When the Road isn't Clear Ahead
Reflections on the Lectionary for Sunday, June 29, 2025 – Proper 8 (13)C
When the Road Ahead Isn’t Clear
Lectionary Reflections – Sunday, June 29, 2025 (Proper 8C)
There are moments in every journey where we feel the pull of two worlds, what was and what’s next.
But the middle?
The middle is where the ache lives.
The ambiguity.
The surrender.
The letting go of what we can’t carry forward and the trust to take one more step into an unknown future.
This week’s lectionary texts drop us right into that sacred in-between space.
Luke 9:51–62:
When the Road Turns Toward Jerusalem
Jesus “sets his face” toward Jerusalem. There’s no turning back now.
And yet, the way is: marked with rejection, impulsive followers, and unfinished goodbyes.
The call to follow isn’t sanitized. It’s disruptive. It rearranges our loyalties and requires a reordering of priorities that few of us are ready for.
“No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about presence.
Eyes forward.
Heart open.
Galatians 5:1, 13–25:
Freedom That Smells Like Fruit
Paul speaks of freedom, but not the kind we often confuse with individualism or self-interest. This is freedom for love. For each other. For bearing the fruit of a Spirit-shaped life:
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.
It’s easy to read those as traits to strive for. But what if they’re more like fruit that grows when we stay rooted in the presence of Christ?
2 Kings 2:1–2, 6–14 & 1 Kings 19:15–16, 19–21:
The Mantle Falls in the Wilderness
Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind, and Elisha stands staring at an empty sky. Before this, in 1 Kings, we remember how Elijah found Elisha plowing, working the land with ordinary devotion. The moment comes, and Elisha lets go. He burns the plow.
Sometimes following the Spirit means burning what you thought was your life’s calling, because something deeper is being birthed in its place.
Psalm 77:1–2, 11–20 & Psalm 16:
Even When the Way Isn’t Clear
These psalms are prayers for the nights when you can’t sleep.
When your heart refuses comfort.
And yet,
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord,” sings the psalmist.
“I will recall your wonders of old.”
There is always a thread to hold.
A memory.
A song.
A whisper of grace that says, “You’re not alone.”
Even when the path ahead is hidden in clouds or parted waters, God is still leading.
The Thread: Calling always costs something
The common thread weaving through these texts is costly calling.
To follow Jesus, to live by the Spirit, to take up a mantle, to pray through the night, none of it is easy. But all of it is sacred.
We are not called to certainty, comfort, or clarity.
We are called to follow.
To walk the road, even when it winds through rejection, risk, and relinquishment.
Other Threads to Notice
1. Spirit-led Freedom vs. Flesh-fueled Division
Galatians 5 contrasts Spirit and flesh, reminding us that real freedom doesn’t come from indulging desires, but from walking by the Spirit.
Luke 9 shows what happens when unchecked zeal leads the disciples to call for fire, not grace.
2. The End of an Era, the Start of Another
Elijah’s departure in 2 Kings 2 and Elisha’s rise mark a turning point in prophetic history.
So does Jesus’ turn toward Jerusalem, it signals the beginning of the end, and the beginning of something more.
3. Letting Go to Receive
Elisha can’t carry the new mantle until he lets go of the old plow (1 Kings 19).
The psalmist has to release control to trust God’s guiding hand (Psalm 16).
4. The Way is Made in the Wilderness
The Psalm 77 reference to the Red Sea reminds us: sometimes we only recognize God’s footsteps in hindsight. The path was always there, we just couldn’t see it.
A Final Word for the Weary
If you feel caught between what was and what’s next,
If the road ahead feels foggy or the call you carry feels heavier than before,
You’re in good company.
This week’s Scriptures remind us:
You don’t have to have it all figured out to keep walking.
God is already ahead of you.
The mantle falls where it’s needed.
And freedom, true freedom, grows in those who dare to follow.
