Monday August 12 Pentecost 12
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Psalm 89 Part 1
God’s faithfulness in creation is the basis for our trust in God’s justice and care for us. Just as God created order from chaos in creation, so we can rely upon God to create order out of the chaos in human society. God’s original goodness, intended for humanity and the world, is that everyone have a place and dignity and worth. Accomplishing that is the work of justice, often translated into traditional English as “righteousness.”
Judges 12.1-7 What’s Judges about?
There is a revolt against Jephthah, but Jephthah defeats the traitors. The traitors can be identified by their accent which may be a way of the story-teller saying they weren’t true Israelites after all.
God has used the son of a prostitute to keep Israel holy—it is a remarkable statement of God’s gift of power and dignity for all regardless of their background.
John 3.1-21 What’s John about?
Nicodemus, a Jewish leader sympathetic to Jesus, wants to know more about Jesus, perhaps because of Jesus’ strong stance that day against the abuses being carried out in the temple dedicated to the God of justice.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
you sent your Holy Spirit
to be the life and light of your Church.
Open our hearts to the riches of your grace,
that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in love, joy, and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.