for Sunday, July 12, 2015, 7th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19;
Ps 24, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29
David danced before the LORD with all his might...So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. [2 Sam 6:14-15]When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it." [Mark 6:22]
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world...In him you also, when you...had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
[Ephesians 1:3-14]
Bringing the Ark of the Covenant to his own city has King David leaping and dancing in the procession with sheer joy and giving generous gifts of meat, bread, and a cake of raisins to all the people of Israel who have gathered together for this momentous event. (The ecstasy and glory of the happy journey expressed in this reading does leave out a puzzling piece that is between the verses we are given for today ~ that of the sudden demise of Uzzah. But you can read that for yourself...)
Later on in the story of Israel comes Herod Antipas, a son of King Herod the Great, now the local ruler in Galilee. The famous dance of his daughter left him and his guests so well pleased and entertained that Herod promised her anything and she got the gift mommy told her to ask for, served up on a platter.
But Paul, in this letter to Ephesus while cooling his heels in a Roman prison, is singing a different tune. This reading is one long sentence in the original and may well have contained parts of a hymn that the locals would have known. Paul tells the Gentiles and Jews who believed in Jesus, that it is God's purpose for all to be united, as God's own people, living holy and blameless lives through the redemption of Christ. We are forgiven our trespasses, sealed by the Holy Spirit, and our life's purpose is to live in obedience and for the praise of God's grace and glory, with our hope in Christ. In so doing, we will reap the reward of our inheritance, life eternal in the Kingdom of God. No doubt there will be music, singing, and dancing then, and, some great gifts!
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ Holy and Mighty God of Glory, free us from all
greed, envy, and contempt; purify our hearts to receive and live into Your
gospel of salvation.
LORD Everlasting
RESPONSE: Help us set our hope on Christ
~
Holy and Mighty God of Glory, grant wisdom and insight to all who hold
authority in this world, our nation, and our community. Guide their actions
toward mercy, justice, and peace for all of God’s own people. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
LORD Everlasting
Help us set
our hope on Christ
~ Holy and Mighty God of Glory, lavish your
healing grace on those struggling with chronic pain or the devastation of a
difficult diagnosis, and give strength to all who give them support. We now
join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…add your own petitions
LORD Everlasting
Help us set
our hope on Christ
~
Holy and Mighty God of Glory, calm the tears of those who mourn as the lights
of those we have sent ahead, now shine more brightly in Your presence. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
LORD Everlasting
Help us set
our hope on Christ
~
Holy and Mighty God of Glory, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud
or silently…
LORD Everlasting
Help us set
our hope on Christ
~
Holy and Mighty God of Glory, we give You great thanks for those who have heard
and believed Your word of truth, who have studied, prayed, and have been chosen
to bring it to us. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
LORD Everlasting
Help us set
our hope on Christ
The Celebrant adds: God of Presence and
Promise, from within Your mysterious will is the gift to us of every spiritual
blessing, and the inheritance of redemption through Your Holy Son. Grant us
each the will to pledge ourselves to the praise and glory of Your name through
every word and action of our earthly lives. We ask through Jesus the Christ,
our Savior and Redeemer and the truth and love of the Holy Spirit, who together
with You, reign as One God, now and for eternity. Amen.
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