Friday May 7 Easter 5
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Psalm 69
A desperate plea for help in the midst of betrayal, disaster and defeat. Some imagery is violent, which we can interpret as expressing a deep desire that there be no evil in the world. The references to gall and vinegar may have influenced the early Christians’ description of Jesus’ crucifixion. Often used on Fridays, the weekly anniversary of the crucifixion.
Friday is a day to ask what it means that God is willing to go through such an experience.
Wisdom 16: 15-17:1 What’s Wisdom about?
The poet imagines that God’s power in the natural world is so great that when the Israelites were escaping from Egypt opposites like fire and ice changed their basic qualities so as to express God’s rejection of evil and oppression and God’s affirmation goodness and justice. Even the manna, the food God provided in the wilderness, changed its taste so each person had their favourite version!
The writer understands the natural world to be an expression of God’s ethics and justice, and not simply a collection of mechanical marvels.
Luke 8: 40-56 What’s Luke about?
Jesus cures two women considered of little importance: a woman with a highly embarrassing disease which cut her off from all normal adult family activities, and a twelve-year-old girl born at the same time as the woman first became sick, who is about to lose her life before she had even had a chance at adulthood. The kingdom is indeed coming as those without hope are fulfilled and become full members of the community.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
Give us grace to love one another
and walk in the way of his commandments,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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