I. Readings
Psalms 27, 36, 80
Jeremiah 38:1-13
1 Corinthians 14:26-40
Matthew 10:34-42
II. Selections
Psalm 36:1
Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in their hearts;
there is no fear of God
before their eyes.
Jeremiah 38:5
King Zedekiah said, "Here he is; he is in your hands; for the king is powerless against you." [ speaking to his officials, who wanted to kill Jeremiah for advocating surrender to the Chaldean army]
1 Corinthians 14:32-33a
And the spirits of prophets are subject to the prophets, for God is a God not of disorder but of peace.
Matthew 10:42
" ...and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." [ Jesus instructing his twelve before he sends them out on a mission]
III. Meditation: Stick or carrot?
Transgression has a way of speaking to us all, deep in our hearts.
Must it be fear of your stick that restrains us? Are we Zedekiah,
powerless to use our power against would-be transgressors?
O God of peace, give us control of the spirit of disorder within us.
It is true that you reward acts of kindness, even small ones; yet
make our motivation neither stick nor carrot, but love of you.
No comments:
Post a Comment