Readings for Sunday, July 11, 2021

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Please note—during Ordinary Time, we follow the thematic strand of Old Testament readings

Lectionary Readings for July 11, 2021

Reading One: Amos 7:7-15 (NRSV)

Song: Lord, I Need You (lyrics here)

Reflection

As we did last week, we find us in the midst of a prophet’s difficult word. But we must always remember that when God sends a word that seems hard or even harsh, even then his intentions towards us are good. He desires that we be cleansed of everything in our lives that keeps us from him, and sometimes that cleansing word comes to us in ways that are not comfortable. There’s a reason we find the image of a “refiner’s fire” in Scripture.

The word that God gives through Amos is all about the standard of righteousness—imaged here as a “plumb line.” Israel does not measure up to that standard. Israel has been found wanting, and now faces judgment and punishment.

This is a hard word, indeed, but it is an important reminder that none of us ever measure up to God’s standard of righteousness as revealed in the Law of Moses. As Paul reminds us in Romans, we all sin and fall short (Rom. 3), and God’s holy standard reveals the depth of sin in our own lives (Rom. 7). The “plumb line” exposes us all, but that doesn’t have to be bad news. If it points us to our need for God, and encourages us to embrace his provision for that need, the news is good indeed.

As you listen to the song “Lord, I Need You,” take time to acknowledge your own need for God. Where in your life are you acutely aware of God’s “plumb line” of righteousness and what it exposes in your own soul? Allow the Spirit of God to search your heart and remind you of the depth of your need, that you might appreciate the depth of God’s love shown in Jesus even more.

Reading Two: Psalm 85:8-13 (NRSV)

Song: Speak Peace (Psalm 85) (lyrics unavailable)

Reflection

The psalmist reminds us that even though God may speak a difficult word to reveal our sin, it is not the final word that he speaks. To those who acknowledge their need and turn to him, God will speak a word of peace. In this passage, the righteousness of God is not depicted as a plumb line that exposes us, but as a gift that restores us. It is a promise to God’s people that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. This psalm is filled with beautiful words of what God gives to those who come to him without reserve: love, faithfulness, righteousness, peace…it’s a preview of the spiritual fruit which Paul refers to in the 5th chapter of Galatians.. It comes not by our effort, but by God’s gift. He speaks…and gives what is good.

Where in your life do you need God to “speak peace?” Is there a situation that burdens your soul? A sin that needs to be brought to the surface and confessed? A fear that haunts you? Bring to God whatever it is that weighs you down and blinds you to God’s gifts in your life. Contemplate what it means for you today to “turn to him in your heart” as the psalmist says.

Reading Three: Ephesians 1:3-14 (NRSV)

Song:Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me (lyrics here)

Reflection

What the psalmist looked forward to in future hope, the Apostle Paul now refers to as a present reality. The gifts of God in Christ are described in language that is powerful and poetic. At the heart of it all is the concept of “inheritance,” reinforcing that the redemption, forgiveness, and salvation in which we live is a gift of grace. The image of a plumb line has been replaced by the image of a cross, and the standard of righteousness which we would always fail to meet has been met and satisfied in Christ’s sacrifice. And we, who by faith have been adopted into God’s family, are now recipients of a lavish mercy, all to the praise of God.

CityAlight’s song “Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me” is a powerful modern hymn that reminds us of all that God has lavished upon us as his adopted daughters and sons. Each of these verses and refrains is worthy of contemplation. Take time to do that, one stanza at a time, reading them slowly and prayerfully. Which speak most to your soul and why?

What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to his
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed

To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave

To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing: I am free!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me

With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For He has said that He will bring me home
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne

To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!

Reading Four: Mark 6:14-29 (NRSV)

Song: For All The Saints (lyrics here)

Reflection

To be perfectly honest, I would’ve been happy to stop at the Ephesians text. After Paul’s amazing description of God’s blessings in Christ, we come back to the harshness of a prophet’s story. In this case, the prophet is John the Baptist, and Mark fills us in on the disturbing details of his death. It is a stark reminder that sometimes those who tell the truth pay a steep price.

Where this text leads me is not to yet another rumination on the ministry of a prophet, but to how Jesus reacted to his cousin’s death. In Matthew’s gospel we read this following the death of John the Baptist:

“Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself.” (Matt. 14:13)

The grief of Jesus is notable, because Jesus knew better than anyone that death is not the end. He understood in a way that nobody else could what the psalmist meant when he wrote, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.” (Ps. 116:15) And yet Jesus is saddened by what has taken place.

For our final reflection, you are invited to sit in the presence of God and think about the lives of God’s “faithful ones” who have impacted your life significantly. Who has helped you understand the love of God, and now has gone into that love in ways we can only imagine? Offer those names up to God, and spend some time in silent praise and gratitude for how they showed the love of Jesus to you.

Readings for Sunday, July 4, 2021

If you’re new to Weekly Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Weekly Song Reflections playlist on Spotify

Please note—during Ordinary Time, we follow the thematic strand of Old Testament readings

Lectionary Readings for July 4, 2021

Reading One: Ezekiel 2:1-5 (NRSV)

Song: The Prophet (lyrics here)

Reflection

Our first text from Ezekiel sets up a theme for this week’s readings that is likely not one we would willingly choose for times of devotion and prayer—a theme of “difficult words.” These words are not difficult because of vocabulary or comprehension, but because they speak to truths and situations that can push us to our limit and reveal places of deep hurt and need. Each of this week’s passages touches on this theme, but as always we find that even in these difficult words…God speaks in ways that bring healing and grace.

The Ezekiel text speaks to the call of the prophet, as God supernaturally empowers him to go to the stubborn people of Israel and deliver a word from the Lord. Yet even in God’s commissioning, he warns the prophet that the people are rebellious and likely won’t listen.

Sometimes the difficult word God speaks to us echoes this passage from Ezekiel. At times God asks us to be the bearers of truth to those who refuse to listen. Other times we are the ones to whom God has spoken, but our rebellious hearts shirk back from God’s word because we’re afraid of being wounded by its truth. But as the words of the prophetic books remind us, where God speaks a difficult word he also invites us into new experiences of healing and mercy.

As you listen to Michael Card’s song “The Prophet,” which speaks of the prophet’s call and the people’s refusal to listen, offer yourself to God in prayer to whatever he desires to speak to or through you. Are you being called to lovingly speak a word into the life of someone who is drifting from God? Or are you, perhaps, the one who is drifting and choosing not to hear the voice of the one calling you back to his heart? Sit with God and let his word, however difficult, minister to you.

Reading Two: Psalm 123 (NRSV)

Song: I Lift My Eyes (Psalm 123) (lyrics here)

Reflection

Sometimes the difficult words that assault us come from others, and in the flurry of their attacks we can feel overwhelmed and defeated. This is the experience of the psalmist, who cried out to God for mercy and peace in the midst of scorn and ridicule. It’s possible this psalm was written in captivity in Babylon, where the mocking voices of their captors are captured so powerfully in another song, Psalm 137. Whenever it was written, the hurt, shame, and need for mercy speaks universally to the cruelty of human dividedness.

Have you ever found yourself feeling as the psalmist does? Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of the vast human capacity for cruelty? Take some time as you pray to cry out to God as the psalmist cries, asking for his mercy when those times can seem overwhelming. Ask him to remind you of his power to heal the hurts others can inflict.

Reading Three: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 (NRSV)

Song: Blessings (lyrics here)

Reflection

In this passage form 2 Corinthians, Paul refers to a very specific “difficult word” that we sometimes receive from God. As he cries out to God concerning his “thorn in the flesh,” Paul is told by God that it will not be going away. Rather, his plan is to use it so that the power of God can be displayed in Paul’s life. The difficult word is this: “No, I’m not going to change these circumstances that you find so difficult.” But it is followed by a promise: “I’m going to do something even more amazing in your life. I am going to enable you to persevere through this, and in doing so you will be displaying the glory of God.”

Laura Story’s song, “Blessings,” contains amazingly profound lyrics around this theme. It was born out of personal experience (which she talks about in this video), and speaks to the reality that what God is able to do in our trials and times of suffering, though not what we hope for, is a powerful demonstration of his grace and mercy.

As you sit with Paul’s words, spend some time reading Laura Story’s lyrics in a spirit of prayer as you reflect on your own experiences of God’s power being perfected in your weakness.

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
As long as we have faith to believe

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise

Reading Four: Mark 6:1-13 (NRSV)

Song: Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted (lyrics here)

Reflection

There are a couple of difficult moments in this week’s gospel readings. First is the disbelief and rejection Jesus encounters in his hometown of Nazareth. This leads to a difficult teaching that Jesus offers to his disciples:

He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” (vv. 10-11)

This reminds us of Psalm 123, but adds a new dimension to the experience of rejection, because it is Jesus himself talking about it. And the time will come later in the gospel accounts when Jesus will experience rejection in ways we can only imagine. But from that we can find comfort in our own experiences of hurt and rejection, as the author of Hebrews tells us:

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. (Heb. 12:3, NRSV)

As we sit with this text of Mark, and reflect on our own experiences of rejection and hurt, we are invited to come to Jesus and lay them at his feet, which bear the marks of his own rejection. Spend some time reflecting on the passion of Jesus, and know that while we may at times find ourselves having to “shake the dust” of broken relationships from our feet, there is comfort to be found that keeps us from “growing weary and losing heart.”