SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2020
Below are our lectionary passages for this week in the Church calendar. For those unfamiliar, the lectionary is a resource that churches all over the world use to consistently and uniformly read through the scriptures every week as we gather for worship. The lectionary passages typically consist of a combination of Old Testament readings, a Psalm, a New Testament letter, and a Gospel reading.
We dwell on these passages throughout the week so that when we gather together on Sunday we may proclaim these truths together in worship. We encourage you to find some rhythm of reading and meditating on these passages throughout the course of the week, whether that’s reading through all of the passages daily or reading a single passage a day until you’ve read them all. We have included below some commentary and thought for guided prayer and reflection.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. - Psalm 119:105
EXODUS 17:1-7 (click here for passage)
“Is the Lord among us or not?” Throughout their wandering in the desert, this seems to be Israel’s primary hangup. It’s the question that resides at the root of every action they take. Is God in our presence or are we alone? And based on their incessant complaining to Moses it would seem as though, often, they did not believe that God was among them. The temptation in reading scripture is to read the stories and think that we are somehow morally and/or spiritually superior to the characters that we read; that we have some revelation of intellect or insight that allows us to see what they could not. In this case, I think it’s easy to sympathize with Moses and think that we could never be as dense as the Israelites he was leading but I wonder how much time we spend complaining about our situations. And really I think that we are perpetually asking the same question in ways, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Ought we to live as if God is in our midst or is he so far off and removed from our existence that our lives have no bearing on His righteousness? Within ourselves lives the same capacity to complain and to test and quarrel. And so we ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” The same God that has been active throughout creation has revealed himself in the person of Jesus to one who is indissolubly, inextricably, unwaveringly bound to His creation.
How does knowing that the Lord is among us affect the way we live?
PSALM 78:1-4, 12-20 (click here for passage)
Our Psalm reading this week closely follows the story that we’ve been tracking in Exodus. It recounts God’s faithfulness and Israel’s faithlessness. The Psalm reflects on God’s many miracles and wonders as he delivered Israel out of the hands of Egypt and yet Israel only manages to complain about how bad their situation has become. It can be tempting to think Israel is just a petulant group of people that are perpetually in a state of unwarranted dissatisfaction but the reality is that they are in a tough place. They’ve been led into the desert trusting in the guidance of one man that they just hope is hearing from God and there’s not a lot of food and water around. It’s a desert after all. And yet the psalmist reminds us that God’s people are a people, first and foremost of gratitude. Despite life's current circumstances and tribulations, what remains consistent and unchanging is God’s faithfulness and provision. And because of this, we are to be a people that are characterized by our gratitude for life, not because it’s easy and consistently happy but because God is consistently present with His creation.
What are areas in our own lives that often elicit complaint and what are some ways in which we can choose gratitude over complaint?
Philippians 2:1-13 (click here for passage)
In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul encourages the reader to take on the humility in Christ. We’re reminded that even Christ, being God, did not perceive himself to be equal to God, but rather, humbled himself to the point of suffering on a cross. In this way Paul reminds the reader that we are not to think ourselves better than one another, rather, we imitate Christ’s humility, responding as servants to all. And this seems to be a tall order in these days, to regard one better than ourselves. And the tough part is that Paul doesn’t qualify those who we ought to think better than ourselves. There’s no caveat, no “but”, no “unless.” We are to look to the interests of others regardless of how they vote or whether or not they wear a mask.
MATTHEW 21:23-32 (click here for passage)
In our gospel reading this week we witness Jesus in the temple sparring with the chief priests and the elders. They demand to know by whose authority Jesus is performing these acts. Bear in mind that in the passages leading up to this one Jesus had just made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and had cleansed the temple of the money changers, flipping their tables and running them out. So naturally, the chief priests want to know who is responsible for this and why. Jesus responds by putting them in a situation where it is impossible to confirm or deny His true nature, lest the priests jeopardize their own safety. In many ways, they are faced with the same question that the people of Israel were faced with in the story of Exodus, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Is this man who he claims to be or not? Ultimately they choose indecision so as to not upset the status quo in the temple.
REFLECTION
As you dwell and meditate on these scriptures, would they also inform your prayer life. Might these scriptures of the revelation of the Triune God shape how you experience and interact with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As a church we also support many local, domestic and international ministries that are serving as the hands and feet of Christ. Not only do we support these Faith Promise Partners financially, we have also committed to supporting them in prayer. This week would you be in prayer for The Wheelhouse, a local bicycle cooperative that is refurbishing used bicycles for those that most need transportation.
For more information on our Faith Promise partners, click here.