Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have
had more than enough of contempt. [Psalm 123]
For God has destined us not for
wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for
us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. [1 Thessalonians 5:9-10]
There is quite a lot to know about Deborah, the only female
Judge and mentioned in one of the oldest writings of the Hebrew/Old Testament.
This snippet is far from her whole story and I urge you to take a look at who
she was. There are great articles about her online in Britannica and in Jewish
commentaries, among others.
The
very brief Psalm 123 is a great one to memorize and pray with. Whether we are
the ones subjected to contempt or whether in our occasional sense of
entitlement we are attaching our own contempt and derision to others, we can
use it as a regular prayer to God for mercy, for ourselves and others, letting
go of whatever negative feelings or resentments we may harbor.
Paul
is the perfect prelude to the Gospel yet may well be left behind as it is
customary to preach about the Gospel. In this piece from the first letter to
the Thessalonians, he is telling us that we cannot know the time of Christ’s
return, even as Paul himself thought it was imminent for much of his time of
conversion. And so, IF it truly is any
minute now that Jesus will come like a thief in the night [not the best
Christ analogy!], we are to take up the responsibilities of our calling. We are
to put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet, the hope of
salvation.
And then follows Matthew’s Gospel account,
which has a slight parallel in Luke 19:11-27 but not in the other two Gospels, and
has an uncomfortable view of judgment. There is so very much that can be taken
apart and analyzed here but lack of time and space stop me. Some writers have
discussed the
man going on a journey as
God. But as we read the Gospel, the least of the servants is so afraid of this
man who reaps what he does not sow, which isn’t the God I know or want, that he
hides what the man has given so as not to lose it. Of course this is the God of those who want to sow fear
into their own followers, exploiting the words and phrasing that indicate God’s
wrath, or in this case, those who are proponents of a “prosperity gospel.” One
interesting phrase in this passage is that this man gives to each according to
his ability. And that, for me, is the crux of the matter. So the frightened servant
is trying to preserve the man’s money, while the other two increase the money
they were given to hold. It seems quite likely to me that the man already knew
what his servants were likely to do with what he’d given them. In that likelihood
the punishment for the fearful servant, then, is very harsh.
Matthew has been telling us all through his
Gospel accounts that the Law is only a starting point, we are to exceed those
expectations by cultivating and manifesting an inner attitude of love for God,
ourselves, and each other in everything, to the best of our abilities, spiritually
and otherwise. We are to inhabit that love in all that we think and do, so that
our motives, our deepest intentions, are expressed as genuine service in
Christ’s name, without any sense of merit or self-importance. There are many
nice people doing good things but if their inner purpose is personal gain or
acclaim, they may well have missed, or ignored, the message of Jesus. And of
course, it’s not often easy to be so pure of heart. Yet let us strive to do the
best we can with what we have been given and in what we have tried to improve
in heart, body, mind, and soul, failing often as we will, and praying for the
mercy we already have.
Despite what we believe about ourselves or
have been told by others whether we live in high or low self-esteem, don’t bury
the talent you have whether you think it is greater than or lesser than of
others. Do more than you think you can in the service of Jesus, for all of God’s
people and all of God’s Creation. Jesus is a much more merciful and
understanding master than the man in the parable. Jesus knows us, our hearts,
our minds, our excuses, and most of all, our faith. Let us unbury and release our
fears that keep us from moving forward toward and with Jesus, and release our
hope in him that can give us the energy to be more faith-filled in our in
actions. Let us continually renew our commitment to his instructions to love
God with our whole selves and to love our neighbors in the same way that we are
supposed to love ourselves. Let us constantly remember Paul’s words: For God
has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ…
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O LORD, our God, you have given us each our talents according
to the abilities with which You created us. Grant us the courage to put on the
breastplate of faith, love, and the hope of salvation, to encourage ourselves
and one another to boldly risk the peace and security of what we have, to be
Your faithful stewards for all of our allotted time.
Creator and Redeemer Lord
RESPONSE: Grant us Your Mercy
~ O LORD, our God, keep us from
complacence as we continue to call to account those who govern now and those
who soon will, in our Nation, in our Community, and in our World. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions.
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
Grant
us Your Mercy
~ O LORD, our God, calm and heal the
hearts of all who are seriously ill, in depression, or facing other uncertain
life circumstance, and steady the course of those who give them care. We now
join our hearts to pray for those in need… add
your own petitions
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
Grant
us Your Mercy
~ O LORD, our God, fill our hearts with
the peace of those who are now alive again, in the glorious and eternal light
of Your Kingdom. We pray especially for… add
your own petitions
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
Grant
us Your Mercy
~ O LORD, our God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt
thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
Grant
us Your Mercy
~ O LORD, our God, we give great prayerful
gratitude for the faithful stewards of Your Church, who keep us on a spiritual
track for daily life, and guide us in living the mission of Christ on earth. We
pray especially for: add your own
petitions
Creator
and Redeemer Lord
Grant us Your Mercy
The Celebrant adds: O God Most High, through your Judge and
Prophet Deborah, and the Apostles Paul and Matthew, we learn the dangers and
the opportunities of investing all our mortal days in Your service. We lift up
our eyes to You for the willingness, the strength, and the mercy, to reap
enough of the good we sow to enter into the joy of our Lord. We ask through
Jesus, our Christ and our Master; the Holy Spirit, the Sacred Breath in our
souls; who together with You, live and reign as One God, forever and forever. Amen.
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