Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 27: Year 2
Morning, Psalms 87and 90; Evening, Psalm 136;
Joel 3:9 to17; James 2:1 to13; Luke 16:10 to17:
“So he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)
So why does it have to be this way? Why is it that what is prized by God cannot also be prized by human beings as well? And we know what that is, right? It is “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God,” (Micah 6:8), and, “to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1: 27). We have the Bible as a rule and guide of our behavior fully knowing that it contains all things necessary for our salvation.
All we have to do is read, learn and heed. Perhaps I am being a little naïve. We first have to believe. We have to believe what our parents have handed down to us. I, myself, did not come from a “Churched” family. And the Bible was not read as a part of our family life. My father was an over-the-road truck driver. He was away for much of my up-bringing. My mother was a business woman who operated restaurants for as long as I can remember as a child growing up. They enrolled me in Catholic School in Nashville, Tennessee. Both parents seemed interested in me having a belief in God, and in our Lord Jesus in particular, notwithstanding, their lack of Church attendance or Biblical teachings.
Now, I have both the Church, (not Roman Catholic but Episcopalian), and the Holy Bible. Because I later joined the Church and attended regular services, I followed the guidance of my last priest and discerned a call to the priesthood. I also have a seminary education now. I am blessed.
None of us are blessed for our own personal benefit. When we are blessed, we are blessed to pass it on. I sincerely pray that I have a loving heart. Only God knows. But where I am failing, I pray God straightens me out. God knows every human heart. But regardless of where your heart is, God can make it better. You cannot, but God can. For God, all things are possible. But you must ask for a righteous heart in prayer.
Today we remember the Consecration of Samuel Seabury, (14 November 1784) the First Bishop to the Americas; (Bestowal of the American Episcopate). And this information can be found at: Consecration of Samuel Seabury.
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: (BCP p. 832)
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.
