Musings for October 3

Sunday, October 3, 2010
Midweek Musings
Reflection by Judy Lazenby

ACTING TOGETHER
In the upper room, at the Last Supper, Jesus gives this new commandment to his disciples, to love one another. They (we) are to love one another “as he has loved” them (us). It is about witness to the world. It is how the world around us will see and know that we are disciples of Jesus. This commandment is about community. It is about the common good. It is about our living as disciples of Jesus. He commands that we follow him together. He commands us to love one another.


Prayer of the Day
Draw your church together, O God, into one great company of disciples, together following our teacher Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving in Christ's mission to the world, and together witnessing to your love wherever you will send us; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lessons

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Psalm 8:3-8
3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
4what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
5Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
7all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

2 Corinthians 8:13-15
13I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15As it is written,
"The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little."

John 13:34-35
34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Reflections
When I read this week’s Gospel lesson, the first thing I hear in my head is the song the choir has sung in the past based on these verses. After singing in choirs since my college days, this often happens to me. I cannot separate the Bible texts from the lyrics and melodies of various songs. I suppose it even goes back to Sunday School days and all of us have probably had similar experiences. This is a short lesson, only 40 words, and yet the message is the essence of Jesus’ life. The Good News is all about LOVE. God’s love for us in sending Jesus, Jesus’ love in giving his life for us, the Holy Spirit’s love that surrounds us daily.

Quote
When we sing our prayers, we pray them twice over. St. Augustine

Prayers
• We pray for people everywhere recovering from flooding.
• We pray for people recovering from surgeries and long term illnesses.
• We pray for Atonement's members as they move on a journey of stewardship.
• We pray for leaders working for peace in the world.
• We pray for hungry children near and far.