Sunday April 28 Easter 5
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Psalm 8
God is amazing in what God has created. It is astonishing that God cares for humans who are so small in comparison, because God has even given humans care for God’s amazing earth.
Psalm 84
I love to be with God. In verse 2 it may be that a bird built a nest near the actual altar in the temple, and the poet, seeing that, is thinking that if a tiny bird can be accepted by God and have a home in the temple, so God completely accepts me when I am at home in God’s presence. God cares for us more than we can imagine!
Some of the imagery is of people climbing the hill up to the temple in Jerusalem. Appropriate for a Sunday as we come to the presence of God at worship.
Leviticus 8.1-13, 30-36 What’s Leviticus about?
We now begin reading through the next book, Leviticus. Leviticus contains intricate details about how animal sacrifices are to be conducted. Animals were offered as a way of being in intimate relationship with God. In this passage, Moses prepares to consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests to supervise the sacrifices.
We might understand that to enact justice and fairness in our society will always take sacrifice—justice doesn’t happen automatically, or as a result of everyone getting richer through a growing economy, as is often claimed. Jesus’ death is the prime insight into the sacrifice needed for justice, and his resurrection is the experience of justice happening.
Luke 4.16-30 What’s Luke about?
We have completed reading Mark’s gospel on Sundays and for the next Sundays until after Pentecost we read Luke’s gospel.
In a synagogue Jesus makes his first public statement following his temptation. He claims that the kingdom of justice is happening immediately in himself and he uses scripture to prove that. The congregation reacts by rejecting him because he is too ordinary. Jesus responds with two examples from scripture where God fed and healed non-Jews, making non-Jews God’s priority, and therefore demonstrating that God doesn’t reflect their prejudices. This enrages the congregation who attempt to murder him.
This is a major theme in Luke—that much of good society rejects the call to justice because justice requires profound change requiring equality with those whom good people had despised. In Luke’s gospel Jesus is especially clear about the immediate inclusion in God’s kingdom of the poor and vulnerable and unacceptable. Just as Jesus insisted was happening to himself.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
Give us grace to love one another
and walk in the way of his commandments,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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