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The intent of Pilgrim Processing is to provide commentary on the Daily Lectionary from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. The format for the comment is Old Testament Lesson first, Gospel, and Epistle with a portion of one of the Psalms for the day as a prayer at the end.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

18 December 2011



From whom did Adam learn to pass the buck?  He told the truth, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."  That is the exact sequence of the events, is it not?  The problem is that the Lord didn’t ask for the sequence of events, the question begs a simple yes or no, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"  The question was addressed to the only one who had received the command first hand.  Similarly, the woman answers the question by trying to shift blame.  “What have YOU done?”  "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."  The first one on whom judgment falls is the serpent.  Wouldn’t it seem that there is already enmity on his part against mankind?  The battle is engaged, Pearl Harbor has happened.

Jesus came that we not perish but have life.  We tend to focus on the first and forget about the second thing, life, now.  He is the way, the truth and the life.  Simple logic tells me that if Jesus is truth and I reject Jesus then I have rejected truth, so how can I accept truth in some other form if I have rejected the truth in Jesus?  No longer are we judged according to deeds alone but our attitude towards Jesus.  “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  See any wiggle room there for alternative ways to the father?  The relationship between the Father and His creation is intended to be restored and all will know Him as Jeremiah wrote, “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD.”  We are individuals before Him, called into unity with other believers.

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”  The battle in heaven is won but it continues to rage on earth.  The ancient serpent is the one from Genesis 3, the one who did exactly what Eve said, deceived her is known as the deceiver.  He is also our accuser, standing before the throne as in Zechariah 3 to accuse us with truth, we have sinned and we are sinners but the Lord throws out the accusation against those who have trusted in Jesus as the sacrifice that covers our sins.  The penalty has already been paid so the accusation doesn’t matter.  We are no longer at enmity with the Creator, He is our Father.

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