Today in the Spirit: Proper 16B
At Proper 16B, still following Jesus in his ministry in Galilee, we come to the assigned Gospel reading from John 6:60-69, where Jesus delivers a rebuke to his disciples (not the Twelve) concerning their stubborn hearts. Having finished with the unbelieving Jews, our Lord finds many of his supposed followers also grumbling about the expectations our Lord has for anyone who would call themselves devoted to him. When they depart, he turns to the Twelve to ask, “Do you want to go away as well?” A question to which Peter issues his famous reply, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (68-69).
The assigned OT reading from Joshua 24:1-2a,14-25 presents both a contrast and a parallel with the Gospel reading. The Israelites who make their vows of faith before Joshua at Shechem are the antitype of the unbelieving Jews in John’s Gospel who cannot bring themselves to put their faith in Jesus. Like the Twelve in the Gospel reading, however, they make their vows to serve the Lord: “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” (24).
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The appointed Psalm 16 contains language of singular devotion to YHWH as the only God, similar to that found in the OT and Gospel readings. I find verse 2, in particular, to be parallel in spirit to the disciples who find in Jesus of Nazareth the only good option for finding the way of God: I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
The Year B series in Ephesians continues without missing any verses (in the whole series, the only part of the letter left out is the final greeting in 6:21- 24). The appointed reading for this week out of Ephesians 5:15-33(6:1-9) continues along the lines of Paul’s teaching on walking as people of Christ alive in the Spirit. We should not understand the inclusion of instructions for married couples and masters and slaves as a new section of the letter but as an application of the theme of walking in the light of Christ. The Collect for this week is a plea to God to let his “mercy” and “goodness” become the reservoir from which the streams of church governance flow. It seems an appropriate prayer for remembering the work of governing councils at the parish, diocesan, and provincial levels.
The Collect
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
We Will Serve the LORD (Joshua 24:1-2a,14-25)
19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem.
Joshua 24:19-25
It is striking that what Yahweh chooses to say to the people of Israel gathered at Shechem after the Promised Land has been occupied (see vv. 2-13). The people’s renewal of their covenant to serve the Lord stands firmly on the acknowledgment that this history is true.
Remember, commit, and serve becomes a common pattern structuring much of the Bible and much of church liturgy. Bot individually and collectively in congregations, God means us to:
- identify ourselves as part of the history of the people of God,
- recall with humility and thanksgiving our particular stories of deliverance by God’s hand,
- and turn forward and put our hands to God’s service.
Today, in the Spirit, read this history of Israel’s deliverance, remember your own deliverances, commit, and serve.
The Sorrows of Those Who Run after Other Gods (Psalm 16)
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge
Psalm 16:1-6
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply (4). This verse in the psalm hits on the theme of betrayal against the One God so prominent in both the assigned Gospel (Jn. 6:60-69) and OT (Jos. 24:14-25) readings for the week. “Dav d” will happily attribute his temporal and eternal security in life to Yahweh and declare categorically that following after another god (or other gods NIV) will lead to ruin. He ll not join the worship of pagan idols.
I wonder if David’s skin would not crawl with our modern, easy accommodation of all things “spiritual”: our lazy associations with horoscopes, yoga, and knocking on wood to get the tree spirits’ attention, not to mention the endless pursuit of happiness through material acquisitions.
Today, in the Spirit of the One God living in you through Christ, with David, repent of any idolatry and make your confession against the worship of other gods.
Singing and Making Melody to the Lord (Ephesians 5:15-33[6:1-9])
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-20
In Greek, as in English, singing and making melody to the Lord describes the command to be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit stands in contrast with getting drunk with wine. Therefore, just as getting drunk leads us to release inhibitions, so should the infilling of the Spirit. While drunkenness may lead to raucous singing, however, the Spirit produces music to the Lord. Hear “David” in the psalm: My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul (see Psalm 108:1-5). Here steadfast and sing go together.
Remember, all of Paul’s commands are plural. Do you find your walk with the Lord music-less lately? It’s one thing to be listening to Christian radio, but what about corporate worship? That is where Paul assumes we should let it all out. Are you skipping out on the praise part of Sunday worship only to arrive in time for the preaching?
Today, ask the Lord to be filled with the Spirit, releasing a renewed liberty to praise and sing together with others.
But There Are Some of You Who Do Not Believe (John 6:60-69)
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
John 6:60-65
Our Lord knew what it was to work in environments of both big and small response. In difficult moments like this one, he arms himself with a holy detachment—a firm knowledge that everything in ministry depends on the will of the Father to draw people in. Even for him, it was inevitable that some, even many, would not believe.
Does smallness, sameness, or a decrease in the fruit of your Christian work discourage you? Ask the Lord to show you where the growing edges are so you can spend your time and resources there. And arm yourself with that holy detachment that tempers your frustration enough to see what lies ahead.
Today, through the encouragement of the Spirit, continue to do your best in what it is in your power to do, finding solace, like Jesus does, in the sovereignty of the Father God for the work of ministry.
Today in the Spirit
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