To Be Better than the Crowd--July 27, 2020

Merciful God, crowds are fickle;

they make promises, but do not keep them;

pledge responsibility, but do not act accordingly.

As individuals, we too may be fickle

and try to duck accountability for our deeds,

but some rise above the crowd and benefit many.

It is well and good to look to you for refuge

when the destroying storms assail us,

but grant us love and courage

in time of need to care

for others.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 57; 145; 85; 47

Josh. 24:16-33

Rom. 16:1-16

Matt. 27:24-31

Selected Verses

Ps. 57:1

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
          for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
          until the destroying storms pass by.

Josh. 24:27

Joshua said to all the people, “See, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, if you deal falsely with your God.”

Rom. 16:1-2

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae, so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well.

Matt. 27:24-25

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”  Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”