Matthew 7 series: True Leadership
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
Prayer: An instrument of God’s peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
for your mercy and truth’s sake.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
A 19th century prayer in the spirit
of St Francis of Assisi
(Sourced from A Treasury of Prayers in Uniting in Worship, copyright 1988 Uniting Church in Australia)
Read:
Matthew 7:15-20. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:15-20 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
Jesus uses the word “prophet” to refer to a spiritual leader in the community. As yet there were no Ministers, pastors, evangelists, apostles, popes or priests. But if he is referring to those tasked with spiritual leadership in a community in all its infinite cultural variety over the centuries, then we might include anyone we give our trust to including Sunday School leaders, parents, spouse, Life Group leaders, etc.
Jesus teaching is aimed at the one who trusts spiritual leadership in any of its forms. And he invites us to never to give blind trust to a leader. Instead, look at the whole of their lives (as much as you can see). Ask yourself whether their life is producing the good fruit that Christ is looking for in us; love, compassion for the marginalised, peace, the love of God, the rejection of the pursuit of wealth. Note that I am just listing some of the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount because this teaching is given right at the end of those teachings. I am sure Jesus and Matthew are linking them.
This appears to be a warning against charlatans but I believe it is relevant to the far more common situation where the spiritual leader is not self-aware enough of the contradiction between how they live and what they teach. Which brings us back full circle to yesterday’s devotional.
Do you check who you put your trust in? What good fruit do you look for?
More From 'Devotionals'
Christ is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.
Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
With the joy of Resurrection still glowing brightly, we enter into the sacred Easter time which leads us all the way to Pentecost.
During this time, we will focus on “Practising Resurrection”, a series of sermons that invites us to recognise Jesus and respond with trust and commitment.
For this series, we follow the lead of an old joyous German tradition that allocates themes to the Sundays of Easter. Each Sunday has its own (Latin) name:
2nd Sunday of Easter: quasimodo geniti “Like the newborn children” (1 Peter 2:2)
3rd Sunday of Easter: misericordia domini “The earth is filled with the lovingkindness of God”
4th Sunday of Easter: jubilate “Rejoice!” (Psalm 89:2)
5th Sunday of Easter: cantate “Sing!” (Psalm 98)
6th Sunday of Easter: rogate “Pray!” (Psalm 66:20)
7th Sunday of Easter: exaudi ”Hear me, Lord!” (Psalm 27)
Many churches use the colours white or gold in decorations or clothing to symbolise Joy, glory and light. A beautiful way for us, as people of faith, to witness to Jesus’ Resurrection!
How do you want to practise resurrection?
May this time of celebration be filled with goodness, trust, creativity and renewed commitment to God.
Ellen Grabner | Minister
Lord, Let me be a Mary
Lord, let me be a Mary.
Not Martha’s sister, who sat at your feet, although I find most days I’d much rather be there than in the kitchen.
Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:42)
Not the mother of our Lord, whose greatest honour brought forth her greatest suffering.
A sword pierced her own soul just as Simeon prophesied. (Luke 2:35)
Let me be a Mary Magdalene, forever and always the first eyewitness to see an empty tomb.
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. (John 20:1)
Let this news move my feet. Every Resurrection Sunday, from sunrise to sunset let me proclaim your holy name to those who deny you and those whom you call beloved.
He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. (Matthew 28:6)
And in our private moments of intimacy, let me recognize your voice the instant you say my name.
“Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). (John 20:16)
Let me remember the desperate times in my past only so much as they show me my very real need for you.
For only in our great need do we come to appreciate a Resurrection Sunday.
After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
By: Traci Rhoades
Ref: Lord, Let Me Be A Mary - A Poem (Traces Of Faith {Traci Rhoades})
The Resurrection Brings Joy
Three significant truths rooted in the Resurrection open a window and highlight some of the reasons for our joy.
First, the Resurrection is a proclamation that Jesus is alive and present with us. In the Resurrection appearances, the disciples experienced Jesus in their midst. The same Jesus who had walked with them now again touched their lives and spoke and ate with them. But Jesus was radically changed. Clearly, Jesus had not simply come back to life like Lazarus did. Jesus now lived the glorious life beyond death, but he was again with them. The Resurrection proclaims that Jesus is with us as well. Luke’s story of the Ascension is not a declaration of Jesus’ absence. Luke is announcing that Jesus is now present in every space and time. We encounter Jesus in the Scripture, in the sacraments, and in our brothers and sisters. As we recall the stories of the Resurrection appearances, Christ is once again with us, forgiving, feeding, and consoling.
Second, death has been conquered. Death opens the way to eternal life. Jesus gives witness to God’s faithfulness even in death. We need not be afraid of death since it is not the end, but the beginning of eternal life. Jesus’ Resurrection gives meaning to suffering and death as a way to salvation.
Third, Jesus’ Resurrection affirms the value of the human person and the world in which we live. Jesus was raised as a whole person—body and soul. Jesus did not take on human flesh and then discard it. Jesus retained his whole humanity. Along with the doctrines of the Incarnation and the Eucharist, the Resurrection assures us that God has identified with matter. God has embraced the human condition. A profound unity forever exists between God and the world, between spirit and matter. As Christians, we do not believe simply in the immortality of the soul. We believe in the immortality of the human person. Jesus’ Resurrection and ours speak of continuity between this life and the next. Jesus’ Resurrection also acknowledges the value of creation.
This world is a gift of an all-loving God. Our faith in the Resurrection assures us that everything of beauty and love and creativity lasts forever. The Resurrection is the foundation of a holistic view of the human person and an incarnational and sacramental view of life.
Jesus is with us, death has been destroyed, and human life and activity have lasting value. These are all reasons to rejoice.
Ref: Gerald M. Fagin, SJ
The Resurrection Brings Joy -
IgnatianSpirituality.com
From Putting on the Heart of Christ: How the Spiritual Exercises Invite Us to a Virtuous Life