Approaching the 13th sunday in ordinary time (part 1)

Where we are heading (readings for Sunday 30th June)

1 Kings 19.15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5.1, 13-25
Luke 9.51-62

Readings for today

Psalm 16
Leviticus 9.22 - 10.11
2 Corinthians 13.5-10

thought for today

Aaron remained silent. You bet he did! what could be said, after witnessing the holy fire coming and burning up the sacrifice they thought they would grab a bit of the glory and ended up getting burned too. What on earth was he supposed to say - they may well have overstepped the line, but the result was drastic indeed. Even Paul's 'authority' did not extend to this. And then he was prevented from mourning by Moses, because he and two of his other sons had the anointing oil on them and had to stay near the tent of meeting. We may struggle to make sense of the careful distinctions Israel made between Holy and profane (common) and the further division of the profane into clean and unclean, and also the drastic response of God for those who unwittingly brought the profane into the presence of the holy, but we can perhaps learn something of the total otherness of God. And yet, and yet, this God who is so other than the wrong sort of fire should not be brought into his presence comes among us in Christ and offers us the invitation to follow.


Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission