Pentecost +5 Sunday – C4

Pentecost +5 Sunday – C4

Years C
Luke 9:51-62

It is so easy to take the flame of self-righteousness (always, of course, disguised as well-meaning for another) and to advocate for utter destruction of those who don't see what we see and respond as we respond.

"Command fire!", we call out.

And what do we get for our concern, for our protective reaction? .... Rebuke!

In reflection, after sulking for 2,000+ years, it appears we had taken our eye off a vision of G*D and narrowed it down to Jesus. We lost the vision in the form of a visionary. In looking back we can see how easy it has become to err in this direction. It means we never have to worry about putting our own eye on the metaphor "Jerusalem." We can always stop at how far the visioneer had come and forget the injunction to go further, to do greater.

= = = = = = =

in our current day
we lose focus
so much more to do
so little time
so easy to do one more thing

in our current day
we are tempted to pause
to make one more attempt
to teach one more lesson
to over-function again

in our current day
we set a system in place
and then are consumed by it
bowing to what we made
idolizing our way

in our current day
we struggle with constraint
and loosened reins
when to gee or haw
confusing ourselves

in our current day
the current available
has meet resistance
become heat not light
not fit

in our current day
a challenge remains
to keep an eye on a prize
a hand to the plow
and compassion along the way