You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Sunday is the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord. When feast days fall on Sundays they supersede the regular lectionary. So the gospel story on which we’ve spent our time this week may not be the one you hear in church. Today, let’s look at the one for this feast day.
Jesus’ parents bring him to the temple in accordance with the Mosaic law governing the offering of firstborn males to the Lord: When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
But much more happened that day than the prescribed rituals of purification and sacrifice. They encountered two elderly people who confirmed for them the message the angel Gabriel had given before Jesus’ birth. One of these was Simeon, a good and holy man who believed God had promised him he would not die before seeing “the salvation of Israel.”* We’re told that the Spirit guided him to the temple that day, a reminder that God will get us where God wants us to be as we’re open to being led. Simeon was – and as soon as he saw the infant, he somehow knew he was seeing the long-awaited Messiah, the Savior. Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
But that’s not all Simeon said – he also told Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” This was perhaps a helpful “heads up” for Jesus’ mother, but must also have increased her worry for her firstborn. It resonates for us when we hear Jesus say, “I have come to bring not peace but a sword,” indicating that the world would not accept him without conflict.
The holy family also encountered an elderly woman, Anna. We’re told she was a prophet –women were recognized as prophets – and that she had been widowed young and had lived in the temple courts since then. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
It must have been a blessing to Mary and Joseph to receive such confirmation of their own incredible revelations. And it must also have made them wary. Yet all we are told of their response is that they took their baby home to Nazareth and cared for him; no mention in Luke of the flight into Egypt and exile there that Matthew records. Rather, we are told only that, The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Jesus’ earthly parents did everything they could for him. The rest was up to God. The same is true for us.
* We are talking here about ancient Israel, not the modern nation state. They are not synonymous.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
1-30-25 - Just Passing Through
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Jesus pulls a serious Houdini move at the end of this week’s gospel story. We’ve watched the tension rise throughout this scene, as he makes his dramatic announcement in his hometown synagogue, which is met with amazement that soon turns to rage as his neighbors take offense at what he says next. This rage turns the crowd into a rampaging mob, ready to kill: When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
Maybe we’re missing part of the story – it's hard to imagine how they got that mad that quickly, but ugly things happen when strong emotions sweep a crowd. Jesus had so flipped their expectations, so badly disappointed and insulted them, that they went berserk. And it can be an unfortunate human tendency to try to expel that which threatens your sense of security. Hence the push to the cliff’s edge.
But somehow Jesus is immune to their evil intent and impervious to their attack. He simply passes through their midst and goes on his way. Did they stop looking at him, caught up in their frenzy? Or did he somehow make himself invisible, or dematerialize the way he seemed to do a few times after his resurrection? We are not told.
This curious scene does suggest to me a way to pray about situations of mass rage, whether in a real-life mob or a media attack: to remember that Jesus is there, unseen, unnoticed, but present. We can pray his presence into those situations, pray that those who have eyes and ears will perceive him. We can ask him to protect the vulnerable. We can ask him to release peace into conflict and turmoil.
The incarnate Jesus was just passing through this world, and he transformed every situation he encountered, even his own suffering and death. The risen and ascended Jesus is still passing through this world through His Spirit, transforming situations, even among people calling for his blood or that of his followers. Now he can be everywhere, and anywhere we call upon his name in faith. We need only invoke his name and by faith release his power and love, and see what changes. They may never know he was there, but something will have changed.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Jesus pulls a serious Houdini move at the end of this week’s gospel story. We’ve watched the tension rise throughout this scene, as he makes his dramatic announcement in his hometown synagogue, which is met with amazement that soon turns to rage as his neighbors take offense at what he says next. This rage turns the crowd into a rampaging mob, ready to kill: When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
Maybe we’re missing part of the story – it's hard to imagine how they got that mad that quickly, but ugly things happen when strong emotions sweep a crowd. Jesus had so flipped their expectations, so badly disappointed and insulted them, that they went berserk. And it can be an unfortunate human tendency to try to expel that which threatens your sense of security. Hence the push to the cliff’s edge.
But somehow Jesus is immune to their evil intent and impervious to their attack. He simply passes through their midst and goes on his way. Did they stop looking at him, caught up in their frenzy? Or did he somehow make himself invisible, or dematerialize the way he seemed to do a few times after his resurrection? We are not told.
This curious scene does suggest to me a way to pray about situations of mass rage, whether in a real-life mob or a media attack: to remember that Jesus is there, unseen, unnoticed, but present. We can pray his presence into those situations, pray that those who have eyes and ears will perceive him. We can ask him to protect the vulnerable. We can ask him to release peace into conflict and turmoil.
The incarnate Jesus was just passing through this world, and he transformed every situation he encountered, even his own suffering and death. The risen and ascended Jesus is still passing through this world through His Spirit, transforming situations, even among people calling for his blood or that of his followers. Now he can be everywhere, and anywhere we call upon his name in faith. We need only invoke his name and by faith release his power and love, and see what changes. They may never know he was there, but something will have changed.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
1-29-25 - Unpredictable God
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
If prayer were never answered in ways we can discern, chances are we’d be okay with it, though we might stop praying. What is challenging, often maddening and sometimes heart-breaking, is that sometimes we seem to see answers in ways we want, and sometimes it seems we do not. It’s the unpredictability more than the disappointments that inhibit our faith, I think.
The people of Nazareth, having heard reports of the wonders Jesus was doing, expected that he would do the same and more in his hometown. But he says it’s not that predictable: "And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
This sent them into a murderous rage. Was Jesus saying God is capricious? That God cares more for Gentiles than for the chosen people? Why was only one widow helped during the three-and-a-half year famine? Why only one foreign leper healed? Does God only intervene when there’s a larger purpose? Why does God interact at all with God’s creation?
If I knew the answers to that, I’d be much holier (and maybe richer…) than I am now. Why we discern responses in some cases and not in others continues to perplex us. And none of us has a very full data set from which to draw conclusions. We have some stories in the Bible, some experiences of our own or other people, but no one knows what God’s record is. We only know that when we pray, sometimes remarkable things happen, and sometimes they do not.
When remarkable things result, and we feel they’re connected to our prayer, we should give thanks and tell people about it. It helps increase our faith and builds that of others. And when it seems we have no response, or not the one we want, we should also talk about that – talk to God about it, and other people, because that’s one definition of faith: to believe despite "evidence" to the contrary.
The purpose of prayer is not to ask for things and see what we get. The purpose of prayer is to communicate openly with the God who made us and loves us and knows us better than we can know ourselves, and through that communicating to come to know God more fully. And God has invited us to allow God’s Spirit to pray through us; then we're praying for what God already intends to accomplish. God’s prayers have a 100% response rate. Let’s figure out how to join ours to God’s. It's as simple as "Come, Holy Spirit..."
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
If prayer were never answered in ways we can discern, chances are we’d be okay with it, though we might stop praying. What is challenging, often maddening and sometimes heart-breaking, is that sometimes we seem to see answers in ways we want, and sometimes it seems we do not. It’s the unpredictability more than the disappointments that inhibit our faith, I think.
The people of Nazareth, having heard reports of the wonders Jesus was doing, expected that he would do the same and more in his hometown. But he says it’s not that predictable: "And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
This sent them into a murderous rage. Was Jesus saying God is capricious? That God cares more for Gentiles than for the chosen people? Why was only one widow helped during the three-and-a-half year famine? Why only one foreign leper healed? Does God only intervene when there’s a larger purpose? Why does God interact at all with God’s creation?
If I knew the answers to that, I’d be much holier (and maybe richer…) than I am now. Why we discern responses in some cases and not in others continues to perplex us. And none of us has a very full data set from which to draw conclusions. We have some stories in the Bible, some experiences of our own or other people, but no one knows what God’s record is. We only know that when we pray, sometimes remarkable things happen, and sometimes they do not.
When remarkable things result, and we feel they’re connected to our prayer, we should give thanks and tell people about it. It helps increase our faith and builds that of others. And when it seems we have no response, or not the one we want, we should also talk about that – talk to God about it, and other people, because that’s one definition of faith: to believe despite "evidence" to the contrary.
The purpose of prayer is not to ask for things and see what we get. The purpose of prayer is to communicate openly with the God who made us and loves us and knows us better than we can know ourselves, and through that communicating to come to know God more fully. And God has invited us to allow God’s Spirit to pray through us; then we're praying for what God already intends to accomplish. God’s prayers have a 100% response rate. Let’s figure out how to join ours to God’s. It's as simple as "Come, Holy Spirit..."
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
1-28-25 - Connections
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
I always feel a little more powerful when I know someone who can hook me up to things I need or people I should know. And I love being that person for others. Connections are how we get ahead. So imagine how excited Jesus’ neighbors in Nazareth were when their "homie" became a religious sensation, known not only for his wisdom but for his amazing miracles and works of power. This was the ultimate connection, someone who channeled the power of God! And he was one of them!
Then imagine their disappointment when he indicated he was unlikely to exercise much power in his own town: He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.”
He cited a few examples of prophets of old who were unable to address the needs of their own communities, yet could help outsiders. And man, did they not want to hear that. Their response was violent, probably more intense than if a stranger had said he couldn’t help them. No one expects too much from a stranger. But one of your own? You should be his first priority. How dare Jesus say he was not accepted there, that his powers would be somehow inhibited?
I find in their angry response an invitation for us to examine our own hearts when it comes to Jesus. I dare say anyone who has ever prayed fervently for something has experienced some disappointment in the outcome. If that disappointment is acute, or experienced too often, we can find ourselves angry. And since the church does not offer many outlets for expressing negative emotions about God, that anger can become pushed down and calcify into a polite estrangement. We don’t try to push Jesus off a cliff, but we may push him out of our lives, stop trusting or asking or hanging out with him.
If this has been your experience, it’s good to recognize that, and begin to process it in prayer and maybe in pastoral conversation. Not for nothing is the rite of repentance in our tradition called “Reconciliation.” The greatest damage done when we turn away from God is to that relationship itself.
God is always, like the father in Jesus’ story about the prodigal son, out there in the road waiting for us to return. Can we walk back to that place, walk back through the hurt we encountered, the anger we experienced, the loss we suffered? Is our relationship with God worth it to us?
We don’t need to seek out connections; we are already hooked into the most powerful network in the universe, the power and love that flow from the throne of God. If that connection needs strengthening, let’s put our time and energy into repairing that breach. The arms of love await us.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
I always feel a little more powerful when I know someone who can hook me up to things I need or people I should know. And I love being that person for others. Connections are how we get ahead. So imagine how excited Jesus’ neighbors in Nazareth were when their "homie" became a religious sensation, known not only for his wisdom but for his amazing miracles and works of power. This was the ultimate connection, someone who channeled the power of God! And he was one of them!
Then imagine their disappointment when he indicated he was unlikely to exercise much power in his own town: He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.”
He cited a few examples of prophets of old who were unable to address the needs of their own communities, yet could help outsiders. And man, did they not want to hear that. Their response was violent, probably more intense than if a stranger had said he couldn’t help them. No one expects too much from a stranger. But one of your own? You should be his first priority. How dare Jesus say he was not accepted there, that his powers would be somehow inhibited?
I find in their angry response an invitation for us to examine our own hearts when it comes to Jesus. I dare say anyone who has ever prayed fervently for something has experienced some disappointment in the outcome. If that disappointment is acute, or experienced too often, we can find ourselves angry. And since the church does not offer many outlets for expressing negative emotions about God, that anger can become pushed down and calcify into a polite estrangement. We don’t try to push Jesus off a cliff, but we may push him out of our lives, stop trusting or asking or hanging out with him.
If this has been your experience, it’s good to recognize that, and begin to process it in prayer and maybe in pastoral conversation. Not for nothing is the rite of repentance in our tradition called “Reconciliation.” The greatest damage done when we turn away from God is to that relationship itself.
God is always, like the father in Jesus’ story about the prodigal son, out there in the road waiting for us to return. Can we walk back to that place, walk back through the hurt we encountered, the anger we experienced, the loss we suffered? Is our relationship with God worth it to us?
We don’t need to seek out connections; we are already hooked into the most powerful network in the universe, the power and love that flow from the throne of God. If that connection needs strengthening, let’s put our time and energy into repairing that breach. The arms of love await us.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
1-27-25 - Hometown Hero
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
It can be disorienting when a celebrity comes back to the place they grew up – they have a new identity and influence, yet people see them through lenses formed long ago. Everyone grows up somewhere, goes to school, plays sports, makes friends – and enemies. For Jesus, that somewhere was Nazareth, where he and his family settled upon return from their time of refuge in Egypt once King Herod had died (Matthew 2:19-23). And his townspeople were pretty sure they knew him. Even as he manifested a very different skill set than one needed for carpentry, and as his fame grew, they were pretty sure they knew him: Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
Joseph’s son was how they knew him. Joseph’s son was familiar. But this man had another Father as well, and that paternity was now being revealed. When he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” Jesus was owning his divine identity, his messianic mission. That life would not prove so familiar.
Do we ever feel proud of Jesus? Do we feel we know him? It can be hard to feel gratitude or pride when we’re just so used to him being around. Those who have grown up in the church have heard about this guy our whole lives. We know his life story, his teachings, his miracles. He’s a stained glass window in the background. How can he surprise us?
Try this: Go back to the beginning. As many glimpses as I may have caught of Jesus over the years, I know I don’t have a clue. So I read the Gospels as though I’m being introduced to Jesus – who is he? I pray, “Let me know you, as you know me.” Occasionally I get words in my mind which I feel are him speaking; they reveal a little about him. I ask him for inspiration in ministry, and sometimes am flooded with ideas. That shows me a little about who he is. Prayer, study, ministry, worship – these are some of the best ways we have of getting to know Jesus. What's your strategy?
This Jesus, who lives in us and through us and around us, is not completely knowable in this life and yet is much more than a stained glass saint. “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened,” he promised (Luke 11:10). As we seek him, we find him - and find he isn’t anything like we expected.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
It can be disorienting when a celebrity comes back to the place they grew up – they have a new identity and influence, yet people see them through lenses formed long ago. Everyone grows up somewhere, goes to school, plays sports, makes friends – and enemies. For Jesus, that somewhere was Nazareth, where he and his family settled upon return from their time of refuge in Egypt once King Herod had died (Matthew 2:19-23). And his townspeople were pretty sure they knew him. Even as he manifested a very different skill set than one needed for carpentry, and as his fame grew, they were pretty sure they knew him: Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
Joseph’s son was how they knew him. Joseph’s son was familiar. But this man had another Father as well, and that paternity was now being revealed. When he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” Jesus was owning his divine identity, his messianic mission. That life would not prove so familiar.
Do we ever feel proud of Jesus? Do we feel we know him? It can be hard to feel gratitude or pride when we’re just so used to him being around. Those who have grown up in the church have heard about this guy our whole lives. We know his life story, his teachings, his miracles. He’s a stained glass window in the background. How can he surprise us?
Try this: Go back to the beginning. As many glimpses as I may have caught of Jesus over the years, I know I don’t have a clue. So I read the Gospels as though I’m being introduced to Jesus – who is he? I pray, “Let me know you, as you know me.” Occasionally I get words in my mind which I feel are him speaking; they reveal a little about him. I ask him for inspiration in ministry, and sometimes am flooded with ideas. That shows me a little about who he is. Prayer, study, ministry, worship – these are some of the best ways we have of getting to know Jesus. What's your strategy?
This Jesus, who lives in us and through us and around us, is not completely knowable in this life and yet is much more than a stained glass saint. “For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened,” he promised (Luke 11:10). As we seek him, we find him - and find he isn’t anything like we expected.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
1-24-25 - Spirit-Filled
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
The gospels tell us that there were times when Jesus was “filled with the Spirit.” Were there times he was not? Or were there times when that anointing was stronger than others? Luke writes that, after Jesus' baptism and forty-day testing in the desert he was filled with holy power: Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.
If Jesus, whom we claim was at once fully divine and fully human, needed to be filled with the Spirit of God – his own Spirit – to be effective in ministry, what does that say about us? Too often I try to minister on my own steam. If you have a lot of energy and ideas, your own steam can take you a distance. But nothing like when you're powered by God-Spirit. I’m at my best when I realize “I got nothing” in the face of a given challenge, and invite God’s power and love to be realized through me.
How can we tell the difference? We all need to learn to discern that. We can start with, “Did I ask the Spirit to fill me, or guide me, or help me?” The Spirit of God blows where it will, Jesus said, but rarely seems to show up uninvited. When we develop the practice of inviting the Spirit into our ministries we will find ourselves empowered in a new way. We might even pray through our calendar at the beginning of each day or week, asking the Spirit to be present with us in the tasks ahead. (We can also pray that God remove obstacles to the free flow of Holy Spirit in us – that’s the work of repentance and healing.)
We can learn to attend to how we feel in our bodies when the Holy Spirit fills us. We might feel a discernible energy, sometimes an excited joy, sometimes a deep peace that clearly comes from beyond us. I feel it when I’m praying with someone for healing, often when I am singing, or when I’m preaching or leading worship. There can be an effect on our minds too – most of the time, if I pray, “God, I need an idea for…” an insight or idea pops into my mind almost immediately, almost as if dictated. Why I don’t always ask?!
Sometimes we know the Spirit's filling after the fact. I can feel incredibly energized, buzzy, especially when I know the Spirit has been present and people have felt more connected to God and each other. If I feel drained, I’m pretty sure I was working on my own steam. If I feel lifted up and full of joy, there’s a good chance God was working through me. Exhaustion may come later – we’re human – but we don’t feel drained.
And when it’s the Spirit, we know by the fruits. Lives are transformed. Systems are unjammed. Creativity and joy flow more fully. Some Sundays I am blessed that way, as I feel people connecting to God in worship, and responding to the world in outreach. A huge part of my ministry as a pastor is to increase my congregants’ capacity to be filled with the Spirit. For when the Body of Christ is filled with the power of the Spirit, you can be sure that reports about him will spread through all the surrounding country.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
The gospels tell us that there were times when Jesus was “filled with the Spirit.” Were there times he was not? Or were there times when that anointing was stronger than others? Luke writes that, after Jesus' baptism and forty-day testing in the desert he was filled with holy power: Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.
If Jesus, whom we claim was at once fully divine and fully human, needed to be filled with the Spirit of God – his own Spirit – to be effective in ministry, what does that say about us? Too often I try to minister on my own steam. If you have a lot of energy and ideas, your own steam can take you a distance. But nothing like when you're powered by God-Spirit. I’m at my best when I realize “I got nothing” in the face of a given challenge, and invite God’s power and love to be realized through me.
How can we tell the difference? We all need to learn to discern that. We can start with, “Did I ask the Spirit to fill me, or guide me, or help me?” The Spirit of God blows where it will, Jesus said, but rarely seems to show up uninvited. When we develop the practice of inviting the Spirit into our ministries we will find ourselves empowered in a new way. We might even pray through our calendar at the beginning of each day or week, asking the Spirit to be present with us in the tasks ahead. (We can also pray that God remove obstacles to the free flow of Holy Spirit in us – that’s the work of repentance and healing.)
We can learn to attend to how we feel in our bodies when the Holy Spirit fills us. We might feel a discernible energy, sometimes an excited joy, sometimes a deep peace that clearly comes from beyond us. I feel it when I’m praying with someone for healing, often when I am singing, or when I’m preaching or leading worship. There can be an effect on our minds too – most of the time, if I pray, “God, I need an idea for…” an insight or idea pops into my mind almost immediately, almost as if dictated. Why I don’t always ask?!
Sometimes we know the Spirit's filling after the fact. I can feel incredibly energized, buzzy, especially when I know the Spirit has been present and people have felt more connected to God and each other. If I feel drained, I’m pretty sure I was working on my own steam. If I feel lifted up and full of joy, there’s a good chance God was working through me. Exhaustion may come later – we’re human – but we don’t feel drained.
And when it’s the Spirit, we know by the fruits. Lives are transformed. Systems are unjammed. Creativity and joy flow more fully. Some Sundays I am blessed that way, as I feel people connecting to God in worship, and responding to the world in outreach. A huge part of my ministry as a pastor is to increase my congregants’ capacity to be filled with the Spirit. For when the Body of Christ is filled with the power of the Spirit, you can be sure that reports about him will spread through all the surrounding country.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
1-23-25 - Already Fulfilled?
You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
Many people have trouble understanding what they read in the Bible. Scholars have developed many lenses through which to approach the task of interpretation: who the writer or writers were; the people to whom they were writing; their historical and/or theological concerns and emphases; what was going on in the time and place in which the writing originated; the literary style used. And there are other layers, such as the concerns of the communities who collected these writings and included them in the canon of scripture; the angle taken by translators; it never ends.
And the “meaning” we draw out can vary according to the society in which the scripture is being read, its assumptions and preoccupations. We read passages on slavery or the role of women very differently than did communities one hundred or thousand years ago, or even today in some places. We don’t have those writers here to ask, “What did you mean by this?” We have to guess, using clues from history and theology, geography and archaeology, similar literature, and church tradition.
Among the most difficult parts of the Bible to comprehend are the writings attributed to the prophets. Some of these are very specific, dealing with historical events that have clearly come and gone – or have they? Others seem more cosmic and apocalyptic, dealing with the end of time and final judgment – or do they? There’s a lot of “eye of the beholder” in what we perceive when reading the prophets.
So imagine how shocking it must have been in the synagogue in Nazareth that day, when Jesus finished reading this part of Isaiah’s prophecy, sat down to comment on it, and said simply, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” A more definitive interpretation could not be. “This is what this meant, and now that I’m here, it has been fulfilled. No more waiting.” Did they find that good news?
How do we hear these words? As Good News, that redemption has been proclaimed, and secured in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? I hope so. And let's go deeper than the face value of these words, to the simple “Today this has been fulfilled.” That “Today” encompasses every day, the eternal present in which God lives and works. In fact, all of God’s promises have been fulfilled today, because they have been fulfilled in Christ, and their power is available to us through his Holy Spirit.
It requires faith to proclaim, in the face of injustice, that the promise of justice has been fulfilled; to believe, in the face of brutality, that evil has been vanquished; to claim, in the face of hunger, that enough has been provided; to declare, in the face of death, that life is ours forever. Yet that is what it means to live by faith – to live in the “already” future life of God that is all around us, and becomes more accessible the more we believe and proclaim it.
Today these promises have been fulfilled in our hearing. In one sense, that is the “correct” interpretation of any piece of Scripture. The promises of God are already revealed. It is up to us to help make them fully known.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Many people have trouble understanding what they read in the Bible. Scholars have developed many lenses through which to approach the task of interpretation: who the writer or writers were; the people to whom they were writing; their historical and/or theological concerns and emphases; what was going on in the time and place in which the writing originated; the literary style used. And there are other layers, such as the concerns of the communities who collected these writings and included them in the canon of scripture; the angle taken by translators; it never ends.
And the “meaning” we draw out can vary according to the society in which the scripture is being read, its assumptions and preoccupations. We read passages on slavery or the role of women very differently than did communities one hundred or thousand years ago, or even today in some places. We don’t have those writers here to ask, “What did you mean by this?” We have to guess, using clues from history and theology, geography and archaeology, similar literature, and church tradition.
Among the most difficult parts of the Bible to comprehend are the writings attributed to the prophets. Some of these are very specific, dealing with historical events that have clearly come and gone – or have they? Others seem more cosmic and apocalyptic, dealing with the end of time and final judgment – or do they? There’s a lot of “eye of the beholder” in what we perceive when reading the prophets.
So imagine how shocking it must have been in the synagogue in Nazareth that day, when Jesus finished reading this part of Isaiah’s prophecy, sat down to comment on it, and said simply, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” A more definitive interpretation could not be. “This is what this meant, and now that I’m here, it has been fulfilled. No more waiting.” Did they find that good news?
How do we hear these words? As Good News, that redemption has been proclaimed, and secured in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? I hope so. And let's go deeper than the face value of these words, to the simple “Today this has been fulfilled.” That “Today” encompasses every day, the eternal present in which God lives and works. In fact, all of God’s promises have been fulfilled today, because they have been fulfilled in Christ, and their power is available to us through his Holy Spirit.
It requires faith to proclaim, in the face of injustice, that the promise of justice has been fulfilled; to believe, in the face of brutality, that evil has been vanquished; to claim, in the face of hunger, that enough has been provided; to declare, in the face of death, that life is ours forever. Yet that is what it means to live by faith – to live in the “already” future life of God that is all around us, and becomes more accessible the more we believe and proclaim it.
Today these promises have been fulfilled in our hearing. In one sense, that is the “correct” interpretation of any piece of Scripture. The promises of God are already revealed. It is up to us to help make them fully known.
© Kate Heichler, 2025. To receive Water Daily by email each morning, subscribe here. Here are the bible readings for next Sunday. Water Daily is also a podcast – subscribe to it here on Apple, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
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