Saturday October 2 Pentecost 18
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Psalm 107 Part 2
When the Israelites completed their journey through the wilderness God brought disaster on the evil people who lived there (as the Israelites understood them) to make a fertile place for God’s own people. When God’s people were oppressed, God rescued them. Wise people, the poem says, will take this to heart and will trust in God’s care and justice to prevail.
One of our tasks today is to cultivate that trust in God’s care for humanity so that when disaster happens in our world we will have something solid to offer.
2 Kings 19: 21-36 What’s Kings about?
The writer imagines God is speaking and accusing the king of Assyria of insulting God by threatening to attack Jerusalem. God knows the king intimately and is responsible for his successful campaigns. But God will ensure he will not attack Jerusalem.
The writer is affirming God’s absolute global power and faithfulness to Israel. This is to assure readers that when the consequences of generations of evil happen a few chapters later it is not because God is weak or uncommitted to them.
Matthew 8: 18-27 What’s Matthew about?
Jesus says that his followers will not have outward security, and then he calms a storm in which the disciples are afraid of drowning. Jesus is promising something more important—inward security from drowning on the storms of life.
This week’s collect:
Grant, O merciful God,
that your Church,
being gathered by your Holy Spirit into one,
may show forth your power among all peoples,
to the glory of your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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