Today in the Spirit: Proper 23C
While his exact travel is difficult to track in this section of Luke, it seems at this juncture that our Lord is now moving on a more direct route south to Jerusalem. The assigned Gospel reading for Proper 23C is Luke 17:11-19, a narrative account of the healing of ten lepers somewhere on the border “between Samaria and Galilee” (11). Ten came to our Lord asking for healing; all were healed, but only one, a Samaritan, returned to worship him. Jesus, speaking most likely to his disciples, responds: “‘Were not ten cleansed?” (17); but then he pronounces salvation on the faithful one in his presence.
Our only exposure to the Book of Ruth in the three-year cycle is in the assigned OT reading for this week from Ruth 1:1-19a. It is the narrative of Elimelech’s sojourn to Moab with his wife, Naomi, and their sons. After the “exceedingly bitter” (13) experience of losing her entire blood family there, she resolves to return to Israel, urging her daughters-in-law to stay behind. One of them, Ruth, insists on staying with Naomi, saying, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (16). And they return to Bethlehem of Judah together.
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The appointed Psalm 113 (also assigned at Epiphany 3C) is a testimony of praise to YHWH for his compassion toward the needy, like Naomi and the ten lepers featured in the other readings: “He takes up the lowly out of the dust, and lifts the poor out of the ashes, That he may set them with the princes, even with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home to dwell in and makes her a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD” (6-8).
We continue in Year C with our Sunday series of NT readings from 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy 2:1-15 contains further exhortations from Paul to his beloved “son” and missionary assignee in Ephesus. It begins: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (1-2).
The appointed Collect for Proper 23C is another plea from the Church for prayers to be answered by God, who is “our refuge and strength (language from Psalm 46:1), true source of godliness.” The word “effectually” can be defined as “with the intended or desired result.” The prayer leaves open the question as to whose intentions or desires the answers should conform–man’s or God’s or both.
The Collect
O God, our refuge and strength, true source of all godliness: Graciously hear the devout prayers of your Church, and grant that those things which we ask faithfully, we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
But Ruth Clung to Her (Ruth 1:1-19a)
1 In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 2 The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. 3 But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, 5 and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. 7 So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. 10 And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, 13 would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” 14 Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. 15 And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. 19 So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem.
Ruth 1:1-19a
A story that never fails to touch the heart of believers. It is worth noting that Ruth actually does not speak much in the narrative. I count only nine bits of dialogue from Ruth in the entire book, and most of them are just brief answers to questions put to her. The only lengthy statement from the title character is the famous one we recognize from vv. 16-17 in the reading. Further, the only indication of any personal faith in YHWH is found in her words, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (16), and maybe in the use of the Hebraic saying she probably picked up from her association with the family, “May the LORD do so to me…” (17).
Should we be concerned about this at all? I have been a pastor (and a parent) long enough to know that young people of faith do not always express their devotion to God with as much enthusiasm as we would like to see. Many quiet ones, especially those who grow up in a Christian home, attend youth meetings, pass through confirmation, and hardly talk about God. Like Ruth, they are there with words when they absolutely need to be (such as at Confirmation), but we may wonder, “Is there really faith there?”
Perhaps we adults need to take a chill pill here from the Holy Spirit. The key test of devotion is, like Ruth, with actions, not words. And, as in the story of Ruth, the important thing is not what the youth are doing or saying but what the Lord is doing through them. This is true for Christians, young and old.
Today, Holy Spirit, inspire me afresh by the words and actions of Ruth in this reading, and even more so by how you are at work through her.
Who Is Like the LORD our God? (Psalm 113)
1 Praise the Lord. Sing praises, you servants of the LORD; *
Psalm 113, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
O praise the Name of the LORD.
2 Blessed be the Name of the LORD, *
from this time forth for evermore.
3 The LORD’s Name be praised *
from the rising up of the sun to the going down of the same.
4 The LORD is high above all nations, *
and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God, who has his dwelling so high, *
and yet humbles himself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth?
6 He takes up the lowly out of the dust, *
and lifts the poor out of the ashes,
7 That he may set them with the princes, *
even with the princes of his people.
8 He gives the barren woman a home to dwell in, *
and makes her to be a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD.
Or, “The LORD is exalted over all the nations, his splendor reaches beyond the sky” (4. NET). A compelling image of this psalm is found in the two references (vv. 4,5, BCP) to YHWH seated on his throne far above the earth and the “heavens.” The Hebrew psalmist would challenge those who have been conditioned to think of God in the sky to reconsider: God is seated (to the extent we can imagine a throne) in a realm (to the extent we can imagine a place) far above and beyond even the outer reaches of the created cosmos. From Earth, we will never see him there with the most powerful telescope, nor will we see him in the most advanced spaceship. The creation story alludes to it in the creation of the “sky” as a separation “between the waters” (Gn. 1:6). It is not just from the sky but from the outer reaches beyond our sky that YHWH “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (6, NIV).
My goodness, saints, how powerful is our God that he can see every one of us from such a height, and how loving he is to care to do so. And it is not only to observe his creatures but to help them in their time of need. “He takes up the lowly out of the dust, and lifts the poor out of the ashes” (6, BCP). We are all poor in our sin and need lifting up from the deepest hole, and through Christ on the cross, the deed is accomplished. It is not for us, the psalmist would argue in his poetry, to grasp the unimaginable—God dwelling in the highest height and loving us so much as to register his power and his love, and to rest in him.
Today, in the Spirit, we allow the psalmist to take us in our worship to an image of our God seated high and bowing low, and to join in the fellowship of those praising him.
Reflect on What I Am Saying (2 Timothy 2:1-15)
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Or, “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this” (7, NIV). Paul’s series of three illustrations of ordinary people pursuing their vocations in society appears singly in other letters (1 Cor. 9:7a, 9:7 b, 9:24f, Eph. 6:10ff). Here the compilation of the three carries a three-fold message for Timothy: The lesson of the “soldier” is singlemindedness, avoiding entanglement with pursuits other than that of the gospel; that of the “athlete” is righteousness, putting away deceitfulness of spirit by operating under the “rules” of the word of God and the peaceful testimony of a clear conscience; that of the “farmer” is one of faithfulness, staving off despair by trusting in God’s power and desire to supply whatever the gospel servant requires. Here is wholesome “insight” to be gained by Timothy (and all of us) reflecting on these character illustrations.
Devotionally, we find not only through the study of the word but also by experience that Paul’s insights are true. Who among us has not experienced the paralyzing lethargy that comes with keeping one foot in the world and another in the kingdom? Who among us has not felt the crippling conviction of conscience that accompanies our “preaching” in public one thing and “practicing” another in secret? And who among us can ever say that God has failed to provide the resources needed to carry out what he orders in gospel service?
Today, in the Spirit, we join with Timothy in reflecting on the series of character illustrations Paul gives for the benefit of our understanding in following the Lord Jesus.
You Faith Has Made You Well (Luke 17:11-19)
11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
As always, when reading Gospel narratives, it is good to ask. “What is the Son of God up to here”? When the Samaritan returns, Jesus asks, “‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’” (18). So, who is Jesus speaking to here? To himself? To the disciples? To the Father God? We may wonder if the Samaritan heard him say those words. It reads like a complaint. Jesus of Nazareth knows the hearts of men, and yet, if he is not surprised, he is frustrated by the lack of response of his own people, the Israelites, to the coming of the Messiah.
However, notice the immediate shift in attention back to the Samaritan worshiper. With no trace of bitterness, he turns his gaze gladly back to the faithful one and pronounces his healing soul and body: “Your faith has made you well” (Gk. sōzō, “save” or “rescue”).
Once, many years ago, on a Sunday morning, I looked out on a sparse congregation and, feeling frustrated, blurted out, “Where is everybody?” A young Peruvian woman responded immediately, “Estamos aquí” (“We’re right here”). I have never forgotten that, and I will never say anything like that again, even if I’m thinking it. Our hearts and heads, beloved, need to be always tuned to those whom God has put in front of us. For all our disappointment over a lack of response to our discipleship ministries, at whatever level, we must not, as our Lord does not, overlook the saving work he is doing with the few, or even the one.
Today, in the Spirit, who is always leading us to the kairos moments (the propitious time for decisive action) in ministry, we hear the Son of God speaking his frustration but quickly turning his attention to the one assigned to receive salvation.
Today in the Spirit
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