Lectionary for Pentecost 5
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself. Luke 10:27
Collect. Merciful Father, in the great commandment of love you have given us the summary and spirit of the whole law. Make our hearts attentive to the sufferings and anxieties of our brothers and sisters, and help us to be generous in response and service, that we may become like Christ, the Good Samaritan to the world, the Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. Colossians 1:1-14. Paul includes Timothy in the authorship of this letter. Perhaps this is with a view to the future role that Timothy would play in the leadership of the Gentile churches after Paul’s ministry has ended. Paul does not seem to have ever visited the church at Colossae but the letter is written to correct errors that stem from false teaching which leaders like Timothy will have to correct. Though correcting errors will occupy a significant amount of the letter Paul does not begin with the need to address the false teaching. After the normal greeting and words of encouragement which traditionally began a letter from Paul, he moves on to two important emphases, namely; prayer and thanksgiving for what God in Jesus Christ has achieved.
Praying for the churches was and continues to be of prime importance. These prayers are quite specific for they ask that the church will be filled with the wisdom and understanding that comes through the Spirit. Paul is building on the things he has already heard that they were doing and so is encouraging them to maintain a vibrant life of faith.
Paul is not simply asking that things would go well with them but that the foundation on which they are building their lives would be directed by God. It is only through God’s wisdom that they will be able to know and understand the plan and purpose of God. This reminds us that we like Paul have a need to pray for one another. Today there are many churches and Christians around the world who face dangers of every kind. While we often pray for their welfare we also need to pray for that godly wisdom that keeps them close in faith to God.
Then Paul, in thanksgiving, reminds them of all that God through Jesus Christ has done. This after all is the heart of the Christian faith. Paul reminds them that they have been moved to a new standing with God through the cross of Jesus Christ. They are no longer under the estrangement that had resulted from their former life. Now they can be assured that their relationship with God is one of harmony through forgiveness.
One of the often repeated blessings of the early church was “grace and peace”. It was a reminder that through God’s love and favour they could know an inward peace that gave them renewed power for daily living. This is why Paul is writing to urge them to keep their sole reliance on Jesus Christ. It is a timely message in every age.
Prayer. Father God, we praise you for your work in creation and for the safe environment in which we all find a place. We praise you for your work of salvation through Christ who reconciles all things to yourself. May we live in the unity that your love affords and rejoice in the freedom that Jesus has won for us on the cross. May the significance of what you have done be very real to us, today and every day: And in all things give you thanks and praise, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Collect. God of love, your Son has taught that true life is found in loving you and our neighbour; as we have met with mercy, may we also show mercy to others, for the sake of Christ. Amen.
Reading. Luke 10:25-37. A man stood up to test him, really to trap him, for Luke is reminding us of the strong opposition that Jesus faced as he forged his way to the cross and the climax of his obedient ministry. He stood up to question Jesus which suggests that Jesus has been teaching the crowd. We need to remember that the lawyer was not a civil lawyer but a lawyer of religious law. The idea of dividing occupations into secular and sacred is a rather modern idea. God is the creator of all that is, any and every occupation is done in his sphere. Certainly that is how the Jewish society in which Jesus lived would think. So, with his knowledge of Jewish law the lawyer was testing Jesus in order to judge him. If Jesus failed the “test” the authorities would have a reason to take action against him. Jesus however is not deceived but turns the tables on him by asking about his own reading of the Law. “What do you read there?” Because of his position as a scholar of Torah the lawyer was obliged to answer lest he lose face. The response that the Lawyer gives is a paraphrase from two verses namely Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18. It was recognized that these two verses summed up the whole of Torah, the religious law. Jesus himself used these same verses to answer a scribes’ question in Mark 12: 28-30. Jesus then answers his first question by saying to him, “you have answered correctly; do this, and you will live,’ again quoting from Leviticus 18:5. The Lawyer would also have understood that Deuteronomy noted how important the heart is in keeping the law. It was not simply obedience but love that was to be the motivator for keeping the law. The answer not only demolishes the Lawyer’s attack on Jesus but also reminds the Lawyer that he has failed to keep the law out of love; his very question demonstrates his lack of love toward Jesus. Therefore he tries to justify himself which brings Jesus to relate the parable of the “Good Samaritan”. This is probably the best known parable in the New Testament. We understand that every priest was from the tribe of Levi but not every Levite was a priest. Nevertheless, the first two characters were prominent in the religious life of the community. The Samaritan meanwhile was completely outside the society, indeed, from a Jewish perspective he was almost a non-person. Brilliant though the parable was, Jesus’ point to the lawyer and to anyone else is that love is at the core of keeping the law of God. Furthermore Luke is reminding us that law keeping is not possible without the redeeming love of Jesus changing the nature of all humankind. Paul tells us that we can find no justification through keeping the law by human effort for each time we fail it is the law which condemns us. However, “through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:19–20.
Prayer. O Lord, open out hearts to receive your love. Open our minds to receive your truths. Open our eyes to see your glory at work. Open our hands to give you all praise. Open our lives to receive your salvation. Amen
O Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of Almighty God, we pray, send the Holy Spirit into our hearts through the blessing of your Word, that he may rule and guide us according to your will. Strengthen us in every trial and need; lead us past all error and into your truth that we may stand fast in faith, increase in love and good works, and rejoice in the sure hope of life eternally with you. According to your grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord you have called us to yourself. We give you all thanks and praise, through Jesus Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. (The Lutheran Pastor, 1902)
ericjkirkham.com 