Part 1 of 2
Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 13: Year 1
Psalms 93 and 96; Evening, Psalm 34;
2nd Samuel 6:12 to 23; Romans 14:7 to 12; John 1:43 to 51:
“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me:” (John 1:43).
Everybody is finding somebody. Jesus finds Philip, and then Philip finds Nathanael. Nathanael wonders about the goodness of Jesus because he is from Nazareth. But Jesus is sure of the goodness of Nathanael who is an “Israelite in whom there is not deceit.” Are you sure about our Lord Jesus? Can our Lord Jesus be sure about you?
Part 2 of 2
New Testament Readings for Sunday of Proper 13: Year B
Ephesians 4:1 to 16 and John 6:24 to 35:
“Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves:” (John 6: 26)
Jesus has just informed them that they witnessed a sign of who he is in the increased amount of food, both fish and bread. After which, he walked on the water but granted, all of them did not see that. Yet, as they locate him the next day, they demand a sign from him and they use God feeding their ancestors the manna. So they said to Jesus, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?” (John 6:30)
I wonder if we too are standing in the middle of miracles and yet can’t see them. Our Lord Jesus taught the people, healed the people, and fed the people. Are we sometimes so fixated on one kind of miracle that we can’t see other signs that our Lord Jesus is doing right in front of us?
The people were all about food miracles even remembering the manna of Moses. Perhaps they should have been more focused on what they believed. Jesus tells them and us, the work that pleases God is the work of believing. It is not body sweat, but rather, soul sweat. Believing is work. It is the work of the heart. What you believe shapes everything you do. So, can we control what we believe? We say we believe in God, we believe in Jesus, and we believe in the Holy Spirit. But does that translate into loving our neighbor as our Savior loves us, and asks us to do?
Let us live to love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
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