TO ACCOMPANY YOUR LECTIONARY READINGS, LISTEN TO THIS SONGS WHILE YOU MEDITATE ON THE WORD:

Great Are You Lord (All Sons & Daughters, Leslie Jordan, David Leonard)

https://open.spotify.com/track/1Hv54MWloXiAZDam1ez840?si=31ce98131eda4404

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHz0w-HG4iU&ab_channel=IntegrityMusic

Here & Now (Eddie Kirkland)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhYATPoTx9w&ab_channel=NorthPointWorship

https://open.spotify.com/track/1zsmxH3ygeHHjXaQh7p7gm?si=2e6b7adcf4f5476b

For the Cause (Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYfNWAIa5vI&ab_channel=GettyMusicVEVO

https://open.spotify.com/track/0ZpDURNagOzElcq8ToZ9UL?si=526e08b665994841

reading for: 30 June

Mark 6:1-13

The call of the twelve disciples

• READ

Our passage for today starts off with Jesus returning to his hometown, followed by his disciples. (V1) We can imagine what kind of homecoming that Jesus will receive. Will he be welcomed like a hero or will he be despised? Will they roll out the red carpet for Jesus, or will they ignore him or take offense at him?

Mark does not leave us to wonder for long what kind of reception that Jesus will receive. Mark tells us that on the sabbath, Jesus was teaching, and many in the audience were astonished and wondering in verse 2, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?” This amazement on the surface is not wrong, for wondering and asking questions is part of how we learn. Yet, Mark immediately tells us what the answer to their wonder is. The audience immediately took offense at him and disbelieved Jesus. They recognised Jesus as someone whom they knew, and they perhaps saw Jesus as the carpenter, the Son of Mary. They knew his brothers and sisters. (V3) In summary, Jesus received a cold reception in his hometown, they did not roll out the red carpet for him, they disbelieved him and took offense at him.

How did Jesus respond to this rejection? Jesus responds by telling them in verse 4, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” What Jesus is saying here is that a prophet has honour everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives. The consequence of their unbelief was that Jesus could not do mighty works there except heal a few of the sick. (V5-6a) Perhaps sensing that his ministry in his own hometown was not fruitful due to their unbelief, Jesus left and went about among the villages teaching. (V6b)

Mark immediately continues the story by recounting the calling or sending of the twelve disciples two by two so that Jesus could cover more ground in the villages and teach more people about him. Jesus gave them authority over the unclean spirits. (V7) Jesus charged them not to take anything on their journey except the bare essentials. (V8-9) He thought them how when they enter a house, they ought to stay there until they departed. However, if the house does not receive them and would not listen to their teaching, they ought to shake the dust of their feet symbolising that their unbelief would have consequences. (V10-11) This brings to remembrance Jesus’s own rejection in his hometown and Jesus was calling them to follow him by shaking their dust off their feet.

Mark records for us that the disciples obeyed Jesus and went out proclaimed the message of repentance. They were able to heal many sick people and cast out many demons. (V12-13)

• REFLECT

Today’s passages show us two different kinds of responses to the message of Jesus. The first kind of response is a response of unbelief. The second kind of response is a response of belief. This is a response that will be characterised by miracles and power. What is our response to the message of Jesus? Will we roll out the red carpet for Jesus, and choose to honour and believe in him? Or will we choose to reject him and take offense with him? Pray that we will have the strength to believe in him and for our eyes and hearts to be opened to him and his words.

Believing in Jesus involves more than just a mental agreement, but expresses itself in the action of going out and telling others about Jesus. This is the call that the disciples were send out to do. They were commanded by Jesus to go out and proclaim Jesus. This is the same call that Jesus makes of us.

Matthew 28:18-20

           18       And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

           19       Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

           20       teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The disciples were called into the Kingdom as individuals but sent out in teams to make disciples, baptize and heal in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit. How can we serve Jesus and His Kingdom Call as friends? List and pray for oikos as a team and discuss in your LG how you might work together to connect to precious individuals and families in the lead-up to Christmas.

reading for: 1 July

Ezekiel 2:1-5

The call of Ezekiel

• READ

  Today’s passage is on the call of Ezekiel the prophet at the beginning of his ministry. In Ezekiel 1, the prophet takes greats pains to describe his experience in the presence and throne room of God. Ezekiel 1 ends off with the glorious Lord sitting on the throne and speaking to Ezekiel.

  Our passage for today picks up at the start of the conversation between the Lord and Ezekiel. The Lord starts with calling Ezekiel to stand on his feet and that the Lord wanted to speak with Ezekiel. (V1) The Spirit strengthened Ezekiel and gave him the strength to stand up, and then the Lord began to speak to him. (V2) What did the Lord have to say to Ezekiel? The Lord called and sent Ezekiel to the people of Israel. The Lord does not immediately tell Ezekiel what he is to say but he highlights the challenge of Ezekiel ministry by calling the people of Israel rebellious and stubborn. (V3-4) Ezekiel was to speak the words of God to the people of Israel whether they chose to hear those words or not. The people would know that a prophet was among them even if they chose not to hear the words of God through the prophet. (V5)

  To start of ministry on this note is not easy I would imagine for Ezekiel. He was called by God to speak the words of the Lord in the midst of this rebellious and obstinate people. Many people will not hear the words of Ezekiel, they will choose not to hear the words of God. Yet, Ezekiel was still to preach the word of the Lord.

• REFLECT

  Many times, we are people who are dependent on the outcome. We want to know whether if I preach and teach to this group of people will they be saved? Or we may express in another way, I will feel shameful if I preach to this person and this person rejects me? I cannot bear the rejection, so I think better not to preach and teach. This way I do not have to feel rejected and ashamed.

  The call of Ezekiel by the Lord challenges us to repent and change our way of thinking. Ezekiel is basically told that regardless of whether the people hear him or not, that he was to preach the word of the Lord. As such Ezekiel was not in control of the outcome but the Lord was in control of the outcome. In the same way, today, we need to understand that Jesus calls us to preach and teach his words and that we do not have to be ashamed if others do not receive our words. We can shake the dust off our feet and continue preaching and teaching. Surely if people rejected the words of Jesus, some would also reject the words that we have to say. We are not responsible for the outcome, we are only responsible to teach and preach the words of God to them. Do you know God’s calling on your life? How have you been living this out? What must you let go off to embrace your calling more fully?

reading for: 2 July

2 Corinthians 12:2-10

The call of Paul

• READ

  This passage contains the account of a man who Paul knows. At the onset, there is no indication of who this man is merely that he is someone whom Paul knows. Paul describes the experience of that this man experienced 14 years ago of how this man was called up into the heaven. Paul specifically highlights that Paul does not know if this man was in the body or out of the body when he was called up. (V2) Verse 3 contains a similar repetition of this words, changing the word third heaven into paradise. (V3) This man clearly had an encounter with God hearing things from God that cannot be told and that man cannot speak of it. In short, this man has experienced a divine encounter with the living God. Paul continues saying that he will boast on behalf of this man, but he will not boast on behalf of himself except only in weakness. (V5)

  Paul then suddenly switches from the third person of describing about this man into the first person to describe about himself describing that he will not be a fool if he should wish to boast. Yet, he refrains from it as he does not want others to think more highly of him than what they see and hear from him. (V6) It is likely that as Paul was describing of this visionary experience, he was describing about himself because Paul clearly knew a lot about the experience of this person. Verse 7 also indicates that the thorn in the flesh was to keep him from being conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. If the man described in verse 2 to 4 was not Paul himself, that would be a little hard to believe.

  The question then is why Paul wanted to initially describe his own experience in this way, in fact Paul never directly says that the man is himself. Paul gives his reasons why he did not want to directly identify with this man because he did not want his hearers to think more highly of him. (V6) Paul did not want to boast about the glorious revelation that he received. Some of us may wonder if Paul did not want to boast why tell this experience. Perhaps he did it because his opponents were going around questioning the credentials of Paul and the source of where he got his message from. Hence, Paul needed to correct that impression by making clear where he got the message from but still highlighting the importance of humility.

  Verse 7 to 10 continues to highlight the importance of weakness and humility to Paul. For Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to prevent him from being conceited. This was because of the glorious revelation that he had just received. (V7) Paul recounts to us that he pleaded with the Lord three times to remove this thorn, but he was told by the Lord, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul will be content with weakness for he knows that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. (V9-10) The text does not tell us what this thorn of the flesh is beyond the fact that it is a messenger of Satan. Yet we know that it has caused Paul much hardship and pain for he pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away. This hardship and pain that Paul faced was not taken away because God wanted Paul to understand the importance of weakness and humility.

• REFLECT

  The divine encounter that Paul had is truly a glorious encounter, so much that it set the stage for the rest of Paul’s ministry. From a persecutor of Christians to a preacher of the word to Christians. This was the divine calling of Paul.

  It is then easy for Paul to boast in his glories, to boast in the divine encounter that he had. For not many people in those days can claim to have such an encounter with the Lord of being caught up into the heavens.

  Perhaps, in our lives we have experienced divine encounters with the Lord, encounters that we felt the powerful transforming presence of God in our lives. These encounters, are there not just for us to have a great feeling nor are they for us to become conceited and see ourselves as ‘special’ people. We are to be a people who boast in weakness, to learn what is it to be contented, to learn what it means for God’s power to be made perfect in weakness. Reflect and share with your LG members humbling moments in your life. Can you see the love and work of God in those moments and circumstances? Pray for humility for one another and to grow in strength by boasting in weakness and learning to depend on God. Then we will be grounded and effective in the love and mission that God has for us.

reading for: 3 July

Psalm 123

Looking to the Lord

• READ

  This psalm highlights the importance of looking to the Lord. The psalmist is doing this not in a posture of exaltation and pride but doing this in a posture of humility and dependence on the Lord.

  The psalmist starts of with saying that he lifted up his eyes to the one who sat enthroned in the heavens. (V1) He did not lift his eyes up to look at himself in the glories of himself, but he lifted his eyes and worshipped God. Verse 2 continues with the same train of thought by declaring that our eyes look to the Lord in a posture of a servant whether a male servant or a female servant. This is the posture that we are look to God with, not the posture of a highly exalted king but a servant. We are servants pleading for mercy from him because we have had enough of the contempt, because we have had enough of the proud. (V3-4) Contempt is specifically singled out by the psalmist to describe the kind of rejection that he faced. Perhaps others mocked him for looking to the Lord, for believing in the Lord. The psalmist does not contain how God answered the psalmist on whether he was delivered from the contempt.

• REFLECT

  Who do we set our eyes on or turn our eyes to? Do we look to God when we face different kinds of trouble whether physical or emotional? Or do we choose to look to ourselves? Reflect and pray that in times of trouble we will learn to look to him in a posture of humility and dependence on him.