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Home Luke 21:34-36 NRSVue

Luke 21:34-36 NRSVue

34“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
Is there something that weighs down my heart? Dissipation, drunkenness, the worries of this life, or is there something else?

Reflection
How do I feel about the day of the Lord? Do I live with fear of being caught out? Am I looking forward to meeting him?

Reflection
Is my praying now a preparation to meet the Son of Man with confidence?

Reflection
That's a curious phrase but it fits: /weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness./ Drink is a narcotic; it does in fact dull the heart and blunt the appetites. As for dissipation, while it may be sold as fun and having a laugh, on the morning after most would agree with Nietzsche that /the mother of dissipation is not joy but joylessness./ Joy and moderation go hand in hand. When our hearts are happy, our own skins are a good place to be; we do not need to be blown out of our minds by alcohol or other drugs.

Reflection
The cares of life can lead us to God or away from God. We can look to alcohol and other escapes to help us cope with what is difficult in life. God's strength is near for us all the time; prayer puts us in touch with the strong love of God, giving support and courage in difficulty.

Reflection
Amid the worries of my daily life, 'eternal truths' can seem irrelevant or unreal. But Jesus reminds me here not to be weighed down and completely preoccupied by the immediate, concrete, here-and-now part of reality. A good question to focus my mind on is: "What do I want to be remembered for when I die?"