Friday June 11 Pentecost 2
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Psalm 69
A desperate plea for help in the midst of betrayal, disaster and defeat. Some imagery is violent, which we can interpret as expressing a deep desire that there be no evil in the world. The references to gall and vinegar may have influenced the early Christians’ description of Jesus’ crucifixion. Often used on Fridays, the weekly anniversary of the crucifixion.
Friday is a day to ask what it means that God is willing to go through such an experience.
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 45: 6-16 What’s Ecclesiasticus about?
Sirach describes the glorious and intricate robes God gave to Aaron long ago for supervising sacrifices. Under the domination of the wealthy and artistic Greek empire, this would have helped Jews retain their pride.
Luke 19: 41-48 What’s Luke about?
Jesus laments the fact that the city of Jerusalem will reject the kingdom and wishes that it had welcomed God’s kingdom. Indeed, the leaders do reject Jesus’ call to end financial exploitation of the poor. Luke understands Jesus as being aware of the coming destruction of the temple by the Roman army forty years later. Luke reports Jesus as attributing this approaching disaster to the city having abandoned God’s call to justice under pressure from Rome, just as the prophets following the release from Babylon five hundred years had diagnosed the same cause of that disaster.
This week’s collect:
O God,
you have assured the human family of eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Deliver us from the death of sin
and raise us to new life in him,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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