Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and
faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and
in Egypt, and serve the Lord. [Joshua 24:14]
The
Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and will save those whose spirits are crushed. [Psalm 34:18]
Be strong
in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God…stand
firm…and fasten the belt of truth around your waist…Pray in the Spirit at all times
in every prayer and supplication. [Ephesians
6:10-11a, 13c, 14a…18]
Jesus said, "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood
abide in me, and I in them..." When many of his disciples heard it, they
said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"...[But Jesus said
to them] "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The
words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." [John 6:56, 60, 63]
We begin the
readings this week with Joshua calling the twelve tribes of Israel together at
Shechem. The location is centrally located and signifies its importance in the
history of religion and politics of Israel. Joshua already had an altar at
Shechem and this gathering was a Covenant Ceremony of sorts. Joshua is testing the tribes' loyalty to God which is an important stipulation in the Covenant.
Telling them if they’re unwilling to serve God they are to choose that very day the gods they
will serve. They answer, Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods. Interestingly, in Genesis 35:2-4, Jacob tells his household to put away the foreign gods that are among you. Then Jacob took all the gods and hid them under the oak that was near Shechem.
The Psalmist reminds us of the Lord’s
care and attentiveness to us, especially saying that, The Lord is near to
the brokenhearted and will save those whose spirits are crushed and none will be punished who trust in him. As long as we trust
God and do not choose to hate the righteous we will be ransomed.
Paul
exhorts us to shield ourselves from all that could turn us away, and
to Put
on the whole armor of God for strength and to pray in the Spirit at all times in every
prayer. The description of the various articles of the
armor gives us a clear depiction of the many ways we can fight against the
forces of evil, but it also serves as a reminder that the armor gives us strength
within ourselves to choose faithfulness and serve Jesus.
This week we also come to the end of the discourses of Jesus telling his followers to "eat my body and
drink my blood." This piece of the paschal mystery is so
difficult to comprehend that many of those who were following Jesus in his time
walked away because of the seeming literalness of it. Yet many stayed and
struggled and today we each reconcile ourselves to this idea in various ways.
Some Christians believe in Transubstantiation at the time of the consecration,
that the bread and wine on the altar become, mysteriously and mystically,
the True and Actual Body and Blood of Christ. Others accept
the consecration as metaphor, or, a Holy yet symbolic representation. Some
denominations have no "communion" service at all but rely solely on
preaching the Word. Yet the question remains, why is there so very much about
BREAD over these last several weeks?
Bread would have been understood in his
time, as often in ours, as basic to everyday life. The graphic language is what
is most confounding but hear it in plain and simple terms: when we consume
the bread and the water, they are in us, feeding our bodies. When we
consume the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ ~ however one accepts the form as actual or
symbolic ~ it represents Christ abiding within us as he tells us we are abiding
in him. It is our spiritual sustenance, our soul’s food, to nourish us on
our earthly journey, that culminates in eternal life
through salvation. For many of us, consuming the small piece of consecrated bread and wine
in the Eucharist is a physical connection to an abiding
spiritual Presence. Yet when the consecrated bread is not available, as a prayer
during the Consecration says in the Book of Common Prayer [pg 365], we can feed on him in our hearts by faith, with
thanksgiving.
Another slightly troubling piece is when Jesus
says no one can
come to me unless it is granted by the Father. Yet if we refer back to the Psalm above, it
states clearly that God will not punish or abandon those who put their trust in
him. It may be that God has the final say, but we are all invited, and we must
choose to accept the invitation by loyal and faithful service.
And, finally, Jesus asks the Twelve if they wish to go away as did Joshua with the tribes of Israel. Peter
says, Lord, to
whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and
know that you are the Holy One of God. From those times to our times, we are still
seeking to understand, to strengthen our faith, to travel the path to God in
our own way and with each other. We struggle with questions and doubts and
confidence in our faith. Let us strengthen ourselves to come to believe and know again and again that Jesus is our Redeemer
Christ, the Holy
one of God. Let
us make the saving choice.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Jesus, Holy
One of God, keep us sure in the strength of your power through your words of
spirit and life. Fill our souls with your Bread of Heaven that we may live for eternity
beyond this temporal journey.
O Lord our God
RESPONSE: We put our faith and trust in You
~
Jesus, Holy One of God, guide us to fasten the belt
of truth around our waists, expect and require integrity, and stand firm to
proclaim the Gospel of peace and justice to all who lead the governments of
this World, this Country, and this Community. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
put our faith and trust in You
~
Jesus, Holy One of God, we pray in the Spirit in supplication that you breathe fresh hope into all who struggle with serious
illness, desperation, or addiction, and lift the hearts of those who give them
care. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
put our faith and trust in You
~
Jesus, Holy One of God, stay near and lift up the brokenhearted as those we
mourn live again and forever in Your glorious
Kingdom. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
put our faith and trust in You
~
Jesus, Holy One of God, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
put our faith and trust in You
~
Jesus, Holy One of God, You have gifted us with
disciples who do not turn away but serve You in sincerity and faithfulness,
guiding us by Word and Sacrament. As Christ abides in us and we in Him, we join
and journey together toward the threshold of Your Eternal House. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
Lord our God
We
put our faith and trust in You
The Celebrant adds: Eternal God,
draw us together to clothe ourselves in Your whole armor, nourished by the holy
food and drink of Christ. With Your helmet of salvation and shield of faith, we
can resist all evil, as we seek to live forever in You. We ask through Christ
Jesus, the Son of Man; and the Live-Giving Spirit, who together with You, reign
as One God, now and forever.
Amen.
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