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Week 29 Daily Dose of Love #197 (7/16) Healing a
Woman on the Sabbath Luke 13:10-17 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then
there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand
up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your
ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising
God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to
the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath
day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman,
a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?”
When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things
that he was doing. This passage presents a contrast in ways of thinking and perceiving. The leader of the synagogue
uses a narrow, strict interpretation of Jewish law. He draws a neat, straight line that he thinks will
determine what is right and wrong in all situations. Jesus’ point of view is more expansive, inclusive, and flexible. He
recognizes the long suffering of the crippled woman and makes his decision based on a compassionate understanding of the whole
picture. The purpose of the Sabbath is to set aside time to be receptive to God. The leader
of the synagogue’s rigid, linear thinking froze out the possibility of a compassionate response. His
delight in being right put him on the wrong side of Jesus and made him look like a fool once Jesus demonstrated the effects
of his loving compassion. Reflection/Discussion: At what point do rules and ritual interfere with opening our hearts? Principles of Love: Compassion; Learning Pray Through the Day: Open our hearts To your creation #198
(7/17) A Warning Against Herod Luke 13:31-33 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”
He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today
and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on
my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.” Fear tends to narrow our thinking and focus
our thoughts on self-preservation. Fear is a potential obstacle to love because it tends to make us more
self-centered. Jesus maintains clear vision in spite of hearing news that gives him good reason to be afraid. The best response
to fear is to accept that there is possible danger, clarify the context, extent, and effects of that danger, and then act
according to what our values, priorities and heart indicate is most important. That’s exactly what Jesus does. Reflection/Discussion: When is fear most likely to close our heart and block our vision? Principles of Love: Vision; Acceptance Pray Through the Day: Open our eyes To deepen our love #199
(7/18) Lament over Jerusalem Matthew 23:37-39 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have
I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say,
‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” Luke 13:34-35 Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And
I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the
Lord.’ ” Jesus is deeply saddened by the closed hearts and rigid thinking of the leaders in Jerusalem.
He suffered just as we do when love is rejected. The possibility of rejection
is always a risk with love. When we feel rejected we tend to withdraw, pull back, and protect ourselves
from further hurt. Jesus recognized that rejection can be a painful side effect to loving.
He needed to acknowledge and mourn his loss before continuing his journey. Pain and disappointment
caused him to pause and reflect but it did not stop him from loving. Reflection/Discussion: Why is it important to mourn when our love is rejected? Principles of Love: Acceptance Pray Through the Day: Not my will But yours be done #200 (7/19) Healing a Man on the
Sabbath Luke 14:1-6 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath,
they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy.
And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?”
But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them,
“If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?”
And they could not reply to this. The gospels describe Jesus healing on the Sabbath more than any other day of the week.
It is a clear violation of the laws of his religion, but he does it repeatedly. The rigid enforcement of Sabbath
laws was a prime example of putting self-righteousness before compassion. Jesus is telling us that this
is not how he expects us to operate.
Loving compassion is most
important ... always. Reflection/Discussion: When might strict adherence to religious rules and rituals interfere with compassion? Principles of Love: Compassion; Opening
Pray Through the Day: Open our hearts To your creation #201
(7/20) The Place of Honor Luke 14:7-11 When
he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited
by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been
invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’
and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down
at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will
be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Humility in love is the secret of its power.” We become unable to love when we focus on our own glory. Self-importance
narrows our vision and separates us from God and each other. Humility involves recognizing that God is at the center of creation, not us.
It allows us to see and act with greater clarity, understanding, and compassion. Love requires focus on others.
It involves recognizing the truth of all that we share. Focus on the self creates separation and
isolation, which blocks our ability to love. Focus on others helps them and us reach our full potential
in God’s love. Reflection/Discussion: Why does our culture make honor so important? Principles
of Love: Humility Pray Through the Day: Help us be humble So we may love #202 (7/21) Invite the Poor
Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the one who had invited him, “When
you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case
they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you
will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Love does not keep score or expect favors to be returned. Jesus invites
us to be like roadside flowers that share their gentle beauty and delightful scent with everyone who passes by.
Reflection/Discussion: How did we learn to keep score in human
relationships? Principles of Love: Unity; Opening
Pray Through the Day: Bring us together In your love #203
(7/22) The Invited Make Excuses Matthew 22:1-7 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited
to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those
who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is
ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another
to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged.
He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Luke 14:15-20 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him,
“Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone
gave a great dinner and invited many. At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who
had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses.
The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’
Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’
Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’” None of the thousands of excuses
we can think of to avoid love has any validity in God’s eyes. God has prepared a sumptuous banquet
for us and we join him by accepting the invitation to share in his love. Obligations and opportunities pull on
our attention and focus. For many of us, there is always something to do, followed by something else to
do, which must be done quickly because there is much left undone. The increasing pressure shrinks and narrows
our vision receptivity. We get so caught up in the momentum of getting things done that we miss the invitation
of the moment. Love requires that we stop and make a conscious decision
about what is most important. Our heart and mind needs to be open and receptive to recognize that in each
moment we have choices that affect our capacity for love and that nothing is ever more important than the banquet of eternal
love that our Lord has prepared for us. Reflection/Discussion: When are we most likely to not have time for love? Principles of Love: Opening; Unity; Nature, Decision
Pray Through the Day: Open our hearts To your love
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