Musings for the 5th Sunday of Pentecost

Sunday, June 27, 2010
Lectionary 13
Proper 8
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Reflection by Gary Lazenby

INTRODUCTION
We have no good apart from God. That makes our Lord’s call to follow him an invitation to freedom. This is freedom to revel in the Spirit’s fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, and the like. This is the path of life.

Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, died 444
Cyril defended the orthodox teachings about the person of Christ. After a conflict involving all of the major Christian leaders of the time, it was decided that Cyril's interpretation, that Christ's person included both divine and human natures, was correct.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)
Sovereign God, ruler of all hearts, you call us to obey you, and you favor us with true freedom. Keep us faithful to the ways of your Son, that, leaving behind all that hinders us, we may steadfastly follow your paths, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

First Reading 1 Kings 19:15–16, 19–21
In the story preceding today's reading, the prophet Elijah flees for his life to the security of God's mountain. There the Lord reveals to Elijah that there are still other faithful people in Israel and commissions him to anoint new leaders, including his own successor, Elisha.

15Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 19So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. 20He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" 21He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

Psalm (ELW) Psalm 16
I have set the LORD always before me. (Ps. 16:8)
1Protect me, O God, for I take ref- | uge in you;
I have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, my good a- | bove all other."
2All my delight is in the godly that are | in the land,
upon those who are noble a- | mong the people.
3But those who run after | other gods
shall have their troubles | multiplied.
4I will not pour out drink offerings | to such gods,
never take their names up- | on my lips.
5O LORD, you are my portion | and my cup;
it is you who up- | hold my lot.
6My boundaries enclose a | pleasant land;
indeed, I have a | rich inheritance.
7I will bless the LORD who | gives me counsel;
my heart teaches me night | after night.
8I have set the LORD al- | ways before me;
because God is at my right hand, I shall | not be shaken.
9My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spir- | it rejoices;
my body also shall | rest in hope.
10For you will not abandon me | to the grave,
nor let your holy one | see the pit.
11You will show me the | path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for- | evermore.

Second Reading Galatians 5:1, 13–25
For Paul, the freedom Christ gives is not permission to do whatever we want. It is the invitation to be what we could not be otherwise. The power and guidance of Christ's Holy Spirit produce a different kind of life, one marked by the fruit of this Holy Spirit.

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
13For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Gospel Luke 9:51–62
Jesus is unwavering in his commitment to his mission in Jerusalem and will not be swayed by pettiness. In a series of striking cases in point, he calls his disciples to a similar single-mindedness.

51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56Then they went on to another village.
57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection
How often do you make excuses? If you are like me, it is frequently. Too tired to exercise. I deserve the large dessert because I worked hard. I really need (not want) the new stainless grill with 3 burners. Making excuses is not new. People even made excuses in Jesus’ day. In Luke’s Gospel for this week, Jesus was walking along the road with a group of people. Jesus turned to one of the men and said to him, “Follow me.”

The man answered, “First let me go and bury my father.” That sounds like a good excuse, but we don’t even know that the man’s father was dead. He may have wanted to wait until his father died before he began to follow Jesus.

Jesus answered him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Jesus did not like the second man’s excuse either when directed to follow Jesus. Jesus was calling those who would give up everything – family, friends, their job – and follow him. What he got instead was excuses.

Jesus is still calling today. Can you hear him say, “Follow me!” Will you follow, or will you make excuses?

Let Us Pray…
…for those who sacrifice and follow Jesus
…for those at Atonement who provide leadership to follow Jesus
…for those who are church-less and unable to hear Jesus calling to follow him
…for those who are in need of others who follow Jesus

Quote
“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Benjamin Franklin

Musings for Pentecost 4

Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Deb Johnson

INTRODUCTION
This Sunday’s texts paint startling pictures of the horrific—the demonic—nature of sin. The church’s repeated celebration of the holy communion counters that tragic reality in a continued showing forth of the death of Jesus "until he comes." It is a dramatic declaration of "how much God has done for you."

Prayer of the Day

O Lord God, we bring before you the cries of a sorrowing world. In your mercy set us free from the chains that bind us, and defend us from everything that is evil, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

First Reading Isaiah 65:1–9

The prophet announces God's impatience. The people's self absorption is idolatry, and images from pagan worship fill this reading. Like a vintner who crushes the grape to release the wine, God will use Israel's exile to establish a new community of the faithful.

I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, "Here I am, here I am,"
to a nation that did not call on my name.
²I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
³a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and offering incense on bricks;
⁴who sit inside tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat swine's flesh,
with broth of abominable things in their vessels;
⁵who say, "Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you."
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.
⁶See, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their laps
⁷their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities together,
says the LORD;
because they offered incense on the mountains
and reviled me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
full payment for their actions.
⁸Thus says the LORD:
As the wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, "Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,"
so I will do for my servants' sake,
and not destroy them all.
⁹I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;
my chosen shall inherit it,
and my servants shall settle there.

Psalm Psalm 22:19–28

In the midst of the assembly I will praise you. (Ps. 22:22)

¹⁹But you, O LORD, be not far away;

O my help, hasten to my aid.

²⁰Deliver me from the sword,

my life from the power of the dog.

²¹Save me from the lion's mouth!

From the horns of wild bulls you have rescued me.

²²I will declare your name to my people;

in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.

²³You who fear the LORD, give praise! All you of Jacob's line, give glory.

Stand in awe of the LORD, all you off- spring of Israel.

²⁴For the LORD does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither is the LORD's face hidden from them;

but when they cry out, the LORD hears them.

²⁵From you comes my praise in the great assembly;

I will perform my vows in the sight of those who ^| fear the LORD.

²⁶The poor shall eat ^| and be satisfied.

Let those who seek the LORD give praise! May your hearts live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD;

all the families of nations shall bow ^| before God.

²⁸For dominion belongs to the LORD,

who rules over the nations.

Second Reading Galatians 3:23–29

For Paul, baptism is a powerful bond that unites people not only with God but with other believers. Those who call themselves children of God experience a transformation that removes prejudices of race, social class, or gender in favor of true unity in Christ.

²³Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Gospel Luke 8:26–39

Jesus' mission includes foreigners, and his authority extends to the casting out of demons. Some who witness Jesus' work are seized with confusion and fear, but the man who was healed is commissioned to give testimony of God's mercy and power.

²⁶Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" — ²⁹for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) ³⁰Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. ³¹They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

³²Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Reflection

Sometimes I am never quite sure what the lessons for the week mean. As I read and read again, I seek “insight”. So over time, I wait, wonder, and start anew. This time two phrases popped out: “Here I am, here I am.” and “In the midst of the assembly I will praise you.”

Here I am. Here I am, Lord, here I am. In my office is where I am. In the garden pulling weeds, mowing the lawn and trimming a tree, here I am. Walking the dog, washing the car, eating with friends, here I am. What is wonderful is that it is in all of these places and in all of these interactions, wherever I am, there is God also. Lord wherever I am … is where I am … Lord, use me as an instrument of your peace.

I, the Lord of sea and sky

I have heard my people cry

All who dwell in dark and sin

My hand will save.

I who made the stars and night

I will make the darkness bright

Who will bear my light to them

Whom shall I send?

I the Lord of snow and rain

I have borne my people's pain

I have wept for love of them

They turn away.

I will break their hearts of stone

Fill their hearts with love alone

I will speak my word to them

Whom shall I send?

Here I am Lord

Is it I Lord?

I have heard you calling in the night

I will go Lord

If you lead me

I will hold your people in my heart.

I will hold your people in my heart...

In the midst of the assembly I will praise you. As Lutherans the concept of “praise” is sometimes something someone else does in an assembly. Can you imagine it, raising your hands and saying “praise the Lord” … at the end of a hymn shouting “Amen?” I have a hard enough time praising God with others, let alone in an assembly. So where do I start? Praising God in writing for the wonders of the world, for the heart of another, for time, for rain, for friends, for music, laughter, a faith community. Its my way to move from the cognitive to the affective praising!

Here you are … praise God! Wherever you are, stop and praise God.

Let us pray

For those seeking healing and restoration.

For the damaged waters of the Gulf.

For those who travel these days and those charged with providing safe journey.

For laughter, tears, joy and sorrow.

For children waiting adoption.