Monday September 16 Pentecost 17
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Psalm 64
The wicked are very clever, but God will defeat them, and everyone will be in awe at God’s power to restore goodness.
Psalm 65
God, you blot out our sins even though they are stronger than we, and just as generously you clothe creation with plenty, and with great goodness. God’s generosity extends to the furthermost ocean and to the gentle rain—water is a recurring image in this psalm. It ends with some other lovely images of hills, meadows, and valleys wearing clothes of joy and plenty.
Job 40.1-24 What’s Job about?
God challenges Job to complain and then describes the hippopotamus as the most powerful creature God created. Job’s disasters are as nothing in comparison to God’s power to create and uphold us all and to create an immense creature like the hippopotamus.
Job is being asked to trust in God’s immense power which is experienced in God’s creation. In comparison to that power, Job’s sufferings are minuscule. This is a profound insight about the nature of trust and faith.
John 11.55-12.8 What’s John about?
Jesus comes to Jerusalem for the Passover, aware of the danger. He is ceremonially prepared for burial by Mary, his host, and Jesus responds to Judas’ false complaint about the money spent by Mary by challenging him to be genuinely caring for the poor.
“The poor you always have with you,” has been misinterpreted, too conveniently, to mean “You can take care of the poor some other time, right now focus on me” but Jesus meant “Do you really care about the poor? They are right around you, so care for them now! Learn from me how to do that while I’m still here.”
Having dealt with the various objections about Jesus’ claim to be the way we see God, John now turns to the story of Jesus raising Lazarus as further example of Jesus’ power and a sign of God’s victorious kingdom breaking in. Jesus deliberately delays going to see Lazarus so that it is clear that Lazarus has actually died. The disciples anticipate that the inevitable confrontation with the authorities, as Jesus returns to Jerusalem, will end with their death. Two kinds of death are to be overcome—the death of Lazarus, and the disciples’ fear.
Almighty God,
you call your Church to witness
that in Christ we are reconciled to you.
Help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may turn to you;
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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