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Psalm 63:1-8 
Isaiah 55:1-9
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
Luke 13:1-9
Hymn: 100 (Great Is Thy Faithfulness)
Homilist: Larry Downing Psalms 63 provides the structure for our thoughts today. The scribal interpreters added the superscription “A Psalm of David when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.” Our intent is neither to affirm nor deny their conclusions. For our purposes, however, David’s wilderness experiences establish context, whether in retreat from Saul or when fleeing Absalom and the rebels who rose against the king. From the wilderness place he speaks and proclaims an emptiness of soul, a weariness of spirit and a profound conviction of God’s presence and abiding love, a love that is more precious than life. There is also a confidence that at the end he will be exonerated and the accusers silenced. We know this from reading the verses that end our Psalm. In the last verses the Psalmists states his case: evil befalls his way and states his wish: that those who seek his life come to a bad end. These words, I suggest, help us understand what promted what we read in today’s passage. |
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The attached documents list the lectionary readings for the 2009-2010 liturgical year (beginning after Thanksgiving, 2009). The PDF and DOC files include a description of readings for the year, and the Excel file is used for those who want to work with the texts or use them to help plan the service.
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Experiencing Sabbath Gifts |
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Psalm 14
2 Samuel 11:2-15
Ephesians 3:14-21
John 6:1-15
Hymn: 226 (Lift Up Your Heads)
Homilist: Randal Wisbey Dr. Judah Rosenthal is a man in trouble. As the central character in Woody Allen’s film Crimes and Misdemeanors, Judah finds himself caught in a world in which all things black and white have now become varying shades of grey.
As a child, sitting in the synagogue, Judah was often reminded by his father: “The eyes of God are on us all. God sees everything.” For Judah, as a child, right and wrong, good and evil, seemed very clear to him. Yet now, as an adult, Judah has lost the certainty of his faith. God's eyes may indeed be upon him, yet he feels no assurance of God's presence. He has passed from the terrifying faith of his childhood to an even more terrifying lack of faith as an adult that leaves him only with the words of his father echoing in his mind: “God sees everything.”
I’ve thought of Judah, and his father’s words, as I have reflected upon the scripture lessons for this week—and the implicit call to live in faithful relationship with God. How do we relate to God’s overarching presence in our lives? In what ways do we respond to God’s innate interest and blessing? What happens when we knowingly turn away, and, in the process, make decisions that are destructive? How will we order our lives if we truly embrace the truth that God sees everything? |
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