Weekly Liturgy : August 11-17
- Church@thePark
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
Luke 12 : 49-56
NIV Translation
“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
REFLECTIONS
Jesus, the so-called “Prince of Peace” is supposed to be the one that brings the world together, isn’t he? Now he’s talking about about dividing us and setting the world ablaze, as if the world does not already feel divided and on fire.
A recent story about a politician breaking a friendship over a business deal has been making the rounds. For us, what are the things that we are willing to break a relationship over? Religion used to be at the top of the list, and this passage in Luke was often used as justification for that. Nowadays it seems like politics is at the top of the list. Story after story of fathers and sons breaking relationship over a vote.
Part of what I think this passage invites us into, what this fire leads to, is a way of being in the world that helps us to see clearly the ties that bind us and the conflicts that divide us. It’s easy to sit in judgment against the politicians and businessmen who worship wealth and break relationships over money. In reality, all of us end up worshiping the things that make us feel good. Family, power, sex, religion, security, virtue — all can become things we use to justify our existence.
But if I am only loving my brother because of the way that it makes me feel, my brother is just an object that I am using to make myself feel good. That is where Jesus brings the fire, to burn through those illusions, forcing us to see the people in our lives as people, not objects. And then we get to begin the work of loving people as they are.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
Is there a co-worker, family, or friend in your life that you are treating like an object, treating them well only for what you get out of that relationship?
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
Are you finding yourself using ‘othering’ language towards an individual or group? How can you use language to honor the uniqueness of the humans around you?
Pathways toward Centeredness
The ability to truly see another human being requires perception and vision.
Before you sit down for a meeting or a meal with someone, take 5 minutes to center and prepare yourself.
Questions for Reflection
According to one therapist, “we either contemplate or we exploit.” We either treat people as human beings, created in the image of God, or we slip into treating them as objects or vehicles.
Pick a human being, or two, to contemplate this week. Don’t be weird about it.
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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