Tuesday November 2 Pentecost 23
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Psalm 68
A song of joy that God drives away evil and cares for the needy just as God rescued God’s people long ago from Egypt and drove out all the other kings so they could settle in the land God had promised. Can we cultivate the expectation that God will triumph over all the selfish international powers of our day?
The violent images part way through are a way of expressing how completely God’s goodness and justice will remove all evil and exploitative powers.
Nehemiah 12: 27-47 What’s Nehemiah about?
The wall is dedicated with great ceremony, and the people and the city are purified. The priests can again perform their ancient duties. The many details about the parts of the walls and all the officials and their duties is to emphasize how completely and amazingly the city and the temple have been restored after the devastating destruction done by the Babylonians.
Matthew 13: 44-52 What’s Matthew about?
The experience of God’s kingdom is like stumbling upon an unexpected treasure—it is worth more than everything we already own. At the end of the age all will be put right and there will no longer be any confusion about good being called evil. We may feel like scribes and not great leaders, but each time we find another example of how all will be put right we are like wealthy owners displaying objects of immense value.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
whose chosen servant Abraham obeyed your call,
rejoicing in your promise
that in him the family of the earth is blessed,
give us faith like his,
that in us your promises may be fulfilled;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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