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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, June 9, 2012

9 June 2012



No matter how much you have you want more and so never find rest.  Solomon would know, his wealth was fabulous and as he says here, as his wealth increased so did the number of mouths he fed with that wealth.  It is a fleeting thing and a vain thing to have wealth so why do we set our store by it?  We worry about losing it and we worry that it isn’t enough, no matter how much we have.  In the end, we take nothing with us, it is of no ultimate or eternal value to us at all.  It doesn’t ensure our future or the future or our progeny because it can be lost or taken at any time.  Knowing all these truths still doesn’t completely convince my heart to turn away, the allure is too great, Lord help me.

The Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking with tradition and Jesus immediately turns the tables and asks why they break the commandment of God.  I believe that is the ultimate trump card in the game, I’ll see your human tradition and raise you a Godly commandment.  He uses this question as a take-off for teaching about what matters to God most.  The Pharisees worry too much about minors and leave off the truly important things.  It isn’t what goes in but what comes out that defiles us.  Those things expose the true condition of our hearts, that is the reason Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil.  It isn’t money itself that is the root of all evil, but the love of money, our attachment to it.  If we guard our hearts and deal with their lusts and desires we will make greater progress in righteousness than in bodily discipline.  (That, however, does not mean that bodily disciplines are unimportant, they are needful as well.)

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.”  The argument would necessarily be that now we know God and are no longer enslaved by those things.  Is that entirely true in your life?  Certainly I would say that I don’t see that fully in my own life.  Too often we continue to live for things under the sun, just as we did formerly.  Paul understood transformation of our hearts and minds to be complete but he wasn’t naïve about that transformation, he knew that it took effort and cooperation with the Spirit of God, it required a person to completely yield their life to Him.  It requires the attitude of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, understanding the call of the flesh but saying, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours.”  It is painful to let go of our will and our desires but in the end do they matter anyway?
Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.

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