Today in the Spirit: Proper 7C
The Easter season ended very late this year, so we start into the ordinary (numbered) propers after Trinity Sunday at Week 7. In our walk with Jesus in Year C through the Gospel of Luke, we come now to the tail end of our Lord’s Galilean ministry. The assigned Gospel reading from Luke 9:18-24 covers Peter’s confession of Jesus as “The Christ of God” (20) followed, as a consequence of that confession, by Jesus’ prediction of his passion and resurrection and his teaching on the conditions of discipleship: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (23-24).
In the Luke reading, we find that Jesus does not specify Jerusalem as the place where he will suffer and die. However, the assigned OT reading from Zechariah 12:8-10,13:1, the prophet does:
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And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
Zechariah 12:10
When we recite or sing Psalm 63 in worship, we can imagine the words of “David” in the desert as those of Jesus as he begins to set his mind on Jerusalem: “My soul thirsts for you, my flesh also longs after you, in a barren and dry land where there is no water” (2). In verses like this, we imagine Jesus on the cross, thirsting.
At Proper 7C, we come into the middle of a series of Sunday readings through Galatians. The assigned reading from Galatians 3:23-29 (also assigned on Christmas 1 every year) gives us Paul’s central teaching on the relationship between faith in Jesus Christ and the observance of the law. This is like that of life under a “guardian,” not yet ready to take their place as a full-fledged member of a family: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (25-26).
By the assigned collect, which returns in our Prayer Book to its original place in the BCP 1662, we plead for that which only God, “the author and giver of all good things,” can give: a grafting into us from the outside of that which was lost at the fall; specifically, the love of God’s name, the true practice of faith, goodness, and good works.
The Collect
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Like God (Zechariah 12:8-10,13:1)
12:8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
13:1 “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.
There are clear messianic references in this passage pointing us to the person of Christ, but just as compelling is the intensely paradoxical language like that which Jesus will often use in his teaching. “The feeblest among them…shall be like God” (12:8) reminds us of the beatitudes of Jesus’ sermon: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mt. 5:3,9). And, “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness” (13:1) calls to mind our Lord’s Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in which the repentant “sinner” goes home justified and the concluding summary, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk. 18:14).
In our devotional life we are reminded here that the path to power from God is one of leaning on the mercy of God through the cross of Jesus Christ. The first gift of the Holy Spirit is “grace and pleas for mercy” (12:10), producing continual sorrow for our sin, which then he converts to praise and renewed power out of our adoption as children of God in Christ. The God-likeness language of Zechariah may be preacher’s hyperbole, but it is not for the apostle Peter:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Pet. 1:3-4).
Today, Holy Spirit, grant me continual meekness to come to Jesus’ cross with humility, not only for consolation to live out of my human nature, but for power to live by the “divine nature.”
Early Will I Seek You (Psalm 63)
1 O God, you are my God; *
Psalm 63, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
early will I seek you.
2 My soul thirsts for you, my flesh also longs after you, *
in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
3 Thus I have looked upon you in your holy place, *
that I might behold your power and glory.
4 For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *
my lips shall praise you.
5 As long as I live I will magnify you, *
and lift up my hands in your Name.
6 My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, *
when my mouth praises you with joyful lips.
7 When I remember you on my bed, *
I meditate on you in the watches of the night.
8 Because you have been my helper, *
therefore under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.
9 My soul clings to you; *
your right hand has upheld me.
10 Those who seek to destroy my life *
shall go down into the earth.
11 Let them fall upon the edge of the sword, *
that they may be a portion for jackals.
12 But the King shall rejoice in God; all those who swear by him shall be commended, *
for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
In the opening verse of our psalm, the Hebrew form of the word for “seek” (sahar) is intensive. In English, it almost always appears with an accompanying adverb, like “earnestly” (ESV, NIV). The BCP uses the adverb “early.” “O God, you are my God; early will I seek you” (1).
From the context of the psalm, this is “early,” not so much in terms of first in time, though this can be inferred, but first in priority. “In the wilderness of Judah” (from the psalm’s title), with all his troubles there, “David” will make the presence and consolation of his God the highest goal.
Devotionally, think about how your morning goes when you have something seriously troublesome on your mind. From the time you wake up–if you have slept at all–what are your first thoughts? Are you rehearsing yet again all the complexities of your crisis, the people involved, and the various options for extricating yourself? Beloved, the Holy Spirit is in a contest with our sinful nature to let the word of God, the promises of Scripture, and the mind of Christ have the first word in the conviction of our hearts and the thinking of our minds.
You can catch the intensity of the contest in Paul’s well-known teaching on prayer in Philippians:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Strangely, in this psalm, David is peaceful and even joyful (8) in his singing in the wilderness. Is this not the fruit of seeking God “early”?
Today, Holy Spirit, while I am in my wilderness, let me let you win the contest for my attention at every waking moment.
Imprisoned until the Coming Faith (Galatians 3:23-29)
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
In this passage, Paul seeks to represent staying under the law instead of deciding for faith in Christ as nothing less than an offense to human dignity. But what is the nature of that offense? It is not just the indignity of remaining under the care of a “guardian,” but also the restriction of being “imprisoned” under that care.
We know Paul’s understanding of a “guardian” (Gk. paidagogos) would have been that of a custodian or a companion, usually for young boys first going to school or getting out in the town. It seems like having a “guardian” would be a step toward freedom, not imprisonment. But having a “written code” (see Rom. 2:27,29) as a “guardian” is not like having one who is a human being. There is no personal interaction, no negotiation over exceptions. Even though the law-follower, like the school-aged boy, may be out and about, in terms of true liberty, they might as well be under the thumb of adults at home.
Devotionally, Paul would have his readers compare the restrictions of the law to the freedom of having “put on” (or, “clothed yourselves with”) Christ at baptism. It is, on one hand, our decision; and, on the other, it is by its very nature an invitation to step way beyond the usual boundaries. Later in this letter, Paul will teach the Galatians, “For freedom Christ has set us free” (5:1); and then, as if it may be hard to maintain pace with the Spirit, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (5:25).
Bilbo Baggins’ words about going out on the road come to mind here: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” This really presents an invitation disguised as a warning. The more you hear about the uncertainties of life on the road, the more you want to go that way.
Today, in the Spirit who is in me with encouragement to step out and keep up, I affirm my desire to run free with God in Christ.
He Was Praying Alone…And He Asked Them (Luke 9:18-24)
18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.” 21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
In all three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), this passage appears to be the beginning of the pivot point of his ministry when our Lord “resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Luke, however, presents the initiation of the affair differently. Matthew and Mark suggest Caesarea Philippi, a sacred site of pagan worship, might be the motivation behind Jesus asking the question, “But who do you say I am?” In Luke, there is no mention of place, only that Jesus comes to his disciples following a time of “praying alone” (18). The pivotal question arises from discernment of the Father’s will.
Devotionally, Luke’s version shows how keeping up a regular discipline of prayer becomes critical in our service to God. We maintain a habit of conversation (speaking and listening) in prayer to our Lord, not only for serenity but also for direction to serve. We hear marching orders from God in prayer, and we must not allow convictions we receive in prayer to go unheeded.
In The World’s Last Night, C. S. Lewis makes the point this way:
Prayer is either a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person. Prayer, in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us.
C.S. Lewis, The World’s Last Night
Today, Holy Spirit, following the example of Jesus praying and acting readily on directions you give him, we pray, eagerly awaiting your promptings from the Father and the Son to follow the will of heaven.
Today in the Spirit
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