Thursday, September 10, 2015

A Layman’s Take on Today’s Readings: Lectionary 440


Key
Bold = verse commented upon
Blue = comment
Highlight = direct command
Comments
1.    There are a lot of direct commands in today’s readings, but most have a common essence: love as God loves. That love is to be extended to fellow believers and all people.
2.    Another common theme among the direct commands is to focus on Jesus and be controlled/directed by, motivated by, appreciative of, and infused with Him. That will help us follow the otherwise difficult direct commands summarized in paragraph 1 above.
3.    The last paragraph of the gospel reading lays out a principle that displays God’s great wisdom and great beneficence: He provides positive, and related, reinforcements for behaviors He wants us to pursue. Although this principle is most often discussed in connection with giving, note that it is also applied here to other types of conduct (various forms of grace to others).  We see that dynamic elsewhere in scripture, again in contexts other than giving. See e.g. Proverbs 15:1 (re gentleness); Sirach 3:17-18   (re humility); Sirach 5:1  (re friendly conduct).  That is one way “his love is brought to perfection in us,” as discussed in 1 John 4:12.

Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one Body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Praise the LORD in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for his sovereign majesty.
Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre and harp,
Praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Alleluia.

If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well,
and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount.  But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,
and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.

Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

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