Monday Devotional: May 26, 2025

Bible Reading: Luke 24:44-53 (NRSVUE)

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶ and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” ⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

I once stayed in a home that had a sign by the door: “All our guests bring us joy — some when they arrive and others when they leave!” Jesus ascends into heaven “while he was blessing them.” Jesus brought his disciples great blessing while he was with them — and he is still blessing them as he leaves. How many of us will depart this earth with words of blessing on our lips? We strive to bring blessings to others in our daily lives, but will we still be doing so at the end of our life? What will our final words be?

None of us knows exactly when our time on earth will come to an end, so we need to live each day as if it were our last. We need to say to people today those words of blessing and encouragement that we want them to hear before we die.

Abraham was blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2), and the disciples respond to the blessing they receive from their ascending Lord by being “continually in the temple blessing God.” Having been blessed by God, they spend all their time blessing God. The second volume of Luke’s Gospel — the Acts of the Apostles — reveals how the followers of Jesus do indeed bring blessing to others as they continue the mission and ministry that Christ had begun.

Now it is our turn to take up the baton and pass on to others the blessings that we have received. Many people in the world feel that they have been dismissed as worthless and insignificant. What we say to persons today can enable them to rise up with wing like eagles (Isaiah 40:31) and lift up their heart with words of praise to God.

Prayer

Uplifting God, may all our words today be words of blessing and love. Amen.

By Nicola Vidamour, The Upper Room Disciplines 2013, page 160.

Bible Study

“Embracing Life” By Von W. Unruh

Unit 2: Living Water

Session Title: Cleansing Water
Focal Passage: John 13:1-11
Background Text: John 13
Purpose Statement: To respond with humble obedience to Jesus’ directive to wash feet.

Questions:

• Have you ever washed someone’s feet or had your feet washed? How do you think you would react if Jesus were to wash your feet?
• What does radical hospitality mean to you? How can you see yourself and your church dismantling the wall between host and guests in mission and ministry?
• What does it feel like to know that Jesus loves you such that he would wash your feet?

Zoom Session

Monday, May 26, 2025, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

(For Zoom Link, send an email to [email protected])

In-Person Session

Wednesday, May 28, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, Conference Room, McGee Building.