Reading Plan for Sept. 27 - Oct. 3

September 27, 2026 | Luke 24:13-27
Reflection:
People who live through major world events can often vividly recount exactly where they were and what they were doing at the moment of those events. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the attacks of September 11, 2001, stand out for the Americans who experienced them in hyper focus. The death and resurrection of Jesus were life-altering moments for his disciples. As we read in today's passage, the followers of Jesus keenly remember the details of those days. And this is to be expected. What is striking about these verses is the phrase, “...but their eyes were kept from recognizing them.” Was this naturally occurring (an emotional blindness brought on by grief)? Had Jesus’ appearance changed? Or did someone prevent them from truly seeing Jesus in front of them? One of the literary constructions that the authors of Scripture often used is called ‘the divine passive.” Sometimes, when these authors wanted to imply that God is the one who does something, but they prefer not to say it outright, they use the passive voice. Matthew 5:4 (in the Beatitudes), we read: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted ." Who is doing the comforting? God. But if the ‘divine passive’ is being used in today’s passage, why is God preventing the disciples from recognizing Jesus? Perhaps it’s about timing. When is the right time to recognize Jesus?

September 28, 2026 | Luke 24:28-35
Reflection:
Notice how hospitality is at the heart of this passage. The two disciples welcome this stranger to stop with them and eat. It is in the sharing of a meal, in the breaking of the bread, that their eyes are opened and they recognize who Jesus is. Perhaps after all the inhospitality and hypocrisy that Jesus has encountered throughout the gospel stories, genuine hospitality becomes the hallmark of the resurrection life. In their hospitality, in the sharing of a meal, they recognize Jesus. Perhaps we are called to recognize Jesus in our hospitality. Where have you experienced the resurrection life in sharing a meal with others?

September 29, 2026 | Luke 24:36-49
Reflection:
Take note that when the disciples didn’t really understand all that Jesus was telling them, he opened their minds to understanding. Instead of a “divine passive,” we get a direct action by Jesus. He opened their minds. In the resurrection life of the community of God’s faithful, what would it look like to pray that Jesus open our minds? There is an old hymn, sung to the Spirit Divine, “Open My Eyes that I May See.” In this hymn, those who sing ask God to open their eyes, their ears, and their mouth. What if we sang, “Open our minds, that we may know all of your truth you have to show?” What do you want your mind to be open to with regard to the resurrection life lived in community?

September 30, 2026 | Luke 24:50-53
Reflection:
One thing I never noticed about this passage is that it says, “Then Jesus led them out as far as Bethany.” I’ve never tried to picture this movement from the safety of the upper room out through the dangerous streets of Jerusalem to the neighboring town. Was this at night, in the early morning? What courage it must have taken to follow Jesus, to see him depart, and then return with courage to live the life to which he called and commissioned them. With what blessing do you think Jesus left his disciples?

October 1, 2026 | John 1:1-9
Reflection:
Today we begin a new journey. The Gospel of John covers the same timeframe of Jesus’ life as the previous three gospels, but John has his own unique way of telling these stories. You will notice this right away. Instead of telling of Jesus birth, as do Matthew and Luke, or just starting out of the blue as Mark does, John starts with cosmic origins. The first words of John’s gospel (Greek: en archē) are the same words as begin the Book of Genesis. John takes us back to a time before time, to show us how the Word (Greek: Logos) pre-exists all things, and this Word is also Light and Life. Notice how throughout this gospel, the themes of Light and Life come back to us again and again. Immediately we jump from eternity into time, as we shift from the pre-history of the “Light” who was with God and was God, to the story of John the Baptist. The gospel writer immediately tells us the role of the baptizer, as one who is not the Light, but one who directs others to the Light.

October 2, 2026 | John 1:10-18
Reflection:
The Greek word for world is “cosmos.” The word originally meant something like “adornment.”  We get two different kinds of words in English from it: those that mean “universe”, as in “cosmology,” and those that mean “adornment,” like “cosmetology.”  John seems to talk about the world as something not quite real, as an adornment to what is truly real: the realm of the Spirit. See this throughout the gospel: Jesus is in the world but not of the world. He is more an actor of Spirit than of flesh. Yet, this gospel too emphasizes that Jesus became flesh and “tented” among us, as God did in the wilderness at the Tent of Meeting. Pay attention to how the cosmic Lord of the universe lives a vulnerable life among vulnerable human beings, embodying, in the flesh, grace and truth.

October 3, 2026 | John 1:19-34
Reflection:
As you read today’s passage, see if you can count all the ways and times that John points beyond himself to the “one who is coming after.” The gospel writer wants us to focus on this Jesus who will baptize with the Spirit. (Notice that in John’s Gospel, John the Baptizer doesn’t actually baptize Jesus. It may be inferred from the context, but only because we have read three other gospels. Why wouldn’t the author want to downplay Jesus’ baptism? Perhaps because he has such a high view of Jesus that there shouldn’t be a reason for Jesus to be baptized. What sins could Jesus have committed to need such a cleansing? What we do hear about here is that John saw the Spirit descending upon Jesus... and this is important throughout the gospel: Jesus and the Spirit are intimately connected.”) What does it mean to you that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?