Week of 02 – 08 June 2024

This week we begin the journey of applying the message and mission of Jesus to our own lives. The next six months or so will be challenging, but if we are open to the growth and transformation that God wants to create in us, also deeply life-giving. One of the features of the Revised Common Lectionary in this part of the year is that there are two main options in the readings for each Sunday. The first option is to make the Gospel Reading the focus. Even if the preacher doesn’t actually use the Gospel reading, the theme of the service is drawn from the Gospel writer’s message. The second option is to use what are called the “continuous readings” from the Old Testament, in which a large segment of the Old Testament story is followed from week to week. So, in some churches you may hear the Gospel and in some you may hear the Old Testament as the focus. But, either way, I usually find that the central themes are strongly connected.

This week we are challenged by the tension between observing the law, and operating from a spirit of grace. It is always tempting for us to make our faith about obeying certain laws. Observing the law is fairly easy, it is very clean, and it gives us reason to feel very good about ourselves. It can also give us a good excuse to reject and exclude those we don’t like because they don’t follow our laws. But, the call of the Gospel is for us to live with grace and love. This is much harder, much messier, and gives us no reason for boasting in ourselves or for judging others. It does, however, bring us greater life, greater freedom, and a deeper sense of relationship with God and one another.

This week we hear the invitation to release our tendency to live by law, and embrace the invitation to live by grace.