Sunday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25, Oct 26
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Meditation
Sunday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25 affirmed the message of God continues despite the passing of one leader or the delinquency of the people. In the Old Testament lesson, Moses’ death was preceded by God showing him the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo and then burying him afterwards in an undisclosed place. Moses was so revered that Israel mourned for 30 days and Joshua took the reins that Moses had passed to him already. The Spirit of God descended on Joshua and the work continued, despite the fact that no prophet in Israel since was as great as Moses was, because he talked with God intimately—face to face.
The Psalm—the Song of Moses—retold the greatness of God throughout time—from creation to the Hebrews journey to the Promised Land. It was Moses teaching the story through song, of God revealing himself to his chosen people.
The New Testament epistle dealt with Paul writing the church in Thessalonica affirming his true and honest calling to teach them the good news of Jesus. Clearly by his words, there had been some, who were trying to undermine the apostle’s work. Even in the early churches there was evidence of petty jealousy and power struggles as well as those who called him a charlatan. Paul clarified that he treated them as a mother would her children and was not trying to use or misuse them for his own purposes. But that the Gospel was the only reason for his teaching them. The ministry continued because that was his reason for living.
Jesus presented the overall teaching of God in Matthew, the New Testament Gospel lesson. When the Pharisees learned Jesus had befuddled the Sadducees, they arrogantly believed they could trip Jesus up and questioned him about the Law of Moses. Jesus summed up the Law in two segments—Love God completely and Love one’s neighbor. Everything in the Law fell under the umbrella of those two concepts and both had to do with love. Love. The Law was about Love. Most people have thought the law was restrictive and punitive, but Jesus pointed to the law and suggested a different perspective. The law was about loving God and others. If people fixated on that instead of divisiveness, there would be more solutions and less problems.
Of course the Pharisees weren’t satisfied, but Jesus turned the tables and asked them a question—the paradox of King David calling his ‘son’ the Christ, ‘Lord’ –could they explain why David would address his ‘son’ as Lord? And none of them could answer. If they had, they would have had to acknowledge that Jesus was who he said he was. The lessons of God continued from Moses to Jesus to Paul to the early churches and on to present day.
We have opportunities to learn from their experiences—the faithfulness of Moses and God’s love for him; the way that Jesus taught by asking questions, helping people to discover on their own, and how Paul carried the good news despite people trying to undermine his work. God’s law—God’s love—persisted through it all and continues today. We merely find our ways to tap into it, so that God’s love pours through us to all we encounter.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy 34:1-12;Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17;1 Thessalonians 2:1-8;Matthew 22:34-46&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 90:1-6,13-17
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Matthew 22:34-46
Psalm 90:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Matthew 22:34-46
King James Version (KJV)
34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, you are the creator of the universe and you loved us enough to be intimately involved in our lives. Thank you for your protection and empowerment. All success we have is because of you. Help us to see our place in life and receive the blessings you have in store for us. In Jesus name, Amen
Sunday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25’s lesson demonstrated how God communicated with his people from creation to the present day. Moses’s song began with creation, giving God the glory and praise for the greatness of the heavens and earth; and providing protection for his chosen people.
The Old Testament lesson in Deuteronomy showed how the mantle was passed from the greatest prophet, Moses, to his protégé, Joshua. The intimacy of Moses with God was seen in God showing him the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo. Vindication for all that he had gone through bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt and through the trials and temptations of the Exodus. God had done such magnificent things for them.
The New Testament continued the study of God’s word in the questioning of Jesus about the law. His simple answer, Love, must have stunned the Pharisees. Love God and your neighbor summed up all the law and prophets’ words.
But Jesus silenced their questions forever when he asked them to explain how David called his son, the Christ, Lord.
Paul struggled with the church at Thessalonica. After he had left them, some had called him a user or charlatan, just trying to get money from them. He reiterated how he had been like a mother caring for children, not asking them for money but giving them the Gospel because that was Paul’s life. That’s what he did.
The message of God was passed along in many ways from the creation, to Moses, Joshua, David, Jesus and Paul, but each carried their part of the process of getting the news to those who needed to hear it. We can do the same.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
Sunday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25 affirmed the message of God continues despite the passing of one leader or the delinquency of the people. In the Old Testament lesson, Moses’ death was preceded by God showing him the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo and then burying him afterwards in an undisclosed place. Moses was so revered that Israel mourned for 30 days and Joshua took the reins that Moses had passed to him already. The Spirit of God descended on Joshua and the work continued, despite the fact that no prophet in Israel since was as great as Moses was, because he talked with God intimately—face to face.
The Psalm—the Song of Moses—retold the greatness of God throughout time—from creation to the Hebrews journey to the Promised Land. It was Moses teaching the story through song, of God revealing himself to his chosen people.
The New Testament epistle dealt with Paul writing the church in Thessalonica affirming his true and honest calling to teach them the good news of Jesus. Clearly by his words, there had been some, who were trying to undermine the apostle’s work. Even in the early churches there was evidence of petty jealousy and power struggles as well as those who called him a charlatan. Paul clarified that he treated them as a mother would her children and was not trying to use or misuse them for his own purposes. But that the Gospel was the only reason for his teaching them. The ministry continued because that was his reason for living.
Jesus presented the overall teaching of God in Matthew, the New Testament Gospel lesson. When the Pharisees learned Jesus had befuddled the Sadducees, they arrogantly believed they could trip Jesus up and questioned him about the Law of Moses. Jesus summed up the Law in two segments—Love God completely and Love one’s neighbor. Everything in the Law fell under the umbrella of those two concepts and both had to do with love. Love. The Law was about Love. Most people have thought the law was restrictive and punitive, but Jesus pointed to the law and suggested a different perspective. The law was about loving God and others. If people fixated on that instead of divisiveness, there would be more solutions and less problems.
Of course the Pharisees weren’t satisfied, but Jesus turned the tables and asked them a question—the paradox of King David calling his ‘son’ the Christ, ‘Lord’ –could they explain why David would address his ‘son’ as Lord? And none of them could answer. If they had, they would have had to acknowledge that Jesus was who he said he was. The lessons of God continued from Moses to Jesus to Paul to the early churches and on to present day.
We have opportunities to learn from their experiences—the faithfulness of Moses and God’s love for him; the way that Jesus taught by asking questions, helping people to discover on their own, and how Paul carried the good news despite people trying to undermine his work. God’s law—God’s love—persisted through it all and continues today. We merely find our ways to tap into it, so that God’s love pours through us to all we encounter.
Thanks be to God.
Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen
Bible Readings
http://legacy.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy 34:1-12;Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17;1 Thessalonians 2:1-8;Matthew 22:34-46&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Psalm 90:1-6,13-17
1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Matthew 22:34-46
Psalm 90:1-2
King James Version (KJV)
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Matthew 22:34-46
King James Version (KJV)
34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?
46 And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
OBSERVE:
Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.
2.
3.
INTERPRETATION:
What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?
APPLY:
Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.
Prayer of Encouragement
Almighty God, you are the creator of the universe and you loved us enough to be intimately involved in our lives. Thank you for your protection and empowerment. All success we have is because of you. Help us to see our place in life and receive the blessings you have in store for us. In Jesus name, Amen
Sunday, Ordinary 30, Proper 25’s lesson demonstrated how God communicated with his people from creation to the present day. Moses’s song began with creation, giving God the glory and praise for the greatness of the heavens and earth; and providing protection for his chosen people.
The Old Testament lesson in Deuteronomy showed how the mantle was passed from the greatest prophet, Moses, to his protégé, Joshua. The intimacy of Moses with God was seen in God showing him the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo. Vindication for all that he had gone through bringing the Children of Israel out of Egypt and through the trials and temptations of the Exodus. God had done such magnificent things for them.
The New Testament continued the study of God’s word in the questioning of Jesus about the law. His simple answer, Love, must have stunned the Pharisees. Love God and your neighbor summed up all the law and prophets’ words.
But Jesus silenced their questions forever when he asked them to explain how David called his son, the Christ, Lord.
Paul struggled with the church at Thessalonica. After he had left them, some had called him a user or charlatan, just trying to get money from them. He reiterated how he had been like a mother caring for children, not asking them for money but giving them the Gospel because that was Paul’s life. That’s what he did.
The message of God was passed along in many ways from the creation, to Moses, Joshua, David, Jesus and Paul, but each carried their part of the process of getting the news to those who needed to hear it. We can do the same.
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life—for the glory of God.*
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.
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