This is my body...

Luke 22:14  When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15  He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16  for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17  Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18  for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19  Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20  And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21  But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22  For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!" 23  Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this. 24  A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25  But he said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26  But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27  For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. 28  "You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29  and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30  so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Here we have people gathered for a meal exhibiting uneasiness about the order of seating at the table, a suspicion of betrayal, and intervention from a peacemaker.  This is the story of many, many communities. We all wish to be part of a community that offers love and acceptance, and are troubled by the suspicions and betrayals - both received and given.

Human life is an annoying mixture of loyalty and betrayal; of deep passion and petty bickering. The one overriding assurance is of a God who sacrifices his own essential love to benefit humanity – despite our failure and fragility. When we are faced with suspicion and betrayal, we can do nothing less than offer the same God-modelled response.       

Thought

He comes to save us now:

To serve him is to know

Life's true reward.

May he our lives amend,

All our betrayals end:

Give me your hand, my friend:

JESUS IS LORD!

Fred Pratt Green

Ordinary 20

42 The Kingdom Comes

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 261.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

The Kingdom of God is Near....

Luke 10:1  After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2  He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. 3  Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4  Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5  Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' 6  And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7  Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8  Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9  cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10  But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11  'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' 12  I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.

The Kingdom of God comes near when the followers of Jesus say, 'Peace to this house!' and when they are willing to “eat what is set before you” and when they seek to “cure the sick who are there”.  What exactly does this mean?

This is about disciples of Jesus...

·         who refuse to be part of the division of clan, class & race, and instead are committed to peace;

·         who do not shop around for the finest host in town, but instead are content to eat even the humblest plate of food;

·         and who choose to give up the company of the strong and successful to sit with the sick and the weak.

Those who follow Jesus discover that the Kingdom of God comes near when we hang out with the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. 

He sent me to give the good news to the poor
Tell prisoners that they are prisoners no more,

Tell blind people that they can see.
And set the downtrodden free.

And go tell everyone

The news that the Kingdom of God has come.

Lyrics Author:

Alan Dale

Ordinary 20 

42 The Kingdom Comes

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 261.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Now Thank We All Our God ...

1 Chronicles 29:10 David praised the LORD before the entire assembly: "O LORD God of our father Israel, you deserve praise forevermore! 11 O LORD, you are great, mighty, majestic, magnificent, glorious, and sovereign over all the sky and earth! You have dominion and exalt yourself as the ruler of all. 12 You are the source of wealth and honour; you rule over all. You possess strength and might to magnify and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give thanks to you and praise your majestic name! 14"But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much? Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours...20 David told the entire assembly:"Praise the LORD your God!"So the entire assembly praised the LORD God of their ancestors; they bowed down and stretched out flat on the ground before the LORD and the king. 

This prayer is deeply challenging, and it feels almost sacrilegious for me to add anything. The one thing that is clearly evident is that this prayer does not demand / cajole / instruct our Creator. We who live in a culture steeped in avarice and consumerism need prayers that focus us beyond our own greed. All of life and all that our lives contain is grounded in an Eternal Source that is beyond our manipulation or command. All we can do is offer our Creator respect and obedience.    

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

Words: Mar­tin Rink­art, cir­ca 1636 (Nun dank­et al­le Gott); first ap­peared in Prax­is Pi­e­ta­tis Mel­i­ca, by Jo­hann Crü­ger (Ber­lin, Ger­ma­ny: 1647); trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth, 1856.

Psalm 28

Of David.

1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.

2  Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.

3  Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.

4  Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.

5  Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.

6  Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.

7  The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

8  The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.

9  O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.

A Psalm ascribed to King David.

Some have suggested that this prayer was written when David found himself faced with a rebellion led by his son Absalom.[1] Since that time this has been a prayer used by people who find themselves struggling with “the wicked... and workers of evil” (Ps 28:3). The answer is to choose to believe that “The Lord is my strength and shield” – even when this is not readily evident.

There are moments when we need to stand firm against those who seek to do that which is evil. We can find strength for this in songs and prayers that affirm the presence of a good God who stands against evil by strengthening people who work for good.  

You might want to use this Psalm as your prayer for this weekend.

---

[1] 2 Samuel 15.

A Commitment to Ethical Living

2Peter 1:1  Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2  May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.3  His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4  Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5  For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6  and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7  and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8  For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9  For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. 10  Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. 11  For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

Here we discover a benchmark for Christian character: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, endurance, godliness, mutual affection and love. These values – an ethic for a Christian life -transcend culture, history and location. These are the qualities of life that “keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”. 

These values do not mysteriously appear in our character. Instead they are the product of a deliberate commitment to daily practice.  The invitation is to “confirm” the call of God on your life by choosing to live these Christian values.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Words: Fran­ces R. Ha­ver­gal, Feb­ru­a­ry 1874.

Ordinary 19

41 Prayers and Promises

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 255.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Consider it Nothing but Joy

James 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. 2  My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3  because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4  and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. 5  If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. 6  But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; 7  for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 9  Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, 10  and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. 11  For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away. 12  Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

The writer of this letter addresses the divisions within the Christian community towards the end of the first century.  The writer uses the cultured Greek of the wealthy to address the widening gulf between rich and poor church members.  Those who think of wealth as a sign of God’s blessing are bluntly informed: Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.  

We who are so easily seduced by wealth, and so readily idolize wealthy people, need to hear the truth that the rich will “wither away”. Only those who resist the temptation of greed will discover the blessings of God (James 1:11-12). We discover our spiritual health when we relinquish our greedy pursuit of wealth and possessions. When we trust God “who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly” we are able to become generous, compassionate people (James 1:5).    

Let the weak say, "I am strong"
Let the poor say, "I am rich"
Let the blind say, "I can see"
It's what the Lord has done in me

Hosanna, hosanna
To the Lamb that was slain

"What The Lord Has Done In Me"
originally by Reuben Morgan: Hillsongs

Ordinary 19

41 Prayers and Promises

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 255.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Risky Living

Romans 4:13  For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14  If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15  For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. 16  For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17  as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18  Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." 19  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20  No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21  being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 22  Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." 23  Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, 24  but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25  who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Paul rejects a rigid adherence to law as the secret to a fulfilled life. Instead he advocates faith as the one essential in life “in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants”.  This is living life in a way that trusts the Spirit of God to lead us into each day, rather than an unthinking adherence to religious rules as the place of redemption.

Put differently, this is an invitation to what Jamie Buckingham helpfully termed “Risky Living”. The challenge of each day is to risk living under God’s guidance rather than trusting the religious rules we use to help us feel safe.    

Courage, brother, do not stumble,
Though thy path be dark as night;
There’s a star to guide the humble:
Trust in God and do the right.
Let the road be rough and dreary,
And its end far out of sight,
Foot it bravely; strong or weary,

Refrain

            Trust in God, trust in God,
            Trust in God and do the right.

Words: Nor­man Mac­le­od, 1857; first ap­peared as a po­em in The Ed­in­burgh Christ­ian Mag­a­zine.

Ordinary 19

41 Prayers and Promises

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 255.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.