Part 1 of 2
Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 21: Year 1
Morning, Psalms 66 and 67; Evening, Psalms 19 and 46;
2nd Kings 17:1 to 18; Acts 9:36 to 43; Luke 5:1 to 11:
“Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up;” (Acts 9:40).
Peter was an apprentice of our Lord Jesus. He was blessed to be present with his Master when he healed a little girl. He saw Jesus remove everyone from the presence of the dead girl, and only allowed himself, James, John and the child’s parents in the room; (Luke 8:51 to 56). Peter copied this act for the restoration of this little girl’s life as he copied directly from our Lord Jesus.
This is what mature apprentices do, they keep their Masters alive by repeating their words and through performing their works.
Part 2 of 2
New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Proper 21: Year B
James 5:13-20 and Mark 9:38-50
“But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me;” (Mark 9:39).
Jesus is making the point that whosoever copies the love of God in Christ Jesus, works in Jesus’ Name does the work of Jesus. To John’s chagrin, the unknown healer did not have to be in their specific group of twelve as long as he or she was copying Jesus’ healings with love and respect.
Jesus also makes the point that if we dedicate ourselves to learning the art of healing through His love, we can’t speak out against the very teachings we have dedicated ourselves to. That would be foolish.
Today we have many Christian paths to, and through, our Lord Jesus to God Almighty. As we dedicate ourselves to Jesus in which ever denominational road we take, we know that Jesus does not want us to be stopped. The world today still needs Jesus servers, teachers, and healers of all stripes.
As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 