the 4th sunday after epiphany
the PRAYER …
Almighty and ever-living God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love; and that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
the READING …
When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ( Luke 4:21-30 )
the DEVOTION …
More often than not, it’s so simple. Plain as the nose on our face. So much so, it makes you wonder how ANYONE could question. How ANYONE could doubt. How ANYONE could consider driving Jesus out of town, leading him to the brow of a hill, and wanting to throw him off a cliff. Truth is, Jesus is anything but plain and simple. He’s complicated. Hard to get a handle of. At the foot of the cross, his nearest and dearest were confused. Even after the resurrection, they didn’t “get it.” After all, it was Palestine. The first century. And the stakes were high.
But that’s not the way most of us read the bible. We look at it more like a comicStrip. Shallow. Two-dimensional. No shadows. No depth. Full of easyAnswers and simpleSolutions. So, we hop from one passage to another, like we make our way through the frames of a comicBook. So, maybe this is a good time to slow down. Not “go” with the first thing that comes to mind. But take our time and read the passage through. Once. Twice. Even, three times. Like Mary, treasure all the words. And then, ponder them in our heart …