Focus

Let yourself become open to God and the knowledge that comes from the Word. Ask God for peace at this time.

 

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Read

Mark 13:9-23 (NRSV)

“As for yourselves, beware; for they will hand you over to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them. And the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

“But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; the one on the housetop must not go down or enter the house to take anything away; the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that it may not be in winter. For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut short those days. And if anyone says to you at that time, ‘Look! Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘Look! There he is!’—do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be alert; I have already told you everything.

 

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Reflect

I am a planner. I like to be prepared well in advance. If I am going to any sort of gathering, I want to know who is going to be there, when we need to leave to be on time, and how long I have to stay. If I am anticipating any sort of conversation, even a simple phone call, I will rehearse what I am going to say over and over to myself, even to the point that I run through several scenarios – just in case. I’ll be the first to admit that this is not an endearing quality, but I like to be prepared, and I’m not ready to change it. However, Jesus says otherwise.

In Mark 13:11b, Jesus says to his disciples, “do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” I wonder what it would be like to have that kind of worry-free life. Jesus is talking to his disciples about not worrying what they will say when they are brought to trial and handed over – I get nervous over a phone call! Of course, no matter how many times I rehearse a conversation, it never goes the way I planned for it to go. Jesus says I should stop doing that. The vast majority of my “well thought out” conversations are not going to land me in prison or result in death, but I do worry about what I will say in any given situation. And Jesus says, “Do not worry.”

Of course, there are those situations where planning every detail down to the hello and goodbye, is impossible: times when I run across someone who needs a kind word or for someone to just listen. Those are the times when the Holy Spirit steps in and works through me with words and actions. If I could just remember those times, and all of the other times the Holy Spirit is present, maybe I wouldn’t be so hesitant to stop being such a planner. Okay, worrier.

 

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Pray

Lord Jesus, you tell us not to worry and yet many of us cannot help but to worry. And others are not ready to relinquish the control that we believe we have by worrying and planning every little detail. Help us to listen to you and not to worry because we have been given the Holy Spirit who will guide us in each unplanned step. Amen.

Go with God!