Luke 6:20-23(CEB)

20 Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples and said:

“Happy are you who are poor,
    because God’s kingdom is yours.
21 Happy are you who hunger now,
    because you will be satisfied.
Happy are you who weep now,
    because you will laugh.

22 Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and condemn your name as evil because of the Human One. 23 Rejoice when that happens! Leap for joy because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.


Reflection

If you saw the Children’s Time at the Contemporary service on Sunday, you would’ve enjoyed a quick search for smiley faces around the worship area. I was nervous the kids would have a tough time finding the smiley post-its, but they were ready to point them out the second I asked! Kids have a talent for looking up and around. They notice a lot (sometimes more than we want them to). They’re learning, they’re taking things in, they’re asking questions, they’re raising their eyes up to see the world around them. Why does that end when we age?

Often in scripture, Christ asks us to be more childlike, and this can be seen as an example as to why. In today’s famous text from the Gospel of Luke where Jesus teaches an amazing lesson to the disciples about God’s persistent presence in our lives, even through really difficult times, Luke offers an interesting detail. He writes, “Jesus raised his eyes to his disciples…” Not only is this just polite and probably pulls people’s attention to Him, but He’s also being a living example of the importance of looking up and seeing those around him, seeing who they are, what they need. He’s able to serve them, teach them, lead them better by taking the time to see them.

by Rachel Callender


For Pondering & Prayer

We know we should be mindful and take time to notice, and always make eye contact and see the people around us, but then we get busy and life happens. Invite a mindful step today to really make eye contact with those who cross paths with. See the people at your work or in your community.

Prayer: God, thank you for always taking the time to see us. May we follow by example. Amen.