Pentecost 5

Sunday, July 17, 2011
Lectionary 16
Proper 11
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Joshua Brown

INTRODUCTION
It is an age-old question: why is there evil in the world? In the parable of the wheat and the weeds Jesus suggests that both grow together until the harvest. With Paul, we long for the day that all creation will be set free from bondage and suffering. Having both weeds and wheat within us, we humbly place our hope in the promises of God, and from the Lord's table we go forth to bear the fruit of justice and mercy.

Bartolomé de Las Casas, missionary to the Indies, died 1566
A native of Spain, Las Casas first came to the Western hemisphere while serving in the military. Granted a large estate with indigenous slaves, he freed them after he was ordained a priest. He worked in the Caribbean and Central America to improve the lives of the native peoples.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Faithful God, most merciful judge, you care for your children with firmness and compassion. By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom, that we may be rooted in the way of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

FIRST READING

Isaiah 44:6–8

God claims the right to sole rule, because God announces things that actually do happen, while supposed divine opponents remain silent. God is Israel's redeemer, that is, the best brother or sister they ever had.

⁶Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
⁷Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
⁸Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 86:11–17

Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth. (Ps. 86:11)

¹¹Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk ^| in your truth;

give me an undivided heart to re- ^| vere your name.

¹²I will thank you, O Lord my God, with ^| all my heart,

and glorify your name for- ^| evermore.

¹³For great is your ^| love toward me;

you have delivered me from the ^| pit of death.

¹⁴The arrogant rise up against me, O God,

and a band of violent people ^| seeks my life;

they have not set you be- ^| fore their eyes.

¹⁵But you, O Lord, are gracious and full ^| of compassion,

slow to anger, and full of kind- ^| ness and truth.

¹⁶Turn to me and have mer- ^| cy on me;

give your strength to your servant,

and save the child ^| of your handmaid.

¹⁷Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me

may see it and be ^| put to shame;

because you, Lord, have helped me and com- ^| forted me.

SECOND READING

Romans 8:12–25

For Paul, true spirituality means that we experience the reality of the Spirit, which enables us to pray as God's children, keeps us in solidarity with creation, and gives us unseen hope that God will liberate us and creation from bondage to death and decay.

¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — ¹³for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" ¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
¹⁸I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; ²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

GOSPEL

Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

Jesus tells a parable about the co-existence of good and evil in this world. God's judgment will remove all evildoers and causes of sin, but not until the end of human history.

²⁴He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. ²⁶So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.²⁷And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' ²⁸He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' ²⁹But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
³⁶Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." ³⁷He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, ⁴²and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

Reflection

I have friend whose has an African American mother and a Caucasian father for biological parents, but grew up as the adopted daughter of a Lutheran pastor and his wife both of Scandinavian decent. My grandfather’s parents were immigrants from Sweden so we occasionally shared our experiences of having Scandinavian ancestry in our family history. However, I once made an off the cuff remark that identified her as a Swede. Suddenly, her voice swelled with disgust. “I am most certainly not a Swede” she proclaimed. My heart skipped a beat and I held my breath fearing that I had offended her sense of racial identity. Then she proudly declared “I am a Norwegian!” We both laughed in recognition of a friendly Norwegian vs. Swede rivalry and I felt relieved that I hadn’t offended my friend.

Now as I reflect on this brief vignette in my life I perceive some insight into the notion of identity. When my friend began her life in this world she had no biological or cultural connection to a Norwegian identity, but through adoption, through the love she received from her adoptive parents, she received that connection that identified her as part of a larger group. As Christians we also believe that we begin our lives born into sin without a connection identifying us as God’s. Through baptism we receive the Holy Spirit, an advocate connecting us to God and “a spirit of adoption” that identifies us as God’s children. Paul writes that “We are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” God has marked us and identified us as part of God’s kingdom. We bear this identity from the moment we’re baptized through the entirety of our lives and, because of Christ, into the life everlasting. From the beginning to the end God has identified us as children of God claiming and adopting us with certain and steadfast love.

Rejoicing in God’s promise let us clam our identity and proudly declare “ ‘Let anyone with ears listen!’ I am a child of God!”

Prayers

O God of Love, help us to bear witness to your goodness and grace and live fully into our identities as your children.
Be the source of inspiration strength for all who desire to adopt or provide a foster home for a child and the source of comfort and hope for all children in need of a permanent home.
Bless your creation, O Lord, and help us to care for its lands, seas and skies so that all may benefit from their abundance.
Teach us your ways, O Lord. Strengthen our ties with our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. Help us to build relationships based on our common identity as children of God and not our theological and ideological differences.
Comfort the sick, the poor, the outcast and open our eyes so that we may see them as you see them.
Welcome home the departed and comfort those who mourn with the promise that those you have claimed will be united in heaven.
We bring these prayers and the prayers of our hearts and minds before you God, trusting the power of the resurrection, resting in your abundant mercy and living through hope in Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Quote:

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~ Desmond Tutu

I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us. ~ Charles Dickens.

Pentecost 4

Sunday, July 10, 2011
Lectionary 15
Proper 10
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Gary Lazenby

INTRODUCTION
God's word is like the rain that waters the earth and brings forth vegetation. It is also like the sower who scatters seed indiscriminately. Our lives are like seeds sown in the earth. Even from what appears to be little, dormant, or dead, God promises a harvest. At the Lord's table, we are fed with the bread of life, that we may bear fruit in the world.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

FIRST READING

Isaiah 55:10–13

God's word to Israel's exiles is as sure and effective as never-failing precipitation. Their return to the Holy Land in a new exodus is cheered on by singing mountains and by trees that clap their hands.

¹⁰For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
¹²For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 65:[1–8] 9–13

Your paths overflow with plenty. (Ps. 65:11)

[¹You are to be praised, O ^| God, in Zion;

to you shall vows ^| be fulfilled.

²To you, the one who ^| answers prayer,

to you all ^| flesh shall come.

³Our sins are strong- ^| er than we are,

but you blot out ^| our transgressions.

⁴Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your ^| courts to dwell there!

They will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,

by the holiness ^| of your temple.

⁵Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of ^| our salvation,

O hope of all the ends of the earth and of the oceans ^| far away.

⁶You make firm the mountains ^| by your power;

you are girded a- ^| bout with might.

⁷You still the roaring ^| of the seas,

the roaring of their waves, and the clamor ^| of the peoples.

⁸Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your ^| marvelous signs;

you make the dawn and the dusk to ^| sing for joy.]

⁹You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous;

the river of God is ^| full of water.

You prepare the grain, for so you provide ^| for the earth.

¹⁰You drench the furrows and smooth ^| out the ridges;

with heavy rain you soften the ground and ^| bless its increase.

¹¹You crown the year ^| with your goodness,

and your paths over- ^| flow with plenty.

¹²May the fields of the wilderness be ^| rich for grazing,

and the hills be ^| clothed with joy.

¹³May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,

and the valleys cloak them- ^| selves with grain;

let them shout for ^| joy and sing.

SECOND READING

Romans 8:1–11

There is no condemnation for those who live in Christ. God sent Christ to accomplish what the law was unable to do: condemn sin and free us from its slavery. The Spirit now empowers proper actions and values in our lives and gives us the promise of resurrected life.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.⁶To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law — indeed it cannot, ⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
⁹But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.¹⁰But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

GOSPEL

Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

In Matthew's gospel, both Jesus and his disciples "sow the seed" of God's word by proclaiming the good news that "the kingdom of heaven is near." Now, in a memorable parable, Jesus explains why this good news produces different results in those who hear.

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ²Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. ⁶But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹Let anyone with ears listen!"
¹⁸Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. ²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. ²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²³But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

REFLECTION

Jesus told his disciples that not everyone would understand his parables. I can certainly believe that. There often are times when I have no clue about the parable. We know that Jesus used common themes in the life of the people in his parables. Are these themes so obscure to me, that I just don’t get the point? Did Jesus mean to say that he was deliberately confusing his listeners? Very likely not. Jesus was speaking from experience. He was aware that some who heard his parables refused to understand them. It was not that they could not intellectually understand them, but rather, their hearts were closed to what Jesus was saying. They had already made up their minds to not believe. The parables of Jesus will enlighten us if we approach them with an open mind and heart, ready to let them challenge us. Maybe that is my problem. I have heard the parables many times, so maybe I am not listening with a completely open heart. I really don’t think that my heart is closed, but at times, maybe it is. If we approach the parables with the conviction that we already know the answer, then we, too, may look but not see, listen but not hear or understand.

PRAYERS

Let us pray

For those who may look, but not see.

For those who may listen, but not hear.

For those who do not understand.

For those who do see, hear, and understand because they are doing the good works of God.

QUOTE

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Confucius, Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)

Pentecost 3

Sunday, July 3, 2011
Lectionary 14
Proper 9
Third Sunday after Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Deb Johnson

INTRODUCTION
The mystery of God's ways is sometimes hidden from the wise and intelligent. Jesus associates with the lowly and outcast. Like Paul, we struggle with our own selfish desires and seek God's mercy and forgiveness. We gather to be refreshed by Christ's invitation: "Come to me, all you that are weary." Gathered around word, water, and meal, we find rest for our souls.

Thomas, Apostle
Though frequently remembered as "doubting Thomas," this apostle also demonstrated a willingness to suffer and die with Jesus (John 11:16), and finally claimed the risen Christ as "my Lord and my God!" By tradition, he later worked as a missionary in India. Long commemorated on December 21, Thomas's celebration is moved to July 3 in agreement with ecumenical calendars.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

You are great, O God, and greatly to be praised. You have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Grant that we may believe in you, call upon you, know you, and serve you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

FIRST READING

Zechariah 9:9–12

The coming messianic king will inaugurate an era of disarmament and prosperity. Because of God's covenant with Israel, they are designated as "prisoners of hope."

⁹Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
¹⁰He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
¹¹As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
¹²Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
today I declare that I will restore to you double.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 145:8–14

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion. (Ps. 145:8)

⁸The LORD is gracious and full ^| of compassion,

slow to anger and abounding in ^| steadfast love.

⁹LORD, you are ^| good to all,

and your compassion is over ^| all your works.

¹⁰All your works shall praise ^| you, O LORD,

and your faithful ^| ones shall bless you.

¹¹They shall tell of the glory ^| of your kingdom

and speak ^| of your power,

¹²that all people may know ^| of your power

and the glorious splendor ^| of your kingdom.

¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom;

your dominion endures through- ^| out all ages.

You, LORD, are faithful in all your words,

and loving in ^| all your works.

¹⁴The Lord upholds all ^| those who fall

and lifts up those who ^| are bowed down.

SECOND READING

Romans 7:15–25a

Life enslaved under sin is a catch-22 existence in which we know good but do not do it and do things we know to be bad. Through Jesus Christ, God has set us free from such a futile existence.

¹⁵I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.¹⁷But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, ²³but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

GOSPEL

Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30

Jesus chides people who find fault with both his ministry and that of John the Baptist. He thanks God that wisdom and intelligence are not needed to receive what God has to offer.

¹⁶But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
¹⁷'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.'
¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; ¹⁹the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
²⁵At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
²⁸Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Musings

As I approach these I read the scriptures several times and wait. Sometimes it is a millisecond and other times I wait and wait and wait. What am I waiting for, you ask? For the spirit to leap into my consciousness and say "this is it". Well for these readings it came not once, but twice ... now the dilemma, what do I focus on? Paul's writings to Romans have had special meaning to me, beginning as an adolescent. His words "do not be conformed by this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This was so important as a teen as the word expanded and I wasn't sure what to do. Then suddenly this popped out at me "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." A constant struggle for me … and my guess some of you that are reading this as well. Thanks be to God for forgiveness. The second call out in the scripture this week was "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; ²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”

We are forever in a developmental process in our understanding and living with God. The days of infancy are long past, the struggles of discovering ones identity in adolescence creates new challenges, then we live in a world full of wonder, temptation, stress, money, no money, relationships comes to our being.

The final words bring comfort in our struggles: “²⁸Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

While Jesus gives these words to us collectively, let us reach out and be of comfort to one another.

Let us pray.

For the men, women and children who live in oppression in our country and around the world

For those who come into this world, that they may be filled with your spirit and love.

For those who leave this world to continue to live in eternal life.

For the waters, that they may be clean.

For freedom to live and love one another