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Reflection 2 February 

Jeremiah 1.4-10

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
6 Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God ! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’
7 But the Lord said to me,
‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord .’
9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.’

 

 

REFLECTION

 Jeremiah tells the reader that being a prophet was not a career choice; it was a preordained act of God. It does not say, 'to my people Isreal...', it says 'nations and kingdoms'. Jeremiah has to go to anybody God sends him. That is a great responsibility and power. Some may have desired it and others want to run away from it. Jeremiah does not seem hesitant to do it, but felt his age was a hinderance. I think that is why God called when God did. God wanted Jeremiah to be dependent on God. Prophesies proclaim the future work of God and to proclaim will require faith in God and in God's word. He appears to have been chosen to take God's judgement on the nations and kingdoms. This would not appear to be a message of hope, but in the contrary, if God is getting rid of nations, it is because they have done evil in God's sight. In proclaim God's destruction there would hopefully be a place for repentance and forgiveness as there was for Ninevah. Jeremiah was bringing God's opportunity. Also, God is acting to help someone through this act. The nation may appear to be unloved by God, but the question should be who is God loving in this act. For them this is a message of hope.

 

 

Psalm 71.1-6

1 To you, Lord, have I come for shelter:

let me never be put to shame.

2 In your righteousness rescue and deliver me:

incline your ear to me and save me.

3 Be for me a rock of refuge, a fortress to defend me:

for you are my high rock, and my stronghold.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked:

from the grasp of the pitiless and unjust.

5 For you, Lord, are my hope:

you are my confidence, O God, from my youth upward.

6 On you have I leaned since my birth:

you are he that brought me out of my mother’s womb,

and my praise is of you continually.

 

2nd Reading

1 Corinthians 13.1-13

1 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

 

REFLECTION

The giving of the verse numbers could suggest this is part of chapter 13, but it is actually all of chapter 13. 13 verses about love. I don't know if it means anything to you, but I find it amazing that Paul believes love is more important than faith. I know we have to have faith; it is not about love on its own, but about how love and faith work together, but that love is more important than faith is still pretty challenging. Where do we put our energy into faith. I encourage everyone to read their bible, pray and worship in community to grow their relationship with God. I put growing faith as important. These are not wrong, but the purpose of the action needs to be love. Doing them in love, so that we may live them out in love.

 

Gospel Reading

Luke 4.21-30

21 Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ 23 He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ 24 And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

REFLECTION

I have to admit this reflection has changed. My original reflection focused on why this event was a miracle for Luke, but on reading the other two readings I want to reflect on faith, hope and love. The reading is the next part of last week's reading where Jesus read the prophecy about the coming Messiah and basically told them he was the Messiah. This should have been a point of great joy, the Messiah is here, the Messiah they have hoped for, but instead the listeners are challenged to believe Jesus. They know him, but have no faith in him, they want proof. Jesus' reference to the widow and Naaman reflect a God who acts on faith, not on demand or to prove God's self. The information angers the people and they go to kill him. what a reaction. What a miracle that he walks away. What guided the people's behaviour? Faith? Hope? Love? No, doubt, and anger.

SHERWOOD OXLEY  ANGLICAN
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