Sunday July 21 Pentecost 9
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Psalm 63
I delight in the certainty of God’s protection and victory over evil. The violence in verses 9 and 10 can be understood as an expression of our intense desire that all evil will come to an end.
Psalm 98
The people, the nations, and the whole of creation delight in God’s victory and rejoice when God comes to put all creation right. This psalm is used at Easter, and is often used on Sundays, mini-anniversaries of Easter. There is some lovely imagery of the sea deliberately making a noise with its waves and rivers doing the same by clapping their hands.
Joshua 6.15-27 What’s Joshua about?
On the seventh day, the Sabbath, the day on which creation is complete, the Israelites circle the city seven times and the city walls fall. The Israelites have been given the new creation. Rahab the prostitute and her family are rescued as promised in return for their help and they remain as honoured members of the Israelite community. Joshua orders that all in the city be killed and that the city never be rebuilt so that the people not be tempted (as they repeatedly were) to adopt the horrible practices (as they understood them) of the original inhabitants. This is a sign that the land will permanently belong to the Israelites.
One of the curses on the city is that if it is rebuilt those responsible will sacrifice their children to do so. Child sacrifice was a practice of some ancient religions, perhaps carried out in Jericho, and this curse may recall the rejection of that religion by the ancient Israelites.
Mark 2.1-12 What’s Mark about?
On Sunday we read from Mark.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
your Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence.
Give us pure hearts and constant wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.