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July 16, 2019

Feeding the Christ Within

Sharon Seyfarth Garner   |   Read Psalm 52:1-9

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Lectionary Week
July 15–21, 2019
Scripture Overview

This reading from Amos provides more indication of the reasons for God’s coming judgment. Too many in Israel have been oppressing the poor. They cannot wait for religious festivals to end so that they can make more money through corrupt trade, including what we now call human trafficking. If we understand the psalmist to be David, the warning he issues in this passage concern Saul. Because Saul has turned to evil, God will not allow him to remain in power. While God is love, God also sometimes brings judgment. The author of Colossians extols the elevated status of Christ, who has reconciled us to himself through his death. In Luke, Mary prioritizes spending time with Jesus, while Martha focuses on working for Jesus. It is Mary who receives Jesus’ praise.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

Read Amos 8:1-12. Who in your community has been left behind in the famine from hearing the words of the Lord? How can you care for them?
Read Psalm 52. How do you remain rooted in God’s steadfast love when you cry out against injustice?
Read Colossians 1:15-28. What do you need to let fall away to reveal the mystery of Christ in you?
Read Luke 10:38-42. How do you focus on Christ even as you attend to the necessary tasks of daily life?

Respond by posting a prayer .

Psalm 52:1-9

1 Hey, powerful person! Why do you brag about evil? God’s faithful love lasts all day long. 2 Your tongue devises destruction: it’s like a sharpened razor, causing deception. 3 You love evil more than good; you love lying more than speaking what is right. Selah 4 You love all destructive words; you love the deceiving tongue. 5 But God will take you down permanently; he will snatch you up, tear you out of your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living! Selah 6 The righteous will see and be in awe; they will laugh at those people: 7 “Look at them! They didn’t make God their refuge. Instead, they trusted in their own great wealth. They sought refuge in it—to their own destruction!” 8 But I am like a green olive tree in God’s house; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and always. 9 I will give thanks to you, God, forever, because you have acted. In the presence of your faithful people, I will hope in your name because it’s so good.

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

A headline about Psalm 52 might have read something like this: “Saul orders slaughter of priest and family, over eighty-five dead.” In 1 Samuel 21 and 22, we learn that David, fearing for his life, visits the house of the priest Ahimelech of Nob, who provides him with bread for...

God, guide my tongue so that I can speak out against injustice while remaining rooted in your steadfast love. Make me like a green olive tree, bearing fruit and proclaiming your name, for it is good. Amen.


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