Lectionary Preview study materials: Pentecost 22 (31 October)
(Study on 26 October)
Track 1
Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146
OR…
Track 2
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Psalm 119: 1-8
Track 1 and 2
Hebrews 9:11-14
Mark 12:28-34
The Collect
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament Track 1
Ruth 1:1-18
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion; they were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there. But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. When they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Chilion also died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.
Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud. They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters, why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.” Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said,
“Do not press me to leave you
or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
Where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
and your God my God.
Where you die, I will die—
there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me,
and more as well,
if even death parts me from you!”
When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
The Psalm – Track 1
Psalm 146
Lauda, anima mea
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! *
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.
3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.
4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;
6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.
7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
8 The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!
or
Old Testament Track 2
Deuteronomy 6:1-9
Moses said: Now this is the commandment–the statutes and the ordinances–that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children, may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
The Psalm- Track 2
Psalm 119:1-8
Beati immaculati
1 Happy are they whose way is blameless, *
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Happy are they who observe his decrees *
and seek him with all their hearts!
3 Who never do any wrong, *
but always walk in his ways.
4 You laid down your commandments, *
that we should fully keep them.
5 Oh, that my ways were made so direct *
that I might keep your statutes!
6 Then I should not be put to shame, *
when I regard all your commandments.
7 I will thank you with an unfeigned heart, *
when I have learned your righteous judgments.
8 I will keep your statutes; *
do not utterly forsake me.
The Epistle Track 1 and 2
Hebrews 9:11-14
When Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
The Gospel Track 1 and 2
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came near and heard the Saducees disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ —this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
ECUSA Pentecost 23 October 31, 2021
Greg Hamlin, originally 2018
RCL: Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34
Ruth 1:1-18
Naomi finds herself in a foreign land without any means of support. Her husband and two sons have died. At that time in history this situation meant a future of abject poverty and humiliation. The only hope for her daughters-in-law is to find new husbands. Naomi’s only hope is to return to her home in Judah. In Judah the LORD was providing food for his people. The tradition then was that a childless widow should marry her deceased husband’s brother. Naomi has no more sons. This is why she blesses her daughters-in-law and tells them to stay in Moab to be with their people and gods, and to find new husbands.
Orpah agrees in tears. Ruth however will not go. The writer of the book of Ruth gives us a beautiful song that expresses Ruth’s devotion to Naomi. She will not only accompany Naomi, she will be one of Naomi’s people and Yahweh will become her god. She submits herself to the LORD’s will.
- Has there been a time in your life that you found yourself in a “foreign land” with no support?
- Do you find hope in the thought that God considers you and will provide?
- Is there someone in your life who is in the “foreign land” of illness, unemployment, or some other insecurity? Can you be a Ruth for them and share in the hopeful journey back to God’s grace?
Psalm 146
This is certainly a praise filled Psalm. The writer’s joy is spilling over. Doesn’t the section about all that the LORD does setting prisoners free, opening the eyes of the blind, etc. sound like the instructions Jesus gives to the disciples when he sends them out to do the work he commands them to do? Jesus empowers them to do the same things he has been doing. We, too, are called to do this work as we live into our baptismal covenant.
- You may not feel you have enough faith to literally give sight to the blind, but can you show someone how your eyes have been opened?
- What are some ways we in our church communities can watch over strangers?
Hebrews 9:11-14
In this epistle, the writer lays out the atonement understanding of Christ’s death. It is one that many of us in our modern world find hard to understand or accept. It probably made much more sense for the early followers of Jesus who struggled to understand why he was executed.
The tradition of animal sacrifice was well understood by the Israelites. In fact animal and even human sacrifice have been a part of many religions and cultures. There seems to be a universal mystical view of what we call a creature’s “life’s blood”. Further there is a sense that to kill an animal not to be used for food and shed its blood is a meaningful sacrifice. Many people have felt that this kind of sacrifice can restore our relationship with the creator.
First Testament texts call for the sacrificial animal to be perfect and of the greatest value, not one that is defective or ill. So for the early Christians it makes sense to see Christ as the perfect unblemished sacrifice. He was innocent and his death was a sacrifice on our behalf.
Through it our relationship with God the Creator is restored. It is a hard teaching for us in our modern time but it is a powerful one we must consider.
- Do you find the atonement view a difficult one to accept?
- Is it hard to recognize that our sins are severe enough to need this kind of sacrifice from Jesus the Christ?
- If you have ever felt that what you have done is unforgivable can you find comfort in this understanding of Christ’s death?
Mark 12:28-34
This passage is quite remarkable in many ways. Two extraordinary things come to mind right away. The first is that usually in the Gospels the Scribes or Pharisees come to listen to Jesus in the hope of hearing him say something blasphemous. If they ask questions it is to try to trick him into saying something that can be held against him. In this case the Scribe is impressed with how Jesus has been answering the questions. Jesus is worth consulting. He assumes that among the long list of laws of what is permitted, what is prohibited, and how to carry out rituals, there is one that is most important.
The second extraordinary thing is how Jesus sums up the whole intent of all the laws, rituals, and traditions. He cuts to the heart of the matter and reveals the big picture at the same time. By sighting these two commandments, God is one and you shall love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus points us directly to how God wants us to live. The scribe understands that this is the key. Jesus affirms the scribe’s understanding by telling him that he is not far from the kingdom of God. The profundity of this leaves everyone speechless.
- Do you think that by affirming the scribe in this way, Jesus is showing us how to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth?
- Have you ever had an impulse to act in a certain way and done differently when you remember these two commandments?
- Can you imagine trying for one day to keep these commandments at the forefront of your mind? What would that be like for you?