Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 22: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 119:145 to 176,Evening, Psalms 128, 129, and 130;
Micah 2:1to 13; Acts 23:23 to 35; Luke 7:18to 35
“And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them.” (Luke 7: 22)
Jesus could have just said “Yes, I am the one.” But there is a lesson in paying attention to what we see and hear. The two disciples of John would have been well aware of their Isaiah scripture where it says, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy;” (Isaiah 35: 4 to 6). This is almost verbatim of what Jesus reminded John’s disciples of in our Luke reading for today.
We can’t realize our scriptures are being lived out right in our presence unless we first know our scriptures. It is when we articulate what we have seen and heard in our own life stories that we realize God in Christ Jesus in working in our lives in the same ways as of old.
I think I should confess to my readers that I am an optimist. I think Christian hope has shaped me this way. I believe the world is getting better more and more. I know that I live in a world of nay-sayer’s who will say, “ it’s never been this bad” and will say “it’s getting worse.” But I don’t accept that. The improvements are small and incremental, but better none the less. The incremental steps of being better are often bitter.
Our eyes are being opened, we are learning to walk in new ways, and we are given hope for a better world. Progressive and just steps, have come as the result of the labors of people who follow in the example of John the Baptist who sent his disciples to ask Jesus about whether or not He was the one. We have the late Martin Luther King Jr., the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan to mention a few, too few. My point is that we have people among us who still follow the example of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus in making our world better, little by little. These saints speak to us today, not so much with their words, but rather, with their personal sacrifice for a better world; and folks, it’s still happening now! We are in better shape now than in 1726, 1826, or 1926. What will 2126 look like? Praise Jesus!
Today we remember Birgitta of Sweden, Mystic and Prophetic Witness, 1373: and Muhlenberg, Patriarch of American Lutherans, 7 October 1787; and their information may be found at: Birgitta of Sweden; and Henry Muhlenberg, respectively.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
Let us pray: For the Human Family (BCP p. 815)
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
