Today in the Spirit: Proper 8C
At Proper 8C, we move as worshipers to the place in Luke’s narrative where Jesus intentionally moves his ministry out of Galilee in the north to Judea and Jerusalem in the south. The assigned Gospel reading out of Luke 9:51-62 begins, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, [Jesus] set his face to go to Jerusalem” (51). Immediately upon acting on this decision, our Lord finds he must rebuke his disciples for wanting to destroy the Samaritans who oppose their going to Jerusalem, and challenge three potential followers they meet on the road.
The assigned OT reading from 1 Kings 19:5-21 sets up an obvious contrast between the way Elijah assents to Elisha’s request to “kiss my father and my mother” goodbye (20) and Jesus’ admonition to a man who wants to do the same. There is, however, a more subtle comparison of the sincerity of the two characters we should consider.
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The appointed Psalm 16 (here and at Pentecost, Propers 16B and 28B) contains the mixture of praise and intercession of a godly man, “David,” who is firm in his decision to follow YHWH at all costs. In our worship, we might imagine these words in the mouth of Jesus as he steadfastly follows the will of his Father to die in Jerusalem: “I have set the Lord always before me; he is at my right hand; therefore I shall not fall” (9, BCP).
Out of the assigned NT reading from Galatians 5:1,13-25, we will hear the apostle Paul’s invitation to step away from imprisonment to the law (remembering last Sunday’s NT selection) and to take up a new life of “freedom” (1) in Christ. A truly godly life, he explains, will show outwardly in the good “fruit of the Spirit” as opposed to evil “works of the flesh” (18) set against the work the Spirit in the human heart.
Our plea to God in the appointed collect that he “put away all hurtful things” is for both external and internal assistance as we walk in Christ. We need his grace to help with opposition from things outside us, which are beyond our control, and unruliness inside our hearts, which require repentance and faith. Such an all-encompassing prayer is made with confidence that God’s “never-failing providence sets in order all things” everywhere.
The Collect
O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and on earth: Put away from us all hurtful things, and give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Go Back Again, for What Have I Done to you? (1 Kings 19:15-21)
15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.” 19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.
1 Kings 19:15-21
Hearing this reading and the Gospel passage from Luke, we might well ask, what accounts for the contrasting responses of Elijah to Elisha who wants “kiss my father and my mother” (20) and of Jesus to the man who says, “let me first say farewell to those at my home” (Lk. 9:61). We could conclude simply that Elijah discerns a sincerity in the character of Elisha that Jesus does not see evident in the man on the road.
That might be it. But we must also consider that Elijah is approaching Elisha on the strength of the command of God, “Elisha..you shall anoint to be prophet in your place” (16). Elijah is confident in the surety of the fulfillment of God’s word. His is the faith of the prophecy of Isaiah, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty” (Is. 55:11). In Luke, Jesus is petitioning a stranger with no assurance of success; in 1 Kings, we find Elijah is collecting on a promissory note with assurance from God’s word.
In our walk with God, we find we must grow in trust with respect to the things we know the Lord has given us to undertake. There will be obstacles in the path to completion. There will be people who may or may not be sincere in their dealings with us. Let your confidence in the word of God to pursue a course of action soften your temperament, as it does for Elijah, allowing you to be kind to people who ask a favor. “Do not let mercy and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and good understanding, in the sight of God and people” (Prov. 3:3-4).
Today, in the Spirit, taking note of Elijah’s assurance in the word of God spoken to him, grant us increased patience and consideration for people in our path.
Pleasant Places (Psalm 16)
1 Preserve me, O God, *
Psalm 16, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
for in you have I put my trust.
2 O my soul, you have said unto the Lord, *
“You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3 All my delight is upon the saints who are on the earth, *
and upon those who excel in virtue.
4 But those who run after another god *
shall have great trouble.
5 Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, *
neither make mention of their names with my lips.
6 The Lord himself is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; *
you shall maintain my lot.
7 The boundaries have fallen for me in pleasant places; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
8 I will thank the Lord for giving me counsel; *
my heart also chastens me in the night season.
9 I have set the Lord always before me; *
he is at my right hand; therefore I shall not fall.
10 Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices. *
My flesh also shall rest in hope.
11 For you shall not leave my soul in the grave, *
neither shall you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
12 You shall show me the path of life; in your presence is the fullness of joy, *
and at your right hand there is pleasure for evermore.
The first line (“Preserve me, O God, 1) gives us the impression that “David” is in some difficulty; but later (“The boundaries have fallen for me in pleasant places,” 7) makes us feel he is looking over his holdings with satisfaction. Is he now an outlaw as he speaks these words, or has he come away from trouble, reflecting with thanksgiving over all that God has brought him through? We are not altogether sure of the occasion of this psalm–and that may be precisely the point.
Devotionally, we witness from David here the wisdom of finding consolation and assurance from God in good times and bad, in the midst of trials and after they have passed. The sanctification of our lives in Christ is designed such that our experiences of God’s deliverance in the past will train us for challenges in the future. The goal is to arrive at a spiritual equilibrium marked by contentment in all things and through every challenge.
We note Paul describes his own spiritual equilibrium achieved late in life as a Christian as learned behavior:
…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Phil. 4:11-13
Today, Holy Spirit, even in the midst of our trials, teach us what both David and Paul have learned about contentment–that “pleasant places” can be found along every road which God leads us down.
Keep in Step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:1,13-25)
5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:1,13-25
Or, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit” (25, NET). Paul’s colorful phrase in Greek (stoichomen…pneumati) carries the sense of both imitating a model (whom we “behave in accordance with”) and maintaining connection with a companion (whom we “keep in step with”).
On one hand, following the model of the Holy Spirit, we will live by “the fruit of the Spirit,” according to “love, joy, peace, patience,” etc. We behave with the traits he himself is exhibiting in us, and toward us. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit is also alive in us, moving along the gospel path given to him by the Father and the Son (see Jn. 16:14-15). We discern inside ourselves the movement of the Spirit like a seaman feeling for the wind, making a course and raising a sail. If we are out of the wind, there is no belly in the sail, and we are adrift. So we “keep in step” with the wind of the Spirit.
Devotionally, in seeking to conform to Paul’s injunction, we monitor ourselves carefully, both in our behavior toward others and our zeal for the gospel. Both are necessary. Are you bold in sharing the name of Jesus Christ with others? Good, but do they find in you godly traits that keep with the good news you are sharing? Are you treating your family and friends and strangers with love and respect? Good–but are they aware of the gift of Christ in you which is theirs too for the asking? We guard our hearts to stay with the Spirit. Thomas a Kempis writes plainly for the monks he is addressing in The Imitation of Christ: “Remember you’re a member of a holy company dedicated to spiritual progress. Hence, keep a steely eye on yourself. Upbraid yourself when necessary.”
Today, Holy Spirit, teach me to live with others by the fruit of love you have exhibited toward me, and to follow you closely as you continue the ministry of Jesus.
To Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-62)
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village. 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:51-62
Jesus has “set his face to go to Jerusalem” (51)—and yet, everyone else is behaving the same as always: His disciples are arguing in secret about who is the greatest among them (9:46ff) and later asking permission to call down fire on the Samaritans; the Samaritans are refusing to receive a group going to Jerusalem; and prospective followers on the road are either refusing to understand what it means to be a disciple or looking for excuses not to go at all.
Our devotional application of this passage can go in at least two directions: 1) As ministers of the gospel, we must see in Jesus’ treatment of others the patience with others’ weaknesses and frankness to speak the truth that we need to follow our vision. We may have a vision others cannot see. We find in Jesus the wisdom to work with others who have a heart for God and leave aside those who do not. 2) As disciples of Jesus, we must see in Jesus’ determination to pursue his goal the same perseverance he shows with us, even with our many weaknesses. At any given moment, each one of us can be found arguing in favor of our greatness here, refusing to let Jesus into our territory there, or trying to talk our way out of following him down the road.
Today, Holy Spirit, grant me the tenacity of Jesus to follow a vision for ministry, and the wisdom to work with others patiently in the same way he works with me.
Today in the Spirit
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