Easter: Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Old Testament Lesson

Ezekiel 7:10-15, 23b-27

The last verse of this passage sums up why all these things will happen. They will know that He is the Lord. Punishment comes not because the Lord loves enjoying punishing His children. In this case, the people had forgotten He was the Lord. They had begun to believe that it was by their own strength and might they had done such things. It was not. And, in their sin, they had begun to think they were above punishment. They were not. The Lord was going to make sure that they knew that He was the Lord.

For us, let us not think that we are too far removed from God. We do not deserve ultimate credit for our victories; God does. And, likewise, let us never think that we are "above the law.' Sin has consequences. Sin will destroy. Sin will bring bad things. In all that we do, let us remember that He is the Lord.

New Testament Lesson

Hebrews 6:13-20

Just as the Israelites ultimately placed their hope on the oath that God swore upon Himself, we place our hope not in our own goodness, but we place it in the work of Christ. For Jesus has become for us the high priest. He is the mediator between us and God. He is the one that we fully trust in for our future hope and for life, now, and in the age to come. Not by anything that we can do, but by all that He has done.

Gospel Lesson

Luke 10:1-17

We see Jesus give a warning to those that reject what is right, today. We see Him say that it will be more tolerable on judgement day for the most wicked than it is for those that know what is right, but choose not to live in it. In life, there are lots of things that we don't know. There are lots of things that we don't understand. There are lots of things that we cannot fathom.

But there are many things that we do know, understand, and fathom. We know we are to love. To obey. To forgive. To serve. To live fully for Jesus. Do we do those things? Today, don't worry about the mysteries you don't understand. What about the things you do understand? Do we live by them?