Lectionary Preview study materials: Pentecost 22 (24 October)
(Study on 19 October)
Track 1
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
OR …..
Track 2
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Psalm 126
TRACK 1 & 2
Epistle & Gospel
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament (Track 1)
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Job answered the Lord:
“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this Job lived for one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.
The Psalm
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
Benedicam Dominum
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; *
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
2 I will glory in the Lord; *
let the humble hear and rejoice.
3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; *
let us exalt his Name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me *
and delivered me out of all my terror.
5 Look upon him and be radiant, *
and let not your faces be ashamed.
6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me *
and saved me from all my troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, *
and he will deliver them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; *
happy are they who trust in him!
19 [Many are the troubles of the righteous, *
but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep safe all his bones; *
not one of them shall be broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked, *
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *
and none will be punished who trust in him.]
or
Old Testament TRACK 2
Jeremiah 31:7-9
Thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
“Save, O Lord, your people,
the remnant of Israel.”
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame, those with child and
those in labor, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
The Psalm
Psalm 126
In convertendo
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3 Then they said among the nations, *
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
4 The Lord has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6 Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
The Epistle TRACK 1 & 2
Hebrews 7:23-28
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
The Gospel TRACK 1 & 2
Mark 10:46-52
Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
ECUSA: Pentecost 22 October 24, 2021 Darren Steadman 2018
RCL: Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22); Hebrews 7:23-28; Mark 10:46-52
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
The Book of Job is a classic story, told with many classic elements: a squeaky-clean protagonist who still falls on hard times, three antagonists, and here, finally a resolution beyond the reader’s wildest dreams. The restoration of Job’s riches comes not only in an unbelievable amount, but through an unbelievable series of events. Job, the hero, does not conquer God to restore his former wealth. Job does not pull off a last-second feat of strength against all odds. No, the story here stands out because Job receives God’s bounty after humbling himself even more before God. Job had been humbled to the point of collapse, and still Job never lashes out to curse the all-powerful God. Instead, Job relies on God’s power of redemption and exercises humble faith beyond the reader’s wildest dreams.
This departure from the classic hero story is not a typical showcase of the human spirit, but of God’s power to restore. This is the story of God, told through the life of Job. Our faith in God alone can yield riches beyond imagination. Faith in God, not in ourselves, is the ultimate source of restoration. Job’s final act before his restoration proves that our faith and humility are powerful: “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends,” the very same friends that tried to convince Job that his sinfulness caused his downfall. Job found faith that God would even restore them, too, and then Job became the most blessed man in all the land.
- In the face of extremely hard times, what do you focus on to keep your faith in God’s power strong?
- What silver linings have you found during an extremely hard time in your life?
Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)
The American theologian Jonathan Edwards famously illustrated that experiencing God is not like having the sweetness of honey described to you, but rather like experiencing the taste of honey yourself. Psalm 34 must have been the catalyst that set off that illustration in Edwards’ mind. This psalm is packed with action verbs, from what we are to do: bless, glory, proclaim, exalt, seek; to what God does: answer, deliver, save, encompass. Then, in verse 8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”
Tasting can be a risky action, and there really is no substitute. We can look and sniff all we want, but our taste buds will be the only real measure of sweetness, saltiness, and other informants as to whether a food is acceptable or not. And because what goes into our mouths must be life-giving and not dangerous, the stakes are high. In this psalm, we are encouraged to take the risky leap of faith, to let God in as life-giving sustenance. The Lord is good, bursting with energy and delight, like sweet honey!
- Would you say that you are an evangelical person? What makes it difficult, or risky, to proclaim God’s goodness in our everyday language; then, what makes it easy?
- When you fully experience God’s presence today, like tasting honey, what are the real rewards that you experience?
Hebrews 7:23-28
This must have been a great task of the first hundred years of Christianity: convince the faithful Jews, of which Jesus of Nazareth was one, that the Messiah had actually already come and gone. So many faithful adherents to the Hebrew Law lived during Jesus’ years, unaware that the Messiah walked the earth somewhere far away, or even nearby (or even right in front of them.) Jesus’ earliest apostles had a lot of convincing to do.
In this passage, the case is made that Jesus serves as a new priest, and furthermore, eternally. The power of Jesus’ death and resurrection to change so much of their faithful practice must have been so difficult to hear, much less to adopt. And for hundreds of years, that remains the Christian task: spread the word that there was a man, born of God, fully divine while fully human, who will forever be your priest, as well as much, much more. The prophecy of Isaiah 53 has been fulfilled, as real as you and I now speak. Jesus came to be the Messiah, anointed as the greatest High Priest, and still is.
- What do you go to your priest for? What is the primary role that he or she serves?
- In what ways does Jesus serve as your priest as well?
Mark 10:46-52
In this short glance at Jesus’ healing ministry, a blind beggar begins by sitting on the side of the road, then ends up on his feet, following Jesus. Is this the transformation that Jesus offers us too? Maybe so, but the middle part is critical. We have to call upon Jesus’ holy name more than we call upon everyone else that passes by where we sit, because Jesus is the one with the healing power. The blind beggar knew this, and said, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He would only do this if he had faith that Jesus could provide what he needed the most. And his own faith turned out to be the cure.
- What healing miracle would you call out to Jesus for, if he walked by where you sat today?
- What first inspired you to follow Jesus? What has continued to inspire you to follow Jesus?