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Help Breathe New Life into Our Church Leaders
The week after my father passed, I returned home to St. Paul, Minnesota, to preside over Read More
April Casperson | Read 2 Samuel 6:12-19
Ritual has power, as we saw in yesterday’s text. The parade and procession of the ark to its final resting place most likely took hours, if not days. In addition, the gathering of thirty thousand people would have been remarkable to behold. The community would have seen a parade of...
God who feeds bodies and souls, open my heart to where you are offering nourishment to my soul. May I be open to your presence in holy moments. Amen.
The scriptures for this week focus on power and authority. The biblical narrative throughout the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament provides a framework for how humans should understand and engage with power. Power and authority belong to God, and part of God’s grace and compassion for the world and for humanity includes the unmerited grace offered to all. However, humans have agency. Scriptures are full of outlines of how humans should care for others, and how those who are on the margins are not asked to give from their scarcity. In contrast, those who have abundance in resources and wealth—which includes power—are asked to give up some of their abundance so that all may have what they need.
Read 2 Samuel 6:1-5 and 12b-19. What symbols carry power in this story, and where is the presence of God?
Read Psalm 24. What gives us a connection to God in this scripture?
Read Ephesians 1:3-14. What is the connection between the infinite power of God and humanity’s need for grace?
Read Mark 6:14-29. Where is God present in the life and death of John the Baptist? Where is God present in your life?
Respond by posting a prayer.
