In this passage the gospel writer Luke has joined together several of Jesus’ teachings on prayer. It was not an unusual practice for rabbis of Jesus’ day to give their disciples a particular form for prayer.
1st
Reading (Track 1): Hosea 1:2-10
The prophet Hosea was a
contemporary of the prophet Amos, both prophesying in the waning days of the
Northern Kingdom (which Hosea refers to as Israel, Ephraim, or Samaria).
Hosea’s life becomes itself a metaphor for Israel’s relationship with God.
Israel has prostituted itself to foreign gods (especially Baal), and, through
the Assyrians, God will punish them. In the life of Hosea, his wife Gomer’s
illegitimate children will result in a separation of the couple. Yet in chapter
3, the relationship is restored, promising that God’s relationship with Israel
will be restored. The restoration will not be through the Northern Kingdom
(which was destroyed in 722 b.c.e.
and never restored), but through the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
1:2 When the Lord
first spoke through Hosea, the Lord
said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of
whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So
he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a
son. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for
in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and
I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel
in the valley of Jezreel.” 6 She
conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord
said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house
of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I
will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by
bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.” 8 Then she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she
conceived and bore a son. 9 Then
the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi,
for you are not my people and I am not your God.” 10
Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of
the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it
was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children
of the living God.”
Psalm 85 (Track 1)
Psalm 85 begins (vv. 1-3) as a remembrance of the
graciousness of God, but then moves (vv. 4-7) into a lament of present day
alienation from God. Within this lament
comes the question, “Will God’s anger be forever?” In verses 8 & 9, a
response from God is anticipated, recognizing that in order to hear there must
be a “turning.” God’s response is in verses 10-13, a vision of shalom, well-being, the dream of God for his creation in its fullness.
1 You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, *
you
have restored the good fortune of Jacob.
2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people *
and
blotted out all their sins.
3 You have withdrawn all your fury *
and
turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.
4 Restore us then, O God our Savior; *
let
your anger depart from us.
5 Will you be displeased with us for ever? *
will
you prolong your anger from age to age?
6 Will you not give us life again, *
that
your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord, *
and
grant us your salvation.
8 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, *
for
he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and
to those who turn their hearts to him.
9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear
him, *
that
his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness
and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and
righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 The Lord
will indeed grant prosperity, *
and
our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him, *
and
peace shall be a pathway for his feet.
1st Reading
(Track 2): Genesis 18:20-32
This reading continues
last week’s. The three messengers who visited Abraham and Sarah set out for
Sodom and Abraham accompanies them. The Lord speaks—is this the same being as the three men, which is
implied? It is impossible to tell for sure. The Lord takes Abraham
into his counsel and Abraham intercedes for the people of Sodom, in a sense
working a deal with him. This is a direct challenge to the (then) widely held
belief in “collective guilt” and punishment. Of course, Sodom is destroyed for
lack of even ten, and the violent inhospitality (the real “sin of Sodom”) the
messengers of the Lord find there.
18:20 Then the Lord
said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave
their sin! 21 I must go down and
see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to
me; and if not, I will know.” 22 So
the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained
standing before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you
indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24
Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then
sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to
slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!
Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord
said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole
place for their sake.” 27 Abraham
answered, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust
and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the
fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him, “Suppose forty are
found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh do not let the Lord be
angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do
it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He
said, “Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are
found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh do not let the Lord be
angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For
the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And
the Lord went his way, when he had
finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Psalm 138 (Track 2)
Psalm 138 is a psalm of thanksgiving and trust. Note the psalm does not assume that life will
be free from distress. Trouble is a
given in life, but so are God’s purposes and love. It was faith in this God
that caused Abraham to risk confrontation with him in our first reading.
1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I will
sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise
your Name,
because of your love and
faithfulness;
3 For you have glorified your Name
and your word above all
things.
4 When I called, you answered me;
you increased my strength
within me.
5 All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O Lord,
when they have heard the
words of your mouth.
6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord,
that great is the glory of
the Lord.
7 Though the Lord
be high, he cares for the lowly,
perceiving the haughty
from afar.
8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me
safe;
you stretch forth your
hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save
me.
9 The Lord
has a purpose for me and will make it good;
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works
of your hands.
2nd Reading:
Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19)
The members of the Christian community in Colossae have been exposed to
teaching which understand Christ to be only one member of an angelic hierarchy
(typical of what was called “Gnosticism” in the early church). Paul appeals to
them with his own experience and teaching: “the whole fullness of deity dwells
[in him] bodily.” There is no other. You were baptized into his death and
resurrection. You need nothing more. The only response that is required is to
“abound in thanksgiving” (in Greek eucharistia).
2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted
and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught,
abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to
it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according
to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not
according to Christ. 9 For in him
the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and
you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.
11 In him also you were circumcised
with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the
circumcision of Christ; 12 when you
were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in
the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13
And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our
trespasses, 14 erasing the record
that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to
the cross. 15 He disarmed the
rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them
in it.
[16
Therefore
do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing
festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. 17 These
are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting
on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without
cause by a human way of thinking, 19 and
not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held
together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.]
Gospel Reading: Luke 11:1-13
In this passage the
gospel writer Luke has joined together several of Jesus’ teachings on prayer. It
was not an unusual practice for rabbis of Jesus’ day to give their disciples a
particular form for prayer. Apparently John the Baptist did so to his (although
we have no record of it). Luke’s form of the Lord’s Prayer is simpler than the
version in Matthew’s Gospel (6:9-13). There are two brief phrases of praise to
God and three prayers for the ones praying (note the form is plural—it is a
communal prayer, not a private one). The parable of the friend at midnight may
have originally been about preparedness for the end time, but here it is about
persistence. In the concluding verses,
Luke says we will be given “the Holy Spirit” rather than Matthew’s “good
things.” The Holy Spirit has been ever
present in Luke’s Gospel, and will continue to be through the Acts of the
Apostles (Luke’s second volume).
11:1 Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had
finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John
taught his disciples.” 2 He said to
them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves
forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” 5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has
a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three
loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of
mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother
me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I
cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I
tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is
his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever
he needs. 9 So I say to you, Ask,
and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will
be opened for you. 10 For everyone
who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who
knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is
there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake
instead of a fish? 12 Or if the
child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If
you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
The Scripture
quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division
of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A., and are used by permission. All
rights reserved. The Psalm translation is
from The Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries are copyright © 2019 Epiphany
ESources, 67. E. Main St., Hornell, NY
14843, www.EpiphanyEsources.com.
All rights reserved. Permission is given
to copy for group study. Bulletin inserts are available. Go to our website for
more information.
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