Bible Readings.
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a. God instructs Elijah to go to Mount Sinai, and comes to him there. At Elijah’s cave he experiences wind, earthquake and fire, but God’s voice is only heard in the whisper that follows. In spite of his fear at the threats against his life, God leads him
back into ministry.
Psalms 42 & 43. A song of lament, with a commitment to praise God in the face of persecution of suffering.
Galatians 3:10-14, 23-29. Now that the way of faith in Christ has come, the law is no longer needed. Those who trust in Christ are God’s children, and we are all equal in God’s family.
Luke 8:26-39. Jesus liberates the Gerasene demoniac, who begs to go with Jesus once he has been healed. But Jesus sends him home to tell of what God did for him.
The Rev. Tania writes.
This week the call to living in the power of the Spirit continues with a challenge to define good and evil not according to law, but in the light of God’s grace and liberation.
The reality of evil and the destruction it brings is brought into sharp focus in this week’s readings. The threat that the forces of darkness pose to justice, and to those who work for it, is shown by Elijah’s isolation in the face of Jezebel’s threat, in the cries of the psalmists facing persecution, and in the diseased mind and body of the Gerasene demoniac.
The hope of God’s people, though, is that evil does not have the last word. God’s presence and help is assured for those in need, God comes to strengthen and guide Elijah, Christ frees the demonised man, and Paul assures us of our place of belonging in Christ’s family, in which there is no privilege based on gender, social status, race or anything else. In Christ the divisive tools of evil are removed, and the power of evil is neutralised. Now, we who follow Christ are called, like Elijah, as prophets who live according to a different order, a different set of values, and who invite others into the freedom that Christ offers. This is an appropriate next step after the call to trust in God’s Spirit and for our time now as we read, meditate, pray and grow into Christ.
May we embrace a marriage of grace and justice as we worship this week and may our experience of grace deepen as we do.
Blessings, as we Grow into Christ. Rev. Tania.