Monday April 25 Easter 2
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Psalm 4
So much of the world trusts in “dumb idols” and “false gods”—those seductive priorities which do nothing to bring goodness and justice. But the true God can still do wonders and we can trust God to care of us and so we can fall asleep peacefully.
Psalm 7
I am pursued by evil. This would make sense if I had done something terribly wrong, but I haven’t. God, sit like a supreme judge, and make that evil self-destruct. I will then proclaim that God is indeed just.
Exodus 14.21-31 What’s Exodus about?
God miraculously rescues the Israelites from the Egyptians. This story became the central image for the entire Israelite understanding of God’s relationship with them. They understood that God would always rescue them, no matter what happened. The clarity about this story was probably increased, and its interpretation developed in more detail, following their return after exile in Babylon a thousand years later when these stories were edited, organized, and collated into what we now call the Book of Exodus.
The dramatic rescue from Egypt became the template for expected rescue from Babylon and in the time of Jesus of rescue from the Roman empire.
John 14.8-17 What’s John about?
John is aware that future disciples will need to deal with how to connect with Jesus when he is no longer present in his physical body.
Jesus assures the disciples that he will remain united with them and that they know the path to him – because he is the path to God. If the disciples have seen Jesus, they have seen God. To see Jesus’ generous self-offering in his voluntary death and subsequent resurrection is to see God—that’s the character of God.
Disciples will then do the same thing – they will also love with that depth of generosity and so make the world new. That process is the Holy Spirit, even if the rest of the world chooses not to enact generous love.
This week’s collect:
Eternal Giver of life and light,
the strength of those who believe
and the hope of those who doubt,
may we, who have not seen, have faith
and receive the fullness of Christ’s blessing,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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