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Mark 10:17-22 - Lectionary for Pentecost 21B

10/11/2018

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10/11/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Good teacher, what must I do? The rich man came to Jesus to seek assurance. What is pleasing to God? How do I receive the eternal life so frequently described in Scripture?

Aside from the rather obvious failing in the ich man’s thinking, that we do something to gain an inheritance, Jesus gives us practical clarity. The man wants to know how to live. Jesus tells him, drawing the commands directly from God’s Law.

The man is aware of all these commands. He knows what God says. He also knows that his obedience has not been adequate. He does not have assurance of life. What can he do?

Jesus tells him to give up all that he has in order to follow Jesus. This cuts to the heart of many of our trouble.s It was not so much about money. That is not the problem. The problem with this rich man was the focus of his trust. He was saying, in effect, “I trust you, Jesus, to be the Lord of all. Therefore I am going to cling to my own ways of caring for myself so as to be certain of safety.” That won’t work! Jesus calls the man to nothing more or less than trust. What he trusted before must be taken out of the way.

When Jesus calls us to follow Him, he calls us to leave behind our own opinions of what is rustworthy. In exchange, we take up Jesus’ provision which will never fail. That’s what trust looks like.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Hebrews 3:12-19 - Lectionary for Pentecost 21B

10/10/2018

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10/10/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Our reading in Hebrews 3 this week warns us against having an unbelieving heart. Most Christians would like to agree wholeheartedly, then to add that they are glad they don’t have that fight. After all, they are Christians.

There’s a reason that God warns against unbelief. There’s a reason that we find this particular warning in a text written to people who are identified as Christians who have all the benefits of a Hebrew background. They have known all their lives that God calls them heirs of His promise. So why the warning against unbelief? These people should have confidence.

What do we see in the real world? The people with reason for confidence are exactly those whose faith can be shaken. They know their identity. They know the history. They know God doesn’t change. And they find within themselves a hard heart, like those who rebelled against God in the Exodus. When we start deciding we know best and God’s Word doesn’t matter so much, we are doomed to failure. Like the Israelites, we cannot expect to enter into rest.

Despite these strict words, I’d like to show how this passage brings hope. God would not warn his people against unbelief if He hadn’t made his gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation available in Word and Sacrament. Are you afraid you will have an unbelieving heart? It is a valid fear. So turn to God’s Word. Surround yourself with believers who will encourage you. Believe and live.

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Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 - Lectionary for Pentecost 21B

10/9/2018

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10/9/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Amos 5:6 issues a serious threat from God. Seek the Lord or he will spread like fire and consume everything. While we find ourselves eager to avoid the picture of God as a consuming fire, we also may doubt that God would actually do something like that. But our passage from Amos 5 goes on to explain it. God uses human means to level penalties in a society. In verses seven and ten we find that those who reject God and His righteousness are the people who bring destruction. They reject righteousness. They show their hatred against those exercising rightous judgment or speaking the truth. In verse eleven we find the result of our faithlessness is loss of what we have worked for.

How can this happen? Why doesn’t good and right prevail? Verses 12-13 make a remarkable statement. Those who are righteous and who would pursue justice become quiet due to the threats they face. Because of the evil oppression, some will not speak up for good. The evil, lacking restraint, flourishes.

How do we deal with the fallout? Verses 14-15 tell God’s people to pursue good, even though it is very difficult. We stand for what is right even in the face of opposition. We have confessed that the Lord is the true God. We live in accord with our confession.

Can we see these patterns in our society? I think they are increasingly clear. If God’s people do not stand for truth, everyone will suffer. May God have mercy.


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Psalm 90:12-17 - Lectionary for Pentecost 21B

10/8/2018

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10/8/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Psalm 90:12-17 speaks of the value of numbering our days. The idea at work here is having a reasoned account of our time. However, as we look closely at the Psalm we see it is not so much about the quantity of time we may or may not have. It is more about the wisdom to understand what those days mean.

Some of the days given to us by the Lord seem to lack in compassion (v. 13). These are hard times. They are the days when we suffer, when we toil, when we fail. How do we understand these days in light of our concept of a compassionate God? Maybe they help us understand our Lord’s suffering. Maybe we gain a grasp of the frustration endured by those who are also dealing with hardship. Maybe we learn that we depend on the Lord in both good times and bad.

Where do we find our satisfaction if we are numbering our days well? Verse 14 says we find it in God’s faithful love. It is God’s character, not our circumstances, which gives us joy and gladness.

When we number our days rightly we see ourselves as we are in truth, as those who are sinful and deserve the worst possible consequences. Yet some days are remarkably good! We have undeserved pleasures. Verse 15 asks that those times of pleasure may be given to us by God’s mercy. This is also a feature of numbering our days rightly.

The Psalmist finally asks for God’s favor. If we number our days rightly we will see the favor of God. He is the one who pours out the good we need.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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