Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and asked him a question, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her."
Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 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 20:27-30
Sometimes I despair at our world turning to fear as motivation. We judge people to be acceptable or not, build walls to keep different people out, and make laws to punish and exclude. We can be educated and sophisticated and still fear be our guide.
The religious leaders enjoyed testing Jesus. They did not respect him because he was from a small insignificant town. He was not one of them and they loved nothing more than to trip him up. They were acting from a place of judgment and fear. Yet, we are called to be children of the resurrection. We are to live in light, hope and love for one another.
Today, I ask God to give me courage to live without fear, without judgment and with love and respect for all people. May we live as children of resurrection, who love unconditionally and judge no one to be excluded.
Sometimes I despair at our world turning to fear as motivation. We judge people to be acceptable or not, build walls to keep different people out, and make laws to punish and exclude. We can be educated and sophisticated and still fear be our guide.
The religious leaders enjoyed testing Jesus. They did not respect him because he was from a small insignificant town. He was not one of them and they loved nothing more than to trip him up. They were acting from a place of judgment and fear. Yet, we are called to be children of the resurrection. We are to live in light, hope and love for one another.
Today, I ask God to give me courage to live without fear, without judgment and with love and respect for all people. May we live as children of resurrection, who love unconditionally and judge no one to be excluded.
The Collect
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