19 February 2023

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Bible readings for today

• Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 
• Psalm 119:33-40 
• 1 Corinthians 3:10-11,16-23 
• Matthew 5:38-48 

Liturgical Colour: GREEN

Collect

Give us, we pray you, gentle God, 
a mind forgetful of past injury, 
a will to seek the good of others 
and a heart of love. 
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. 
Amen. 

​E te Atua māhaki, hōmai he whakaaro 
kia warewaretia ngā pānga hē me ngā kino, he hiahia ki te rapu i ngā painga o ētahi atu, he ngākau e kī ana i te aroha. Whakarongo ki tēnei īnoi i runga i tōu aroha. Āmine. 

Liturgical Wheel

The Church Year illustration from Rev. Sarah West, from Visio Lectio
(Colour) Download

Love your enemies (Matthew 5:38-48)

An eye for an eye! Love your neighbour as yourself! The gospel reading today is another part of the Sermon on the Mount, and gives us a great opportunity to talk about abundant generosity, both in what we have and how we love well. 

Gospel Conversations

Another great Gospel Conversations from the Diocese of Dunedin. We continue on through the difficult, challenging, yet grace-filled words of Jesus in his "sermon on the mount". This week we are dealing with Jesus' teaching on our response to injustice, the directive to love our enemies, and the impossible statement that we are to be perfect. Peg, Damon and Anne join Mike in discovering how we might best interpret these teachings in the light of Jesus' love and grace.

Visio Lectio

An print from Rev. Sarah West from the Diocese of Auckland, shared with permission
​Visio Lectio website
PNG Download
Download w/ background
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Media

What does Justice look like (Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18)

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 talks about the holiness of God, and how landowners were to treat their land and those around them. Leaving the second round or edges of their crops for the poor was one of the first references of charity and justice that we see in the Bible. This ties in really well with the Matthew 5 reading above, about loving those you were not in relationship with, and showing compassion and justice. 

What is gleaning? 

"Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. It is a practice described in the Hebrew Bible that became a legally enforced entitlement of the poor in a number of Christian kingdoms." - Wikipedia. 

Psalm 119

Psalm 119 is the longest of all of the Psalms. In fact, it is the longest chapter in the whole Bible. The psalm consists of 176 verses divided into 22 sections of 8 verses each, and each section is given a letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The part of the psalm we're looking at today falls into He/hei (verses 33-40) – God’s Word keeps us pure.

The Message Translation

Psalm 119:33-40
​God, teach me lessons for living
    so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me--
    my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
    I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
    and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
    invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me--
    promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics--
    but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
    preserve my life through your righteous ways!

Resources

Psalm 19 resource - giving context of the whole psalm (Children Files)

Media