Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Epiphany: Year 2
Morning, Psalm 119:97 to 120; Evening, Psalms 81 and 82;
Genesis 27:1 to 29; Romans 12:1 to 8; John 8:12 to 20:
“Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you. Go to the flock, and get me two choice kids, so that I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he likes; and you shall take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies. (Genesis 27:8 to 10)
These are Rebecca’s words to her son Jacob after overhearing Isaac talking with Esau. I think most of us today would judge Rebecca as untruthful and deceptive. However, God is pleased to have Jacob rather than Esau as the keeper of the Promise and to become Father Israel from whom the twelve tribes will come. We can never guess what God will approve of.
I will say this about my observation of the scriptural writers about God, God preferred Able over Cain, that is the younger over the elder brother. And God will prefer Joseph over his older brothers born of Jacob. God will also choose the youngest son of Jesse, David, over his older brothers. Does God favor those who have bad examples to proceed them as a lesson in right behavior? That is to say, “don’t do as my elder did.” I don’t know. All I know is that God often favors the only child, or the last child. This is not good news for me as I am the older son of my mother. However, I must admit that Joseph was not the last son of his mother, Benjamin was. None the less, God will select who God will select. God will judge us, we will not be our own final judge.
Our call is to live the best, most caring life we can regardless of which child we are, knowing that we will one day stand in God’s judgment. The only consolation we have is in knowing that God is loving and merciful. Love and mercy are not to be taken for granted, but rather, it is to be humbly received, even now in this life, and then shared by us on those we are with everyday. I pray that we too may be as Rebecca, that is, that the outward looking, untruthful and deceptive acts that we do, may be what God wants. But this only happens if we are listening to the Holy Spirit of God.
Today we remember The Consecration of Barbara Clementine Harris, February 11, 1989) and her information may be found at: Consecration of Barbara C. Harris. And we remember Fanny Crosby (Frances Jane Van Alstyne Crosby, 1915): and her information may be found at: Fanny Crosby.
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: A Collect for Guidance (BCP p. 100)
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
onewhoponders 