Year C
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36
May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honey bees live together in large\u2026 well-organized family groups\u2026 they are social insects\u2026 not solitary ones\u2026 and because of that\u2026 they engage in a variety of specialized tasks not practiced by the thousands of the solitary ones\u2026 complex nest construction\u2026 environmental control\u2026 defense\u2026 and division of labor\u2026 are just a few of the behaviors that honey bees have developed in order to be successful in social colonies\u2026 these fascinating behaviors make social insects in general\u2026 and honey bees in particular\u2026 among the most fascinating creatures on earth\u2026 a honey bee colony typically consists of three kinds of adult bees\u2026 workers\u2026 drones\u2026 and a queen\u2026 several thousand worker bees cooperate in nest building\u2026 food collection\u2026 and rearing the young\u2026 but surviving and thriving take the combined efforts of all\u2026 individual bees cannot survive without the support of the entire colony\u2026 and while the social structure of the colony is maintained by the presence of the queen and her workers\u2026 they depend on an effective system of communication\u2026 labor activities among worker bees depend primarily on their age\u2026 but can also vary based on the changing needs of the colony\u2026 and as the size of the colony increases\u2026 so does its efficiency\u2026 and as they cooperate together\u2026 for the good of the hive\u2026 their efforts help ensure their success\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In our Prayer of the Day\u2026 we prayed for God’s holy catholic church\u2026 in this case\u2026 catholic doesn’t mean Roman Catholic\u2026 it means universal\u2026 all-embracing\u2026 and we asked God that where it is divided\u2026 to unite it\u2026 and [ here ] at Two Churches\u2026 we strive to overcome denominational tribalism\u2026 one of our small\u2026 local efforts\u2026 to effect unity\u2026 in fact\u2026 according to the Rev. Walter Bouman\u2026 it is sinful before God\u2026 when denominations compete for a share of the Christian market\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremiah affirms that to seek this kind of unity\u2026 is to seek God\u2026 and there’s no longer talk about twelve tribes\u2026 but one\u2026 that we all might be one\u2026 in his own time\u2026 soon after the Exile\u2026 he affirms an absolute confidence and trust in Israel’s covenant with God\u2026 in Chapter 22:16\u2026 he says this goal finds expression when we uphold the rights of the poor and needy\u2026 and the renewed covenant which he describes\u2026 moves God’s Law from an external reference point\u2026 written on tablets of stone\u2026 or parchment papers\u2026 or in law books\u2026 moves God’s Law to an internal reference point… written on our hearts\u2026 enabling us to act with God’s Wisdom\u2026 the renewed covenant he describes\u2026 written on our hearts\u2026 is possible only because God forgives our iniquity and remembers our sins no more\u2026 so we could say\u2026 that our hope lies in a God who chooses to forget\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the end of the seventeenth century\u2026 many Lutheran churches celebrated a festival commemorating Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-five Theses\u2026 a summary of abuses in the church of his time\u2026 at the heart of the reform movement was the Gospel\u2026 the good news that it is by grace through faith that we are justified and set free\u2026 and over time\u2026 this idea of Christian reformation has become more widespread\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Paul’s words in Romans\u2026 stand at the heart of Martin Luther’s preaching\u2026 and that of other reformers\u2026 that no human beings make themselves right with God through works of the law\u2026 and that we are brought into a right relationship with God through the divine activity centered in Christ\u2019s death and resurrection\u2026 this act is a gift of grace\u2026 which liberates us from sin and empowers our faith\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him\u2026 If you continue in my Word\u2026 you are truly my disciples\u2026 and you will know the truth\u2026 and the truth will make you free<\/em>\u2026 the Greek word that’s translated as continue\u2026 can also be translated as abide\u2026 and there’s a subtle nuance that using “abide” gives us\u2026 abide doesn’t simply mean to continue to exist<\/em> \u2026 but to continue to exist unchanged\u2026 while enduing adversity\u2026 it gives the impression that while we may be unable to change our circumstances\u2026 we still cling to hope\u2026 cling to life\u2026 continuing on as things are\u2026 not knowing when or if they will ever change\u2026 but not letting those exterior circumstances\u2026 change or touch us\u2026 for example\u2026 a shipwrecked sailor\u2026 buffeted by constant storms\u2026 clinging to a rock\u2026 head down… uncertain of rescue\u2026 in physical danger\u2026 but with an internal peace\u2026 he\u2026 or she\u2026 is abiding\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when we further understand that Jesus is saying\u2026 if you abide in my Word\u2026 in my Logos\u2026 if you abide\u2026 in what was in the beginning\u2026 with God\u2026 through whom all things came into being\u2026 if you abide in the life which was the light of all people\u2026 a light which shines in the darkness\u2026 then darkness can not overcome you\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n And I have to wonder if those who answered him\u2026 who said\u2026 We are descendants of Abraham\u2026 and have never been slaves to anyone<\/em>\u2026 were in some real denial\u2026 or had some kind of selective memory\u2026 because in Genesis 15:13\u2026 God even told Abram\u2026 Know well\u2026 that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs\u2026 and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years<\/em>\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n So we must be talking about a different kind of slavery than what’s usually meant\u2026 perhaps the kind of freedom for which Christ sets us free\u2026 is the kind that frees us from the tendency to think of ourselves first\u2026 frees us from the resistance to work for the common good\u2026 frees us from having to be right\u2026 from wanting to score points\u2026 frees us from that there’s not enough to go around\u2026 frees us from the obedience to rigid interpretations of the Law\u2026 frees us to embrace a more generous contextual response\u2026 frees us from the sense of not belonging\u2026 and frees us from every barrier which keeps us from being in right relationship with God and with each other\u2026 it’s all about relationship\u2026 and so we must also ask\u2026 are we committed to ensuring that freedom\u2026 so all people can have that kind of relationship with God\u2026 or do we unwittingly prevent that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus speaks of truth and freedom as spiritual realities known through his Word\u2026 he reveals the truth that sets people free from sin\u2026 and while we are rooted in the past and are growing into the future\u2026 the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world\u2026 we celebrate the good news of God\u2019s grace\u2026 that in the resurrection\u2026 Jesus makes new life available to us in each and every moment\u2026 Jesus sets us free every day to do this life-transforming work\u2026 and trusting in the freedom given to us in baptism\u2026 we pray for the church… that Christians will unite more fully in worship and the work of mission\u2026 which also varies\u2026 based on the changing needs of the community\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n So when you get a chance\u2026 ask the residents of a beehive\u2026 what enslaves them\u2026 whether they procrastinate or complain\u2026 if they have difficulty working together for the common good\u2026 meeting each other’s needs\u2026 making sacrifices for each other\u2026 ask them whether the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few\u2026 and remember\u2026 honeybees make honey\u2026 which reminds me of the experience that was recorded in Ps. 119:103\u2026 how pleasing is your Word in my mouth\u2026 O God\u2026 it is sweeter than honey<\/em>\u2026 and today’s Psalm reminds us to\u2026 be still\u2026 and know that God is God\u2026<\/em> and I’m confident that as we become increasingly established in that silence\u2026 we too… will be fed more and more\u2026 with God’s sweet\u2026 sweet Word\u2026 Holy God\u2026 make it so\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year C Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 46 Romans 3:19-28 John 8:31-36May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026 Honey bees live together in large\u2026 well-organized family groups\u2026 they are social insects\u2026 not solitary ones\u2026 and because of that\u2026 they engage in a variety of specialized tasks not practiced by the thousands of the solitary ones\u2026 complex nest construction\u2026 environmental control\u2026 defense\u2026 and division of labor\u2026 are just a few of the behaviors that honey bees have developed in order to be successful in social colonies\u2026 these fascinating behaviors make social insects in general\u2026 and honey bees in particular\u2026 among the most fascinating creatures on earth\u2026 a honey bee colony typically consists of three kinds of adult bees\u2026 workers\u2026 drones\u2026 and a queen\u2026 several thousand worker bees cooperate in nest building\u2026 food collection\u2026 and rearing the young\u2026 but surviving and thriving take the combined efforts of all\u2026 individual bees cannot survive without the support of the entire colony\u2026 and while the social structure of the colony is maintained by the presence of the queen and her workers\u2026 they depend on an effective system of communication\u2026 labor activities among worker bees depend primarily on their age\u2026 but can also vary based on the changing needs of the colony\u2026 and as the size of the colony increases\u2026 so does its efficiency\u2026 and as they cooperate together\u2026 for the good of the hive\u2026 their efforts help ensure their success\u2026 In our Prayer of the Day\u2026 we prayed for God’s holy catholic church\u2026 in this case\u2026 catholic doesn’t mean Roman Catholic\u2026 it means universal\u2026 all-embracing\u2026 and we asked God that where it is divided\u2026 to unite it\u2026 and [ here ] at Two Churches\u2026 we strive to overcome denominational tribalism\u2026 one of our small\u2026 local efforts\u2026 to effect unity\u2026 in fact\u2026 according to the Rev. Walter Bouman\u2026 it is sinful before God\u2026 when denominations compete for a share of the Christian market\u2026 Jeremiah affirms that to seek this kind of unity\u2026 is to seek God\u2026 and there’s no longer talk about twelve tribes\u2026 but one\u2026 that we all might be one\u2026 in his own time\u2026 soon after the Exile\u2026 he affirms an absolute confidence and trust in Israel’s covenant with God\u2026 in Chapter 22:16\u2026 he says this goal finds expression when we uphold the rights of the poor and needy\u2026 and the renewed covenant which he describes\u2026 moves God’s Law from an external reference point\u2026 written on tablets of stone\u2026 or parchment papers\u2026 or in law books\u2026 moves God’s Law to an internal reference point… written on our hearts\u2026 enabling us to act with God’s Wisdom\u2026 the renewed covenant he describes\u2026 written on our hearts\u2026 is possible only because God forgives our iniquity and remembers our sins no more\u2026 so we could say\u2026 that our hope lies in a God who chooses to forget\u2026 By the end of the seventeenth century\u2026 many Lutheran churches celebrated a festival commemorating Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-five Theses\u2026 a summary of abuses in the church of his time\u2026 at the heart of the reform movement was the Gospel\u2026 the good news that it is by grace through faith that we are justified and set free\u2026 and over time\u2026 this idea of Christian reformation has become more widespread\u2026 And Paul’s words in Romans\u2026 stand at the heart of Martin Luther’s preaching\u2026 and that of other reformers\u2026 that no human beings make themselves right with God through works of the law\u2026 and that we are brought into a right relationship with God through the divine activity centered in Christ\u2019s death and resurrection\u2026 this act is a gift of grace\u2026 which liberates us from sin and empowers our faith\u2026 Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him\u2026 If you continue in my Word\u2026 you are truly my disciples\u2026 and you will know the truth\u2026 and the truth will make you free\u2026 the Greek word that’s translated as continue\u2026 can also be translated as abide\u2026 and there’s a subtle nuance that using “abide” gives us\u2026 abide doesn’t simply mean to continue to exist \u2026 but to continue to exist unchanged\u2026 while enduing adversity\u2026 it gives the impression that while we may be unable to change our circumstances\u2026 we still cling to hope\u2026 cling to life\u2026 continuing on as things are\u2026 not knowing when or if they will ever change\u2026 but not letting those exterior circumstances\u2026 change or touch us\u2026 for example\u2026 a shipwrecked sailor\u2026 buffeted by constant storms\u2026 clinging to a rock\u2026 head down… uncertain of rescue\u2026 in physical danger\u2026 but with an internal peace\u2026 he\u2026 or she\u2026 is abiding\u2026 And when we further understand that Jesus is saying\u2026 if you abide in my Word\u2026 in my Logos\u2026 if you abide\u2026 in what was in the beginning\u2026 with God\u2026 through whom all things came into being\u2026 if you abide in the life which was the light of all people\u2026 a light which shines in the darkness\u2026 then darkness can not overcome you\u2026 And I have to wonder if those who answered him\u2026 who said\u2026 We are descendants of Abraham\u2026 and have never been slaves to anyone\u2026 were in some real denial\u2026 or had some kind of selective memory\u2026 because in Genesis 15:13\u2026 God even told Abram\u2026 Know well\u2026 that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs\u2026 and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years\u2026 So we must be talking about a different kind of slavery than what’s usually meant\u2026 perhaps the kind of freedom for which Christ sets us free\u2026 is the kind that frees us from the tendency to think of ourselves first\u2026 frees us from the resistance to work for the common good\u2026 frees us from having to be right\u2026 from wanting to score points\u2026 frees us from that there’s not enough to go around\u2026 frees us from the obedience to rigid interpretations of the Law\u2026 frees us to embrace a more generous contextual response\u2026 frees us from the sense of not belonging\u2026 and frees us from every barrier which keeps us from being 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