Saturday May 18 Easter 7
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Psalm 33
A psalm of praise for God creating the earth, for being in charge of the nations and for rescuing us. We rejoice in this God!
Ezekiel 36.22-27 What’s Ezekiel about?
Writing in the time when the Israelites had been captured, around 500 years before Jesus, Ezekiel imagines God promising that their uncleanness—their injustice—will be removed. The whole world will be astonished at how God can restore people to full life despite the fact that they had abandoned God’s justice. God’s spirit will fill them and they will have a new will and purpose. Early Christians may have seen in passages like this an anticipation of the giving of the Spirit of Jesus tomorrow at Pentecost.
Matthew 9.18-26 What’s Matthew about?
Jesus heals a woman whose ongoing menstrual bleeding had made her a social outcast. By touching Jesus in her desperate search for healing she risks contaminating him and perhaps even being stoned to death for her outrageous act. Jesus responds by calling her his daughter and she is healed. He then raises a small girl to life. In both cases Jesus is acting on behalf of women—one a failed adult and one likely never to become an adult. This was care far beyond whom people of the time thought God would care about. Jesus challenges us to do the same.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven.
Mercifully give us faith to know
that, as he promised,
he abides with us on earth to the end of time;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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