Consider the Word, March 31, 2022

Consider the Word, March 31, 2022
Fifth Sunday of Lent
Email stpauls@pei.aibn.com for the link to the Bible Study.
 
Readings for April 3:

• Isaiah 43:16-21
• Psalm 126
• Philippians 3:4b-14
• John 12:1-8

 
Collect:

Most merciful God,

by the death and resurrection

of your Son Jesus Christ,

you created humanity anew.

May the power of his victorious cross

transform those who turn in faith

to him who lives and reigns with you

and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 
Reading: John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

 
Reflection Questions:

1. Why do you think Jesus defended Mary's "waste" instead of Judas' point of "stewardship" in this context?
2. Have you ever calculated or considered what it should cost you to follow Jesus?
3. In what ways have you found Jesus to be worth what it has cost? 

 
Closing Prayer:

Creator God,

you prepare a new way in the wilderness

and your grace waters the desert.

Help us to recognize your hand

working miracles beyond our imagining.

Open our hearts to be transformed

by the new thing you are doing,

so that our lives may proclaim

the extravagance of your love for all,

and its presence in Jesus Christ. Amen.

 
The Message: John 12:1-8

12 ^1-3 Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.

^4-6 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces.” He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.

^7-8 Jesus said, “Let her alone. She’s anticipating and honoring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don’t always have me.”

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

Consider the Word, March 24, 2022 Third Sunday of Lent

Consider the Word, March 24, 2022
Third Sunday of Lent
Email stpauls@pei.aibn.com for the link to the Bible Study.
 
Readings for March 27:

• Joshua 5:9-12
• Psalm 32
• 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
• Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

 
Collect

Gracious Father,

whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came from heaven

to be the true bread which gives life to the world,

evermore give us this bread,

that he may live in us, and we in him,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 
Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe - the best one - and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate. Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him! 'Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"

 
Reflection Questions

1. Do you find the younger son’s repentance troubling? Why or why not?
2. Are there people whom we consider deserving of their fate, who do not “deserve” forgiveness quite so easily?
3. How do you think a “prodigal church” would behave?
4. We all know that Lent leads to Easter; what is the resurrection you long for in this season?

 
Closing Prayer

Eternal lover of our wayward race,

we praise you for your ever-open door.

You open your arms to accept us

even before we turn to meet your welcome; 

you invite us to forgiveness even before our hearts are softened to repentance.

Hold before us the image of our humanity made new, 

that we may live in Jesus Christ, 

the model and the pioneer of your new creation. Amen.

 
The Message: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

15 ^1-3 By this time a lot of men and women of questionable reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.

^11-12 Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

^12-16 “So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to feel it. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corn-cobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

^17-20 “That brought him to his senses. He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. I’m going back to my father. I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.’ He got right up and went home to his father.

^20-21 “When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

^22-24 “But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a prize-winning heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time.

^25-27 “All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

^28-30 “The older brother stomped off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

^31-32 “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’”

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

Consider the Word, March 17, 2022

Consider the Word, March 17, 2022
Third Sunday of Lent
Email stpauls@pei.aibn.com for the link to the Bible Study.
 
Readings for March 20:

• Isaiah 55:1-9
• Psalm 63:1-8
• 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
• Luke 13:1-9

 
Collect

Father of mercy,

alone we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.

When we are discouraged by our weakness,

strengthen us to follow Christ,

our pattern and our hope;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 
Reading: Luke 13:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam - fell on them - do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did." Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

 
Reflection Questions

1. What does the parable tell us about repentance?
2. What kind of “manure” or fertilizer would help us most?
3. What kind of fruits do we expect to produce?

 
Closing Prayer

God of infinite goodness,

throughout the ages you have persevered

in claiming and reclaiming your people.

Renew for us your call to repentance,

surround us with witnesses to aid us in our journey,

and grant us the time to fashion our lives anew,

through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

 
The Message: Luke 13:1-9

13 ^1-5 About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.”

^6-7 Then he told them a story: “A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren’t any. He said to his gardener, ‘What’s going on here? For three years now I’ve come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?’

^8-9 “The gardener said, ‘Let’s give it another year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn’t, then chop it down.’”

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

Consider the Word, March 10, 2022 First Sunday of Lent

 
Consider the Word, March 10, 2022
First Sunday of Lent
Email stpauls@pei.aibn.com for the link to the Bible Study.
 
Readings for March 13:

• Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
• Psalm 27
• Philippians 3:17-4:1
• Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36
  

 
Collect

Almighty God,

whose Son was revealed in majesty

before he suffered death upon the cross,

give us faith to perceive his glory,

that being strengthened by his grace

we may be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 
Reading: Luke 13:31-35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, "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.'"

 
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."

Reflection Questions

1. Abram has two encounters with the divine. At first, there’s a promise of a child. Now, Abram challenges the divine for certainty. Why is this reading parred in the lectionary with the Gospel, and do the two texts shed light on each other?
2. How have we recognized God’s messages and rule, and how can we continue to do so?

 
Closing Prayer

Hope beyond all human hope,

you promised descendants as numerous as the stars

to old Abraham and barren Sarah.

You promise light and salvation

in the midst of darkness and despair,

and promise redemption to a world that will not listen.

Gather us to yourself in tenderness,

open our ears to listen to your word,

and teach us to live faithfully

as people confident of the fulfillment of your promises.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

 
The Message: Luke 13:31-35

³¹ Just then some Pharisees came up and said, “Run for your life! Herod’s got your number. He’s out to kill you!”

^32-35 Jesus said, “Tell that fox that I’ve no time for him right now. Today and tomorrow I’m busy clearing out the demons and healing the sick; the third day I’m wrapping things up. Besides, it’s not proper for a prophet to come to a bad end outside Jerusalem.

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets,

    abuser of the messengers of God!

How often I’ve longed to gather your children,

    gather your children like a hen,

Her brood safe under her wings—

    but you refused and turned away!

And now it’s too late: You won’t see me again

    until the day you say,

        ‘Blessed is he

        who comes in

        the name of God.’”

 
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson