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The Scriptorium

What to Expect

What do people expect from us? Luke 6.17-19

Luke 6: Part 1 (4)

Pray Psalm 27.1-3.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

Sing Psalm 27.1-3.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise)
Lord, You are our Light and our Savior most dear!
You guard us with might; therefore, whom shall we fear?
Though evil surround us, our enemies fall;
no harm shall confound us when on You we call.

Read Luke 6.1-19; meditate on verses 17-19.


Preparation

1. Who came to Jesus?

2. What were they seeking?

Meditation
For many people, it can be a scary experience to go to a church for the first time. You don’t know what to expect. Will anyone speak to me? Will they look at me with that “So who are you?” attitude? Or will they swarm me with pseudo-glad welcomes?

I confess to be one of those persons.

With Jesus, you always knew what to expect. The crowds who came to Him on that level place knew why they were there. They had come from north and south, east and west “to hear Him and be healed of their diseases” (v. 17). Many who were possessed by demons also came to be delivered from their torment. These people knew Jesus would welcome them. They knew He would speak kindly to them and direct their thoughts to the Father in heaven. They knew He would touch them gently (19), listen to them gladly, and bring them relief from their distresses (v. 19).

They knew what to expect, and they were not disappointed. We can know that Jesus will receive us into His Presence as we seek Him in prayer. He will show Himself to us as we wait on Him from His Word. He will fill and transform us as we listen to His Word and Spirit. And He will do good through us and bear witness by us as we wait on Him and obey His Word.

We know what to expect with Jesus, and He will never fail us nor forsake us. The more you come to Him, the more you prove that your expectations were spot on. That’s the way it can be as we wait on Jesus to make us His disciples and bring forth His goodness in us.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“And He came down with them and stood on a level place…” (Lk. 6.17).

Jesus came to be with us. Amongst us. “He made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2.7). He fulfilled all the prophecies made about Him. “Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken” (Is. 40.4, 5). He leveled the playing field and came down to be with humanity, to heal and save for the glory of God.

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matt. 1.23; Is. 7.14). On a level place. “For I am gentle and lowly in heart…” (Matt. 11.29). Although He is LORD, He did not come to Lord it over us. He came to love and save us.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8.9). He gave up everything for us. To be with us. On a level place, so that one day we will be with Him in glory. “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14.3).

But in the meantime, we are called to serve others on a level place, as Jesus did, loving and serving all those in our Personal Mission Field. Our job is to introduce them to Jesus, by our actions and words, and to fulfill those good works prepared beforehand by Him for us to do (Eph. 2.10). For believers and unbelievers alike.

We know what to expect from Jesus; and we know what He expects from us. So, let’s not disappoint Him or those we have been called to serve.

All for Jesus! All for Jesus! All my being’s ransomed powers;
All my thoughts and words and doings, all my days and all my hours.

Let my hands perform His bidding, let my feet run in His ways;
Let my eyes see Jesus only, let my lips speak forth His praise.
(James/Steiner, 1889)

For reflection
1. What should people expect of you as you encounter them in your Personal Mission Field?

2. Jesus “levels the playing field” for everyone. In what sense?

3. Whom do you expect to encounter today in your Personal Mission Field? How can you prepare now to be a welcoming presence for them?

It is indeed worth while to go a great way to hear the word of Christ, and to go out of the way of other business for it. They came to be cured by him, and he healed them. There is a fullness of grace in Christ, and healing virtue in him, ready to go out from him, that is enough for all, enough for each.
Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Luke 6.17-19

Pray Psalm 27.7-14.
Pray that God will lead you throughout this day and that you will know His Presence with you at all times. Commit yourself bringing the goodness of God to light throughout your Personal Mission Field, and ask the Lord’s help for the day ahead.

Sing Psalm 27.7-14.
(St. Denio: Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise)
Hear, Lord, when we cry and be gracious, we pray!
Lord, do not deny us Your favor this day!
Our help, our salvation, though others may fall,
Preserve our good station when on You we call.

Lord, teach us; Lord, lead us because of our foes!
Hear, Lord, when we plead for release from their woes.
Had we not believed all Your goodness to see,
our heart sorely grieved and in turmoil would be.

Wait, wait on the Lord; persevere in His grace.
Hold fast to His Word; seek His radiant face.
Be strong, set your heart to abide in His Word;
His grace He imparts; therefore, wait on the Lord.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s Scriptorium study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for last Sunday. You can download all the studies in our Luke series by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by
clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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