Balancing Blessings and Woes

AM Psalm 102 • PM Psalm 107:1-32
Hosea 10:1-15 • Acts 21:37-22:16 • Luke 6:12-26

In our gospel reading today, we have Luke’s account of the calling of the disciples. We see Jesus healing in a way that people believed that if they could just touch him they would be healed. With a multitude at his feet, the passage says he turned to his disciples and spoke to them of blessings and woes.

The first section is very encouraging, as it speaks of those who are in need and their needs being met. The second section can also sound nice to those who are in need, as it can be interpreted as a reckoning to those who are experiencing ease at this time. But when we are in the place where we could be considered rich, full, laughing, and even simply receiving compliments, it can feel foreboding. 

For me, this passage and the ones like it speak of balance. In our human experience, we almost always find ourselves in all of those places. There are times when we feel poor, times when we are hungry, and certainly times when we weep. There are times when we are blissful and blessed. But things never stay that way. With that knowledge, the second section can be a reminder that nothing is permanent, which strikes me as the ultimate lesson. When we have the moments of bliss and peace, when we have the moments of sorrow and pain, we can remember that God’s love is with us in all of it. Tomorrow is a new day. 

Written by Dan Robinson

Dan Robinson is the Media Ministries specialist at St. Paul’s, overseeing the streaming of services online.