Daily Reflections From Higher Things®

Daily Lectionary: Deuteronomy 8:1-20; Matthew 10:24-42 "What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:27-28) In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our text, Christ lovingly invites us not to fear. How strange this is to our ears since we tend to internalize fear and anxiety. It is almost as if we should say to Jesus, "Well, that's easy for you to say, you're Jesus." Then again, maybe that's the point. To claim that the body doesn't matter as much as the soul is to detest the creation of each and thus the creator. However, very few people would look at it that way. While we are alive, we are willing to go through anything to minimize the pain that the body feels. After we die, people gather around the casket and offer words that seem helpful, but often refer to the body as a "vessel" or "shell." Yet Christ tells us tha