For Sunday, July 6, 2025; Readings: Isaiah
66:10-14, Psalm 66:1-8, Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
As a mother comforts her child, so I
will comfort you… and it will be known that the hand of the Lord is with
his servants… [Isaiah
66:13a, 14b]
Bless our God, you
peoples…who holds our souls in life… [Psalm:66:7a, 8a]
You who have received
the Spirit should restore [a transgressor] in a spirit of gentleness…Bear one
another’s burdens… for you reap whatever you sow...if you sow to the
Spirit, you will reap eternal life...let us work for the good of all, and
especially for those of the family of faith. [Galatians 6:1b,2a, 7b, 8b, 10]
[The Lord] said to them,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few...Go on your way.
See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves...Whatever house
you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone...shares in peace,
your peace will rest on that person; but if not it will return to you...But
whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you...say, 'Even the dust of
your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.'” [Luke 10:2a, 3, 5-7, 10-11a]
There is nothing new happening in the world. The world is and has
always been a fearsome place. Wars, threats of war, battles for power, hate
mongering, violence, poverty and desperation, bad governance, extreme weather,
and multiple other catastrophes destroy lives daily everywhere around the
globe. We truly are but sheep among wolves in the fields of ancient and new
history and humanity. But there are more of us now than ever before and we
think that we know more, given the increasing rapidity of the broken
"breaking news," misinformation, disinformation. And then there’s the
“viral” and manipulated Us vs Them constantly screaming through ever-multiplying
social media options, and we weary ourselves and our spirits as we enter into
the fray of alternating chaos or collapse in paralyzing ambivalence. Yet Isaiah
provides a glimmer of our consoling God who comforts us, nurtures us, and, as
the Psalmist says, who holds our souls in life. All we need to
do is know that, accept it, live it, so easy, right? First,
we need to sit down, put the phone down, avoid doom-scrolling, and breathe
deeply; then resist the temptation to join the wolves.
Paul slows us down by reminding us that we who have received the
Spirit are to do our best to bring back into the community, in a spirit
of gentleness, those who have transgressed in some way. As
Jesus tells the disciples, enter a house in peace. If we are not welcomed, we
are free, through Jesus, to shake off the dust and move along, without
accepting the taunts, threats, or disbelief. Each of us must take
responsibility for ourselves yet bear one another’s burdens. We
can’t make an unbeliever believe by argument, but perhaps through observing our
sincerity and faithfulness, a fearful soul will begin to open.
We reap what we sow, says this part of letter to the Galatians, and we are not
to grow weary in showing others helpful care according to the teachings of
Christ. We are to find joy in the humility of serving God in the Jesus that
lives in everyone. In faith, with prayer, and in community, we can let go of
fearing the wolves who will mock us ~ or worse ~ and embrace the commitment to
live the life we are called to live. Let us walk together, in the Family of
Faith, to follow the Gospel path, offer Peace to all, and accept what is returned.
Let us shake the dust of complacency from ourselves as Christ's lambs, and
labor among the wolves in the fields of God. Even the strongest most vicious
wolf among us will fall eventually; let us always live with and offer the
welcome of Jesus’ saving power and love. Whether accepted or refused, the offer
softens the bite.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Loving Lord, who holds our
souls in life, arouse us in heart and mind to bear one another’s burdens as we
labor in Your fields. Help us sow to the Spirit to reap a plentiful harvest for
the good of all, especially for the family of faith.
O God of All and Everywhere
RESPONSE: We
find our strength in You
~ Loving Lord, spare the lambs of Your pasture from the
wolves of unbridled self-interest that lurk in many global and local
governments now and in the ones to come. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
O God of All and Everywhere
We find our strength in You
~ Loving Lord, comfort all who are trapped in chronic
sickness, poverty, or depression, and lighten the hearts of all who give
support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need… add
your own petitions
O God of All and Everywhere
We find our strength in You
~ Loving Lord, as You console hearts in the depths of
grief, infuse a spark of joy that grows into rejoicing, to know that those we
have sent to You are a new creation of life, love, and peace for all eternity.
We pray especially for…add your own petitions
O God of All and Everywhere
We find our strength in You
~ Loving Lord, we pause in this moment to offer
You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud or silently…add your
own petitions
O God of All and Everywhere
We find our strength in You
~ Loving Lord, grant infectious energy and contagious
inspiration to those You have appointed to lead us on the Path to everlasting
life in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O God of All and Everywhere
We find our strength in You
The Celebrant adds: Nurturing, Knowing God,
excite our desire to shake off the dust of our own complacency and to immerse
ourselves in Your service. Grant special Grace to the country of our birth and
the one we call home, that Your Presence will be known in how our lives bless
You by all that we do in the spirit of gentleness, and in the name of Christ.
We ask through Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer; who
together with You are One God, infinite and eternal. Amen.
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long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or
comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution and edited for local use as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way. For more information or comments, contact: Leeosophy@gmail.com
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