Lectionary for Pentecost 11
(someone said they had missed seeing Pentecost 11, probably because I forgot to post it! Dear Me!)
Jesus says: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever.’ John 6:51
Reading. 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33. The biblical story does not make it clear why Absalom chose to pit himself against his father. It may have been Absalom’s desire to take control and assert himself. His mother Maacah was the daughter of a king. As the third born son of David he was well in line to become king. The bible tells us that he was a very handsome man with a charismatic personality. He was a man without blemish enhanced even more by his long and luxurious hair. (2 Sam 14:25f) Handsome and lovely on the outside but inwardly he was not so lovely. His bitterness at the rape of his sister and his subsequent actions mark him as a man determined to assert himself and repay every slight and take his own revenge. The contrast between Absalom and his father David is quite marked. Absalom wanted to depose his father the king; while David wanted to protect his son despite all that he had done. Above everything David wanted Absalom to be kept safe even though he was determined to destroy his father’s reign. Paternal love had clouded David’s vision for Absalom had gone beyond the point of redemption if David’s reign was to continue. The explicit command to Joab was to save Absalom alive but when word came to Joab that Absalom was entangled by his hair he had no hesitation in giving the order to kill Absalom. Absalom’s crowning glory had sealed his fate. With the death of Absalom the threat to the kingdom was averted but as our passage reveals David’s grief at the death of his son was absolute: He was inconsolable!
Joab’s task as the commander of the army was to keep the king and the kingdom safe and even though it meant disobeying David’s orders this was the action he took. Joab was able to be disobedient because he knew how in the past David had used him to cover over grave mistakes. All the principle participants had made mistakes but only David looked to the Lord for forgiveness and renewal. The story leaves us with a sense of sadness for it pictures the destruction of David’s family and as such it leaves no winners.
Prayer. Almighty God, you are a Father to us all and we are thankful to be members of your family. As we read of the family of David, we remember that families are often broken and relationships break down, so we pray for families everywhere. We pray for those who are broken because of relationships which have failed and we pray for those who have been crushed and hurt by the very people who were called to love and protect. Merciful God, we are so grateful for your love. Give us the courage to face each day filled with the knowledge of your graceful, challenging presence. Help us to draw our strength from you, relying on your mercy and love. Help us to remember that you are never far away but faithfully remain close and are ready to help us fulfil the call that you have placed upon us to love one another. Hear us as we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Reading. John 6:35, 41-51. The Jewish leaders react to Jesus’ statement in a paltry way; they dismiss him as an imposter. John in this passage is contrasting the popularity of Jesus with the ordinary Jewish listeners who want the bread that Jesus offers (V34) with the dismissive attitude of the religious leaders who cannot see beyond the earthly understanding of who Jesus is and therefore what he has to offer. By dismissing Jesus and not listening to the teaching that he brings they miss the opportunity of understanding the new life that is now available in Jesus. In verse 44 our translation usually has the word “drawn” which in English carried a gentle gathering in, but the sense of the Greek word is “dragged”, which has a much stronger sense of overcoming hurdles in order to understand who Jesus is and what he can achieve! As we read about the conversation we need to be aware that while Jesus stands as a human man he contains within himself much more than simply being human for he is also God. As such the food that he offers, “the bread,” is food that changes a person’s life and makes it complete. That is why John recalls the statement of Jesus as being the “living bread”, the bread that not only sustains life but actually gives life. It was this principle that the Jewish leaders could not grasp or accept. As we read this passage today the question that arises is who do we understand Jesus to be?: Is he the one who sustains and strengthens us in the ups and downs of life?; this of course Jesus can do: Or is Jesus the one who also sustains us beyond this life and into the life to come, presenting us victorious into the very presence of God.
Prayer. Gracious Lord, forgive us if we have failed to hear the voice of Jesus as he calls to us: forgive us if we have missed all that he has offered to us in your Name. Help us to be open to receive afresh the promises that come to us through Him. Above all, help us to be obedient to his call upon our lives and be ready for the freedom and the change that his love and sacrifice brings.If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. (Ps 130:3–6). Hear us as we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen
Collect. Let us pray (to be defended in doubt and difficulty): Merciful Father, whose Son laid down his life that we might die to self and live in him: grant us so perfect a communion with him that, in all the doubts and dangers that assail us, our faith may not be found wanting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
or
Jesus, living Bread, all-sufficient Saviour, nourish us with your word; feed us, quench our thirst, that we may live in love and be filled with your praise now and for ever. Amen.
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