Reading 1
1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21
The LORD said to Elijah:
“You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,
as prophet to succeed you.”
Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,
as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;
he was following the twelfth.
Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,
and I will follow you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back!
Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat.
Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
Reading 2
Gal 5:1, 13-18
Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters.
But do not use this freedom
as an opportunity for the flesh;
rather, serve one another through love.
For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement,
namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
But if you go on biting and devouring one another,
beware that you are not consumed by one another.
I say, then: live by the Spirit
and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.
For the flesh has desires against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
these are opposed to each other,
so that you may not do what you want.
But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Gospel
Lk 9:51-62
When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
And to another he said, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead.
But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
And another said, “I will follow you, Lord,
but first let me say farewell to my family at home.”
To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow
and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Meditation: Galatians 5:1,13-18
For freedom Christ set us free. (Galatians 5:1)
What have we been set free from? And what are we free for? And even more important, how can we experience this freedom?
Jesus has set us free from selfishness. Especially with those we know best, it’s easy to get stuck in self-?centered patterns that inhibit the flow of his love. This can only lead to sniping and resentment because we feel that we are underappreciated. But Jesus can teach us to go out of our way for each other and not stand on what we think we deserve.
Jesus has set us free to love and serve each other—and to do it in new and creative ways. Think of how creative God has been in setting his people free. Who would have imagined city walls falling down with a trumpet blast or God coming to earth as a baby? Who can imagine as well the unexpected ways he can inspire us to reach out to each other?
Now look at the creativity of his servants over the years. Think of Elijah pouring water on the sacrifice to heighten the drama when God set it on fire (1 Kings 18:30-38). Imagine the man whose friends let him down through the roof or the Philippian jailer treating his prisoners to a meal (Acts 16:23-34).
Christians are still exercising creative freedom today. A group of young people have moved into a rundown neighborhood and won the trust of their neighbors by offering to do projects to help them improve their homes. Two families tore down the fence between their houses so that they could share life more easily. A family decided to help deliver Christmas food baskets rather than just donating canned goods.
These are just a few examples of the creative freedom Jesus can pour out when we move away from selfishness and seek instead to “serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13). How free do you want to be?
“Jesus, you have set me free. Show me how to use that freedom to serve others so that they can experience you more fully.”
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