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Serving God and Sharing Good News |
Weekly Bible Notes Ordinary 12
Year C, Colour = Green
Ordinary 12 Year C
Introduction
Elijah was not the last prophet left in Israel, but when he ran away
from Jezebel and sought God in the mountains, we can understand that
he probably felt very frightened and alone. He was a desperate man,
hunted by the authorities and in fear of his life for very good
reason. It was at this time of deep distress and panic that he ran
to God and sought help. It was a legitimate thing for Elijah to do,
all that he had done was to follow God's instructions, now he was a
fugitive.
Of course he found that running to the mountains to Horeb was a good thing. In the quietness of the desert he found strength and a conviction that God was with him to see through to the work which must be done. In truth we all find ourselves in times of crisis and doubt. Christians leaders can begin to question the decision which they have made, doubt their own ministry and calling. It is at times like this that we need to stop and listen afresh to the voice of God.
This is true for prophets engaged upon great spiritual enterprises, it is also true for each one of us as we seek to be faithful to God in our daily lives and the 'ordinary' decisions which we have to take. In a sense we all do this, we seek God in the panic of exams, marital breakdown, unemployment or a bad visit to the doctor. The real advantage comes in not waiting until things go wrong before asking for God to become more intimately involved in our lives. Seek God now while he may be found, don't make God a last resort.
Opening Verse of Scripture Psalm 43:3
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring
me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
Ps 43 v 3
Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray
Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Common Worship
God our saviour, look on this wounded world in pity and in power; hold us fast to your promises of peace won for us by your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen Common Worship Shorter Collect
Creator God, in the beginning your word subdued the chaos and in the fullness of time you sent Jesus, your Son, to rebuke the forces of evil and to make all things new. By that same power transform our fear into faith that we may have courage to follow in the way of your kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Methodist Worship
God of all power and truth and grace, you call your Church to love and praise. Inspire us with zeal for your gospel, and grant us boldness to proclaim your word, that we and all the world may praise your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Methodist Worship
First Bible Reading
1 Kings 19 v 1 - 15Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed
all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to
say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time
tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. Elijah was afraid
and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his
servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He
came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have
had enough, LORD, he said. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.
Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel
touched him and said, Get up and eat. He looked around, and there by his
head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate
and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second
time and touched him and said, Get up and eat, for the journey is too much
for you. So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he
travelled for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the
mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word
of the LORD came to him: What are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, I have
been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected
your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with
the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.
The LORD said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD,
for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the
mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was
not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was
not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was
not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard
it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of
the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? He
replied, I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites
have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets
to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to
kill me too. The LORD said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the
Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
(This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)
Second Reading Galatians Chapter 3:22-29
Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)
Gospel Reading Luke 8:26 -39
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from
Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from
the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house,
but had lived in the tombs.
When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of
his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg
you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out
of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and
foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by
the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A
large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged
Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons
came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the
steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When those tending the pigs saw
what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and
countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they
came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting
at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those
who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured.
Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave
them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and
left.
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus
sent him away, saying, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you."
So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
(This is the word of the Lord - Thanks be to God)
Post Communion Prayer
O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining and whose power we cannot
comprehend: show us your glory as far as we can grasp it, and shield us from
knowing more than we can bear until we may look upon you without fear;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen
Commentary
Our journeys sometimes take us to destinations we don’t
always expect. The further Elijah tries to travel from trouble the closer he
journeys towards God. When we feel under pressure or in times of trouble or
distress we often feel as if we need to get away from the anxiety that has
come our way. Sometimes this is exactly the right thing to do. Other times
we may need to face up to what is troubling us and deal with it ‘head on’.
Whatever our course of action we need to use the opportunity to allow
ourselves to be drawn in the direction of God’s loving and caring presence,
a presence that Elijah came to realise was with him wherever he went. God
was not just concerned with the Elijah who the won the victory at Carmel, He
was concerned with the desperate Elijah who had fled to the wilderness,
petrified by his powerful enemies, not knowing where to turn and in real
fear of his life. Fortunately it is often in our sloughs of despond, as
Bunyan would have expressed it, rather than in our mountain top victory
experiences, that we find God,
Given the bonfire competition with the prophets of Baal at Carmel, where God
came down in a consuming fire, we may have expected God to speak to Elijah
from the fire. Elijah himself may have expected a meeting with God to
involve the three symbols of His presence during the Exodus: wind,
earthquake and fire, all of which are present in this encounter. But instead
of revealing himself in the fire, God chose the whisper. Not the fire, not
the wind, not the earthquake but the whisper, the ‘sound of sheer silence’
as it is translated in the New Standard Revised Version of the bible. The
omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God chose to reveal himself in the
paradox of the quiet silence, a concept that the mystics throughout the ages
have pondered through the years as they wrestle with trying to comprehend
the enormity of God and His presence pervading every atom of the creation,
including us.
God is indeed so great that, like Elijah, we experience Him when we least
expect him to appear. He reveals himself to us. We do not demand or expect
him to answer on our terms. Even when we are under pressure, if we wait on
God, He will answer. And though God’s voice may have been quiet, when God
answered Elijah the message was loud and clear. Elijah was to return from
where he had come from and anoint Hazael as king, continuing his ministry
under the divine protection of God Himself. Not only was the manner of God’s
speaking a surprise to Elijah, the message itself was not what he was
expecting to hear.
However God chooses to speak to us, through the great noise and tumult of
life or through the ‘sound of sheer silence’, like Elijah, we should follow
His command and allow God himself leads us on and through our times of
trouble, protected by His mighty presence, into the times of peace and glory
which lie beyond. Sam Cappleman
Meditation
In the Elijah narrative people are in the habit of making vows. Elijah said in chapter 17: "As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word" Now it is Queen Jezebel's time to make a vow: "So may the gods to do me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them (i.e. the dismembered prophets of Baal) by this time tomorrow". Elijah swore by Yahweh, God of Israel; Jezebel by the unnamed "gods." Nevertheless, her vow sparked fear in Elijah. He was terrified and ran for his life. So fearful was he that he not only left the area of Jezreel, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, but he ran until he came to Beersheba, the southernmost settlement in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Fear often sparks an overreaction. Instead of just locking the door, we bolt it with a double lock, carve a moat around the home, put alligators in the moat and drop the portcullis in front of the door. We will make ourselves so secure that even friends, who may want to help, have no means of entering. After Bill Long
Hymns
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All my hope on God is founded 16
-
Come on and celebrate 99
-
Blessed assurance 59
-
I heard the voice of Jesus say 275
-
Lord for the years, 428
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
- "Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.
- If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."
- Glorious things of thee are spoken 817 Tune 1,
- Seek ye first 138
- Lord of creation 699
- Fight the good fight 71
- For I’m building a people of power 151
- Breathe on me breath of God 67
- Guide me O thou great Jehovah 201
Additional Resources
The
Summer Solstice
Our planet takes 365 days to orbit the Sun – the basis of our calendar
year
The Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees
This means that different parts of the globe receive varying amounts of
sunlight during the year, creating the seasons
The shortest day and longest night occurs on December 22, the winter
solstice. The longest day and shortest night occurs this week - 21st of
June is the longest day of the year. It is called the Summer Solstice.
For those living in the northern hemisphere, the Summer Solstice is the
day on which the earth, spinning on its axis, has its North Pole ‘tipped’
as far as it will go to face the sun. Because of this ‘tipping’ towards
the sun, the northern hemisphere receives the longest hours of daylight of
the year.
The further north or south you live in the world, the more pronounced the
seasons are. For example, in the far north, Alaska has sunshine 24 hours a
day during their summertime. If you live near the equator, the Sun doesn't
shift up and down in the sky as much. This means that the length of day
temperature doesn't vary as much. So countries near the equator only have
two seasons - rainy and dry.
No one knows why the Earth's axis is tilted by 23.5 degrees. Whatever the
reason, it's a good thing - if the Earth did not tilt, countries near the
poles would be cold and dark all year round. If it tilted too much, the
seasons would be very extreme – like on the planet Uranus. Here the winter
lasts for 42 years in total darkness!
Lord God, Creator of light, at the rising of your sun each morning, let
the greatest of all lights - your love - rise, like the sun, within my
heart. (from the Armenian Liturgy)
Commentary
God Chooses the Strangest People... Among early Christians, especially those with a strong Jewish background, the gospel story is rich in symbolism. It takes place across the lake from Galilee, in foreign, Gentile, territory. The demon-possessed man at the centre of the story is an outsider, probably a Gentile, and even if not, his demon-possession has rendered him unclean to the Jews. The encounter takes place in a cemetery, a place traditionally the abode of spirits, a place ritually unclean for the Jews and somewhere to be avoided in darkness. The pigs into which the spirits flee are unclean animals, and the sea into which they run was a place where demonic powers were thought to live. 'Legion' was not just a term meaning many, but a designation for a Roman army, and the one stationed in Palestine had a boar on its standard. It's a meeting of the holy and the unholy, the clean and the unclean, the Jewish world and the Gentile world. Above all it's a confrontation of evil powers with the Son of God, for whom they are no match. But the mission in Gentile territory is more than a triumph of good over evil. In travelling to the other side of the lake and exorcising the demons from the Gerasene man, Jesus demonstrates that His freedom and salvation is for all. No one is beyond His love and salvation, not even those the Jews would have thought beyond redemption. Jesus is all-powerful and all the forces of the ritually unclean Gentile world have been overcome. The Gentiles and their land have been exorcised and liberated. There can be no stronger demonstration that everyone is included in God's saving plan for the world.
Sadly the reaction of the majority of the population to this newfound liberation is strange. Perhaps failing to understand what's going on they react with fear and ask Jesus to leave. People always have the right to choose. The offer of salvation is open to all, not all will accept. The task that Jesus calls us to, is to present His gospel to the world with our words and our lives, sometimes in places we don't expect. The task of salvation is His alone and no one is beyond His love. Even in a world where people often seem possessed and obsessed by material things or entombed by events or circumstances God can, and does, break through, to bring freedom, peace and salvation. Rev Dr Sam Cappleman
Commentary
Liberation and Freedom
The mission in Gentile territory is more than a triumph of good over evil.
In travelling to the other side of the lake and exorcising the demons from
the Gerasene man, Jesus demonstrates that His freedom and salvation is for
all. No one is beyond His love and salvation, not even those the Jews would
have thought beyond redemption. Jesus is all-powerful and all the forces of
the ritually unclean Gentile world have been overcome. There can be no
stronger demonstration that everyone is included in God's saving plan for
the world. Sadly the reaction of the majority of the population to this
newfound liberation and salvation is strange. Perhaps failing to understand
what's going on they react with fear and ask Jesus to leave. People always
have the right to choose. The offer of salvation is open to all, not all
will accept. The task that Jesus calls us to, is to present His gospel to
the world with our words and our lives, sometimes in places we don't expect.
The task of salvation is His alone and no one is beyond His love. Even in a
world where people often seem possessed and obsessed by material things or
entombed by events or circumstances God can, and does, break through, to
bring freedom, peace and salvation. However we imagine the powers that
oppress people, Jesus came to bring liberation from them.Elijah certainly felt oppressed and frightened by the powers of darkness that surrounded Jezebel, Ahab’s wide and a religious fanatic who is furious with Elijah for killing the prophets of Baal and as a result has threatened that within a day she will kill him. Fear and exhaustion generated self destructive depression. But when Elijah focuses on God, rather than being oppressed and frightened, he has a new freedom and is without fear.
Ironically sometimes it’s the very presence of Jesus that makes people feel uncomfortable and even a little bit fearful. Sometimes this can be because He begins to challenge long held beliefs and preconceptions or perhaps because they way we live is far from the ideal God intends for our lives. Perhaps we all need to hear the God’s challenge to Elijah in our own lives – ‘What are you doing here?’ When we step back from all the frenzied activity and listen to the whisper which is God’s voice we will hear again His commission for us. Like Elijah, we have to trust and obey as we move forward along our journey of living out our faith.
God sometimes chooses the strangest people, in the strangest circumstances to do His work. In the gospel reading we see Jesus instructing the Gerasene man to return to his former home, and in so doing calling him to a new vocation, giving him a new purpose and point to his life. Under Jesus' direct instruction, the Gerasene demoniac becomes the first missionary to the Gentiles. Elijah was a lonely and frightened man, full of questions about his faith and even his reason for living. If God can use people like this, how might He want to use us? Sam Cappleman
Prayer
O God, the King of Righteousness, lead us we pray, in the way of justice and of peace. Inspire us to break down all oppression and wrong, to gain for everyone their reward, and from every one their due service; that each may live for all, and all may care for each, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in our asking; have compassion on our weakness, and give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Lord, Jesus Christ, let me seek you by desiring you, and let me desire you by seeking you. Let me find you by loving you, and love you in finding you. Amen. St Anselm
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen
Meditation
God sometimes chooses the strangest people, in the strangest circumstances to do His work. In the gospel reading we see Jesus instructing the Gerasene man to return to his former home, and in so doing calling him to a new vocation, giving him a new purpose and point to his life. Under Jesus' direct instruction, the Gerasene demoniac becomes the first missionary to the Gentiles. If God can do this with him, how might He want to use us?
Meditation
It is likely that the story of the Gerasenes demoniac had circulated for some time before it is recorded in Mark. Among Christians with a strongly Jewish background the story contained potent symbols. It took place in Gentile territory, not a holy land. Pigs are unclean animals. Cemeteries were the abode of spirits, to be avoided in darkness. ‘Legion’ was not a term meaning many, but a designation for one of Rome’s armies. The one stationed in Palestine had a boar on its standard. The sea was a place a danger, an abode of demonic powers. For people within such a system of values Jesus, by this act, has defied the forces of the Gentile world and exorcised the Gentile land.
Hymns (Hymns and Psalms)
Prayers
- Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be sensitive to your presence;
- Give us ears to hear your word
- Give us hearts to feel your love
- Give us minds to understand your truth
- Give us wills to practice what you teach
- To your glory Amen.
God of all Holiness and hope, cleanse the church from all that is
selfish, complacent and worldly, that we might reflect your glory and
bring hope to those who seek direction and meaning to their lives. Amen
God of all wisdom and honour, give our leaders integrity and our world
the openness to listen and the courage to forgive. We pray for fair and
free democracy to grow, remembering especially those countries where
oppression and persecution remain. Amen
God of all healing and wholeness, give to those who are in pain or
suffering all that they need both physically and spiritually. We pray
for those in the caring professions, Heavenly Father, whose Son came not
to be served but to serve; bless all who follow in his steps, give
themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience and
courage, they may minister in His name to the suffering, the friendless
and the needy; for the love of Him who laid down His life for us all.
Amen
God of eternity, as you welcome into your Kingdom those who have endured
to the end, we thank you for the example of their lives. Jesus Christ is
the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench. We
remember before God those who have died and light a candle to symbolise
the light of Christ which eternally shines and brings hope. We remember
any known to us who we no longer see. You turn our darkness into light,
in your light shall we see light. Amen
God of power, may the boldness of your Spirit transform us, may the
gentleness of your Spirit lead us, may the gifts of your Spirit be our
goal and our strength, now and always. Amen
The Spirit of truth lead you into all truth, give you grace to confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, and strengthen you to proclaim the word and
works of the God; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen
No shadow darkens the friendship which you offer to us, Lord Jesus Christ. No trivial mood or passing fancy alters the constancy of your compassion. No wind of change blows first hot and then cold, to blight the love which you offer. You call us your friends and you are faithful and true to your word. Give us grace to follow in your ways, to be unashamed to own your name Lord Jesus Christ and speak that name to those whom we meet.
O God, the King of Righteousness, lead us we pray, in the way of justice and of peace. Inspire us to break down all oppression and wrong, to gain for everyone their reward, and from every one their due service; that each may live for all, and all may care for each, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our needs before we ask, and our ignorance in our asking; have compassion on our weakness, and give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Lord, Jesus Christ, let me seek you by desiring you, and let me desire you by seeking you. Let me find you by loving you, and love you in finding you. Amen. St Anselm
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen