{"id":23113,"date":"2025-02-11T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-11-february-2025"},"modified":"2025-02-11T06:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T06:00:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-11-february-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-tuesday-11-february-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 11 February 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

St Luke 12: 22 – 34<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus said to his disciples, \u2018Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?  If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you\u2014you of little faith!  And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. \u2018Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father\u2019s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflection<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The choice facing Jesus\u2019s followers, then and now, seems stark: either worry about food and clothing, or trust in God and prioritise God\u2019s kingdom. Yesterday\u2019s devotion explored a parable about a rich man with his priorities the wrong way round. He stored up grain and goods for himself but neglected to ask what God wanted him to do with them. It didn\u2019t end well. <\/span>
 
In today\u2019s passage, Jesus extends the meaning of the parable: \u201cTherefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.\u201d This is no charter for self-neglect; it is about re-ordering our priorities in two ways.<\/span>
 
First, we are to notice the wonderful way that God provides for his creatures in the natural world. \u201cConsider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.\u201d By contrast with the rich fool in the preceding parable who built bigger barns for his bumper crop and then promptly died; the ravens have no barns, and yet God feeds them and enables them to thrive. If God provides for creatures like ravens, how much more will God provide for human creatures. The choice is ours: worry, or trust in God.<\/span>
 
Second, Jesus calls us to prioritise God\u2019s kingdom, which is closely aligned with trusting in God. If we prioritise God\u2019s reign of justice, and trust in God to provide, we will more readily share food and clothing with those who don\u2019t have enough (Luke 3:11). Another example for the Church: rather than selling redundant church property to the highest bidder; sell it instead to a housing trust to convert it into affordable and ecologically sustainable housing for the poor (for example, see <\/span>https:\/\/housingjustice.org.uk<\/a>). To prioritise God\u2019s kingdom, means recognising that the life of human beings, animals, plants and the environment are interconnected, and all depend on God.
 
Prayer<\/span><\/strong>
 
O God of abundant provision,<\/span>
we confess the temptation to place our trust<\/span>
in possessions, bank balances, and pensions.<\/span>
Remind us that all things in this wonderfully interconnected world <\/span>
depend on you, our Creator.<\/span>
Help us to work for your equitable kingdom,<\/span>
in which all have enough and thrive<\/span>
through Jesus Christ our Lord.<\/span>
Amen<\/span> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St Luke 12: 22 – 34 Jesus said to his disciples, \u2018Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 11 February 2025”<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23113\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}