March 21, 2021
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Dear Lake B Family & Friends,
In this season of Lent, you will be hearing from different voices in our community - offering weekly devotional reflections to encourage our own journey toward Holy Week, the Cross and the Resurrection. Our theme for Lent is “Beautiful Questions on the Way.” Thank you to this week’s contributing writer, Pat Thompson. May God continue to meet us on the way in this Lenten Season, Grace and Peace, Pastor Lina Gospel Reading for the Fifth Sunday in Lent March 21, 2021Luke 18:31-19:10 This week’s reading begins with Jesus taking his disciples aside for another foretelling of his capture, torture, murder and resurrection. We might imagine him as a parental figure or coach here: “Remember, this is what we talked about. I want you to be ready and stay focused on the main thing.” But what is the main thing? Like the refrigerator magnet says, “Remember, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Unfortunately, at this point the disciples still didn’t understand, and they definitely weren’t tracking with him. Jesus on the way to Jericho stopped the crowd because a blind man was begging next to the road. Jesus, had the man brought to him and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” The man replied, “Lord, I want to see.” Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight. Your faith has healed you.” Luke says the man could see, right away, and that he followed Jesus, praising God! And when his community saw it, they also praised God! A man named Zacchaeus lived in Jericho. He was a chief tax collector and very rich, and he really wanted to see Jesus. He saw the crowd coming and ran ahead, climbing a sycamore-fig tree to get a perfect view of Jesus as he approached. When Jesus got there, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down here at once! I must stay at your house today.” Zacchaeus was excited, but the people who saw this began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to Jesus, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Consider Jesus’ focus as he moves toward the cross. A blind beggar regains his sight in the middle of a crowd; a rich tax collector completely rethinks his wealth and does the hard, humbling work of going back to those he cheated to make amends. His promise to do better in his community is not only a statement about him being reconciled to Jesus; he also demonstrates what it takes for us to be reconciled to one another. What do you think is the main thing in these stories? Thanks to contributing writer, Pat Thompson. |