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First Reading: Genesis
15:1-12, 17-18 After
these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do
not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you
give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of
Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a
slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of
the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but
your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and
said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count
them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he
believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who
brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to
possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall
possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a
female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young
pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half
over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when
birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon
Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a
smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On
that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your
descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the
river Euphrates, The Word of the Lord |
Second Reading: Philippians
3:17—4:1
Brothers
and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the
example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I
have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end
is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame;
their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven,
and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be
conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make
all things subject to himself.
Therefore,
my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm
in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
The
Word of the Lord
Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
The
Lord be with you. And also with
you.
A
reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke in the thirteenth Chapter. Glory to you, O Lord!
At that
very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod
wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me,
‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and
on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I
must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside
of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and
stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your
children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not
willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see
me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name
of the Lord.’”
This is
the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to
you, O Christ!
Prayers
of the Church:
Jesus
work is salvation, in faith we offer our prayers for the world, the
church, and for all people
according to their needs.
[Short pause]
Saving God, continue to raise up
prophets in your church to tell the truth and point to your will in all things.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Saving God, Bless our
families, loved ones and friends. Keep them close to you in every way.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Saving God, As our province
and town begin to re-open, help us to remember what this “new normal” is and
help us to be respectful of so many ideas and opinions. Watch over all those
who work daily for the health of others. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Saving God, let us use our
talents and skill to further your Kingdom here and give us real hope in you and
where you’re leading us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Saving God, remember your people
suffering the scourge of war and grant peace to Ukraine and to Russia as well any
troubled spots in our world. Let justice and true peace be found. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
Saving God, remember all who
continue to suffer in our midst and in our area. Keep safe all who must travel
or work in the elements. Comfort those who have suffered loss this winter.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Saving God, look with favor on
all who minister in the name of your Son. Bless our sisters and brothers of St. Paul, Leamington and their pastor, Pastor Sylvia Swiatoschik. Lord,
in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Saving God, we trust in your power
and in your mercy. Hear the prayers we keep in our hearts… * … Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
{*Rose Gotzmeister, Gail Mauer, Bill Ungar, Deb Kirschner, Pr. Bob
Zimmerman}
Into your hands we commend all
for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy and grace; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
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Listen, I am casting out demons and
performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.
·
What is Jesus’ work? From what is said here, we
might take it to mean cures and exorcisms. “Today, tomorrow, and the third day”
might be a way of saying “I’ll work until the job is done.” Some scripture
scholars say that this is a possibility.
·
There is another way of looking at it, however.
The reference to “the third day” might make us think of Jesus’ prediction of
his death remembering his three days in the tomb. This would shed an entirely
different light on what Jesus’ “work” would be.
·
The cures, the exorcisms, the preaching are all
signs of the Kingdom coming and actually the Kingdom present now. Each incident
of Jesus opposing evil in the world, which is what the cures and exorcisms are,
show Jesus’ power and dedication to the Kingdom of God. They are certainly
important to the Gospel story and they are not the end of it.
·
Jesus’ reference to “the third day” assures his
listeners (which include us) that there is a goal and a direction to his
ministry among the people of God. His criticism of Jerusalem is akin to
people’s dissatisfaction with “Ottawa.” People usually don’t have a grudge
against those who live in Ottawa and as a city, it has its own charm. It is,
however, the place that people see as the seat of government and that is where
the blame goes. Jesus’ talk about Jerusalem points out the powerful ones who
blame, criticize, criminalize, and often kill the truth-tellers. This is made
more complex by the role Jerusalem has as the holy city and the center of the
Jewish world.
·
The goal of Jesus’ ministry is to usher in the
Kingdom of God by healing, casting out demons, and preaching. It is finally
done by his death and resurrection. We see this in the rear-view mirror of the
Gospels; we have an advantage on the original disciples because of this. They
didn’t know where all this was going while we know the ending of the story.
·
What we don’t know is the ending of the Gospel
story that includes us! It is true; the Good News is present now and includes
all of us. This gives us hope and more; it gives us assurance of our place in
the Kingdom of God, both now and to come. It give us courage to share our faith
with others in word and in action so that our faith and our hope can be shared.
If it’s made a difference for us, it can make a difference for others, possibly
in ways we’ll never know.
·
So is Jesus’ work done? It is and it still goes
on. What is needed is done and given and we have the mission to continue to
share what we’ve been given, to pass on what we’ve received, alluding to Paul’s
words. The Gospel lives in us and because of that we have hope and can share
hope in a world that sorely needs it.
Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.
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