The faithful and joyous reception of God’s word
Prayer for the Day
In you, O
Lord our God,
we find our
joy,
for through
your law and your prophets
you formed a
people in mercy and freedom,
in justice
and righteousness.
Pour your
Spirit on us today,
that we who
are Christ’s body
may bear the
good news of your ancient promises to all.
This we ask through Christ, the way.
Amen.
Theme for the day
Howard
Wallace[1]
describes today’s readings as being “about both the faithful and joyous
reception of God’s word seen in the people, and about the faithful proclamation
and interpretation of that word to the people….”
Psalm 19 celebrates the ancient
and silent Word shouting God’s glory in all creation, and finishes focusing on the "law of the Lord." Nehemiah
tells the story of Ezra and the Levites
reading the law those returned from exile. Luke has that Word present in the
life, action and teaching of Jesus.
Wallace goes
on to say, “Finally, we note the response of the people to the word. In Psalm
19 the psalmist celebrates the word of God, as perceived first in ‘nature’, and
second as it is understood in the written law or torah. It is sweeter
than honey, more desirable than fine gold etc. That same love of the law
appears in Nehemiah 8. It is the people who first love the law. They
urge Ezra to read the law (v. 1), they are attentive (v. 3), and
according to the Hebrew of v. 4, they build the platform for Ezra to use
for his reading. Ezra does not force the law upon them, they desire to hear and
understand it… On this holy day, the ‘joy of the Lord is (the people’s)
strength.’ The way in which the law is relevant and applicable to the people of
Ezra’s time is part of the joy to be found in it. Similar joy is found in the
Psalmist’s exquisite words of praise for the law in Psalm 19, and in the
amazement of the people who heard Jesus’ proclamation (Luke 4:22).... In this
combination (of faithful proclamation and interpretation), the fruitful joy,
amazement, and worship that God’s word engenders comes forth. The word of God,
however we understand the phrase, comes to life. The emphasis in the passage is
not on some abstract reverence for the ‘law of Moses’. It is about the
life-giving, renewing, releasing, freeing, sight-giving nature of God’s word,
the joy that it can engender, and the joy of wanting to hear it. These are
suitable words to hear in this season of Epiphany when we celebrate the
presence of God’s word in Jesus present with us.”[2]
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