10 Jan Holy Light (Lk 4:18-19) by Pastor Don Bird
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” ~ Lk 4:18-19 (full readings)
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Pastor Don’s Reflections: We find ourselves in the season of Epiphany, when Jesus is shown to be the light of the world. It is a season in which we celebrate that God has manifested himself through the flesh and blood presence of His son, Jesus. As those who follow Jesus, this season challenges us by asking the questions, “What does it mean to follow Jesus? What does it mean to go His way?” While the actual day of Epiphany (January 6th) celebrates the three Magi bringing their gifts to the infant Jesus, the rest of the season invites us to follow Jesus and live into the Way He has shown us. In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus is standing before his hometown friends and is invited to read the words from the prophet Isaiah, just as many had done at many other times before him. There was something different about this reading, however, when Jesus said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus was claiming His purpose. He was proclaiming to those who would hear that He knew why He had been sent by His Heavenly Father. He was putting everyone on notice that He knew who He was and what He was called to do. The passage reminds me that every being has been created with a purpose. My heart cries to know of the unborn who will never have the opportunity to live into the fullness of their purpose on this earth. We need to be their voice. In the spirit of Epiphany, God desires to fill us with the holy light of this season and shed light on the atrocities of abortion, to proclaim to the world the worth of every human life – born and unborn, and to bring recovery of sight to those who are blind to the evils that so easily lurk amongst us and within us.
* Don Bird is the Lead Pastor at Hope United Methodist Church in Greenwood Village, CO. He lives in Aurora, CO with his wife of 16 years, Mandy, and his two children, Ethan and Haleigh. .
Faith Challenge: As we live in the ways of Jesus, may we proclaim to the world that every life has a purpose that must not be silenced, but freed to live into the fullness of God’s calling on his/her life.
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Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day: St. Gregory of Nyssa.
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Faith Quote: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jer 29:11
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Through Christ our Lord,
Pastor Don
1 Jn 3:18