Since April 2020, I have been jointly hosting a shared Lectio group on Tuesday evenings. The following are my reflections only, during the prayer session and as I wrote them up. Please see my separate commentary and leaflet for more information about shared Lectio.
Reflections for 6 October | 13 October | 20 October | 27 October | the whole collection…
6 October
Gospel reading: Luke 11.1-4
Words: after he had finished
Reflections:
The disciples didn’t interrupt Jesus, but gave him the space and time he needed for prayer. They were also watching – he hadn’t gone far from them – and saw that he had something desirable. Or perhaps they were annoyed that he was failing to do for them what John had done for his disciples: teach them to pray. Whatever the motivation, this desire for prayer leads to something good.
Further reflecting on ‘give us this day our daily bread’… I love bread and toast, especially fresh bread and toasted fresh bread. It’s all too easy to eat too much of it! So to help me avoid temptation, I have developed the habit of baking just enough for one meal – mixing flour, baking powder, herbs/spices/olives/nuts as I feel, and water, and frying with a minimal spray of oil. As with manna, it is plenty but no more than I need… and it is very good!
13 October
Gospel reading: Luke 11.42-46
Word: burdens
Reflections:
So often we put burdens on others and on ourselves. Expectations, spoken or unspoken; norms to follow; hurdles to jump in order to join what we portray as an exclusive religious club. Expectations of how we should be feeling; what we should achieve; how our prayer and faith should appear. So it is rare that we measure up.
But ‘his yoke is easy and his burden is light.’ If we are carrying a yoke, pulling a plough, Jesus* is yoked alongside us doing most of the work. Or possibly even in the words of Psalm 68, ‘Blessed be God day by day, who bears us as his burden.’ That is, we do not need to bear the whole heaviness of our burden, because God is carrying both it and us.
It’s a challenge to me, first to let myself be carried by God, and then to let others be carried by God too.
* At this point I asked myself which name to use – Jesus, or Christ, or Jesus Christ. The first gave me a sense of recognition and love.
20 October
Gospel reading: Luke 12.39-48
Word: know
Reflections:
There are many different types of knowledge here, explicit and implicit, and many implications:
- ‘know this’ – truly listening, grasping and understanding
- ‘had known’ – knowledge in advance, and therefore control; contrast with ‘unexpected’
- ‘proper time’ – the right knowledge of what is expected of oneself, and what is the right thing to do to meet others’ needs
- knew and did it vs knew and did not do it vs did not know and did not do it – compare and contrast
- ‘much has been given’ – knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses
- ‘when he arrives’ – knowledge in general, not in detail
- ‘Come thou long-expected Jesus’ – we know Jesus has come and will come, but we don’t know how and when; we know Jesus is coming, so we must be open and ready and welcoming
27 October
Gospel reading: Luke 13.22-30
Words: people will come from east and west, from north and south
Reflections:
There are so many people on the move in today’s world, displaced by war, violence, disaster, pushed from east and west and north and south to seek a new home. We must never take the relative peace of the UK for granted.
Nor must I take my faith and relationship with God for granted, but practise gratitude continually. And also be ready to guide and welcome all drawn from east and west and north and south into the Kingdom, where we shall all sit down and eat together.
