Daily Readings - Mon Aug 31 2020
1 Corinthians
1And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.3And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Luke
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.22And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter profound lessons about humility, faith, and the challenges of living out our mission as followers of Christ. The first reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us that the power of God’s message does not lie in human wisdom or eloquence but in the simplicity and truth of the Gospel. Paul humbly acknowledges his limitations, trusting instead in the Spirit to convey the transformative power of Christ crucified. This passage invites us to reflect on our own reliance on God’s grace rather than our own strengths.
The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus in His hometown synagogue, where He announces His mission to bring hope and liberation to the marginalized. Yet, despite His words of grace, the people’s admiration quickly turns to anger when He challenges their expectations. Jesus’ experience reminds us that living out our faith can lead to rejection, even among those closest to us. Like the prophets before Him, Jesus faces resistance, but He remains steadfast in His mission, trusting in God’s plan.
These readings call us to embrace humility and trust in God’s power as we navigate our own challenges. Like Paul, we are to rely on the Spirit’s strength, not our own. Like Jesus, we are to remain faithful, even when our efforts are met with opposition. In our daily lives, this means living with courage and compassion, willing to take risks for the sake of the Gospel. Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s power and to persevere in our mission, no matter the obstacles we may face.