URC Daily Devotion 7 January 2025

St Luke 8: 19 – 21

Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ But he said to them, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.’

Reflection

As you read this, we are both celebrating yesterday’s feast of Epiphany, the revelation of the truth of Jesus to the world.  You are likely in the throes of winter whilst I’m in the throes of summer. Wherever we are, no matter who we are, no matter what we or others think we are, we who read this devotion have a huge thing in common. We’re related to Jesus. Not the kind of blood relatives we think of as relations, yet related. We’re related by believing in God in Jesus and doing what we’re called to do.

This gorgeous little moment in Luke comes in a section about what it means to do God’s will by understanding God through Jesus and doing what we are called to pay attention to.  The chapter starts with women helping God’s message by funding Jesus in his travelling. As he travels, Jesus tells parables; in Luke a few verses ago, the parable of the sower shows that it’s ready ground which takes the good news, then, that light should be revealed – the good news seen. It’s a little task list of: support the messenger, prepare to receive, show the God task done. This passage is not Jesus rejecting his birth family, it is that when we all take on the Holy task of receiving God and sharing that love, we are all related, connected as closely as family.

So? That God familial connection helps us through.  Though many of us know the pain from those who chose a different path, we who choose the Jesus path get strength and hope to carry on doing the God-tasks we do. Knowing we’re not alone is huge. It gives us oomph and courage to do the really hard stuff. Brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, all the relations we are, hello.  We’re in this together.

Prayers

Amazing God,
it can be hard for us to imagine
that via you, we humans are an us.
Let us accept the graciousness of that
whether it makes sense or not.
Only you can connect us with each other
and your eternal power in one fell swoop.
We praise you, thank you
and ask you to put us to your work.
We’re ready.
Amen and Amen.