Sunday September 19 Pentecost 17
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Psalm 93
A psalm of praise to God who is forever and who makes the world secure. “The waters lifted up their voice” means that although the raging sea (the original chaos) is threatening to drown everything, God’s voice is stronger. Appropriate for a Sunday when we celebrate God’s victory in the resurrection.
The raging sea can be circumstances in our lives, in our inner life, or in the life of the world.
Psalm 96
Praise to God who really will bring equity (equality) and righteousness (which is the old English translation of dignity and justice) to the whole of humanity.
2 Kings 4: 8-37 What’s Kings about?
Elisha is fed and housed by a wealthy woman who is in charge of substantial resources—she controls servants and construction and has no need of Elisha’s connections to the royal palace or the military. Her husband, who is old, plays no role in the story. She continues the long Hebrew Bible theme of childless women who unexpectedly bear a child. When the child dies Elisha raises it to life. Elijah had done something very similar with a poor widow whose child had died and for whom Elijah had provided food.
A very similar story is subsequently told about Jesus raising a dead child for a widow and it may be that he was first seen to be another Elijah or Elisha—one who brings justice and fulfilment for those who were oppressed.
Luke 3: 7-18 What’s Luke about?
For the rest of this year, we read from Luke’s gospel on Sundays.
John has led the people from the wilderness to claim the promised land from the Roman empire by crossing through the Jordan as Joshua had in the ancient past. John insists that being religious is not enough—a whole new level of generous justice is required even from the oppressing soldiers, a level of self-sacrificing and victorious justice that will be seen in Jesus.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth,
and ourselves in your image.
Teach us to discern your hand in all your works
and to serve you with reverence and thanksgiving;
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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