The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the incurable wound of his suffering yet finds in God’s words the delight of his heart. When Peter doesn’t grasp Jesus’ words about suffering, Jesus tells the disciples they will find their lives in losing them. Such sacrificial love is described by Paul when he urges us to associate with the lowly and not repay evil with evil. In worship we gather as a community that we might offer ourselves for the sake of our suffering world.
Readings
Jeremiah 15:15-21
God fortifies the prophet against opposition
Psalm 26:1-8
Your love is before my eyes; I have walked faithfully with you.
Romans 12:9-21
Live in harmony
Matthew 16:21-28
The passion prediction and rebuke to Peter
Worship Themes and Music
Just last week Jesus calls Peter the rock upon which he will build his church; now Jesus declares Peter to be in league with Satan and tells him to get behind him. It’s nice to know that our church’s namesake was just as human as we all are! More seriously, Jesus’ prediction of his death and his teaching that we will find our lives in losing them rings through the ages.
We sing this week about the beauty of the earth as we begin to harvest many fruits of our labors, mostly to find that God has caused us to grow as well. We pray in the opening hymn that God would accept our sacrifice of praise. In our Hymn of the Day, The Summons, we encourage one another to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and live our lives in loving service toward one another.
How is God calling you to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus?
What would stop you from making that leap of faith and how hard would it be to give that up?
