For
Sunday, September 30, 2018, 19th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B, Readings: Esther 7:1-6, 9-10, 9:20-22; Psalm 124,
James 5:13-20,
Mark 9:38-50
…as the month that had been turned for
them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; ...they
should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food
to one another and presents for the poor. [Esther 9:22b]
Our help is in the name of the
Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. [Ps 124:8]
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the
Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has sins will be forgiven...pray for
one another so that you may be healed…if anyone…wanders from the truth and is
brought back by another…whoever brings back a sinner…will save the sinner’s
soul from death… [James
5:13-15, 19-20]
For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is
good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in
yourselves, and be at peace with one another. [Mark 9:49-50]
Esther is a wonderfully
romantic story - one of my favorites growing up. It was the first and one of the few
books of the Bible I ever read all the way through until I was an adult. There
are fascinating and significant historical and theological differences between
its Jewish/Hebrew origins, which forms the basis for the very lively feast
of Purim, and the later more serious Greek/Christian translations with which we
are most familiar. Some later additions to the Book of Esther are found among the books of the Apocrypha [ah-pock-rif-ah] in many Christian Bibles, although some protestant denominations/editions do not publish or use any part of the Apocrypha. While not considered much more than interesting reading, these
additional books and pieces give insight into their times. These writings are not
considered to have the weight of Scripture but to dismiss them altogether is to
miss what Martin Luther called: useful and good for reading. To
learn more about the books of the Apocrypha click here: The
Apocrypha
The
Psalm appointed for this week is, for me, the link from the Esther passage to the Epistle of James and the Gospel of Mark, as it tells us Our help is in the name of the Lord. Escape, rescue, and faith are present in one way or another in all four readings. There are often
occasions when the combination of readings seems to have no discernible link at
all. Regardless, the Preacher can choose which to use for a sermon (usually, but not always, the Gospel in the Anglican/Episcopal
traditions). I know I'm not the only one who, on occasion, wonders what the
collaborators on our Revised Common Lectionary (RCL)were thinking when they put some of these
together!
There is much to be said
about how the RCL and its Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox counterparts came
to be and are used, but I offer you the opportunity to explore that information
for yourself. Generally, it is up to the lead clergy of a given
parish/congregation to decide what the track of readings from the RCL will be
used. In this week, there was a choice between Esther and verses from the 11th chapter
of Numbers (cranky desert-bound Israelites arguing with Moses, again, and cranky Moses arguing with God, who of course fixed things, for the moment). My rector chose Esther.
All of the readings for
the daily and Sunday lectionaries, individually, give us much food for thought,
study, discussion, and personal growth. And this Sunday is, of course, no
exception.
Whether
suffering or cheerful or sinning, James reminds us of the power of the prayer of faith for ourselves and
for others. If someone we know wanders
from the truth and is brought back by another then the other has saved the wanderer’s soul from death and will cover a multitude
of sins. Let’s work on that together ~ if I or you are wandering, let’s
pledge to bring each other back!
Jesus tells
the disciples not to worry about someone “else” doing good things in Jesus’
name ~ for Whoever is not against us is
for us. Nor are we to worry about stumbling ~ get rid of whatever part of
us is causing us to stumble into sin for we are better off without it in God’s Kingdom. Jesus tells them and us that we are seasoned well for the work we are
called to do in his name; as he said it, we are salted with fire. But as with literal salt, its essence can slip
away, become stale, no longer enhancing the flavor of the food. So we must have salt within us, in its many sizes, shapes, colors and flavors, as are we all, and be at peace with one another to feed the flock of Christ. Let us
then be generous with our salt as we are fired up to Serve. Act. Love.
Teach. And, from James, let us pepper each other and the world we live
in with constant unending prayer, in and of faith, for ourselves and for others.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader:
~ Lord of Power and Mercy, keep us mindful of how often we use
Your Name in ways great, small, indifferent, irreverent, and in vain. Open us
to feel the depth and energy of Your presence always, and especially when we
pray in faith for others and ourselves.
God of All Creation
RESPONSE: Our help is in Your Name
~ Lord of Power and Mercy, in a world seething with devastating natural
disasters, growing anger, violence, and fear, guide us to seek and support
leaders with integrity and compassion on this Earth, in our Nation, and in our
Communities. Guide them to influence the most positive course in the ways of
justice and peace everywhere. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
God of
All Creation
Our Help is in Your Name
~
Lord of Power and Mercy, infuse
all hope into those longing
for release from sickness, injury, or the struggles of life, and give comfort
from the prayers we lift together. We
now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
God of
All Creation
Our Help is in Your Name
~ Lord of Power and Mercy, turn sorrow for
those who mourn into the sweetness of memory, as the endless days of feasting
and gladness begin for those You now receive into glory of Eternal Life. We
pray especially for:
God of
All Creation
Our Help is in Your Name
~ Lord of Power and Mercy, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
God of
All Creation
Our Help is in Your Name
~ Lord of Power and Mercy, we give You great thanks for those who
have been chosen and have accepted the challenge of leading us in Your church.
Bless them for praying with us and for us, and for guiding our spiritual
journey in Your service, through our
unique and local ministries and beyond. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
God of
All Creation
Our Help is in Your Name
The
Celebrant adds:
O God our Strength and our Salvation, salt our souls with the fire of Christ’s love,
that we may live and act through the power of Your Name, bringing each other
back from wandering afar of our faith into sin. We ask through Jesus, our
Teacher and Redeemer; and through the Holy Spirit, Channel of Your Grace; who
together with You, are One God, forever and ever. Amen.
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