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February 12, 2019

The Bible in One Hand and Ojibway Fiction in the Other

Pamela Couture   |   Read Psalm 1:1-3 , Read Jeremiah 17:7-8

(Image by: Pixabay)
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Lectionary Week
February 11–17, 2019
Scripture Overview

God wants us to be rooted firmly in our faith. Jeremiah contrasts those who put their trust in themselves with those who trust in God. The latter are like healthy trees with deep roots and a constant water supply, never in danger of drying up or dying. The psalmist uses the same image to describe those who meditate on God’s teachings. Thus, as you do these daily readings and reflect on them, you are sinking deep roots into fertile soil. Agricultural imagery is continued in Paul’s letter. Paul describes Jesus Christ risen in the flesh as the first fruit, meaning that he is the first of many who will be resurrected. In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, worldly success is not necessarily an indication of God’s blessing.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

Read Jeremiah 17:5-10. Examine your heart. Do you place your trust in “mere mortals” or in the Lord?
Read Psalm 1. How do you seek to meditate on God’s word day and night?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. How has your understanding of the resurrection of the dead changed your living?
Read Luke 6:17-26. How do you hold together the paradoxes of Jesus’ blessings and woes?

Respond by posting a prayer .

Psalm 1:1-3

1 The truly happy person doesn’t follow wicked advice, doesn’t stand on the road of sinners, and doesn’t sit with the disrespectful. 2 Instead of doing those things, these persons love the LORD’s Instruction, and they recite God’s Instruction day and night! 3 They are like a tree replanted by streams of water, which bears fruit at just the right time and whose leaves don’t fade. Whatever they do succeeds.

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

Jeremiah 17:7-8

7 Happy are those who trust in the LORD, who rely on the LORD. 8 They will be like trees planted by the streams, whose roots reach down to the water. They won’t fear drought when it comes; their leaves will remain green. They won’t be stressed in the time of drought or fail to bear fruit.

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

I can lose myself easily in Richard Wagamese’s descriptions of Ontario lake country—the pines, the cliffs, the water. I imagine paddling the lakes or driving through the forest to White Dog reserve.

His town, Kenora, Ontario, lies across the border and northwest of Minnesota’s Voyageurs National Park, where my family...

Blessed are those who know the miracle of the tree, its strength and its grandeur.


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