This week we consider the Old Testament account of Abraham, God and the binding of Isaac for sacrifice, and God’s promises. We also will consider what “God will provide” means, and how we are called to a ministry of welcome and hospitality.
The Scripture (Click to read):
- Genesis 22:1-14 and Psalm 13
- Jeremiah 28:5-9 and Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
- Romans 6:12-23
- Matthew 10:40-42
"Job complained, Abraham negotiated, Jacob wrestled, Jesus pleaded. But in the end each one dared to trust, dared to believe that God could indeed be counted on to provide, especially when all seemed most hopeless. The promise has never been a lack of struggle...No wonder Jesus taught his friends to say to God, "Give us this day our daily bread; please give us what we need to make it through today." It is a comforting prayer because it is a realistic prayer. "God will provide." So let us be prepared to sacrifice our cleverness, our ability to get out of things, and most of all our naïve wishful thinking that somehow we are immune to the struggles and pain that faced the countless faithful who came before us. Let us instead dare to trust that God will indeed provide...not necessarily a way out, but always a way through. Read more from The Rev. Canon Charles K. Robertson in Day 1.
The Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, Ph.D., is Canon to the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, headquartered in New York, NY.
"The Gospel today continues last week’s theme of “the cost of discipleship,” with the added motif of hospitality to the prophet (first reading). Following Jesus is a commitment to companionship and mission that can surpass the most precious things in life, relations with loved ones, and can bring about suffering and even loss of life. In rewriting an earlier saying, in which Jesus says the disciple must “hate” parents and relatives (Lk. 14:26-27), Matthew writes that the one who loves family “more than me” cannot be a true disciple. Family love is not abandoned but enhanced. Matthew also alters the harshness of the tradition by adding the sayings on hospitality, promising that everyone who gives one of the “little ones” even a glass of water will be rewarded.
These demands of Jesus would seem harsh and unrealistic were it not for the insight Paul offers. Two weeks ago Paul proclaimed that “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), and today he unfolds the implications of this gift—the Christian is one who through baptism has already lost his or her life by dying with Christ, but now can walk in the newness of life. The daily cost of discipleship and the ultimate surrender of ourselves to God are not simply ethical demands, but an expression of gratitude for gifts received." ~ John R. Donahue in America Magazine. Today, when the average life span is twice what it was in Jesus’ time, the love of Jesus, which transcends even natural affection, can paradoxically be expressed in care for those disciples of Jesus, parents and friends, who are aged and infirm, now “the little ones” who have received Jesus. Such love can be a daily taking of the cross and losing one’s life in care for those very people who literally gave life and lived in service of their children.
John R. Donahue, S.J., is the Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, Md.
" It is noteworthy that in the Greek, the word for stranger-xenos-is also the word for guest and host. In this age of contemporary tribal warfare, of Balkanization and gated communities, most of us are all too aware of the term "xenophobia," or fear of the stranger. Such a fear leads to nationalism, racism and even genocide. As many scholars have noted, however, Jesus' call to welcome another is a call to xenophilia, or love of stranger, the stranger who is also guest, who as the embodiment of Christ after a long walk on the Emmaus road-is also host.
Hospitality should be the central practice of the Christian church today. As Arthur Sutherland states, "Hospitality is the practice by which the church stands or falls." Thus hospitality is the central practice that should receive attention by our pastoral leaders and theological educators, by Sunday school teachers and by local preachers. So how do we teach hospitality?
It all begins with practice: to offer hospitality, we simply bring who we are, what we have, where we are. At times that may be grand; at times that may be very little. In every case, it is the gesture itself-the practice-that shapes the character of the encounter, that shapes the character of the participants, of the story of grace that is the essence of the moment... Welcoming another requires attention to the other. It means often setting aside our discomfort for how one may be different or strange to us and meeting her or him as they are. Being an agent of God's hospitality makes Christ's presence known, for as Matthew reminds us, when two or more are gathered in Jesus' name, Jesus is present there as well." Read more from The Rev. Dr. Trace Hayhtorn in Day 1.
The Rev. Dr. Trace Haythorn is President of the Fund for Theological Education in Atlanta, GA
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