Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in dogs.
Welcome to another instalment in our special Lectio Divina series,
The Questions Jesus Asked.
Once again,
If you're not familiar with the practice of Lectio Divina,
There's an instructional episode on my Insight Timer channel which will teach you about that.
I invite you to go and listen to that so you can participate deeply in the Lectio Divinas that we have here on Insight Timer and in this series particularly.
But in short,
After a small reflection,
I'll read the passage three times with some space between,
Just for reflection and contemplation.
And the practice here is to just seek God,
Asking your attention to be drawn to a word or phrase that you might reflect on during the time of silence and contemplate how you might apply this to your life and how you might walk forward with it from the practice and into your day.
And to today's question,
You notice that there's words that we use so often,
They lose their gravitas.
And sometimes these words are words that we speak in prayer or in worship or in our moments of devotion and devotional practice.
And among the most powerful of these is the word Lord.
Now,
It's a word that speaks of trust and surrender and authority.
But there's always a quiet question beneath the word itself asking us,
Do our lives reflect what our words proclaim?
Now,
In the sixth chapter of Luke's Gospel,
Jesus asks a question in verse 46 that reaches into the space between belief and action.
He says,
Why do you call me Lord,
Lord,
And do not do what I tell you?
Now,
Jesus wasn't angry when he spoke this question.
He asked it as part of a teaching about foundations,
About what it means to build a life that endures.
And Jesus speaks of two builders,
One who hears his words and puts them into practice,
Like a person who builds a house on solid rock.
And then another who hears the same words,
But doesn't act on them like a person who builds without a good foundation.
And in this little story,
Both people hear,
But only one lives differently because of what they heard.
And this is where the question meets us today,
Because faith isn't only about what we believe,
It's about what shapes our daily choices.
It's possible to speak beautiful words about trust and still hold tightly to control,
Isn't it?
It's possible to speak of forgiveness and yet still hold tightly to our resentments,
Right?
And it's possible to speak of love and still avoid the hard work of compassion.
I think all of us know that one far too well.
But Jesus' question invites honesty.
I don't think he's looking for flawless obedience,
Or that he's assuming we won't always be successful and that we might fail from time to time.
But rather,
The question asks us to notice the gap that sometimes exists between what we say and how we live.
And again,
This isn't to try and shame us,
It's to awaken us,
To draw our attention to it.
Because words alone don't form a life,
It's habits,
Choices,
Actions that are repeated daily,
Daily,
Daily,
And often quietly.
They're always the small things,
Often.
And maybe the deeper invitation,
Hidden within the question,
Is where is my life being shaped by what I claim to believe?
You know,
Where are my words strong but my actions are hesitant?
Where's the room for alignment between faith and daily living?
So to call Jesus Lord is to recognise his presence.
Not just in our prayer and devotion and worship,
But in our decisions.
In relationships,
In moments of conflict and opportunities to show mercy and grace and love to others.
And so today,
His question rests before us.
Why do you call me Lord,
Lord,
And do not do what I tell you?
Again,
Not a condemnation,
But an invitation to build a life that stands.
So as you listen,
Allow the words to settle slowly.
Notice what phrase draws your attention and allow it to rest gently within you.
As we ask God to open our ears,
Our minds,
And our hearts to receive in good soil the seed of the word of scripture today.
And so we begin.
From Luke chapter 6,
Verses 46 to 49.
Why do you call me Lord,
Lord,
And do not do what I tell you?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
Hears my words and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock.
When a flood arose,
The river burst against the house,
But it could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who hears and does not act is like the man who builds a house on the ground without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
Immediately it fell,
And great was the ruin of that house.
From Luke chapter 6,
Verses 46 to 49.
Why do you call me Lord,
Lord,
And do not do what I tell you?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
Hears my words and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock.
When a flood arose,
The river burst against the house,
But it could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who hears and does not act is like the man who builds a house on the ground without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
Immediately it fell,
And great was the ruin of that house.
From Luke chapter 6,
Verses 46 to 49.
Why do you call me Lord,
Lord,
And do not do what I tell you?
I will show you what someone is like who comes to me,
Hears my words and acts on them.
That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock.
When a flood arose,
The river burst against the house,
But it could not shake it because it had been well built.
But the one who hears and does not act is like the man who builds a house on the ground without a foundation.
When the river burst against it,
Immediately it fell,
And great was the ruin of that house.
Let us pray.
Jesus,
You call us not only to listen,
But to live.
You invite us to build our lives on foundations that endure,
Not on words alone,
But on faithful action.
Give us courage to examine the gap between what we say and how we live.
Where our words outrun our actions,
Bring patience.
Where we hesitate to live,
What we believe brings strength.
And where we feel uncertain about what to do,
Guide our steps.
Teach us to live our faith in quiet,
Steady ways through kindness,
Through forgiveness,
And through compassion.
And as your question lingers within us,
Help us to build lives that reflect the trust we place in you.
Amen.
And as you rise to go into your day-to-day,
May grace,
Peace and love go with you,
Stay with you,
And flow through you today and every day.
Amen.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
