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November 4, 2016

A Place in the Choir

Jonathan C. Wallace   |   Read Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21

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Lectionary Week
October 31–November 6, 2016
Scripture Overview

The rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple became a test of God’s promise. The prophetic word of Haggai insists on courage and labor, reminding the people that God’s Spirit is already present among them and points toward the future. In Second Thessalonians, some Christians have grown extremely agitated by claims that the “day of the Lord” has already come. The passage recalls what Jesus and God have already accomplished and insists that God’s future may also be trusted. Jesus’ response to the Sadducees confutes them, not merely by its cleverness (their question also is clever) but by its truth. The eschatological future cannot be understood simply as an extension of the present, except in one profound sense: God is Lord both of the present and of the future. This profound truth demands the praise to which Psalm 145 calls all creatures.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

• Read Haggai 1:15b–2:9. The people return home from exile—but home has changed. When have you returned “home” to a different setting than the one you left? How did you feel the changes?
• Read Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21. How fully do you participate in worship? In what areas are you more reserved?
• Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17. The phrase “shaken in mind” may be better translated as “shaken out of mind,” implying great distress. What basics and foundation do you return to when you are “shaken out of mind”?
• Read Luke 20:27-38. The Sadducees miss the core of who Jesus is. When has an “old” religious mind-set blocked your ability to see and hear a “new thing”?

Respond by posting a prayer .

Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21

1 I will lift you up high, my God, the true king. I will bless your name forever and always. 2 I will bless you every day. I will praise your name forever and always. 3 The LORD is great and so worthy of praise! God’s greatness can’t be grasped. 4 One generation will praise your works to the next one, proclaiming your mighty acts. 5 They will talk all about the glorious splendor of your majesty; I will contemplate your wondrous works. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, faithful in all his deeds. 18 The LORD is close to everyone who calls out to him, to all who call out to him sincerely. 19 God shows favor to those who honor him, listening to their cries for help and saving them. 20 The LORD protects all who love him, but he destroys every wicked person. 21 My mouth will proclaim the LORD’s praise, and every living thing will bless God’s holy name forever and always.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible. Used by permission.

The first chapel service I attended while in seminary is a favorite memory of mine. My classmates and I filed into the sanctuary after our first morning of tackling New Testament Greek. The organist launched into one of the great hymns of the church, and the gathered body stood to...

Loving God, accept my offering of thanks and praise as I lift my voice in song. I give you all that I am. Amen.


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