For Sunday, June
18, 2017, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost, Year A, Readings: Genesis
18:1-15 (21:1-7); Psalm 116:1, 10-17; Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35-10-8 (9-23)
Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone
who hears will laugh with me." [Genesis 21:6]
How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me?
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...and we boast in our hope...but we also boast in our sufferings...[that] produces endurance...and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit... [Romans 5:1-6]
Jesus went about...proclaiming the good news...curing every disease...he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"..."See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves...But the one who endures to the end will be saved." [Matthew 9:35-38; 10:16]
Sheep are
as good or better at flocking together as their feathery avian counterparts and
just as skittish when disturbed. Unlike the birds of the air, sheep have
limited directional options and will frequently scatter helter-skelter when
frightened. The shepherd's job to calm them is all the more difficult and
important as the shepherd must continually shift the flock to different
pastures for feeding and safety. But it appears that sheep do come to trust
their shepherd and to recognize and remember both animal and human faces and,
along with a keen sense of smell, the comfort or danger they represent. The
behavior of the flock is communal and spontaneous - impulsive and reactionary -
to threats real and merely perceived. How like sheep we humans are, except that
our sense of "smell" doesn't always tip us off to the many wolves in
our midst.
How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me?
[Psalm
116:10]
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...and we boast in our hope...but we also boast in our sufferings...[that] produces endurance...and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit... [Romans 5:1-6]
Jesus went about...proclaiming the good news...curing every disease...he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said..."The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest"..."See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves...But the one who endures to the end will be saved." [Matthew 9:35-38; 10:16]
When Jesus, as our Good Shepherd, sent
the disciples - and us by extension - out like sheep into the midst of
wolves with the admonishment to be wise as serpents and
innocent as doves it wasn't with the understanding that all will be
easy and comfortable. In fact, then as now, the assignment is quite frightening
and dangerous. The key tools for our success at attaining a share in the glory
of God are wisdom and innocence. Innocence, it must be said, is NOT about
being naïve or dimwitted. It is about paying attention to surroundings, who
or what is lurking in them, and keeping ourselves and each other from the
clutches of sin.
The wolves of this world are many, but
there are billions upon billions of sheep. The importance of our flocking
together as a community of Christ was never more crucial as now. Jesus
was clear when he says later in Matthew: For where two or three are
gathered in my name, I am there among them [Mt 18:20]. As
the body of Christ, each endowed with specific gifts from the Holy Spirit, we
are called to labor in the fields of the LORD to build up the Kingdom and
ultimately to share in God's glory, through the sacrifice of Jesus. Our
community is our safe haven, in Christ's presence, to learn from, comfort, and
guide one another around the wolves of temptation and through life's difficult
times. As we flock together we also reap the benefit of joyful times. God gave
laughter to Sarah, and to us in many and various ways. While we may not always
feel like whistling as we work, we can seek pause to enjoy our life together,
gather others lost and alone in their fields, and continually shift ourselves
and our fellow sheep, out of the dens of wolves, and back onto the path of hope
that leads to the Heavenly Pasture of life everlasting. Hope does not
disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit that has been given us.
LET US, GOD’S
PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ God of Hope and Harvest, arouse and provoke us
in heart and in mind to labor in Your fields, sow to the Spirit, and reap the
plentiful bounty to grow our Family of Faith.
Compassionate
Lord
RESPONSE:
Quicken
our trust in You
~
God of Hope and Harvest, keep us wise, fervent, and convincing in our quest to support
justice and peace by speaking Your truth to misguided power, wherever found, in
the halls of governments across this World, this Country, and our Community, on
behalf of all the sheep in Your pasture. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Compassionate
Lord
Quicken our trust in You
~ God of Hope and Harvest, grant comfort
and endurance to all who suffer from disease, difficult treatments, and
desperate circumstance and renew the strength of their caregivers. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in
need…
Compassionate
Lord
Quicken our trust in You
~
God of Hope and Harvest, in praise and thanksgiving, our hearts thrive in the
joy of our loved ones who now live again, sharing in the eternal glory of Your
heavenly courts. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Compassionate
Lord
Quicken our trust in You
~
God of Hope and Harvest, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or
silently…
Compassionate
Lord
Quicken our trust in You
~
God of Hope and Harvest, inspire again, all who lead us on our journey to You,
as faithful Witnesses of the love and presence of Christ, through their prayer
and service in His name. We pray especially for:
Compassionate
Lord
Quicken our trust in You
The Celebrant
adds: Holy God, Almighty and Everliving, safeguard our souls from the devouring wolves of
temptation in this life, that we may be filled with the innocence and wonder of
holy laughter, and spend our human time in thanksgiving and service for Your
gift of Salvation. We ask through the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus, our Christ,
and Your boundless love from the Holy Spirit, who together with You are One God,
forever and ever. Amen.
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment