Musings for Lent 5

Sunday, March 25, 2012
Fifth Sunday in Lent

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
God promises Jeremiah that a "new covenant" will be made in the future: a covenant that will allow all the people to know God by heart. The church sees this promise fulfilled in Christ, who draws all people to himself when he is lifted up on the cross. Our baptismal covenant draws us to God's heart through Christ and draws God's light and truth into our hearts. We see God's heart most clearly in the way Jesus shares human suffering, in an agony both the John and Hebrews readings describe.

Annunciation of Our Lord
Nine months before Christmas we celebrate the annunciation, in which the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God. The ancient church believed that this was also the date of the world's creation and of Jesus' death on the cross.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

O God, with steadfast love you draw us to yourself, and in mercy you receive our prayers.
Strengthen us to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, that through life and death we may live in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

FIRST READING

Jeremiah 31:31–34

The Judeans in Babylon blamed their exile on their ancestors, who had broken the covenant established at Sinai. Here the prophet looks to a day when God will make a new covenant with the people. There will be no need to teach the law, because God will write it on their hearts.

³¹The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ³²It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt — a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. ³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the LORD," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 51:1–12

Create in me a clean heart, O God. (Ps. 51:10)

¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your ^| steadfast love;

in your great compassion blot out ^| my offenses.

²Wash me through and through ^| from my wickedness,

and cleanse me ^| from my sin.

³For I know ^| my offenses,

and my sin is ev- ^| er before me.

⁴Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil ^| in your sight;

so you are justified when you speak

and right ^| in your judgment.

⁵Indeed, I was born ^| steeped in wickedness,

a sinner from my ^| mother's womb.

⁶Indeed, you delight in truth ^| deep within me,

and would have me know wisdom ^| deep within.

⁷Remove my sins with hyssop, and I ^| shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be pur- ^| er than snow.

⁸Let me hear ^| joy and gladness;

that the body you have broken ^| may rejoice.

⁹Hide your face ^| from my sins,

and blot out ^| all my wickedness.

¹⁰Create in me a clean ^| heart, O God,

and renew a right spir- ^| it within me.

¹¹Cast me not away ^| from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spir- ^| it from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of ^| your salvation

and sustain me with your boun- ^| tiful Spirit.

SECOND READING

Hebrews 5:5–10

Using priestly imagery and references to the Old Testament, the author explains how Christ lived in trusting obedience to God, and so God has made Christ the source of our eternal salvation.

⁵So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
"You are my Son,
today I have begotten you";
⁶as he says also in another place,
"You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek."
⁷In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; ⁹and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

GOSPEL

John 12:20–33

Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to celebrate the Passover festival. Here Jesus’ words about seeds planted in the ground turn the disaster of his death into the promise of a harvest in which everyone will be gathered.

²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." ²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
²⁷Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." ²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." ³⁰Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Reflection

One of my favorite parts of the Lutheran liturgy is a song based on today's Psalm. I have caught myself humming the tune and singing the song to myself long after Sunday morning has passed. The Psalm says,

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

I've long believed that we are all born with God-shaped void inside of us. When that void is not filled, we ache. Many of us spend a lot of our lives trying to fill this void with personal "stuff". We think if we become busy or famous or if we are admired or if we are well educated that the void will be filled and the ache in our soul be soothed. In our Gospel lesson today Jesus tells us we need to focus on something else besides ourselves. Actually, to follow him we need to be like a kernel of wheat and die. We have to die to self in order to bear much fruit. During Lent, as we take time to pray, read, and reflect, God continues to call us closer. As we move self out of the way, we see that it was blocking our view of God. We need to die to ourselves and be open to God in our lives. When we do, we realize that that God-shaped void is being filled with God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom and the patience to understand your scriptures. Help us to listen for your voice and obey. We ask that your protecting hand will be on all of those who serve our country and work for peace. Teach us compassion for the sick, the suffering, and those in need.

Quote

“There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every[one] which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”

Blaise Pascal (a 17^th century French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher)

Musings for Easter 7

Sunday, June 5, 2011
Seventh Sunday of Easter

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, we gather with the disciples in the upper room, waiting for the Spirit to transform the church around the world. In today's gospel Jesus prays for his followers and for their mission in his name. Amid religious, social, and economic divisions, we seek the unity that Jesus had with his Father. Made one in baptism, we go forth to live our faith in the world, eager for the unity that God intends for the whole human family.

Boniface, Bishop of Mainz, missionary to Germany, martyr, died 754
Boniface was a native of England who became a Benedictine monk and was called to missionary work among the Vandal tribes of Germany. With fellow workers, he established churches and schools, and he also worked to reform the church.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW

O God of glory, your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us and ascended to your right hand.
Unite us with Christ and each other in suffering and in joy, that all the world may be drawn into your bountiful presence, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

FIRST READING

Acts 1:6–14

Today's reading is part of the introduction to the narrative of the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost. These verses tell of the risen Lord's conversation with his disciples on the eve of his ascension.

⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" ⁷He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ⁹When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. ¹³When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. ¹⁴All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

PSALM (ELW)

Psalm 68:1–10, 32–35

Sing to God, who rides upon the clouds. (Ps. 68:4)

¹Let God arise, and let God's ene- ^| mies be scattered;

let those who ^| hate God flee.

²As smoke is driven away, so you should drive ^| them away;

as the wax melts before the fire,

so let the wicked perish at the pres- ^| ence of God.

³But let the righteous be glad and rejoice ^| before God;

let them also be mer- ^| ry and joyful.

⁴Sing to God, sing praises to God's name; exalt the one who ^| rides the clouds;

I AM is that name, rejoice ^| before God! R

⁵In your holy habita- ^| tion, O God,

you are a father to orphans, defend- ^| er of widows;

⁶you give the solitary a home and bring forth prisoners ^| into freedom;

but the rebels shall live in ^| desert places.

⁷O God, when you went forth be- ^| fore your people,

when you marched ^| through the wilderness,

⁸the earth quaked, and the skies poured down rain,

at the presence of God, the ^| God of Sinai,

at the presence of God, the ^| God of Israel.

⁹You sent a bountiful ^| rain, O God;

you restored your inheritance ^| when it languished.

¹⁰Your people found their ^| home in it;

in your goodness, O God, you have made provision ^| for the poor. R

³²Sing to God, O kingdoms ^| of the earth;

sing praises ^| to the Lord.

³³You ride in the heavens, O God, in the ^| ancient heavens;

you send forth your voice, your ^| mighty voice.

³⁴Ascribe pow- ^| er to God,

whose majesty is over Israel; whose strength is ^| in the skies.

³⁵How wonderful you are in your holy places, O ^| God of Israel,

giving strength and power to your people! ^| Blessed be God! R

SECOND READING

1 Peter 4:12–14; 5:6–11

Our faith in Christ does not make us immune from the scorn of others. Nevertheless, we are to resist the designs of evil when we experience disparagement from others, because we trust God’s grace will strengthen and guide us.

Chapter 4

¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

Chapter 5

⁶Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. ⁷Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. ⁸Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. ¹⁰And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

GOSPEL

John 17:1–11

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prays to his heavenly Father, asking that those who continue his work in this world will live in unity.

After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ²since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. ⁵So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
⁶I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; ⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. ¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

Reflection

John the apostle's writing style is often difficult for me to grasp. Rev. David Ewart explains, "As always with John, we must allow the circling repetition and non-sequiturs to be like the swirling eddies of a whirl pool. We don't try to manage them; try to make them line up; make them be sequential and logical. We relax in them; let them swirl around us; we soak in them; we let them become an environment in which we experience the true life that comes from Jesus."

So as I sit in John's verbal whirlpool, the experience I get from this week's gospel reading is the quality of unity and oneness. Jesus is praying for believers to be of one heart and one mind with God and Him. I am called to join the oneness of God and Jesus. This calling is for now and for eternity, when time will end. You are also a believer and are called to be at one with God and Jesus. So in God and Jesus, you and I are one.

From our first Sunday at Atonement Lutheran Church, Teddy and I have felt this oneness with God, Jesus, and you our Atonement family. Each Sunday we join our family at the communion table and experience this oneness. And once again we are reminded to be thankful for God's goodness in directing our lives to Atonement Lutheran.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom and patience to understand your scriptures. Help us to internalize oneness with you and your believers. Help us to listen to your voice. We ask that your protecting hand will be on all of those who serve our country and work for peace. Teach us compassion for the sick, the suffering, and those in need.

Musings for Pentecost 16

Sunday, September 12, 2010
Lectionary 24
Proper 19
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Midweek Musings
Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
The grumbling of the Pharisees and the scribes in today’s gospel is actually our holy hope: This Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. That our God wills to seek and to save the lost is not only a holy hope, it is our only hope. As Paul’s first letter to Timothy reminds us, "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Thanks be to God.


Prayer of the Day (ELW)
O God, overflowing with mercy and compassion, you lead back to yourself all those who go astray. Preserve your people in your loving care, that we may reject whatever is contrary to you and may follow all things that sustain our life in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

First Reading Exodus 32:7–14
While Moses is on Mount Sinai, the people grow restless and make a golden calf to worship. Today's reading shows Moses as the mediator between an angry God and a sinful people. Moses reminds God that the Israelites are God's own people and boldly asks mercy for them.

7The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" 9The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. 10Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."
11But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, 'I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.


Psalm (ELW) Psalm 51:1–10
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love. (Ps. 51:1)
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your | steadfast love;
in your great compassion blot out | my offenses.
2Wash me through and through | from my wickedness,
and cleanse me | from my sin.
3For I know | my offenses,
and my sin is ev- | er before me.
4Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil | in your sight;
so you are justified when you speak and right | in your judgment. R
5Indeed, I was born | steeped in wickedness,
a sinner from my | mother's womb.
6Indeed, you delight in truth | deep within me,
and would have me know wisdom | deep within.
7Remove my sins with hyssop, and I | shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be pur- | er than snow.
8Let me hear | joy and gladness;
that the body you have broken | may rejoice.
9Hide your face | from my sins,
and blot out | all my wickedness.
10Create in me a clean | heart, O God,
and renew a right spir- | it within me. R


Second Reading 1 Timothy 1:12–17
The letters to Timothy are called the Pastoral Epistles because they contain advice especially intended for leaders in the church. Here the mercy shown to Paul, who once persecuted the church, is cited as evidence that even the most unworthy may become witnesses to the grace of God.

12I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the foremost. 16But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.


Gospel Luke 15:1–10
Jesus tells two stories that suggest a curious connection between the lost being found and sinners repenting. God takes the initiative to find sinners, each of whom is so precious to God that his or her recovery brings joy in heaven.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."
3So he told them this parable: 4Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
8Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Reflection
Some consider Paul the Apostle to be the co-founder of Christianity. I think that elevates him a bit too much, so I rather see him as the application of the Christian principles. His teachings and letters to the young churches around the Mediterranean Sea were so important to the growth of Christianity in the early centuries and they are truly timeless today. This week's second reading is from Paul's first letter to Timothy and I get such a powerful message when I read it slowly and digest each word.

"… the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners … for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, … Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life."

Here is the key principle: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners". The application of the principle is, "making me an example to those who would come to believe in him". Being an example of Christ was Paul's passion; it was to be Timothy and his church's passion; it is my passion. This reading contains an interesting phrase, "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance". Lutherans often question if a passage in the Bible should be interpreted literally or as a hyperbole. Paul is saying that there is no softening of the key principle and its application by considering it a hyperbole. Christ literally came into the world to save sinners and I am literally to be an example of Christ.

Prayer
Lord we give thanks for your love that brought you into the world to save us.
We pray for strength to be examples of you.
We pray for wisdom to understand your scriptures.
We ask that your protecting hand will be on all those who serve our country and work for peace.
Teach us compassion for the sick, the suffering, and those in need.

Quote
Here's a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I'm proof - Public Sinner Number One. 1 Timothy 1:15 from The Message

Musings for Lent 3

Sunday, March 7, 2010
Third Sunday in Lent
Midweek Musings
Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
The warnings are plentiful and blunt on the third Sunday in Lent. Lent is a season of repentance. Cut it out or get cut down! The warnings are accompanied by God's invitation to attentiveness: "Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live." The landowner's ultimatum is forestalled by the gardener's readiness to till the ground one more year. That is good news for all of us. Thanks be to God!

Perpetua and Felicity and companions, martyrs at Carthage, died 202
Vibia Perpetua was a noblewoman, and Felicity her slave, who were catechumens at Carthage, northern Africa. They, with four other catechumens, had defied the Roman emperor who had forbidden conversions to Christianity, and were put to death in the amphitheater.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)
Eternal God, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Help us to hear your word and obey it, and bring your saving love to fruition in our lives, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.


First Reading Isaiah 55:1–9
To those who have experienced long years in exile, the return to their homeland is a celebration of abundant life. God calls them into an everlasting covenant of love. Those who return to the Lord will enjoy new life and forgiveness, because God's ways are not our ways.

Ho, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and you that have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
3Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
4See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
5See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
6Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
7let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
9For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.


Psalm (ELW) Psalm 63:1–8
O God, eagerly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (Ps. 63:1)
1O God, you are my God; eager- | ly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there | is no water.
2Therefore I have gazed upon you in your | holy place,
that I might behold your power | and your glory.
3For your steadfast love is better than | life itself;
my lips shall | give you praise.
4So will I bless you as long | as I live
and lift up my hands | in your name.
5My spirit is content, as with the rich- | est of foods,
and my mouth praises you with | joyful lips,
6when I remember you up- | on my bed,
and meditate on you in | the night watches.
7For you have | been my helper,
and under the shadow of your wings I | will rejoice.
8My whole being | clings to you;
your right hand | holds me fast.


Second Reading 1 Corinthians 10:1–13
Paul uses images from Hebrew story and prophecy to speak the truth of Jesus Christ: He is our rock, our water, our food, and our drink. Christ is the living sign of God's faithfulness.

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
6Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.


Gospel Luke 13:1–9
Asked about current tragic events, Jesus turns a lesson about whether suffering is deserved into a hard call to obedience. He then tells a parable that holds out hope that the timeline for ultimate judgment will be tempered by patience.

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them — do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did."
6Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Reflection
I have often asked myself, why do bad things happen to seemly good people? Apparently, others were asking that same question over 2000 years ago. In our second reading, Paul in his letter to the Corinthians reminds this young church of believers that the rain falls on everyone. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone; so bad things happen to good people and to bad people alike. He goes onto say that as Christians, even when you think you’ve been singled out for “cruel and inhuman treatment”, God is faithful to us and won’t allow you to get more rain than you can handle. During times in my life when I have experienced “cruel and inhuman treatment” I’ve wonder about that, but in hindsight it’s true, I was able to handle it. Most likely because during those times, he provided a way for me to endure it. God is good.

Prayer
Lord we give thanks for God’s amazing grace and pray for:

• strength to withstand the rain
• continuing wisdom for President Obama
• all those who serve our country and work for peace
• the sick, the suffering, and those in need

Quote
Things that don’t kill you outright, make you stronger.
From “Grooks”, by Piet Hein