Revised Common Lectionary: ♡Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-11; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-421/10/2023
Dear Friends in Christ-
For the second week in a row, the Revised Common Lectionary begins with one of the Suffering Servant songs of Isaiah. In 49:1-7, once again God declares that the people of Israel, personified as the Suffering Servant, are to be a light to all nations. Through God’s people, God’s faithfulness is made known, and though other nations have despised God, their leaders shall prostrate themselves and worship because of what God has done for Israel. God has known the people from before they were a nation, before they came to be. Though the servant did not want to follow God’s call, they now serve God fully, calling even their own people back to worship. Isaiah 49:1-7, New International Version The Servant of the Lord 49 Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” 4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” 5 And now the Lord says-- he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am[a] honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength-- 6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” 7 This is what the Lord says-- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel-- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” Why Worship? ... This is an excellent question and, often, a very personal one. If we are able to get a handle on the why?, we might better understand the 'what is' of Worship, distinguishing Worship from other, spiritual activities? Did you know that, in its essence, Worship is not about our likes and dislikes? Indeed, it's first and foremost about our/my relationship with God. Think about Worship. Why do you Worship? How does your Worship benefit God? Be blessed, P Jim ♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< Dear Friends in Christ-
The Gospel lesson of Matthew 2:13-23 takes place after the visit of the magi. Not long after the wise ones have left, Joseph has another dream, in which the angel tells him he needs to get up and take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt, for Herod was looking for the child to destroy him. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt until Herod’s death. The writer of Matthew used passages from the Hebrew scriptures to prove Jesus was the prophesied Messiah. One such passage was Hosea 11:1, in which the prophet was referring to Israel’s past relationship with God, in that God led the people (personified as God’s child) out of their oppression in Egypt. Another was Jeremiah 31:15, in which Jeremiah uses Rachel, one of the matriarchs of Israel, to show that even their ancestors weep for what the people have been through as they were taken into exile. However, the following verse is God’s response to the people, that there is hope to be found. While it appears that the writer of Matthew took the verse out of context to show the devastation of Herod’s actions to the children of Judea, Matthew uses Jeremiah in a similar way to Jeremiah’s use of Rachel. Matthew is continuing a literary tradition, linking the past with the present in a new context. Nonetheless, we must not conclude that the new context is widely accepted by the community as a whole, nor negates the previous contexts. Once Herod was dead, Joseph again dreamed of an angel telling him to return, but this time, Joseph was afraid to return to Judea with another member of Herod’s family on the throne. Instead, he moves the family north to Nazareth, connecting Matthew’s Gospel accounts with other accounts that Jesus was from Nazareth. Once again, the writer of Matthew uses Hebrew scriptures, but either misunderstands the term Nazorean—a child set aside for God, like Samson and Samuel in the Hebrew Scriptures—or it was a deliberate play on words. In Matthew’s account, this ends the stories of Jesus’s childhood. Matthew 2:13-23, New International Version The Escape to Egypt 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[a] 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”[b] The Return to Nazareth 19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene. Tomorrow we will back up a bit and talk about the Wise Ones and the significance of their gifts. Join us! What questions will you bring to worship tomorrow? In His Service, P Jim ♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< Dear Friends in Christ-
While most scholars are uncertain if Paul wrote Ephesians, in 3:1-12, the writer, purporting to be Paul in prison, writes of how the mystery of God has been revealed now: Gentiles are also fellow heirs of God through Jesus Christ. Gentiles and Jews are members of the same body, and the church is what can bring them together on earth. Paul is the servant of God, called to deliver this message, even though he is “the least of all saints,” now in prison. God is using him to share the message: that through the church the wisdom of God may be made known to all people, even rulers, even powers in the heavens. Believers have access to God and confidence in faith because of Jesus Christ, who came for all people. Ephesians 3:1-12 New International Version God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles 3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- 2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. An excellent question this day: Do I have confidence in my approach to God? Another: Is Jesus my justification? How does this knowledge inform my faith? Have you found your Epiphany? Think...Pray...Share... In His Service, P Jim ♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< Dear Friends in Christ-
For Epiphany we begin with the glorious proclamation of Third Isaiah in 60:1-6: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” For the people returning from exile, God promised them that nations would be drawn to their light, because of what God had done for them. They were a witness for God in the world, and would be blessed by other nations, who would share with them their wealth—including gold and frankincense, brought in on the backs of camels! Isaiah 60:1-6, New International Version The Glory of Zion 60 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. Do you remember the tradition of giving a house-warming gift when someone moves into the neighborhood or a shower gift to celebrate the birth of a baby? These tributes and traditions have a long tradition. They are especially meaningful at a birth of a significant person. This Sunday, we will look to the meaning of the traditional gifts given to Jesus by the "Wise Ones." What questions come to mind as you think on the various traditions of the "Three Kings?" Do you celebrate their contribution to the Christmas experience? Did you realize that they, by tradition, did not arrive at Jesus' birth at a manger in Bethlehem (but ~2 years later at Nazareth)? What questions come to mind as you think about Epiphany? In His Service, P Jim ♥️⚓️ ♡Special thanks to Rev. Mindi, workingpreacher, Hope for the Broken Hearted and/or Star Bright Angels for their contribution to this effort of Daily Prayer and Study. All scripture is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary and, unless otherwise indicated, from the New International Version of the Bible. The intent of this effort is to inform our faith and grow closer to God, while preparing for next Sunday's Worship. ~James 4:8 <x>< |
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September 2023
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