Monday August 5 Pentecost 11
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Psalm 80
After rescuing us from slavery in Egypt, God had planted us in new ground like a well-watered vine, and we grew and filled the whole land. But now we are being attacked by a foreign power and God’s vine is being uprooted. God, rescue us so that we may be a healthy vine again.
Judges 6.25-40 What’s Judges about?
Gideon destroys the sacred shrine of Baal and uses it and its sacred bulls to build an altar to the God of justice. He does this at night because he is afraid. In the morning the people want Gideon’s father to kill Gideon, but his father refuses, responding that if Baal is a strong God, Ball will himself take vengeance. The Midianites prepare to attack Israel but Gideon again is afraid that God will not be with him. He asks for a proof, that a piece of wool will be wet with dew when nothing else is. He is not convinced and asks that the wool be dry when every thing else is wet—a more difficult circumstance, God grants both miracles and so confirms God’s commitment to the people. Tomorrow we will see how God deals with Gideon’s fear by increasing it further.
It may be that the compilers of these stories were aware of how frightened the Jews were of the Babylonians while they were in captivity and were recounting these miracles of the dew and the fleece to encourage them.
John 1.1-18 What’s John about?
We begin reading through the gospel of John.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry
with the bread of his life
and the word of his kingdom.
Renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your true and living bread,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.