But Moses implored the LORD his God...And the LORD changed his mind
about the disaster that he had planned to bring on his people. [Exodus 32:11a,
14]
Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD,
for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. [Psalm 106:1]
...stand firm
in the Lord...The Lord is near. Do not worry...but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus. [Philippians
4:1b, 6-7]
The kingdom of heaven may be
compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves
to call those who had been invited...but they would not come...they made light
of it and went away...Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready but
those invited were not worthy'...those slaves...gathered all whom they
found...But when the king came in...he noticed a man...not wearing a wedding
robe...the king said...'bind him...and throw him into the outer darkness...'
For many are called but few are chosen. [Matthew
22:1-14]
Party Planners have their hands full with the readings for this week. Back in the desert, the
Israelites are restless. Moses hasn't come back from God's mountain soon enough
to suit them. Just like any group of unruly children left with a
not-so-responsible babysitter, or petulant adults who can be as bad or
worse, there is a lot of the familiar grumbling and complaining from our favorite wanderers. It quickly escalates into a huge party centered around a golden calf crafted by Aaron (the unhelpful care-taker) with their melted gold jewelry. They
forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt [Psalm
106: 21]. God is, to put it mildly, not pleased telling Moses I have seen...how stiff necked they are...Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them... Moses implored God to calm down and turn away from wrath and prevent a disaster. God took a breath and changed the plan. But humans are humans and there
is no doubt in my mind that some of the grumbling continued even if there was
no more overt defiance on their journey.
The Psalmist sings out a huge sigh of relief and Hallelujah for the saving help and intervention by Moses for the Israelites, who nearly exchanged their Glory for the image of an ox...
Matthew tells a Jesus parable of a king's wedding banquet where the guests
declined and made light of the invitation. Even after a
second invitation was issued, the invitees refused and killed the king's own
messengers. The king destroyed them and their city as retaliation, but was still
determined to fill the banquet hall and people out on the streets were all
invited.
The perplexing part is that one guest wasn't dressed properly
infuriating the king who had him bound and thrown where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus then tells us that many
are called but few are chosen. I realize that trying to understand
this allegory through the lens of my everyday life, I'm surely missing the
point. Others who are more learned and wiser than me will likely have a clearer
and more theological explanation, but what comes to me hearkens back to the
Exodus story. We can be chastened or even frightened into submission and
obedience even if that "obedience" is half-hearted and insincere. But
if I dress my heart and soul with the proper attire of prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving as Paul tells us, the peace of
God that passes all understanding, will guard my heart and my
mind in Christ Jesus. The more I pray and attend to an
honorable, just, and pure mindset, the more of God's peace I will receive,
through both the most difficult and the most delightful days of my short
temporal existence.
Upon self-reflection, I re-discover too many golden calves in my life that
call me away from the ultimate invitation. By my own lack of attention, willfulness, or laziness, I am making light of the purpose for
which I was created, dismissing the gift of being called and chosen.
Avoiding the temptations of the something shiny syndrome is no easy task for
this imperfect mortal. As I ponder these readings about a gleaming calf, God's wrath, and what is an appropriate wardrobe to meet the Divine, I realize how now is always a good time for me to RSVP ~ Dear God, I accept! I have the directions, and THANKS for inviting me.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ Most Merciful Lord, grant
us the courage to disavow worship of shiny distractions to stand firm in Your
always present love. May we humbly accept Your continuing invitation to be joined
with You through our prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.
O God, our
Peace
RESPONSE:
Guard our hearts
~ Most Merciful Lord,
visit Your saving help upon us that we may successfully prevail upon political
leaders, to act with justice and do what is right for the health and safety of
all, on our Planet, in our Country, and throughout every village, town, and city
in Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God, our Peace
Guard
our hearts
~ Most Merciful Lord, shine
Your light and whisper Your comfort into the shadows of those suffering through
illness, emotional trials, and natural and human-made disasters. We now join
our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O God, our Peace
Guard our hearts
~ Most Merciful Lord,
joyfully receive our beloved into the sunshine of Your grace upon grace, in the
fullness of Christ, the very expression of Your love for us all. We pray
especially for… add your own petitions
O
God, our Peace
Guard
our hearts
~ Most
Merciful Lord, we
pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O
God, our Peace
Guard
our hearts
~ Most Merciful Lord, refresh and excite those who are called
to lead us in Your Church and who inspire us to learn, grow, and live in
and through Christ, by thought, word, and action. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
O God, our Peace
Guard our hearts
The Celebrant adds: O
God, Mighty and Good, guide us to follow all that is true, honorable, and just, in
excellence and purity, as You would have us do, to be among Your chosen. We ask
for Your continuing patience as we pledge ourselves again to Jesus, our Redeemer
Christ; and the Holy Spirit, our Constant Companion; who together with You,
live and reign as One God, now and for eternity. Amen.
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