Thursday April 7 Lent 5
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Psalm 131
God is like a mother on whom I rest in complete confidence.
Psalm 132
The psalm reminds God that David was committed to finding a permanent place for the ark to stay in Jerusalem and that God swore an oath that God would never abandon David or Jerusalem.
In our time we can understand this oath to be God’s absolute commitment to creation and to our rescue which is accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Psalm 133
Another short psalm expressing joy in the abundance we experience when humanity lives in unity—that is, in justice and inclusion of all.
Exodus 7: 25—8:19 What’s Exodus about?
The contest continues between the God of Israel and the gods of the Egyptians through Pharaoh’s magicians. Both are able to produce swarms of frogs, but only the God of Israel can stop them. But Pharaoh is not persuaded. Then the God of Israel produces gnats, but even though the Egyptian magicians are unable to do so, Pharaoh does not change his mind. Tyranny and oppression do not give up easily. On their own the Israelites could never win this battle. Only the God of justice can do that. We are to cultivate that expectation regarding the issues of injustice in our time.
Mark 10: 17-31 What’s Mark about?
A wealthy young man is determined to follow Jesus, but when Jesus says he must personally treat the poor as his equals, the young man is shocked and leaves. In those days only wealthy people could afford the full religious ceremonies, so the disciples are astounded when Jesus says rich people will have a hard time entering the kingdom.
Jesus’ point is that being religious is of no use in itself, but acting with compassion toward the poor is what God wants and God is able to do the impossible—to change our priorities.
When we give ourselves away in love, then everything turns up-side down, or right-way up—those who thought they were the most important turn out not to have been following God, and those who thought they were failures turn out to have been the most faithful. If the rich young man had turned his life the right side up, he would have been in the kingdom, instead of going away in deep sorrow and experiencing himself as poor.
This week’s collect:
Most merciful God,
by the death and resurrection
of your Son Jesus Christ,
you created humanity anew.
May the power of his victorious cross
transform those who turn in faith
to him who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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