Proper 23
After Pentecost • Sermon • Submitted
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Collect of the Day
Lord Jesus Christ, whose grace always precedes and follows us, help us to forsake all trust in earthly gain and to find in You our heavenly treasure; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amos 5.6-7, 10-15
Seek the Lord and live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, with none to quench it for Bethel, O you who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!
They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth. Therefore because you trample upon the poor and take from him exactions of wheat, you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine. For I know how many are your transgressions, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
notes: The first two verses say come back, another near synonym for turn. Seek the Lord is part of that meaning, turning is implied, but come back, to me has more of the meaning of the going. Their sins were idolatry and oppression. The second half is the people are so corrupt they hate not just tolerate the truth and honesty, esp. in the legal realm. Oppression front and center here too, (12b). Not everyone will heed the warning to do what is good and run from evil, but some will and they will be despised for doing that. That is what national repentance looks like.
Psa 90.12-17
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on thy servants! Satisfy us in the morning with thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad as many days as thou hast afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil. Let thy work be manifest to thy servants, and thy glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
notes: Teach us to number our days (most tss) or realize the brevity of life (nlt), that is not being negative or morose, but is a good thing, it adds wisdom. Here the verb of motion is 13a, O Yahweh, come back to us. James says turn to God and he will turn to you. Joy and gladness will be ours, in our short life, if we obtain, enjoy, possess the chesed of God, and it will pass on to the next generation.
Heb 4.12-16
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
notes: Two parts, one the word of God is alive and powerful and can separate and discern. The second part is because we have a high priest, let us hold firmly to what we believe, because he can understand our testings and trials, he went through them himself. What do we need? Grace in a time of need (testing), we can come boldly, something the high priest could not even do. Come to God (verb of motion).
Mrk 10.17-31
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.” And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Peter began to say to him, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many that are first will be last, and the last first.”
notes: Van Harn says that there is an insider-outside dimension here and the more stories involving them we read, we realize that those in power are often those furthest away (Herod, Pilate) and those that are furthest away are close or become close (blind beggars, Roman centurion). This rich young ruler was faced with a choice, thought he was doing ok before he met Jesus, and did not choose God so remained far away.