Scripture Scribbles: July 6, 2025

the Gospel

Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
'The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.'
Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town."

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and  scorpions
and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.  Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

the scribble

What a rich Gospel for today! So much to unpack! As I grow in deeper conversion, boldly living my faith comes a little easier; however, reading the Gospel for today reveals to me an invitation to expand more and allow God to further transform my heart. Am I confident enough to proclaim in front of a crowd of people hostile to the Faith and shake the dust off my feet if they reject me? I’m not so sure. I would like to be, so I pray for that grace. 

How quickly we lose our focus on Jesus and the kingdom, even the disciples! Here they are, driving out demons, healing people, and doing miraculous deeds; yet, Jesus reminds them that marveling at these amazing abilities pales in comparison to having one’s name written in heaven. 

I ponder what it means to have our names written in heaven. God has a place for us there and is waiting for us to take our seat at the table, like a wedding banquet we’ve been invited to. In order to have that name on the table, I need to RSVP! How easy it is, though, to get distracted and focus on other things. I lose the invitation. I forget to respond. 

Then the Lord gently reminds me He has my name written in heaven, if only I say yes to this invitation. I will marvel at more than just the witness to His love on Earth. So I must Live my Faith boldly, shake off the dust of distraction or worry of rejection, and trust Him.

Today’s devotion was written by Diana Giard