For
Sunday, February 17, 2019, 6th Sunday after the Epiphany, Yr C, Readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalm 1, 1 Corinthians
15:12-20, Luke 6:17-26
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Cursed are
those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose
hearts turn away from the Lord…Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord…I the Lord test the mind and search the heart,
to give to all according to…the fruit of their doings. [Jeremiah 17:5, 7, 10]
Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of
the wicked…their delight is in the law of the Lord…
[Psalm
1:1a, 2a]
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how
can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead…But in fact Christ has
been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. [1 Corinthians 15:12, 20]
And all in the crowd were trying to touch [Jesus], for
power came out from him and healed all of them…And he looked up at his disciples
and said: Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God…But woe
to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation… [Luke 6:19-20, 24]
This Sunday we are treated to readings we don’t often get to in the
season after the Epiphany. Owing to the date of Easter derived from the Lunar
calendar, some years have fewer Sundays in this season. So on this, our Seventh
Sunday after the Epiphany we are confronted by the prophetic and instructive blessings and woes. The Good News/Bad
News Sunday.
Jeremiah starts us off
with similar wording to Psalm 1 which follows in the appointed lectionary.
Jeremiah would have known this Psalm and his perspective is trust in God. He tells
his audience, and us, that those who trust in
mere mortals and whose hearts turn
away…shall be like a shrub in the
desert…in the parched places…uninhabited salt land. Those who trust in the Lord are blessed, and like a tree planted by water have strong
roots and nothing to fear, even when heat
comes. Jeremiah further says that the Lord will test the minds and hearts
and give each what is deserved, according
to their ways.
The Psalmist tells us a
slightly different rendering with essentially the same outcome. God knows what we’re
up to and we will prosper if we live according the God’s law, however, the way of the wicked is doomed.
Paul, writing to the Corinthians, was engaging them to move beyond believing only what could be
seen. The Pharisees, of which Paul is reputed to have been one, is one sect of
Judaism that believes in an afterlife. Some in Corinth were questioning
resurrection in general. Paul argued that if there was no resurrection from the
dead then Christ would not be raised and they would all retain their sins. A conundrum for the sophisticated Corinthians to ponder as they certainly didn’t want to be merely like the rest of human-kind. Paul continued
his work with them through the end of this and beyond into his second letter to
them.
Luke’s version of the
Beatitudes is similar yet distinctly different than the Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew. As Jesus arrived at a level
place there was a great crowd who
had come to hear him and be healed. He then spoke to his disciples and delivered
a set of 4 blessings and a set of 4 woes, two states of being or of life from
which to choose. This is not sweetness and light, even for the blessed. Sacrifice
and self-denial, persecution, and deprivation doesn’t sound much like a
blessing. But then, those who are living high off the fat now will face
complete reversal of fortune when, as the Psalmist says, the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes. Faith is
tested every day in various ways in this human existence. Choice of lifestyle
is not available to everyone when there are significant hardships. Yet for
those who are able to have a high, even luxurious living standard, it is difficult to choose Christ when considerable distraction and temptation abound in the arenas of instant gratification.
Hope in Christ is what
Paul is giving us. Jeremiah, the Psalmist, and Jesus all give us the options in
how to live life. Nothing is easy but there is always hope. God knows
whatever we choose and Jesus IS Risen which is the VERY Good News and always within us. A quote I once read brings it home for me: Hope is hearing the melody of the future –
faith is dancing to it today.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
All-Knowing God, guide us through our darkest and weakest moments with the assurance of Your
blessings, helping us to remain rooted deeply in faith with delight in Your law.
O
Lord, our Strength
RESPONSE: We put our trust in You
~ All-Knowing
God, turn all leaders of government, across Your Creation, away from the false counsel
of cursed mortals with wicked intent, toward choosing to prosper all of Your
beloved, and standing upright when judgment comes. We pray especially for:
add your own petitions
O
Lord, our Strength
We put our trust in You
~
All-Knowing God, embrace the hearts of all who are seriously ill, addicted, or
life-weary, and give energy to those who see to their care. We now join our voices to pray aloud
for those in need…
O
Lord, our Strength
We put our trust in You
~ All-Knowing
God, surround
those who mourn with Your perfect peace, as the glory and joy of eternity now enfolds
those we have sent ahead to You. We
pray especially for:
O
Lord, our Strength
We put our trust in You
~ All-Knowing God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt
thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…
O
Lord, our Strength
We put our trust in You
~ All-Knowing
God, grant all
who lead us in Your Church with wise and gracious spirits, as they guide each
of us and themselves, toward the radiance of everlasting life in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Lord, our Strength
We put our trust in You
The
Celebrant adds:
God of Hope and Healing, as you test our minds and search our hearts, keep us
mindful of the choices we make in all that we do. Endow us with the
courage to accept and trust Your blessings where we are, and to be spared
the woes of those whose hearts turn away. We ask through Jesus, our Risen
Christ; and the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of our Souls; who together with You are
One God, now and forever. Amen.
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