Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 28: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 102; Evening, Psalm 107:1to32;
Malachi 3:1to12; James 5:7to12; Luke 18:1to8
“Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘Yes’ be yes and your ‘No’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5: 12)
This advice sounds good but rarely do I see it practiced. This is especially true when I witness someone on television being asked a simple “yes or no” question. I find that after they are done responding, I still can’t figure out whether their response was yes, or no.
James is repeating the same advice given in Matthew where Matthew says, “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). I think the real challenge is deciding where we are inside ourselves. And we should remember that whether we are a “yes” or a “no,” we are only yes, or no, temporarily. We may change the next minute or the next year. And even this yes to no; or no to yes, shift, doesn’t mean that we are wishy-washy, but rather, as we are more informed, our perspective changes.
I have great admiration for people who can “up front” respond with a yes or a no, and then explain the why’s. Sometimes they explain only when asked. Sometimes they immediately fill in the why’s so as to explain their position. But at least they are clear about where they stand at the moment. I think we first have to deal with where we are about any subject deep within ourselves. And, it’s okay to be unsure. And it’s okay to say, I don’t know.
To practice the yes or no quick response we might want to start with ourselves. We can start out by simply asking ourselves easy questions like, “shall I get out of bed now? or, “do I want cereal for breakfast?” Then we can graduate to the more difficult questions like “do I support capital punishment; and how about abortion?” We might change over time. And that’s alright. But let us take a stand about where we are right now as for as yes, or no, is concerned, and do it without fear of feeling weak, only let us be open to change if our inside perspective changes.
Today we remember C.S. Lewis, Apologist and Spiritual Writer (22 Novermber 1963) and his information can be found at: C. S. Lewis
“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.
What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia; Israel and Palestine, and our schools. And, 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 God, who prayed us into being by saying “Yes” to our existence, as we are created in Your Image, help us now with steadfast discernment in order that our yes or no to any question, will come with careful and thoughtful love for all you have done, and are doing, for us. Amen.
onewhoponders 