by Jeremy Lie
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A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory (Matthew 12:20).
Read Matthew 12:15–21
As we begin the first of our readings in Matthew 12 for this week, we are met with an image of what kind of Messiah Jesus would be.
The Jewish people had their idea of the type of Messiah God was going to send. They were craving a militant Messiah who was going to overthrow Roman rule and restore Israel to its status as the ‘light to the nations’ that God intended it to be. And so, a question running through the minds of his disciples, at some point must have been: What kind of Messiah is Jesus going to be?
The Jesus we see in Matthew 12 is servant-hearted, putting the good of others above his own agenda. At this point, I think it’s important to pause and reflect on our own expectations of Jesus.
There is a psychological test called the Rorschach Test that invites people to interpret a series of inkblots and makes algorithmic conclusions about their personality based on their responses. Now, why on earth am I bringing this up? Well, what patients do in the Rorschach test, we Christians almost always do with our perception of Jesus.
Within our perception of Jesus lives little projections of our own personality and preferences as to what kind of saviour we believe/want Jesus to be. Left unchecked over time, these projections can completely engulf our understanding of Jesus and distort the true image of Christ that we see here in Matthew.
To Jesus, justice looks like being gentle, meek and caring for the bruised reeds and smouldering wicks of the world. It means having compassion for those who have been trampled on by the political and ideological systems they find themselves part of. It means standing up and standing for those whose sense of hope is holding on like the final flicker of a candle flame on the brink of being extinguished.
What kind of Jesus are you following? One who rules with an iron fist through doctrine and dogma? Or one who sees and seeks out the sick, the hurting and the vulnerable in our communities? One who isn’t afraid to reach out to the leper, confident that the healing we experience in God is more powerful than any earthly ailment? As we, too, are chosen and invited to be God’s servants proclaiming justice to the nations, what kind of justice are we proclaiming? And what kind of Jesus are we projecting?
We pray, Lord Jesus, teach us to walk humbly, act justly and love mercy. Strengthen and encourage us when met with injustice to be as you would be and do as you would do. To have compassion, to listen deeply, to love completely. And, Lord, should we ever be the ones who are the bruised reeds or the smouldering wicks, may we know and trust your promise to be with us and comfort us in our struggles. Amen.
Jeremy worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He volunteers to coordinate Our Saviour Youth and works alongside the worship team to organise their monthly ALTER worship service. He also enjoys playing in the band and making coffee after services.
by Jeremy Lie
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And they were all amazed at the greatness of God (Luke 9:43).
Read Luke 9:28–36 (37–43)
Welcome, reader, to a week of easy readings, clear teachings and non-confrontational Jesus moments. (Can you sense the sarcasm here?) I am, of course, kidding. The readings this week can be tough to excavate and require us to show patience, curiosity and the ability to hold things in tension as we make our way through them. But, as always with Jesus, there is a gospel through line in the heart of these passages, like gold veins running through ore. So, grab your theological pickaxe, and let’s dive in.
Today’s reading pins two ‘glory stories’ right next to each other: the Transfiguration and the healing of a demon-possessed boy. These stories come immediately after Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah and Jesus’ promise that some of the disciples would physically see the kingdom of God in their lifetime (verse 27). Verse 28 directly ties these two sequences of events together.
So, what do we see of God’s kingdom reality in today’s reading? Could Jesus have been talking about his transfiguration, referring to the fact that Peter, James and John would witness Jesus on the mountaintop in his glorified form? Or was Jesus talking about the healing of a young boy suffering from seizures and mental illness? The text tells us that the crowds were also ‘amazed at the greatness of God’ at that moment.
I think it is one of those curious ‘both, and’ moments where we learn that God will reveal ‘Godself’ in unique ways depending on the people involved and the circumstances they find themselves in. In our Old Testament Scriptures, God appears to Moses in a storm of lightning, thunder and fire. Yet, to Elijah, recovering from depression and exhaustion, God does not appear in thunder and earthquakes but in a gentle whisper. We worship a God who is not limited to mountaintop experience (lest we go scaling mountains looking for them) but who comes down the mountain to meet us in the mess of life as we know it. God gets involved in our lives, concerns and needs.
So, the question is, how might God show up next? Are we willing to posture ourselves toward possibility, the possibility that God might show up in new and unexpected ways that may be foreign to us but are attuned and sensitive to the situation we find ourselves in?
We pray, Heavenly Father, help us not to box you in. Please help us to remain open to the myriad ways you might show up in glory. We thank you for being a God whose heart is for us and whose movement is toward us. Help us to respond in kind as we give our hearts to those in our lives in desperate need of your grace and move toward them in love. Amen.
Jeremy is a chaplain at Lutheran Ormeau Rivers District School (LORDS) in Queensland. He loves working with young people as they journey through life and search for connection and meaning. He is particularly passionate about reshaping conventional ideals of masculinity and empowering young people to view vulnerability not as a show of weakness but as a sign of strength.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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As for me, I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill … Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 3:6,12b).
Read Psalm 2
This psalm seems to nicely round out what I have learned in our readings for this week. I have found the readings hard words from our Lord and Saviour. We have been asked to be merciful and compassionate in our own communities. We have seen that physical death is a possible outcome for some who are Jesus’ disciples. We have heard Jesus say that he did not come to bring peace on earth. We have been instructed to be wise and gentle.
It seems that we are in the midst of a war – and we are. A war for our souls and the souls of all people on earth. It seems like walking with Jesus is a minefield in this world that is full of evil, where nations rage against God, people plot in vain to do whatever they want to do, and rulers consult one another rather than walking with God (well, that is what appears to be happening).
In this psalm, we are assured that God rules. He laughs at the vain plots of humanity and holds the people who plot in derision (verse 4). And this is a huge comfort to each of us living this battle for the souls of people. Blessed are those who take refuge in him. God has set Jesus on his holy hill (verse 6). Take refuge in him.
- ‘Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge’ (Psalm 16:1).
- ‘You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance’ (Psalm 32:7).
- ‘O, taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him’ (Psalm 34:8).
- ‘How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings’ (Psalm 36:7).
- ‘Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us’ (Psalm 62:8).
- ‘But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works’ (Psalm 73:28).
- ‘You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust”’ (Psalm 91:1,2).
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus as King. Thank you that in Jesus, I can take refuge. I turn to you for strength and courage to walk in your ways today and always. You are my refuge and strength. Please be with me and keep me from all evil today, for into your hands I commend myself, my body, my soul and all things. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34).
Read Matthew 10:34–42
I find it challenging to read this Scripture. I prefer the Christmas carol, I heard the bells on Christmas Day, with the repeated line ‘Peace on earth, goodwill to men’. So surely Jesus came to bring peace on earth. Right? But hold on, this is not what the Scripture for today says.
Jesus says, ‘I have not come to bring peace’. Well, that is a conundrum for me. I want peace on earth. I want what I believe I heard the carol say. As I investigate further, I find that the Christmas carol is based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote the poem in lament for his son who had gone off to war against Henry’s wishes. And suddenly, I realised that what I thought I understood about peace on earth is built on a very sandy foundation. I might be the only one who has thought this way. But so often, I find that what I thought I learned in Sunday school, what I thought I understood about Jesus, is not actually what Scripture says. I misheard and misinterpreted.
So, what does Scripture say that could fit a little bit with that Christmas song? Well, in Luke 2:14, we find that what the heavenly host was doing at the birth of Jesus was praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased’. So, peace is not what Jesus is bringing to this world. Peace is, however, received by those with whom God is well pleased.
In this text, peace does not seem to mean the absence of conflict. We can expect conflict. How do we know this? Because that is what Jesus says. What are we to do then? Receive and serve. If we receive Jesus, we receive God the Father (Matthew 10:40). If we give our life for Jesus, we will find life (verse 39). If we serve (sacrifice) by giving even a cup of cold water to one of Jesus’ disciples, we will not lose our reward (verse 42).
Know then that in the rough territory of losing your independence to walk with Jesus in this sin-ravaged world, your courage, your willingness to accept rejection even from family, your self-denial and self-sacrificial living will be rewarded. Paul tells us this in Romans 8:18, ‘For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed for us’. The reward is worth it. Hang in there with Jesus.
Jesus, I long for peace in this world. I long for a world without conflict, warfare and enmity. Even though you did not come to bring that peace to the earth, you did come to bring peace among us. I can only experience this peace in you, which passes all understanding. Be with me as I go about my day today. Please help me to know your peace and put my suffering into your perspective, not mine. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28).
Read Matthew 10:24–33
I struggle to understand what it means to fear God, who loves me so much that even the hairs on my head are numbered (verse 30). I also struggle to hold in my heart the instruction to not fear those who could kill my body. I have so much emotion and feeling tied up in my flesh. I don’t like pain. I don’t want to think about the fact that someone could and would kill me – or my body, anyway. I cannot imagine, and I choose not to imagine, the sheer terror I would feel if someone were threatening my life on earth. But Jesus says do not fear them.
Instead, we are to fear God, who can destroy both soul and body. Fear the God who has the authority to throw you into hell (Luke 12:5), for it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). And then I think about what it would be like to have my soul destroyed – the inner part of me that makes me, me. The ‘something else’ that I don’t fully understand or appreciate, the ‘me’ that others see even less. Thinking about that makes me truly fearful. Nothing. Gone. Destroyed. Completely removed from God. Obliterated.
Our God is a fearsome God. He cannot be in the presence of sin. It is important to recognise this and, thus, to fear him. But in this passage, Jesus points us to the equally important reality that our God is love. Because God is love, created us in his image, chose us and sees us as valuable, we can be assured that we are safe in Jesus.
Yes, we are to fear God. Equally, Jesus came to redeem us, because we are God’s people. And because of that, I am safe. I have life. I have a king, and my king is a battle-hardened warrior. And he loves me. Yes, he can destroy both my soul and body in hell. And, yes, he loves me. So much that he numbers the hairs on my head. He knows exactly how many hairs clog my shower drain (something I can’t be bothered to know). So much that nothing – neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in creation – will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38,39). Repeat after me: I belong to Jesus.
God, you are all powerful and Almighty. You are fearsome. And you are love. Thank you for loving me and that nothing will be able to separate me from your love that is in Jesus Christ. Hold me safe today, Lord Jesus. Help me to know deep in my heart just how much you love me and how secure I am in you. Amen.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
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Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16).
Read Matthew 10:16–23
I grew up on a farm. The damage that wild dogs inflict on domestic stock is vicious, cruel, ugly, heartbreaking, shocking and life-taking. Livestock that survive carry the scars for a lifetime.
Jesus knows that the world is a wild and dangerous place. He instructed his disciples to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Snakes are dangerous, too. Although frequently associated with evil, they have a keen awareness of danger. They can move away quickly to hide in plain sight.
So, what does it look like to be as wise as serpents? In Proverbs 9:10, we learn that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This does not mean being afraid. Instead, it means being deeply respectful, reverent and in awe of God’s power and authority, which ultimately leads us to love him. Being wise as serpents then means being alert, discerning and cautious, keeping a sharp mind, and staying relevant in your environment. It means staying close to Jesus and being in relationship with him. So, we can be wise as serpents when we stick close to Jesus, his teaching, and God’s word and promises.
Then Jesus asks his disciples to be innocent as doves. We imagine doves as gentle, pure, honest, peaceful, pleasing and engaging. They are able to take flight and move above the earthiness of the ground. The combination of images of serpents and doves speaks to attributes of the character of Jesus’ disciples. Gentle and alert; pure and sharp-minded; honest and relevant; engaging and cautious; pleasant and discerning. I can’t imagine these qualities are possible without continually walking with Jesus. Not an intermittent walk, not an ‘only-on-Sundays’ walk, but a close, personal, intimate journey of many steps with a loving, protective Saviour.
What does that close, personal, intimate journey look like to you? How do you imagine Jesus? For me, Jesus is a battle-hardened warrior who lovingly and gently takes his troops and leads them. Amid the wolves, he leads, and I follow. In our love for and trust in Jesus, his wisdom and innocence are skilfully brought together as we go about the work he has directed us to do.
Jesus, you send your disciples out, directing us to be wise and innocent at the same time. We can only do this because you love us. Thank you that you love me. Thank you for taking care of me. Teach me to be wise and innocent. Please show me what you would have me do in the situations that I am in today. Guide and protect me. Keep me safe. Thank you, my Lord and Saviour. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6).
Read Matthew 10:5–14
Jesus sent his disciples into their own communities – not to the Gentiles or the Samaritans but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Yes, there came a time later when he sent people to the Gentiles, but here he sent them to their own. In Australia, we live in a time where less than 50 per cent of the population identify as Christian. So, there are many lost sheep in our communities.
Are we (and if so, how are we) as Lutheran Christians being sent by Jesus into our communities? Being sent is to go. It is not to be stationary in one place and expect people to come to us. And there are so many places we can go. Into our families. Into discussions at family gatherings. Into workplaces. Into existing relationships. Into schools. Into hospitals. Into residential care facilities. And, yes, the Lutheran Church in Australia and New Zealand does that through its services and outreach arms.
But what is Jesus asking you to do? You are one of his disciples, too. ‘Go,’ he says. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. But we must be careful here. The original disciples had a unique apostolic authority and scope given to them by Jesus that does not necessarily apply in today’s circumstances. So, although we can learn some principles from Jesus’ instructions, we must think carefully about how that applies to us today.
Nevertheless, we can still ‘go’ into our communities. We can pray for the sick. We can pray for miraculous healing. By our example, we can bear witness to the miracle of Jesus’ birth and resurrection. We can go into our workplaces. We can show Jesus’ compassion for his people as we go about our daily lives. We can encourage, support, empathise with, pray for and show genuine, authentic Christian love to our neighbours. Let us ask God about what he is asking us to do in our community – here, now, today.
Lord God, you are the Lord of the harvest. There are many people in our own communities who seem to be lost sheep. Show us what you are asking us to do. Direct our feet as we go about our work and lives today. Help us to speak your love and compassion into the lives of the people around us and be instruments of your peace. Help us to shine your light into the lives of the people we meet today. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
by Carolyn Ehrlich
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36b).
Read Matthew 9:35–10:4
I wonder if our world today is, in many ways, just the same as it was 2,000 years ago. Crowds of people who are harassed and helpless. Trying to find their own way. Searching for things to satisfy them. Concerned about the political landscape. Looking for a Messiah but not knowing where to look. Looking in all the wrong places. Busy, busy, busy … working, eating, sleeping, shopping, looking for the next big ‘fix’. Worried, anxious. Sick, harassed and helpless. At the whim of the global economy, foreign powers, big companies, technology.
And what was Jesus’ response? ‘He had compassion for them.’ Jesus cared for his people then, and he cares for us now. He was compassionate then, and he is compassionate now. Now, as then, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few’ (verse 37).
And then what did Jesus do? He instructed his disciples in verse 38, ‘therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest’. Two things impacted me when I read this verse. The first is at the end of the verse. The harvest is God’s. Now, that is interesting to me. It seems to me that it is easy to slip into thinking that we must do something about the plentiful harvest. It is all too easy to fall into thinking that we must go about God’s work of saving people. But saving people is God’s work.
So, what are we to do? That is the second thing that impacted me as I read. We are to ‘pray earnestly that God send[s] out labourers’. This leads me to ask what the word ‘earnest’ means. As I go to my trusty Google search engine, I discover it means ‘sincere’ and ‘genuine’. So, in this harassed and helpless world, are you worrying about the world situation, about the number of people who need to be saved, about whether God’s labourers are doing what you think they should be doing? Or are you praying earnestly, sincerely and genuinely that God will send labourers into the harvest?
My Heavenly Father, through your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray that you will send labourers into the harvest. People around me seem to be harassed and helpless, trapped in the never-ending demands of this world. Please have compassion on them and send out your labourers to bring them to Jesus, the good shepherd. Amen.
Carolyn Ehrlich lives in retirement with her husband Wayne in Ipswich, Queensland. Prior to retirement, Carolyn worked as a researcher in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. Today, Carolyn is kept busy with hobbies and supporting her family and the Ipswich Lutheran Parish in various ways.
SBLC LENTEN EVENING SERIES: “The Hand of the Lord who ….”
It is no surprise that mentions of hands appear all over the Bible as God’s Word speaks to us in ways that we can understand. All things are the work of the hand of the Lord (Psalm 102:25).
The Lord’s hand is active in creation, power, control over happenings of the world, judgment, and salvation.
The hand of the Lord has come to us in Jesus. Examples throughout Scripture speak of the way that Christ used his hands, alongside his life-giving words, to bring forgiveness, life, and salvation. The work of Christ’s hands helps us to see the merciful and personal way that he has acted in love to save us and give us hope.
Here is the planned schedule of dates and themes ….
DATE THEME PASTOR VENUE
March 5 - “The Hand of the Lord who Freely gives”. Brian Schwarz Bethany
March 12 - “The Hand of the Lord who Creates and saves”. Greg Schiller Grace St Paul’s
March 19 - “The Hand of the Lord who Casts out demons”. Jim Bryan Lyndoch
March 26 - “The Hand of the Lord who Heals the sick”. Paul Kerber Tabor
April 2 - “The Hand of the Lord who Raises the dead”. Ian Lutze Langmeil
April 9 - “The Hand of the Lord who Holds all things". Brian Schwarz Schoenborn