Jesus can repurpose for his ministry?
Who are your partners? Who helps you accomplish Jesus’ work?
Are each of you mutually blessed? In what ways?
Where can you go deeper with Jesus?

Pray:
God, show us the work you are calling us to do.

Action:   
With faith and trust in God, do not hesitate to do what God asks of you, even though it may run counter to public opinion.

*New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.