When Met by Fierce Evil--May 16, 2018

Sometimes, O God, we are confronted by evil,

evil so fierce that no one can pass by.

Then it is you provide a gate to enter through,

a gate for the righteous.

We are not righteous, but speaking the truth in love

we must grow up into Christ, who is the head,

from whom the whole body, knit together, promotes

its growth as it builds itself up in love.

And if we need a shelter, a refuge from the storm,

love may provide a canopy to keep us safe--

a rest until we find the strength to go outside again

and in love confront the evil we must face.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 99; 147:1-11; 9; 118

Isa. 4:2-6

Eph. 4:1-16

Matt. 8:28-34

Selected Verses

Ps. 118:20

This is the gate of the LORD;
          the righteous shall enter through it.

Isa. 4:5b-6

Indeed over all the glory there will be a canopy.  It will serve as a pavilion, a shade by day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

Eph. 4:15-16

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

Matt. 8:28

When [Jesus] came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him.  They were so fierce that no one could pass that way.