Week
of 6 Pentecost B
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of
Worship 3-year Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the
Day..." (Propers), p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis,
1978. It is based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common
Lectionary, used by many denominations, including the Episcopal,
Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches:
http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for the following
Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship.
Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran
Church, "Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran
Church of America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for
Matins and Vespers, p. 299 - 304, Philadelphia, 1918.
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| First Posted July 13, 2008; | |
|
Podcast Download: Week of 6 Pentecost B
Sunday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 12, 2009;
Podcast: Sunday 6 Pentecost B
Psalm 30 -- From Mourning to Celebration;
Lamentations 3:22-33 -- Unending Love and New
Mercies Daily;
2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-14 -- Commitment and
Obedience;
Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43 -- Jairus’ Daughter;
Psalm Paraphrase:
The Lord had heard the Psalmist’s prayer for
healing, had delivered the Psalmist from sickness and death, and
had restored him to life.
The Lord’s anger (his corrective discipline) is momentary, designed to restore us to God’s favor which is reliable and eternal. We may suffer grief for a short while, but we will be restored to joy again. Our grief will be replaced by joy with the dawn of the new day (now in this temporal world, and in the New Creation in eternity).
The Lord’s anger (his corrective discipline) is momentary, designed to restore us to God’s favor which is reliable and eternal. We may suffer grief for a short while, but we will be restored to joy again. Our grief will be replaced by joy with the dawn of the new day (now in this temporal world, and in the New Creation in eternity).
The Psalmist had placed his trust in the Lord,
and called upon the Lord in time of trouble and need. The Lord
heard his cry, and healed and delivered him from trouble. The Lord
had changed his mourning into joy and celebration. So also those
who trust and call upon the Lord can be certain that they will be
delivered even from physical death to the joy of eternal life in
the heavenly paradise of God’s Kingdom.
Lamentations Paraphrase:
God has never-ending love and mercy for us. His
mercy and love are renewed and fresh every morning. His
faithfulness is great beyond measure. I have chosen the Lord as my
portion and lot in life, and therefore I will hope in him.
The Lord blesses and rewards those who seek and
wait for the Lord. It is best for one to wait quietly for the
salvation of the Lord. It is well for a person to learn the
discipline of the Lord in his youth. Let him endure in silence
alone when he is disciplined; let him humble himself before the
Lord, for there is yet hope. Let him willingly endure abuse and
insults by humans in this world.
The Lord won’t abandon him forever. Although
the Lord may cause him grief, he will also have compassion in
proportion to his abundant, steadfast love. The Lord doesn’t
willingly grieve and afflict us (he disciplines us, like a loving
parent, for our own good).
2 Corinthians Paraphrase:
Paul had been collecting an offering from among
his congregations to help the financially needy Christians in
Jerusalem who were experiencing persecution. The Macedonian
congregations, who were themselves experiencing affliction and
poverty, had contributed generously beyond their financial
ability, out of their joy and thanksgiving for God’s grace (free
gift of salvation and God’s providence). Their generosity was the
result of them having first given themselves in obedience to the
Lord and to Paul by God’s will.
Titus was in charge of collecting the offering from among the churches and Paul urged the Corinthian church to demonstrate their faith, love and excellence in spiritual gifts through their contribution to this offering, not by his command but by their love and sincerity, following Christ’s example. Christ left the spiritual riches of heaven and became poor among us so that we could receive his spiritual riches.
The Corinthian church had agreed, the previous year, to contribute, but the collection had been interrupted by dissention within the congregation, which had now been resolved. The Corinthian congregation was apparently financially better-off than the Macedonian Church, and Paul reminded them that good intentions alone are not sufficient, but must be fulfilled by action.
Paul wasn’t asking the Corinthians to be unfairly burdened, but reminded them that their abundance in this situation should be used to alleviate the needs of others, and that in some other situation the roles might be reversed. The goal was that there should be equality.
Paul mentioned the example of God’s justice in distributing the manna in the wilderness so that everyone received no more or less than they needed. In the same way, Titus was redistributing resources for the benefit of each member of the Church and for the wellbeing of the Church as a whole.
Titus was in charge of collecting the offering from among the churches and Paul urged the Corinthian church to demonstrate their faith, love and excellence in spiritual gifts through their contribution to this offering, not by his command but by their love and sincerity, following Christ’s example. Christ left the spiritual riches of heaven and became poor among us so that we could receive his spiritual riches.
The Corinthian church had agreed, the previous year, to contribute, but the collection had been interrupted by dissention within the congregation, which had now been resolved. The Corinthian congregation was apparently financially better-off than the Macedonian Church, and Paul reminded them that good intentions alone are not sufficient, but must be fulfilled by action.
Paul wasn’t asking the Corinthians to be unfairly burdened, but reminded them that their abundance in this situation should be used to alleviate the needs of others, and that in some other situation the roles might be reversed. The goal was that there should be equality.
Paul mentioned the example of God’s justice in distributing the manna in the wilderness so that everyone received no more or less than they needed. In the same way, Titus was redistributing resources for the benefit of each member of the Church and for the wellbeing of the Church as a whole.
Mark Paraphrase:
When Jesus returned from a trip across the Sea
of Galilee, a crowd quickly gathered around him, and a leader of
the synagogue, whose daughter was gravely ill, came to Jesus,
asking Jesus to come and heal his daughter.
Jesus came, accompanied by the crowd. As they
went, members of Jairus’ household came to tell him that the
daughter had died and that Jesus was no longer needed, but Jesus
told Jarius not to fear but only believe.
Jesus would not let the crowd accompany him
further; only Peter, James and John were allowed to continue with
Jesus and Jairus. At the house there was a great commotion from
people mourning the death of the girl. Jesus told them that she
was not dead, but only sleeping. The mourners laughed at him.
Jesus took only the father and mother into the
room where the girl was, and taking her by the hand, told her to
arise. Immediately she opened her eyes, got up and walked. She was
about twelve years old. Everyone was amazed, but Jesus told them
to tell no one; and he told them to give her something to eat.
Commentary:
The Lord blesses those who seek him and wait
for the Lord to heal and deliver them. Those who choose the Lord
to be their portion in life and as their eternal inheritance, and
place their hope, in him will not be disappointed. The Lord’s
mercy is unending; his steadfast love and faithfulness are
inexhaustible.
The Macedonian Christians had committed
themselves to the Lord and to obedient trust in his guidance, so
they were happy to share their material resources with others, and
were blessed with joy in their obedience. When we make the
commitment to trust and obey Jesus as our Lord, we will be glad to
follow his guidance, and he will provide the resources to do so.
As we trust and obey, our faith grows as we experience the Lord’s
faithfulness and power to provide the resources we need. Paul was
discipling the Corinthian congregation, teaching them to trust and
obey the Lord so that they could experience the Lord’s
faithfulness and power, and grow spiritually in obedient trust in
him.
Jairus was experiencing trouble and need. His
daughter was on the verge of death, and Jairus called out in faith
to Jesus to come and heal her. When he had done so, the situation
seemed to grow worse, and in human, worldly perspective, seemed
hopeless. But Jesus encouraged Jairus to expand his faith to trust
and obey Jesus beyond natural limitations.
Jairus continued on with Jesus beyond where the
crowd could go, and where only Jesus’ closest disciples, who had
committed themselves to accept Jesus as their portion in life and
as their eternal inheritance, could go. As Jairus continued with
Jesus in faith, his daughter was restored to life from physical
death. Jairus experienced the Lord’s deliverance even from
physical death, and his obedient trust in Jesus was rewarded; his
mourning was turned to celebration.
Monday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 13, 2009;
Podcast: Monday 6 Pentecost B
Psalm 143:1-2, 5-8 --Prayer for Deliverance;
Paraphrase:
The Psalmist (David) asks the Lord to hear his
plea for help. He trusts the Lord to answer, because the Lord is
faithful and righteous (i.e. the Lord does what is good and
right). The psalmist asks for mercy instead of judgment,
acknowledging that no human is righteous in God’s judgment,
compared to the righteousness of God.
The Psalmist meditates on what God has done,
revealed in Creation, and what God has done for his people
(revealed in the Bible). The psalmist pleads to God with
outstretched hands seeking God’s help. His soul thirsts for the
Lord like a drought-stricken land.
The Psalmist begs the Lord to answer soon,
before his soul perishes. He prays that the Lord would not
withhold his blessings from him, or else the Psalmist would be no
better than those who are dead and separated
eternally from God in Hell.
The Psalmist prays that the Lord will answer
him from the Lord’s steadfast love, because the Psalmist has put
his trust in the Lord. He asks to be taught and guided by the
Lord, because he has entrusted his eternal soul to the Lord.
Commentary:
Believers can call upon the Lord to help them
in times of trouble and need (see Conditions for Answered Prayer,
sidebar, top right), not because they are righteous (“good”)
people, or because they are worthy, but because God is righteous
and faithful. We must remember and acknowledge our unworthiness.
Let us meditate on God’s greatness, revealed in
his Creation, and what God has done for his people in the past, as
recorded in the Bible. As we grow in daily fellowship with the
Lord we will personally experience his sustaining and delivering
help. Then we can remember and meditate on what God has done for
us personally, and our faith and hope in the Lord will be
strengthened and grow to spiritual maturity.
In the spiritual night of trouble, we can pray
to the Lord in confidence that he will sustain and deliver us with
the dawn of the new day. Those who commit their trust and their
eternal destiny to the Lord can be sure that he will teach us and
guide us into his will and purpose for our lives.
Tuesday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 14, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 6 Pentecost B
Ezekiel 2:1-5 -- Ezekiel’s Call;
Paraphrase:
The Lord spoke to Ezekiel, telling him to stand
up and listen to the voice of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord
filled Ezekiel and lifted Ezekiel to his feet, and he heard the
Lord speaking to him. The Lord addressed him as a Son of man, and
told him to go to the people of Israel, a nation of rebellious
people who had rebelled against the Lord. Ezekiel was to proclaim
God’s Word to them, saying “Thus says the Lord God.” Whether
or not they were willing to hear God’s Word, they would come to
know that Ezekiel had been a prophet of God among them.
Commentary:
The Lord called Ezekiel to preach a prophetic Word of warning to Israel, the people of God, whose rebellion
against the Lord would soon lead to the fall of Jerusalem and
Judah’s exile to Babylon. Ezekiel heard God’s call and commission,
and was filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do what
the Lord called him to do.
Ezekiel’s commission was to speak the Word of
God faithfully and accurately, in the name of the Lord. As long as
he did that, he was not responsible for the people’s reception of
that Word; they would bear their own responsibility for their
reaction to God’s Word.
The test of God’s Word is in its fulfillment;
God’s Word is always fulfilled. If Israel had heeded Ezekiel’s
prophetic warning they could have avoided capture and exile in
Babylon; they could have experienced God’s deliverance. But
whether they had heeded or not, they would know that Ezekiel had
been preaching the Word of God among them.
The history of God’s dealing with Israel,
recorded in the Bible, is also a parable and metaphor of life in
this world. In one sense we are all God’s people because he is our
Creator. In another sense, the Church and America are each the New
Promised Land, and the New Israel. Ezekiel is a forerunner, the
prophetic foretelling example of Christ, filled with the Holy
Spirit, proclaiming God’s Word of warning to Israel, telling them
to repent and return to obedience to God’s Word. Obedient trust in
God’s Word leads to our deliverance from our spiritual enemy,
Satan, and from exile in the “Babylon” of Hell.
Jesus is the Word of God, fulfilled, embodied,
and exemplified in human flesh (John 1:1-3, 14). We are called to
be his disciples, to trust and obey Jesus and follow his example.
As we respond to that call and begin to trust and obey Jesus, we
will be spiritually “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) filled with the
Holy Spirit, and commissioned to proclaim the prophetic warning of
God’s Word to a world of rebellious and disobedient people, guided
and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
As long as we faithfully and accurately
proclaim God’s Word, by the call and guidance of the Holy Spirit,
we are not responsible for how people respond to that message. Our
job is not to make people feel good about themselves or to lull
people into a false sense of security. They need to be warned of
the consequences of their rebellion and disobedience toward God.
Regardless of their response, they will come to know that God’s
Word has been proclaimed to them.
Wednesday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 15, 2009;
Podcast: Wednesday 6 Pentecost B
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 -- Strength in
Weakness;
Paraphrase:
Paul had received great insight into the Gospel
through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and he had great opportunities
to proclaim it. Those experiences are powerfully exhilarating, but
Paul also had hardship, and persecution. Whatever Paul’s “thorn in
the flesh” was, perhaps a physical disability, Paul had prayed
three times to the Lord for healing, but the Lord had told Paul to
be satisfied with God’s grace (free, unmerited favor; blessings)
and to accept Paul’s weakness so that God’s power could be
manifested in Paul. So Paul was willing, for the sake of
Christ, to endure insults, hardships, persecution and calamities,
because when Paul came to the end of his own resources he had the
strength which is only through Christ.
Commentary:
When things are going well, we tend to think we
are self-sufficient; we don’t need God’s help. God is often our
last resort. It is only when we come to the end of our own
resources that we turn to God for help. Seeking help in any other
person or thing is ultimately bound to fail.
The Lord doesn’t always deliver us from
trouble. We have to learn to trust and accept God’s will. God uses
such experiences to show us that he can bring us through.
I personally went through such an experience. I
repeatedly prayed for deliverance. I wanted the Lord to do what I
thought I wanted. It wasn’t until I surrendered what I wanted and
accepted the Lord’s will for me that I found that I could endure
my situation, and that the Lord could provide for me as I went
through it.
The Lord opened up opportunities for me to
serve him that I wouldn’t have had if the Lord had given me what I
asked for. I’ve learned how able and faithful the Lord is to
preserve us and provide for us in what we think are difficult or
“impossible” circumstances, when we are following God’s will for
us.
Thursday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 16, 2009;
Podcast: Thursday 6 Pentecost B
Mark 6:1-6 -- Rejected at Home;
Paraphrase:
Jesus came to his hometown (Nazareth)
with his disciples, and began to teach in the synagogue on the
Sabbaths, and the people were amazed by Jesus’ teaching, authority
and works. They questioned how Jesus had gotten such wisdom and
authority. They thought they knew Jesus’ parents, and couldn’t
accept that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus said that a prophet is
not honored among his own family and community. Aside from healing
a few sick people, Jesus was unable to do any miracles there
because of their unbelief.
Commentary:
Jesus’ hometown couldn’t accept his
teaching and authority because they thought they knew that Jesus’
father was Joseph, the carpenter. They didn’t realize that
Joseph had not fathered Jesus, and that Mary had conceived by the
Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25).
The same problem exists in the world
today. A lot of people know so much “about” Jesus that they can’t
accept his message and authority. Even within the “nominal”
Church, people are missing a personal relationship with Jesus,
because of what they think they already “know” about Jesus. Many
people have never read the entire Bible, and don’t read it daily.
What they know about Jesus is based on what others, who know
“about” Jesus but don’t have personal knowledge of Jesus, have
told them. Many people have decided long ago what they think about
Jesus, and are not open to new understanding and spiritual growth.
On the Day of Judgment, there will be
Church members, nominal “Christians,” who have been in Jesus’
“neighborhood,” who have missed the spiritual healing and feeding
that only Jesus can provide, because they were unwilling to give
up preconceived ideas about Jesus and let Jesus teach them new
things (Matthew 7:21-29).
Friday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 17, 2009;
Podcast: Friday 6 Pentecost B
Romans 6:3-11 -- Dead to Sin;
Paraphrase:
All Christians are baptized into Jesus’ death
as well as his resurrection. We must consider ourselves dead to
sin so that we can begin to live the new, eternal life in the
Spirit. We must crucify our old sinful nature so that we can be
freed from slavery to sin.
As we share in Christ’s crucifixion we can be
sure that we will also share in his resurrection. Jesus’
resurrection freed him from sin and the power of death. Jesus died
to sin so that he could live eternally to serve and please God,
and he set the example we are to follow.
Commentary:
Sin is disobedience of God’s Word (God’s will).
Jesus was perfectly obedient, even to the point of his death on
the Cross.
Christians who believe (trust and obey) Jesus
receive the power to become children of God (John 1:12), but we
must claim and receive the promise by faith (obedient trust). We
must be “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of the indwelling
Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34) only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The indwelling
Holy Spirit within us makes it possible for us to resist
temptation and break our bondage to sin.
Experiencing new life in the Holy Spirit within
us, and the faithfulness and truth of God’s Word, frees us from
our fear of physical death. Because we experience and know that
the risen Jesus is alive, we can be certain that life beyond
physical death is true, and we can know with certainty, by the
indwelling Holy Spirit, where we’ll spend eternity. The Holy Spirit
is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal
life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11,
15-16).
Having been freed from slavery to sin and the
fear of death, we must learn to live for the Lord, in his Holy
Spirit. We’re still in our bodies of flesh, but we’re not to live
according to our flesh but instead according to the Holy Spirit,
learning to serve and please our Lord (Romans 8:1-17).
Saturday 6 Pentecost B
First Posted July 18, 2009;
Podcast: Saturday 6 Pentecost B
Ruth 1:1-18 -- Commitment;
Paraphrase:
During the period when judges governed Israel,
(from the death of Joshua until about 1020 B.C. when Saul became
King*), there was a famine in Israel, and a man of Bethlehem named
Elimelech took his wife, Naomi, and his two sons, Mahlon and
Chilion to live in Moab (east of the northern portion of the Dead
Sea). Elimelech died in Moab and his sons took Moabite wives.
After about ten years both of Naomi’s sons
died. The famine in Israel had ended, and Naomi decided to return
to her family in Israel. Both her daughters-in-law prepared to go
with her, but Naomi tried to dissuade them, believing it was
better for them to remain with their families in Moab and remarry
Moabites. Orpah chose to remain in Moab, but Ruth was determined
to go with Naomi.
Ruth vowed that Naomi’s people would become
Ruth’s people, and Naomi’s home would be Ruth’s home, and Naomi’s
God would be Ruth’s God. Ruth even vowed to be buried where
Naomi’s body was buried. She was determined to not let even death
separate her from her mother-in-law.
Commentary:
Ruth was willing to give up the life she had
known in Moab, and normal expectations, and adopt a new land,
culture and people as her own, for her love of her mother-in-law.
As she did so, she was greatly blessed.
When we hear and respond to Jesus’ call, we
begin to live with him as his disciples did during Jesus earthly
ministry. As we grow to know him we will love him and want to be
with him. We begin our life with him in the “Moab” of this world,
but that is not where he intends for us to stay.
If we love him we will follow him to the
“Promised Land.” His people will become our people, his God will
be our God, and not even death can separate us from his love and
his kingdom. In following Jesus, we will be blessed more than we
can imagine.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke
6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy
Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making
disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus
commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard
Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Chronological
Table of Rulers, p. 1532, New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
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