"So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows."
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| Watercolor by Susan Windsor |
The Collect of the Day
O Lord, make
us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to
help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your
loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
1st Reading (Track 1): Genesis 21:8-21
After the birth of Isaac comes the dilemma. What of Ishmael,
the son of Abraham born to the slave Hagar? Sarah had encouraged Abraham to
have the child in despair over her own barrenness (16:1-2), but now sees him as
a threat to Isaac. Hagar is sent away with the promise of God that he will also
make Ishmael a great nation. Ishmael will return in chapter 25 to help bury his
father, and his descendants shall be named—12 sons, just as the 12 grandsons of
Isaac. The Ishmaelites will be mentioned again—it is they who sell Joseph into
slavery in Egypt. Muslims claim Ishmael as their ancestor, meaning that
Judaism, Christianity and Islam share a common ancestor: Abraham. Hence, they
are sometimes referred to as the “Abrahamic faiths.”
21:8 The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the
day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing
with her son Isaac. 10 So she said
to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave
woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11
The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be
distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah
says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall
be named for you. 13 As for the son
of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your
offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose
early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar,
putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she
departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she
cast the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then
she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a
bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as
she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy; and the
angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you,
Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast
with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well
of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he
lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and
his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Psalm
86:1-10, 16-17 (Track 1)
Psalm 86 is a song of lament, from the lips of one who
has no resources for life. It could easily have come from the lips of Hagar, as
she despaired for the life of her son, directly addressing God (note the
repeated “you” and “your”). Verse 9 is
especially poignant given the history of Ishmael (as noted above).
1 Bow down your ear, O Lord,
and answer me, *
for I am poor and in misery.
2 Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; *
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,
for you are my God; *
I call upon you all the day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, *
for to you, O Lord,
I life up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are
good and forgiving, *
and great is your love to all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord to
my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *
For you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *
nor anything like your works.
9 All nations you have made will come and
worship you, O Lord, *
and glorify your Name.
10 For you are great; you do wondrous things; *
and you alone are God.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
Because you, O Lord,
have helped me and comforted me.
1st Reading (Track 2): Jeremiah 20:7-13
In chapter 19, Jeremiah’s witness against the religious
establishment reaches its peak when he cries the word of the Lord within the
temple precincts, “I am now bringing upon this city…all the disaster that I
have pronounced” (19:15). Jeremiah is then arrested by Pashur, the chief priest
and put in stocks, but even in confinement he continues to predict disaster and
even exile (20:1-6). In our passage today, having heard this harsh truth, we
are given a glimpse of Jeremiah’s conversation with God and the personal cost
he has paid. God has put him in a no-win situation. He believes his life is
seriously threatened. Then v. 12 abruptly returns to trust. He cannot prevail,
but God can, and then, like many of the complaint psalms, there is a final
resolve into praise. Yet the lament is not over. In vv.14-18, Jeremiah cries
out that he wishes he had never been born.
20:7 O
Lord, you have enticed me, and I
was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a
laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. 8
For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and
destruction!” For the word of the Lord
has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. 9 If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak
any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. 10 For I hear many whispering: “Terror is all
around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” All my close friends are watching
for me to stumble. “Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him,
and take our revenge on him.” 11 But
the Lord is with me like a dread
warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They
will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will
never be forgotten. 12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to
you I have committed my cause. 13 Sing
to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of
the needy from the hands of evildoers.
Psalm 69:8-11, (12-17), 18-20 (Track 2)
This portion of Psalm 69 could easily
have been on the lips of the prophet Jeremiah. It is the lament of a righteous
person who has suffered for it. Christians from the very beginning have
identified its words with the suffering of Jesus, and, indeed, parts of it are
used eight times, including v. 21 (not included here) referencing vinegar as a
“gift” to the sufferer.
8 Surely, for your sake have I suffered reproach, *
and shame has covered my face.
9 I have become a stranger to my own kindred, *
an alien to my mother’s children.
10 Zeal for your house has eaten me up; *
the scorn of those who scorn you has
fallen upon me.
11 I humbled myself with fasting, *
but
that was turned to my reproach.
[12 I put on sack-cloth also, *
and became a byword among them.
13 Those who sit at the gate murmur against me, *
and the drunkards make songs about me.
14 But as for me, this is my prayer to you, *
at the time you have set, O Lord:
15 In your great mercy, O God, *
answer me with your unfailing help.
16 Save me from the mire; do not let me sink; *
let me be rescued from those who hate me
and out of the deep waters.
17 Let not the torrent of waters wash over me,
neither let the deep swallow me up; *
do
not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me.]
18 Answer me, O Lord, for
your love is kind; *
in your great compassion, turn to me.
19 “Hide not your face from your servant; *
be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.
20 Draw near to me and redeem me; *
because of my enemies deliver me.
2nd Reading:
Romans 6:1b-11
This passage is perhaps Paul’s clearest in proclaiming
what we call “the paschal mystery.” Through our Baptism we participate in this
mystery, and it becomes the pattern of our life. This assertion makes this
passage the epistle reading at the Great Vigil of Easter. Although Paul speaks
here as if we should never sin, he knows personally that is not the case (see
7:21-25). Our life in Christ, however, means that as many times as we fall into
sin, we are set free by Christ’s death to live in his resurrection.
1b Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go
on living in it? 3 Do you not know
that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his
death? 4 Therefore we have been
buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a
death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like
his. 6 We know that our old self
was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might
no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For
whoever has died is freed from sin. 8 But
if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the
dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for
all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So
you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Reading: Matthew
10:24-39
10:24 Jesus said to the twelve apostles, “A disciple is not above the
teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25 it
is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the
master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more
will they malign those of his household! 26 So
have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and
nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What
I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered,
proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do
not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who
can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are
not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
apart from your Father. 30 And even
the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So
do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Everyone therefore who acknowledges me
before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before others, I also
will deny before my Father in heaven. 34 Do
not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to
bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I
have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me
is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me; 38 and whoever does
not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and
those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”
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. All rights reserved. The Collect of the Day and the Psalm
translation are from The Book of Common
Prayer. Commentaries are copyright ©
2020 Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843. www.EpiphanyEsources.com. All rights reserved. Permission is given to copy for group
study with this attribution.
Bulletin inserts are available. Go to our website for more information.
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