Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Week One of Advent 2020: Year 1
Morning, Psalm 18:1-20; Evening, Psalm 18:21-50;
Isaiah 2:12 to 22; 1st Thessalonians 3:1 to 13; Luke 20:27 to 40
“Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:36)
Jesus explains to the Sadducees that marriage is a human construct, not a heavenly one. I would add that except for Tobit 8: 4 to 8, which is only found in the Apocrypha (if your Bible has one), you will not find marriage vows at all, even though there are several places where men “took” women for wives, in many cases, several women as wives.
Jesus assures the Sadducees (and us), that there is certainly a resurrection. We will all be raised before the Host of heaven, the good and the not so good. Then judgment comes! A military leader once told me that to be forewarned, is to be forearmed. I get it. This means straighten out now before it’s too late.
Jesus uses scripture to show the reality of eternal life as he talks about the exchange between God and Moses at the burning bush. “And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive” (Luke 20:37 and 38). And this will be us as well; we will be alive in God. This is not something to try to explain but rather, to prepare for.
Folks, there will be a resurrection for each one of us, and also, for each one of us, there will be judgment. I will again share my personal creed and invite you to create your own statement of belief regardless of your faith tradition. Put it in writing and then revisit it from time to time and see if you are living by it. Here is my personal creed or statement of belief: (I use “trust” instead of “believe” as I have learned that trust is closer to the original meaning).
“I Trust in the Creating Word through the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Word, in whom we live and move and love and have our being, and to whom we must give an account.” You may use my creed as your own if it is true for you as well.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers for Ukraine, Iran and China.
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 