Kingdom Building

August 11, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:32-40

‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. –Luke 12:35-39

Slavery was a norm in the first century when Jesus interacted with the crowds. His audience did not need further description to understand the situation. Of course, we are only 150 or so years removed from slavery being a legal reality in the USA. In many ways, we are still adapting to the cultural changes brought about by the Emancipation Proclamation. Immigrants without documentation are brought into this country by businesses who profit from being able to pay them less than minimum wage with no benefits which is close to slavery. Human trafficking of all sorts is more common than we want to admit. Since such activities are illegal now, it is usually the victims who are punished for the crime when it is discovered. Thus, I find It hard to read our scripture above to find the message of hope and faith that is buried in the sands of slavery, but there is both faith and hope as we drill deep into the story.

If we were the slave awaiting the return of the master and being alert to his coming would we expect him to invite us to sit down and eat while he serves us? Is Jesus turning the culture upside down? How do we relate to this all-powerful, always present, all-knowing God willing to serve us as a slave? How do we understand that such a God as this loves us all and wants the very best for each of us? The answer is simple, we love this one and only God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and pay God the highest honor when we love all God’s children in the same way.

Prayer: God who is love, forgive us when we fail to love you as fully as possible by loving all your children as completely as possible. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.