Lectionary for Pentecost 22
O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvellous things. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Psalm 98:1, 3
Collect. Let us pray (for health of mind and body): God of power and mercy, protect us from all harm. Give us freedom of spirit and health in mind and body to do your work on earth. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17. One of the questions this passage raises is “Which God are we worshipping?” Do we worship the God who is or God as we imagine him to be? Perhaps to bring our preface right up to date we might ask ourselves, are we responding to fake-news or the Truth!
Today there are many bible commentators who are working hard to discover when Jesus will return, even making predictions that it will be soon. This is despite our Lord himself saying that even he did not know for that time was in the Father’s hands. In other words the day of the Lord’s return is not for us to know. (Mark 13:32)
In the time immediately following the resurrection and Jesus’ ascension there was an expectation that Jesus would soon return to establish his Kingdom on earth. As time passed and as troubles and persecution began, people began to question more and more when the end would come. If Jesus was Lord, why were people dying before his return and why was there so much trouble to face. In that unsettled time letters began to circulate saying that the Day of the Lord had already come but this knowledge was known only to those who were able to discern the signs. This teaching added greatly to the believers distress and eroded their faith even more. Paul then is writing to assure the Thessalonians that Jesus is Lord despite the false rumours. His wise counsel to them is to remember his teaching that Jesus Christ must overcome all the forces of evil before the Day of the Lord comes. He also assures them that the “coming of the Lord” and “our being gathered together” are not two separate events but one single event which will come, “In the twinkling of an eye”. (1Corinth 15:52). This will be such a profound event that everyone will know.
In the second part of our reading Paul gives thanks for them for they themselves are a sign of the salvation that the Spirit brings through the lordship of Jesus. He encourages them to stand firm even in the face of disappointments and suffering. He further reminds them that it is the great love of God made visible to us through Jesus that gives each believer a hope that sustains us and with it the power to endure as we receive comfort and peace. God never promised us that no bad things would ever happen to us as believers; on the contrary scripture reminds us that we will face suffering just as Jesus had to suffer. What God did promise was that he would sustain us till the end. “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God”. Romans 5:1–2.NRSV
Prayer. Lord, help us to keep our eye fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Grant that through him we may be able to draw our strength from you and face life filled with peace and confidence in all circumstances. By your power, open our eyes to see the opportunities to serve you which come our way each day. Give us the wisdom and insight that we need to be in the places of your choosing so that our service for you is both fruitful and effective. Bring to mind just now those people or situations for which you want us to pray. May our service not be in words alone but in power and in the Holy Spirit. May we see answers to our prayers according to your promise. May we not grow weary in doing good. Strengthen us for your effective service and may all our work bring honour and glory to you. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reading. Luke 20:27-38. The idea that a man should be obligated to marry the widow of his brother seems an unusual command to those of us who live in a western society. However the command had a compassionate basis in a society where the position of women, and widows in particular, was very low. We need to recognise for widows there was no welfare safety net. In such a society a widow was more secure under the protection of a husband. Also by marrying within the family, the family line of the deceased brother could continue. Therefore while seeming strange to us the levirate marriage requirement had a strong pastoral and protective element. (Deut 25:5)
The Sadducees in trying to trap Jesus used the levirate marriage tradition to score theological points, making a mockery of a law which had much compassion about it. Jesus responds to the Sadducees by using marriage as a platform for his argument. Marriage and family are necessary for the procreation of children, thus obeying the requirement of God to be fruitful and multiply.(Gen 1:28) In the age to come death will no longer be experienced and so procreation is unnecessary. With no need to bear children the need for marriage to produce and nurture children will be removed.
Jesus makes a number of points drawn from the scriptures. The children of God are destined for resurrection and so will become a part of the age in which people do not die. Also there are many incidents in the scriptures which attest that people go on after life. Enoch and Elijah for example, did not die but simply went on to be with God. Even Moses though he died, the site of his burial was not found and so his death is clouded in mystery. Hosea notes “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. (Hosea 6:2.) The key is that God’s children are destined to continually live before him. c/f Isaiah 26:19) Furthermore Jesus reminded the Sadducees that God as Lord of life, continued to be the Lord of all the Patriarchs.
Jesus had refuted the Sadducees proposition that there is no resurrection by arguing from the scriptures that to deny the resurrection was to dismiss a major aspect of Old Testament teaching and tradition. With such a clear message it is no wonder that no one dared to ask him any more theological questions.
Prayer. O Lord, you are the true Author of life and to you we give all thanks and praise for the life we hold from you. We thank you for sending Jesus among us, for he is the light of the world and through him your eternal life flows to us. By your power you brought Jesus back from the dead, and he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. We thank you that through our Lord Jesus we become children of your kingdom. Grant that even now we may live by the power of your Spirit and so honour and serve you with joy and thankfulness. To you be all thinks and praise; now and forever. Amen
Collect. Living God, source of life eternal; in you our true selves are hidden, one day to be revealed; strengthen us to look forward with hope to the life of your reign of freedom; for the sake of Christ. Amen.
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