Tuesday September 17 Pentecost 17
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Psalm 68
A song of joy that God drives away evil and cares for the needy just as God rescued God’s people long ago from Egypt and drove out all the other kings so they could settle in the land God had promised. Can we cultivate the expectation that God will triumph over all the selfish international powers of our day?
The violent images part way through are a way of expressing how completely God’s goodness and justice will remove all evil and exploitative powers.
Job 40.1, 41.1-11 What’s Job about?
God describes crocodiles and how puny Job is in comparison. God is making the same point as yesterday in stating God’s case: Job’s distress is as nothing compared to God’s immense power.
John 12.9-19 What’s John about?
The decision to kill Jesus for raising Lazarus from the dead is expanded to include Lazarus.
The next day, Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a low donkey, in deliberate contrast with the Roman empire’s trust in violence. This street demonstration, as it has been called, may have been deliberately timed to mock the simultaneous entry into Jerusalem of an entire Roman legion led by a centurion mounted on a great military steed, an annual event designed to suppress resistance during the Passover. The Passover was, of course, the major Jewish celebration of victory over oppression. It is no coincidence that Jesus is executed five days later for laughing at and defying the Roman rule.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
you call your Church to witness
that in Christ we are reconciled to you.
Help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may turn to you;
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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