Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 6: Year 2
Morning, Psalm34; Evening, Psalms 85 and 86;
Numbers 12:1 to 16; Romans 2:12 to 24; Matthew 18:10 to 20:
“Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams. Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face— clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord.” (Numbers 12: 5 – 8)
Moses’ brother and sister are called to the carpet for their jealousy of God’s relationship with Moses. It does not turn out good for them, especially for Miriam. What I want to point out in this passage is the almost hidden way of God as is made manifest throughout our Old and New Testaments; and this is still God’s way of communicating with us, that is, through us; in visions and dreams.
In Genesis God appears to Jacob in a dream as Jacob sees the vision of a ladder extending to heaven; (Genesis 28: 10 – 17). Also, in the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph was about to separate himself from Mary when an angel appeared to him “in a dream” and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins;” (Matthew 1:20 – 21). There are other such biblical cases as well. This is God’s Way.
I think it is important to be attentive to our dreams as well as what might seem like random messages that come to us from persons, known and unknown by them. Prayer and the desire for the presence of God is very close to meditation , pondering and dreaming. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is unchanging but causes all good changes. Occasionally God still gives the prophetic message to some of us, for the benefit of all of us. We never know who gets the message. It could be anybody, not necessarily a seminary graduate or an ordained person. This is why we must always listen to anyone who comes to us with a message.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and our schools including St. Augustine in Raleigh, North Carolina.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray:
“Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.” (BCP 834 and 835)
onewhoponders 