Items for the week of Sunday, June 14th

This past Sunday, June 14^th, was the 3^rd Sunday after Pentecost

We heard the following scripture readings, introduction, and prayer of the day during the Sunday morning worship service:

Introduction

Moses tells the Israelites that they are called to be a priestly kingdom and a holy people. Jesus sends out the disciples as laborers into the harvest. In baptism we too are anointed for ministry, sharing God’s compassion with our needy world. From the Lord’s table we go forth to proclaim the good news, to heal the sick, and to share our bread with the hungry.

Prayer of the Day

God of compassion, you have opened the way for us and brought us to yourself. Pour your love into our hearts, that, overflowing with joy, we may freely share the blessings of your realm and faithfully proclaim the good news of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Scripture

Exodus 19:2-8a The covenant with Israel at Sinai

Psalm 100 We are God’s people and the sheep of God’s pasture. (Ps. 100:3)

Romans 5:1-8 While we were sinners, Christ died for us

Matthew 9:35–10:23] The sending of the Twelve

Devotion for the Week

Compassion as Proclamation

When Jesus instructed his followers to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers” (Matthew 9:38), his disciples might not have expected that the sending would happen so quickly, or that they would be the ones sent. The job of harvest laborers might seem straightforward enough: Recognize the gifts, the fruit, and use them to advance the good news of God’s work. But what prompts Jesus to tell the disciples to ask God for laborers is that he sees people who are “harassed and helpless” (v. 36) and is moved to compassion. That movement prompts us to consider that compassion is not merely a feeling that is held, but an energy that reaches out through us to others.

Congregational mission statements and our Sunday liturgy commonly reinforce that the faithful are sent into the world proclaiming the good news of God in Christ. The scriptures stress the importance of connecting oral proclamation with meaningful action, lest proclamation become merely lip service. While proclaiming the gospel might seem broad and difficult to narrow down into our many daily interactions and tasks, the guiding principle of compassion provides a touchpoint.

The disciples’ message that God’s kingdom has come near is accompanied by actions meant to alleviate suffering. When we gather as a people of faith, we receive God’s compassion in Christ that extends through the Lord’s supper and unites us in fellowship. In our prayers we are attentive to personal, local, and broad requests, asking God to receive and keep them in God’s care. These acts of worship can prepare us to extend the compassion given to us into our personal conversations and interactions with others. When we ask how we can be led by compassion, we are asking how we can proclaim the good news of God in Christ.