ICYMI: Luke 5 // Why Did God Make Leaves Fall?
If you missed Sunday's service or could use a refresher, here's a quick recap featuring a song from Sunday on Spotify, main points from the sermon, a key quotation, a guide for prayer, and our weekly Next Step Practice. Scroll to the bottom for the sermon recording.
📖 Focal Scripture
🎯 Main Points
In ancient Rome, tax collectors were hired by wealthy investors to collect taxes. Local collectors would use their knowledge of assets and resources to get as much money as possible, often keeping some for themselves. This system was corrupt and abusive, and tax collectors were widely despised.
Levi, a local tax collector, is despised for taking advantage of relationships and exploiting personal connections to extort money from fellow citizens. Being Jewish adds complexity as he's not only exploiting his own people, but he’s also in contact with Gentiles, making him unclean. He's considered a sinner by Jewish law and is, therefore, an outcast.
Levi is used to being seen as someone who manipulates and extorts. He has likely become accustomed to the identities people give him and internalized their stories and voices. But Jesus sees him differently.
Levi wasn't looking for Jesus, yet Jesus came to him anyway. This is good news for those who worry about loved ones not actively seeking God. Even when we don't try to find God, God finds us.
When Jesus meets Levi, it must have been a different encounter for Levi, who was used to either extorting or being extorted. But Jesus calls him to follow despite his past, the shame he may feel, the hurt he may have caused, and what people say about him. Levi doesn’t have to change for God’s love to be made real. Instead, it’s just the opposite: The love of God in Christ is made real for Levi, and that’s when everything changes.
Belovedness is liberating, and experiencing God's unconditional love frees us from the need to earn our way to blessing or conform to societal expectations. There is no litmus test for belonging in God’s family. And God's love reveals our true, sacred worth and offers a path to new life.
The invitation to leave behind unproductive voices, stories, fears, and anxieties allows space for new growth. Just as leaves fall from trees to make way for new growth, we can let go of what is no longer working for us and embrace the new beginnings God has for us.
🗣️ Key Quotation
“This is the everything that Levi leaves behind so that Jesus can then become his everything. Each unproductive voice, each shame-filled story, each anxiety and fear falling like a leaf that God made, making way for new life to emerge. Belovedness is liberating.” — Brent Levy
🙏 A Guide for Prayer
Find a quiet and comfortable space where you can be still and enter into God's presence. Take a few moments to center your mind and heart on God.
Reflect on God's unconditional love: Meditate on the truth that God's love for you is unconditional. Reflect on how Jesus showed love and acceptance to Levi despite his past and his role as a tax collector. Thank God for that unyielding love and grace.
Identify any voices, stories, fears, or anxieties that have held you back, caused you shame, or left you doubting God’s love for you. Offer these burdens to God, asking for God’s help in letting go and trusting God’s way forward.
Lift up the names of those you care about, including those who may be struggling or in need of God's love and grace. Intercede on their behalf, asking God to work in their hearts and lives.
In the stillness, listen for God's voice and guidance. Be open to any insights, impressions, or promptings from the Holy Spirit. Be willing to wait in God's presence, trusting that God’s time is different from ours.
Conclude your prayer time by offering a closing prayer, expressing your trust in God's love, and surrendering yourself to God’s path. Amen.
➡️ Next Step: Take A Walk
As you welcome the cozy fall vibes, “walk the road with Jesus” this week. As you take a slow walk, what do you notice? Perhaps the changing leaves remind you of something shifting within you. Maybe the space to breathe gives you a chance to leave something behind. Perhaps an interruption takes you in a new direction, or you’re nudged to pray for the people you encounter. Let it be an intentional sacred time for you.
