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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.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

27 June 2012

Psalm 101, 109; Num. 16:36-50; Rom. 4:13-25; Matt. 20:1-16

Can you believe it?  The people came out and accused Moses and Aaron the very next day.  They are accused of killing the people of the Lord, the three who led the revolt and those who had offered incense.  Just as Moses was hearing from the Lord concerning the censers of those killed the day before, they come and make their complaint known.  It is incredible that such could happen, particularly so soon after they had seen for themselves that the Lord was with Moses.  Amazingly, Moses and Aaron immediately drop to their faces in intercession for their accusers but the wrath of the Lord is already breaking out.  Moses tells Aaron to intercede for the people, the very ones who have come against him, just as Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” and just as Stephen prayed for those who were stoning him.  We are to emulate these. 

Jesus continues the message of the last will be first and the first will be last.  Those hired earlier in the day have developed a sense of entitlement and superiority to those chosen later in the day, they believe themselves to be more special than these others as they have labored longer for the owner.  We easily develop this same sense of entitlement and superiority the longer we serve, we forget that it was grace in the beginning, grace in the middle and grace in the end.  We forget we were chosen for no reason other than God chose us and it is grace that kept us safe thus far and grace ‘twill lead us home.  We have added nothing to the equation no matter how long we have served, God does as He wills and if He chooses to reward those chosen last with the same reward as those who have long served, it is His prerogative, let us always celebrate the grace we have received. 

It is interesting that Paul can say that Abraham’s faith did not waver when he considered his age and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.  Certainly he and Sarah laughed when they heard the promise that in a year she would conceive and bring forth a son, whom they called Isaac, laughter.  Wavering faith and failed faith are different things, they did consider that, however unlikely, nothing was impossible for God, and they saw the fruit of the promise in the birth of the child.  It was grace alone which brought forth this child, he was a child of promise, received by faith with joy.  Dare we have faith in what God has promised to us, even if, for all the world, it looks as though it is impossible?  Let us walk humbly in our faith in all things.

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