This Sunday's Readings

Next Sunday's Readings:

May 25, 2008
Proper 3 – A

Revised Common Lectionary
Isaiah 49:8-16a
Psalm 131
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Matthew 6:24-34

Book of Common Prayer Lectionary
Isaiah 49:8-18
Psalm 62
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (6-7) 8-13
Matthew 6:24-34

Reflection and Response
Prayer Starter

First Reading: Isaiah 49:8-16a (16b-18)
The servant who is called to be a misunderstood and ill-treated prophet to a sin-weary people is described in 4 famous “Servant Songs” by Isaiah the prophet (see 42:1-4, 49:1-7, 50:4-11 and 52:13–53:12). These servant songs helped Israel interpret the suffering and humiliation of the exile and the early Christians to understand the meaning of Jesus' suffering and resurrection.
The writer might have intended these songs to describe his own prophetic mission, or the mission of Israel to the nations, but Christians understood these songs to describe Jesus, as the Messiah.
In today's reading, the second of the four servant songs, the servant is the speaker. He testifies that his vocation was established before birth, and that his mission is not to Israel alone, but to the Gentile nations as well. This sense of the new Israel was appropriated by the Church (Acts 13:47, 26:23).

Isaiah 49:8-16a (16b-18)
Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages;
saying to the prisoners, "Come out,"
to those who are in darkness, "Show yourselves."
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;
they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.
Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.
But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me."
Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you
on the palms of my hands.
(Your walls are continually before me.
Your builders outdo your destroyers,
and those who laid you waste go away from you.
Lift up your eyes all around and see;
they all gather, they come to you.
As I live, says the LORD,
you shall put all of them on like an ornament,
and like a bride you shall bind them on.)

Psalm 131 (RCL)
Called a "song of ascents," this psalm may have been written for the pilgrims journeying up to Jerusalem for the great feasts. In postexilic liturgy, the psalm probably served as a call to temple worship.
In contrast to the religious leaders addressed n today's Old Testament reading, the psalmist has turned from attitudes of boastful self-confidence to a spirit of quiet humility. Recognizing his own limitations, the psalmist rests in the Lord's gentle power. Unlike the suckling child who rests on its mother's lap out of necessity, the weaned child chooses the mother's lap for comfort and security. In the same way, the psalmist voluntarily submits to God's embrace and encourages God's people to find their peace in the Lord.

Psalm 131
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child
that is with me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time on and forevermore.

Psalm: Psalm 62 (BCP)
This is one of the songs of trust (Psalm 23, 27, 131), a response to God's aid in time of trouble. In verses 18 the psalmist, despite his adversity (vv. 3-4), expresses his trust in the Lord as the only source of salvation. In verses 9-12, he addresses the worshiping community, exhorting the people not to trust in status or wealth, for they weigh nothing in the Lord's scales (Proverbs 16:2, 24:12). In verses 11-12 the psalmist summarizes what he has learned: God's power and steadfast love (covenant loyalty) issue injustice for all.

Psalm 62
For God alone my soul in silence waits;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken.
How long will you assail me to crush me,
all of you together,
as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall?
They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor;
lies are their chief delight.
They bless with their lips,
but in their hearts they curse.
For God alone my soul in silence waits;
truly, my hope is in him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
In God is my safety and my honor;
God is my strong rock and my refuge.
Put your trust in him always, O people,
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath,
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.
On the scales they are lighter than a breath,
all of them together.
Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty pride;
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.
God has spoken once, twice have I heard it,
that power belongs to God.
Steadfast love is yours, O Lord,
for you repay everyone according to his deeds.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (6-13)
In today’s readings, Paul describes his role as apostle with two of his favorite images, that of a servant (slave) and as steward. Because Paul experienced the Risen Christ as Lord (master) it was no wonder that he saw himself as a servant whose total life was spent in service to his master, whatever that cost him in trouble or reputation.
He also understood that he was a steward whose task was to protect and dispense the riches of his master that have been hidden until now—the mystery of salvation for both Jew and Gentile.
Paul reminds them that in these two roles, it matters little how others judge him, for the only judgment that he cares about is that of the master whom he serves. And in this master’s eyes, what often seems valuable to worldly eyes, is as useless as rubbish.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (6-13)
Think of us in this way,
as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries.
Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
But with me it is a very small thing
that I should be judged by you or by any human court.
I do not even judge myself.
I am not aware of anything against myself,
but I am not thereby acquitted.
It is the Lord who judges me.
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time,
before the Lord comes,
who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness
and will disclose the purposes of the heart.
Then each one will receive commendation from God.
(I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit,
brothers and sisters,
so that you may learn through us the meaning of the saying,
"Nothing beyond what is written,"
so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another.
For who sees anything different in you?
What do you have that you did not receive?
And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?
Already you have all you want!
Already you have become rich!
Quite apart from us you have become kings!
Indeed, I wish that you had become kings,
so that we might be kings with you!
For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all,
as though sentenced to death,
because we have become a spectacle to the world,
to angels and to mortals.
We are fools for the sake of Christ,
but you are wise in Christ.
We are weak, but you are strong.
You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.
To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty,
we are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless,
and we grow weary from the work of our own hands.
When reviled, we bless;
when persecuted, we endure;
when slandered, we speak kindly.
We have become like the rubbish of the world,
the dregs of all things, to this very day.)

Matthew 6:24-34
In this reading from the “Sermon on the Mount,” in which Jesus explains to his disciples the way that life in his new kingdom community should be lived, the disciples are encouraged to trust completely in God.
Jesus appeals to the example of the bounteous Creator who lavishes great love and care on the tiniest details of creation that often go unnoticed or last for only a very brief time. He argues that if this God spends so much care and attention on these little things, then how much more can we trust that God will spend on our behalf. Developing this kind of faith moves us from being disciples of “little faith”—a favorite theme in Matthew’s gospel (see also 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20)—to a greater faith so that we can continue Jesus’ work here on earth.

Matthew 6:24-34
"No one can serve two masters;
for a slave will either hate the one and love the other,
or be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and wealth.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or what you will drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air;
they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?
And can any of you by worrying
add a single hour to your span of life?
And why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory
was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Therefore do not worry, saying,
'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?'
For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things;
and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
So do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.
Today's trouble is enough for today."

Reflection and Response
A good friend once told me that “My priorities are God, my family, my church and my job. I just haven’t had time for the first three lately.”
Today’s readings are permeated with the challenge of our service to God through Christ. Isaiah reminds us that our service begins with memory—refusing to forget those who most need our care. Our desire to notice those who are shunted aside and forgotten by our society imitates God’s refusal to forget the people who cannot make it without God’s care.
Paul wears himself out on his mission because he knows that he is nothing but a servant who must do his Lord’s bidding. Whatever hardship pops up to sap his energy and dull his commitment he doggedly puts aside to continue Christ’s mission here on earth.
Jesus reminds us that our care and commitment to God’s work must be whole-hearted. In a society that is so fragmented by thousands of demands on our time and energy, setting our priorities to those of Jesus is essential. Serving two masters is a trap because one or the other masters will in the end demand our loyalty. So as we face the challenge of loyal service that Jesus confronts us with, maybe we can take a few moments this week to examine where our priorities really lie.
Quietly consider: How do my daily actions reveal which master I serve?

Prayer Starter
Jesus, help me to rededicate myself to your service today by ...