Luke, Chapter 14
Welcome to week fourteen of Luke/Acts 2020. My name is Tessa Priem, and I'm a solo dance artist. I'm also a mommy who studied theology. Thus, for the year of 2020, we're doing a year-long Bible Study. This week, our structure is the same as week thirteen: 1) I give an introduction to the reading, 2) there's a recording of me reading the chapter, 3) followed by questions & an explanation; 4) I'll post a hymn that you can read if you'd like, and 5) we'll close with a prayer. If you have a Bible, please open it to Luke, chapter fourteen. If not, you can find Luke fourteen online. Let's get started! And if you have questions or thoughts at the end, leave a comment or send me an email. Many blessings!
1) Introduction: Hi, everyone. Do you remember who the Gospel of Luke was initially written to? Luke, the physician, wrote it for a person named Theophilus so that Theophilus could be certain about the things he had been taught concerning Christ (Luke 1:1-4). This Gospel was presumably shared with many others and shockingly has made its way to us. This is so unbelievable, I know. But with someone as unusual as Jesus was, word of mouth was bound to spread, and copies of texts were bound to be made. Luke also penned the book of Acts (my all-time favorite book in Scripture). And soon, we will study it too. Luke, chapter fourteen, continues to take us on a journey with Jesus towards Jerusalem. Let's see what happens.
2) Recording: Here is a recording of Luke, chapter fourteen. You can listen to it and follow along, or simply read the chapter on your own.
| luke_14.m4a |
3) Explanation & Questions: How did you feel after reading Luke, chapter fourteen? What struck you as you read? Honestly, I felt burdened after reading it. The law of God hit me hard, which is not unusual for me. And this reminded me of something important: CONTEXT. While reading Scripture, in addition to being able to distinguish between Law & Gospel, understanding the context of what you are reading is critical. Part of the setting of Luke 14 was of Jesus dining at a Pharisee's house and having crowds follow him as he went towards Jerusalem. In our Digging Deeper section, we will dig into the context of this chapter. Be sure to scroll down to chapter fourteen.
4) Hymn: Here is the hymn "Take My Life and Let it Be." The lyrics are below if you'd like to read along :)
| take_my_life_and_let_it_be.m4a |
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only for my king;
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only for my king;
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
5) Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for healing the man who had dropsy. This was such good news for this person! Thank you. Please help us to be humble and to remember the least of these--the poor, the blind, the disabled, the lame. Help us to invite many to your banquet. The cost of discipleship is great; please give us strength and hope as we follow you. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.
Disclaimer: I should mention I do not have copyright permission regarding the particular Bible I'm using. I am reading an ESV edition in this recording. The majority of hymns I choose are in the public domain as this one is, and I reference the Lutheran Service Book a lot. I will be posting these devotions each Friday, throughout the year 2020. May they be a blessing to you. If you'd like to follow me and learn more about what I do, especially dance-wise, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram & YouTube. Enjoy the journey! Have a wonderful week. -Tessa
P.S. If you'd like to learn about my solo dance show, click here. It's my life story danced out. I am also currently writing my autobiography, and you can read some of it here.
P.S. If you'd like to learn about my solo dance show, click here. It's my life story danced out. I am also currently writing my autobiography, and you can read some of it here.
