Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost: October 27, 2013
Reformation SundayJoel 2:23-32: (Sermon text) This promise by one
of Israel's minor prophets became the focus of the earliest Christian gospel
when Peter quoted it as the only possible interpretation of what happened
when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles on Pentecost. Based on what God
had done in providing for Israel in the past, the prophet assured his fellow
citizens that God was with them now and that God would be with them come what
may.
Psalm 65 (UMH 789):The psalmist first celebrates the grace of God in
forgiving sin and the expresses the joy of once again being permitted to
worship in the temple. Then he witnesses to evidence of God's power in
rescuing Israel in creation. In a land where drought was common, this he
offers thanksgiving for plentiful spring rain that promises a bountiful
harvest. It is a song of assurance and hope.
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18: There is good reason
to believe that this latter part of the so-called "Pastoral Letters" to
Timothy and Titus may be a brief note from Paul himself. It speaks of Paul's
own struggle to keep the faith. It also identifies several friends who knew
and worked with him. Paul may have been in prison, but his faith had broken
through its walls. Following this example, the letter says, faith is the only
positive way to face unknown crises and dangers that may lie
ahead.
Luke 18:9-14: This parable would have had a varied response from
those who first heard it. The Pharisees were devoutly religious, meticulous
in keeping ritual laws, increasingly politically powerful and unsympathetic
toward those less committed. Even less popular were the tax-collectors.
Jesus
revealed a delightful and devastating sense of irony in comparing the
two at worship. The parable catches everyone. It holds a mirror up
before us describing and judging what we are like - sometimes one, sometimes
the other.
