Wednesday August 14 Pentecost 12
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Psalm 101
I am determined to live a life of justice and not to support exploitation.
Psalm 109
A desperate plea for God’s assistance, and rejoicing that God is faithful to the poor. The middle section, which uses violent images against those who oppress the powerless, expresses a profound desire that oppression be removed from the world. At the conclusion the writer rejoices that God is committed to the needy and to protecting those who are unjustly accused.
Judges 13.15-24 What’s Judges about?
Just as with Jacob and later Moses, the angel (who is God) refuses to reveal his name, but grants the favour of the barren woman conceiving a child thus continuing the long theme of barren women becoming mothers of great leaders. The child is to be a Nazarite (set apart for God), and Matthew will much later perhaps use this story as background for Jesus’ birth, and refer to Jesus as a “Nazorean” and possibly associate that with the town of “Nazareth.” The angel accepts an offering of a sacrifice, and the barren woman has a son, and names him Samson.
John 4.1-26 What’s John about?
Jesus’ next major event is to have a lengthy conversation alone with a foreign woman (therefore subjecting both of them to all sorts of insinuations). John uses the various circumstances of their meeting to unfold Jesus’ significance: they meet at a well, the source of life, and then speak of water and running water, and Jesus claims to be running water. They speak of her own failure in relationships and Jesus’ compassion, and she being a Samaritan (a type of apostate Jew) and of how God is to be worshipped. She is astounded at Jesus’ compassion and insight. John is challenging his readers to see the world entirely differently, as did Jesus.
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.