Musings for Pentecost 11

Sunday, August 28, 2011
Lectionary 22
Proper 17
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Musings by Karen Grover

INTRODUCTION
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the incurable wound of his suffering, yet finds in God's words the delight of his heart. When Peter doesn't grasp Jesus' words about suffering, Jesus tells the disciples they will find their lives in losing them. Such sacrificial love is described by Paul when he urges us to associate with the lowly and not repay evil with evil. In worship we gather as a community that we might offer ourselves for the sake of our suffering world. Today is the commemoration of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, who died in 430, and Moses the Black, monk and martyr, who died around 400.

Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, died 430
Augustine was one of the greatest theologians of the Western church. A native of North Africa, he recovered from a debauched young adulthood through the influence of his mother, Monica, and Bishop Ambrose of Milan. Besides writing influential theological books, he served as bishop of Hippo, in present-day Algeria.

Moses the Black, monk, martyr, died around 400
Converted from life as a thief and a robber to Christianity, Moses was an Ethiopian who became a desert monk at Skete. His conversion had a great impact in his native country. Wearing a white habit, he said, "God knows I am black within." He was murdered during an attack by Berbers.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

O God, we thank you for your Son, who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow your commands, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

First Reading

Jeremiah 15:15–21

Jeremiah's delight in the word of the Lord is contradicted by the heaviness of God's hand upon him and God's seeming unfaithfulness. God's tough love to Jeremiah says that if he repents, he will be allowed to continue in his strenuous ministry. Jeremiah is strengthened by the simple words: "I am with you."

¹⁵O LORD, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult.
¹⁶Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart;
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
¹⁷I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;
under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
for you had filled me with indignation.
¹⁸Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail.
¹⁹Therefore thus says the LORD:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.
²⁰And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
says the LORD.
²¹I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 26:1–8

Your love is before my eyes; I have walked faithfully with you. (Ps. 26:3)

¹Give judgment for me, O LORD, for I have lived ^| with integrity;

I have trusted in the LORD and ^| have not faltered.

²Test me, O ^| LORD, and try me;

examine my heart ^| and my mind.

³For your steadfast love is be- ^| fore my eyes;

I have walked faithful- ^| ly with you.

⁴I have not sat ^| with the worthless,

nor do I consort with ^| the deceitful. R

⁵I have hated the company of ^| evildoers;

I will not sit down ^| with the wicked.

⁶I will wash my hands in inno- ^| cence, O LORD,

that I may go in procession ^| round your altar,

⁷singing aloud a song ^| of thanksgiving

and recounting all your won- ^| derful deeds.

⁸LORD, I love the house in ^| which you dwell

and the place where your glo- ^| ry abides. R

Second Reading

Romans 12:9–21

Paul presents benchmarks for faithful relationships with Christians and non-Christians. Love is the unflagging standard of our behavior. When we encounter evil, we do not resort to its tactics but seek to overcome it with good. While Christians cannot control the actions and attitudes of others, we seek to live at peace with all people.

⁹Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." ²⁰No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Gospel

Matthew 16:21–28

After Peter confesses that Jesus is "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (16:16), Jesus reveals the ultimate purpose of his ministry. These words prove hard to accept, even for a disciple whom Jesus has called a "rock."

²¹From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." ²³But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ²⁶For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
²⁷For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. ²⁸Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Reflections

I tried to put myself in Peter's sandles to understand what he was feeling when Jesus told him what would happen to him in Jerusalem and that he, Peter, was a stumbling block to him. That was a pretty harsh reaction that Jesus had to Peter's rejecting his suffering. My reaction is that that reaction wasn't really necessary. How could Jesus not realize that it would be natural for Peter to have a human reaction? I often think of Jesus in human terms, as Peter did in that moment. But my thoughts go to wondering if he ever had simple conversations with friends other than those conversations that were meant to be teaching moments. All of his conversations seemed to have a purpose to them--of course, a divine purpose. Jesus had a mission to accomplish and nothing could derail him from that mission.

We are called to commit ourselves to Christ's mission in that we are to give of ourselves to those who have very little. We are to serve others, not ourselves. We are to deny benefitting ourselves in favor of benefitting others. In human terms that is difficult to do. In divine terms it is probably very easy to do.

Quote

"One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." Jack Penn

Let us pray

Lord, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. Amen