Psalm 5, 6, 10, 11 • Isaiah 1:21–31 • Luke 20:9–18
I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him. (Luke 20:13)
What does it mean to respect Jesus? What does it mean to respect what he came to teach us through his life, death, and resurrection?
In this time of Advent, as we prepare ourselves to receive Christ into this world and celebrate his birth, we may ask ourselves: What does it mean to respect God?
We live in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. God did not make us so that we could be perfect. He made us and saw that we are good. Good and perfect are not the same.
As children, we learn to respect our parents. We are God’s children. God is our mother and our father. God loves us as a mother and father should love their children. We respect God by loving our siblings. We respect the teachings of Jesus in the way we love our neighbors. Goodness dwells within each and every person. As we approach the ultimate goodness of the incarnation of Christ, let us recognize the goodness inside each person, whether it be someone with whom we agree or someone with whom we disagree.
Today, let us reflect on what it means to respect God through respecting the dignity of each human being we encounter.
O God, give us grace to see Christ in one another, that we may encounter the goodness you have made in each and every person. Amen.
Laurent De Prins
MDiv, Class of 2020
Seminary of the Southwest
Diocese of Western Louisiana
Listen to Laurent read his meditation and prayer:
Laurent De Prins is a middler MDiv student from the Diocese of Western Louisiana, sent from St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Lafayette.
The Advent Meditations and Prayers are a gift to our seminary community and are made possible through gifts to our Annual Fund. Seminary of the Southwest appreciates the support of its friends, alumni, and the communities around the world that its graduates serve for the glory of God. This support ensures that Southwest, as an institution made of individuals dedicated to service to God and their fellow members of the body of Christ, can continue doing its part to build the body of Christ.
