Friday September 10 Pentecost 15
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Psalm 40
All my life God lifted me up and I rejoiced in God’s care. But now my own sin, and my enemies, have nearly destroyed me. Do not wait any longer, God!
Psalm 54
I am in dire straights. Put everything back to right, God. I praise you, because you have done that.
1 Kings 18: 20-40 What’s Kings about?
Elijah challenges the foreign prophets: they are unable to make their sacrifice catch fire despite day-long pleading to their god and offerings of their own blood. Elijah drenches his sacrifice with water and after one simple prayer from Elijah, God sends fire which consumes not only the sacrifice, but the stone altar, the earth around the altar, and even the immense volume of water. This means that Elijah is the true prophet because God accepts his sacrifice and rejects King Ahab’s religion. God’s power is confirmed when Elijah kills the false prophets so the people will no longer be led into exploitation by King Ahab.
This God of justice is powerful beyond all the manipulations and illusions of other authorities. Are we learning the truth of that proclamation for our time?
Matthew 3: 1-12 What’s Matthew about?
John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, calls people to prepare for God’s great rescue. In the ancient past God rescued the people from the Egyptians, but this time, John proclaims, God will rescue them from the Romans. Just as Joshua led the people out of the wilderness through the Jordan river, and God miraculously conquered Jericho, so John the Baptist leads the people of Jesus’ time across the Jordan to claim the land from the Roman empire. John’s wears clothing that deliberately imitates that of the ancient Elijah, who challenged the injustice of King Ahab, and who won.
As is typical of Matthew, the consequences of not responding to the offer of salvation in Christ are made clear—John the Baptist insists that if people don’t change their way of living and enact God’s justice and inclusion for all, there will be terrible consequences. For Matthew this is not threat but clarity—unless the people enact justice and refuse to collaborate with Roman oppression of the poor, trusting in God’s ancient covenant with Abraham will be of no use. Such a statement was heretical in the extreme.
John has insulted both the Romans and his own religious leaders. No wonder he will shortly be executed.
This week’s collect:
Stir up, O Lord,
the wills of your faithful people,
that richly bearing the fruit of good works,
we may by you be richly rewarded;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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