Daily Office Readings for Friday of the 3rd Week of Epiphany: Year 2
Morning; Psalm 40 and 54; Evening, Psalm 51;
Genesis 17:15 to 27; Hebrews 10:11 to 25; John 6:1 to 15:
“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’” (John: 6:14)
I find John’s language to be puzzling. The part about “Who is to come into the world,” is clearly a prophetical prophecy about an event that is yet to come. Jesus has just “taken” food, “blessed it in giving thanks to God for it, and divided it up among the people whom he had seated. This is the four fold mark of take, bless, brake, and give, that is modeled in our Holy Eucharist. It is God’s Way of being with us and leading us.
While Andrew, in our John reading for today, argues that they do not have enough to feed all the people even a little taste, Jesus commands him, (and us), to just be patient, and have them to sit down. I have noticed that in some Church communion services, the sacrament is indeed brought to “seated” parishioners who then partake of the food and drink. Maybe there is a lesson here for us who are stuck in our way of having people come to the rail. Maybe this is our form of “Altar Call.”
I don’t know the answer to all this but I do know that our Lord Jesus is still making His mark on us as He is the One who is still coming into our world. We would do well to be still, sit down and be patient, and remember, whatever we have, ever how little we might think it is, it will be enough and with some left over. We just need to develop the desire to be servants of the servants of Christ. Thank You Lord Jesus.
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom.
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 