Thursday March 17 Lent 2
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Psalm 70
God can be trusted to deliver the poor from evil.
These two psalms are often used on Thursdays, the mini-anniversaries of the approach of Jesus’ death in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Psalm 71
In old age I am filled with praise for the God who has rescued me in so many ways throughout my long life. People are attacking me now, but I trust in your salvation as you have acted for me all my life.
Genesis 42.29-38 What’s Genesis about?
Jacob, their father, refuses to let the youngest son return to Egypt because that could signal the end of his expectation of being the father of a great nation—three of his sons will be dead (Joseph whom be believes to have been killed by a wild animal, Simeon who has been kept by Joseph as a hostage, and Benjamin who Joseph is demanding be sent to him), and the the remaining brothers who he fears will be imprisoned or executed for theft if they return. God’s covenant seems in peril of failing.
Notice the sophisticated skills of this story-telling and how carefully it has been crafted: we the readers know the outcome but most of the characters do not, how genuine and realistic are the emotions involved, and how many levels of irony are being created.
Mark 4.21-34 What’s Mark about?
Jesus uses a series of images to present the triumph of God’s kingdom: a lamp, a fair measure, grain growing automatically, and a mustard seed. Opposition to Jesus has started to rise, and Mark has gathered together these images Jesus used to assure that we, the readers, understand that God’s kingdom of good will triumph. As indeed it does in Jesus’ resurrection.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God, whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross,
give us faith to perceive his glory,
that being strengthened by his grace
we may be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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