Tuesday November 12 Pentecost 25
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Psalm 78 Part 1
This poem speaks of how God showered the people with constant protection and generosity as God held the sea back so they could escape from their slavery in Egypt, and continued to protect them and miraculously feed them in the desert. But the people continued to distrust this God of justice and inclusion for all. There are consequences, as always, for unjust exploitative behaviour, but God does not abandon the people, even though they have abandoned God’s call to justice. So God continues to care because God makes care of the weakest a priority.
In effect, this is the basic creed of the ancient Israelites. If it were our basic belief today, what a difference that would make to our personal and international life.
Joel 1.15-2.11 What’s Joel about?
Joel continues his description of the oppression of the people and the arrival of an enemy army with overwhelming military technology, as overwhelming as a plague of locusts. God leads this army, bringing disaster. But, as we will read tomorrow, God’s intention is that the people should return to the God of justice, and if God can summon a foreign army, God can also dismiss it.
Luke 14.25-35 What’s Luke about?
Following Jesus is not a way to look good. Like a warrior going into battle or a developer planning a building, we are to be aware of the cost of following Jesus. If we don’t plan well, and are not prepared to take the cost of following Jesus’ into account, we are as useless as tasteless salt.
“Normal” society always wants everything at the least possible cost, but Jesus insists that only love gives rise to a truly normal society and love always delights in paying the cost. The community of Christ’s followers are like salt—we give the taste of love to the rest of society. But if we are just like our society, and aren’t longing to make the sacrifices of love, we’ve got nothing to contribute.
This week’s collect:
Eternal God,
who caused all holy scriptures
to be written for our learning,
grant us so to hear them,
read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast
the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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