NOVEMBER 9-15, 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
JUDGES 4:1-7 (click here for passage)
This passage in Judges begins with the Israelite’s current standing before the Lord: “The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” This is followed by the Lord’s judgement: “So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan.” Yet another example that shows how God is not indifferent to the ethics of his people. To this point in the narrative of the Old Testament we witness the manner in which God has covenanted himself to his people. We have read stories of God’s faithfulness to Israel and yet how Israel continually displays her faithlessness to God. And often what we find is how Israel is subjected to the natural consequences of her disobedience. This passage is one of the stories of Israel’s subjection to those consequences. Yet, what we also find is how God remains present and faithful through the faithfulness of the righteous. In this case, the prophetess Deborah. In our own lives I’m sure we can all think of instances in which we have been subjected to the natural consequences of our disobedience or wrong-doing. And yet, if we look closely I’m sure we can also see how God had remained present in our lives whether that’s through the faithfulness of those around us that have been pointing us towards God or through the prayer and intercession of those close to us.
As we wrestle with this passage, reflect on what God’s deliverance in your life and the life of your community has looked like throughout your life.
PSALM 123 (click here for passage)
I don’t know as we talk much these days about “supplication for mercy”. This is our title for our Psalm reading this week. And there are a few really interesting ideas that develop when we consider asking God for mercy. The first is that God is capable of being affected by our prayers. We often think of God as unchangeable and unmoving but what this Psalm teaches us is that God might actually act based on the prayers, longings, and pleas from his people. If we’re honest with ourselves, it can be comfortable to think that God is unchanging and unmoving because in that reality it doesn’t matter how we live and how we pray. What God wills is what will be. If God cannot be moved within the context of relationship then it matters very little how we operate within his world because it has all been ordained by him. But Psalm 23 presents an altogether different paradigm. Here we have some responsibility as to how we live and how we pray because God is actually invested in the lives and the prayers of his people. We find that our prayers are heard by God and that he responds in faithfulness to his righteous people.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:1-11 (click here for passage)
The Day of the Lord is a recurring theme in the Old Testament and Paul, a good Jew, is working to make the connections for the church in Thessalonica between the ancient Jewish narrative and its fulfillment in Christ. In the Old Testament you get the sense that the Day of the Lord is a two-sided coin. On one side, the day of the Lord is victory and celebration for the people of God, but on the other, it is a day of terror for those that are not near to the Lord. The Day of the Lord is judgement. Furthermore, a thread that runs throughout this theme and one that Jesus, and here Paul, attests to is the notion that those that thought they would be safe on the Day of the Lord safe are not. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that Christ’s return is imminent and that the Church ought to be attentive and not find herself sleeping or in darkness on that day. And we find ourselves in the same place today. We don’t know the hour of Christ’s coming but we live in the anticipation and hope that God will come again to dwell with us and in the meantime we live in the attentive anticipation that Christ has called us to.
MATTHEW 22:34-46 (click here for passage)
It is fitting that we would read this parable of Jesus’ on the heels of reading Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. The parable serves as an allegory to what the Church was experiencing then and is still experiencing now. In this parable the master goes away temporarily, expecting to return and when he does he expects a return on the investment that he had made in his servants. He finds this to be the case with the first two servants but with the final servant, to whom he had given the least, he finds that the servant had buried his talent in the ground for safe keeping. The master, like Jesus, expects there to be multiplication of the resources that had been given. But unlike the master, Jesus’ investment is not merely a financial one, but a relational investment. Like, the passage from I Thessalonians we are implored to action; that we ought not be sleeping or inactive upon the return of the master.
REFLECTION
Our lectionary readings this week seem to have a sense of urgency. There is this sense that God is actually invested in the manner that we live and that in covenant with him, he has expectations of us. As these scriptures become our prayers for the week maybe we would spend time asking God how he would have us respond to his word. What might the Spirit be guiding us to in these days?
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 Soldiers of Honor, a local boxing gym that is working with the youth of Lima to provide meaningful activity and guidance.
For more information on our Faith Promise partners, click here.