Third Sunday after Trinity - 2022

 

The Third Sunday after Trinity.

Psalm 119.33-48

v. Legem pone.

TEACH me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, * and I shall keep it unto the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; * yea, I shall keep it with my whole heart.

35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; * for therein is my desire.

36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, * and not to covetousness.

37 O turn away mine eyes, lest they behold vanity; * and quicken thou me in thy way.

38 O stablish thy word in thy servant, * that I may fear thee.

39 Take away the rebuke that I am afraid of; * for thy judgments are good.

40 Behold, my delight is in thy commandments; * O quicken me in thy righteousness.

vi. Et veniat super me.

LET thy loving mercy come also unto me, O Lord, * even thy salvation, according unto thy word.

42 So shall I make answer unto my blasphemers; * for my trust is in thy word.

43 O take not the word of thy truth utterly out of my mouth; * for my hope is in thy judgments.

44 So shall I alway keep thy law; * yea, for ever and ever.

45 And I will walk at liberty; * for I seek thy commandments.

46 I will speak of thy testimonies also, even before kings, * and will not be ashamed.

47 And my delight shall be in thy commandments, * which I have loved.

48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; * and my study shall be in thy statutes.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son * and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be * world without end. Amen. 

 

The Collect.

O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom though hast given an hearty desire to pray, may be comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 31.1-14

Psalter: Psalm 16, 17 | 18

Epistle Reading: 1 Peter 5.5-11

Gospel Reading: St. Luke 15.1-10 

Homily 

The following is from my letter to my congregation:

Neighborliness is quite the thing! For example, when we’re away from home on a business trip or out camping, or traveling into unfamiliar regions, and people extend hospitality to us, it warms our hearts. But neighborliness is also easy to forget if we’re wrapped up too tightly in traveling or business or chores. 

While we were at General Assembly, it would have been pretty effortless to let neighborliness slip. We were up to our eyeballs with meetings and events to attend, discussions to deliberate, etc. But General Assembly was, in many ways, a perfect time to extend hospitality, or to slow down and listen and pray with people, especially people we knew but had never met in person, and so on. And I am happy to say that neighborliness was our unplanned pattern. There were several times I would be stopped by someone I didn’t know – but who knew me from my prayer-posts on Facebook, or through reading one of my books. Instead of rushing off to do my thing, I would often simply put the brakes on, listen, ask questions about that person’s situation, family, future, and more. And then when it was clear they had said what they wanted to say, and knew that they had been seen and heard, I would offer to pray for them right then and there. Every one of them responded with warmth. Friendships were made, and fellowship was had. 

Also, Neal, Allan, Wes and I would welcome people into our lunch or other times. For example, the Assistant Pastor at Grace-Stillwater (Jason A.) was all by himself. And since he didn’t pursue the normal seminary plan toward his ordination he didn’t know very many people at GA. So we grabbed him, and drew him into our supper time, and made every effort to make him feel accepted and at home with us. The same thing happened with the Assistant Pastor from Christ the King in Norman (Tony P.), and J.R. B. Pastor Wes even invited a couple of guys to our AirBnB to play a board game. All of these folks appreciated the time we had together. Neighborliness is quite the thing! 

But this reminds me of the importance of being neighborly where we live. In some of our subdivisions we have to fight against the housing and lot designs to be neighborly. Most of suburbia is designed to be single family houses where a household can exist without being engaged or troubled by neighbors. High fences, garages that stick out further than the front door, no front porches to speak of, and so forth. Anna and I have pushed back on our suburban culture a bit, and in the ten years we’ve lived on our cul-de-sac we’ve gotten to know those who live around us; helped others when ice storms created chaos; stepped in to assist when a hot water tank broke; discussed the funny antics of our pets, climbed up to cut down large, dying tree limbs; and other acts of neighborliness, just to name a few things. 

Neighborliness is quite the thing! It takes a bit of effort, and it facilitates our cultivating a community where community is in serious decline. But, it also gives us a way to follow our Lord’s injunction with real, live people. You’ve got to know your neighbors to love your neighbors. “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). Brothers and sisters, neighborliness is quite the thing!