God of great love,
you alone can take away the sting of sin
and remove the venom of death.
Show us a sign of your saving power in Jesus Christ,
so that we may believe in him
and receive the gift of eternal life;
through Christ, our healer and redeemer.
Amen.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Daily Readings for February 21, 2016 - Second Sunday of Lent
Genesis 15:1-12, 15:17-18
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,
Psalm 27 Dominus illuminatio (Lord is my light)
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army should encamp against me, yet my heart shall not be afraid;
4 And though war should rise up against me, yet will I put my trust in him.
5 One thing have I asked of the LORD; one thing I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;
6 To behold the fair beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter; he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock.
8 Even now he lifts up my head above my enemies round about me.
9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
10 Hearken to my voice, O LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.
11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." Your face, LORD, will I seek.
12 Hide not your face from me, nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
13 You have been my helper; cast me not away; do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will sustain me.
15 Show me your way, O LORD; lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice.
17 What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
18 O tarry and await the LORD'S pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; wait patiently for the LORD.
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.
Luke 13:31-35
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.'"
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,
Psalm 27 Dominus illuminatio (Lord is my light)
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army should encamp against me, yet my heart shall not be afraid;
4 And though war should rise up against me, yet will I put my trust in him.
5 One thing have I asked of the LORD; one thing I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life;
6 To behold the fair beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe in his shelter; he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me high upon a rock.
8 Even now he lifts up my head above my enemies round about me.
9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
10 Hearken to my voice, O LORD, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me.
11 You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." Your face, LORD, will I seek.
12 Hide not your face from me, nor turn away your servant in displeasure.
13 You have been my helper; cast me not away; do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.
14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will sustain me.
15 Show me your way, O LORD; lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.
16 Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice.
17 What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
18 O tarry and await the LORD'S pleasure; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; wait patiently for the LORD.
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.
Luke 13:31-35
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.'"
Daily Meditation for February 21, 2016 - Second Sunday of Lent
From Forward Day by Day
Psalm 27:14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will sustain me.
I read this morning about a boy whose life with his birth parents became horrific. One night, feverish with untreated pneumonia, he contacted a friend, telling her he was seriously considering suicide. The friend’s mother saw the chat window on the computer, jumped in the car, drove to the child’s house, and brought him home with her. Soon afterward, she and her family adopted the boy.
That story reminded me of another family I knew whose neighbor had escaped Vietnam after the war. After several years, the neighbor’s wife died, leaving him with six children. The man tried to raise them, but one day, my friends answered the door to find six children at their doorstep. The children explained that the father had made them leave, and they had nowhere to go. My friends welcomed them in and soon adopted them; the way my friend told the story, they didn’t even discuss it much.
God sustains forsaken children in mysterious and miraculous ways.
Psalm 27:14 Though my father and my mother forsake me, the LORD will sustain me.
I read this morning about a boy whose life with his birth parents became horrific. One night, feverish with untreated pneumonia, he contacted a friend, telling her he was seriously considering suicide. The friend’s mother saw the chat window on the computer, jumped in the car, drove to the child’s house, and brought him home with her. Soon afterward, she and her family adopted the boy.
That story reminded me of another family I knew whose neighbor had escaped Vietnam after the war. After several years, the neighbor’s wife died, leaving him with six children. The man tried to raise them, but one day, my friends answered the door to find six children at their doorstep. The children explained that the father had made them leave, and they had nowhere to go. My friends welcomed them in and soon adopted them; the way my friend told the story, they didn’t even discuss it much.
God sustains forsaken children in mysterious and miraculous ways.
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