Tuesday July 6 Pentecost 6
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Psalm 10
A plea to God to act to help the poor and a complaint that God is not acting. Trust that God will act.
Psalm 11
People tell me to run away, but I trust in God and I am sure that God will act to save me.
1 Samuel 15: 24-35 What’s Samuel about?
Saul repents but blames the people for his not having carried out God’s command to rid the country of evil (as they understood it) by removing evil from the land by slaughtering the remaining foreign animals. In pleading to be forgiven, Saul accidentally tears Samuel’s robe, and Samuel declares that God will tear the kingship from Saul—this isn’t retribution for his robe being torn, but Samuel using an incident as a parable for what he sees will soon happen. Samuel then completes the cleansing of the land by ritually killing the foreign king. Samuel refuses to see Saul again, and God regrets having made Saul king. His days as king are clearly numbered.
Choosing power by following a king rather than choosing justice by following God will ultimately result in the people being taken into slavery in Babylon—this is the entire message of these books.
Luke 23: 56b—24: 11 What’s Luke about?
The women, preparing to complete Jesus’ burial rituals, are surprised at the grave by two angels who announce his resurrection. When the women tell the men, they are not believed.
God’s victory happens when we are most defeated, and comes utterly unexpectedly. It can be hard to believe.
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.
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