Saturday July 13 Pentecost 7
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Psalm 20
We delight that God upholds us with strength far greater than military technology.
Psalm 21
Joy at how with great power God has blessed the king and removed the threats against him. This psalm would originally have been sung to the king, as God’s blessed one, but it is equally applicable to us and can be read with ourselves as the subject of the psalm.
These psalms are often used on Saturdays to suggest the power God is about to use to raise Jesus and us from death.
Deuteronomy 34.1-12 What’s Deuteronomy about?
The book of Deuteronomy concludes as God shows Moses the land that God had originally promised long ago to Abraham. Moses dies within sight of the land, and the leadership passes to Joshua. The final verses summarize Moses’ importance.
Today we are disturbed by the interpretation that the people were instructed by God to slaughter the aboriginal people who already lived on the land. But that assumption about the right of conquerors has continued to the present day, and has resulted in ongoing social chaos and destruction for original peoples around our world. Before we judge the ancient Israelites we must first accept our responsibility for doing the same thing.
Matthew 24.32-51 What’s Matthew about?
Matthew continues his account of Jesus’ concern about how disciples will behave when the going gets tough—as was happening when Matthew was writing. The suddenness of the end of the world is an encouragement to the future disciples—the worse things get, the more likely it is that God will act, so disciples should never give up hope because God is closer than they think. Not staying alert for the arrival of God will have terrible consequences—we won’t experience the kingdom, but rather its opposite.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
your Son Jesus Christ has taught us
that what we do for the least of your children
we do also for him.
Give us the will to serve others
as he was the servant of all,
who gave up his life and died for us,
but lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.