Grace Cathedral

Grace Cathedral

Article | June 30, 2017

Lectionary Reflection: The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Blog|Connie Holmes

Jeremiah 28:5-9 Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42

Our readings for today focus on true prophecy, freedom from sin and the centrality of hospitality. Jeremiah speaks of the danger of false prophets and gives us the test for true prophets: their prophecy comes to pass.

We struggle today with what is true news and what is fake news. We struggle with whom to trust and whom to doubt. We struggle with how to separate reality from fantasy in our public as well as in our private lives.

Paul speaks to us today about the choice between sin and grace. We are freed from sin so that we may grow more fully into the image of God by whom we have been created.

How do we grow into this image? What actions can we take to demonstrate that we have chosen against sin and for grace?

Jesus in our Gospel reading tells us one clear choice we can make. We can choose to be hospitable. Hospitality is the act or service of welcoming, of receiving, of hosting or entertaining guests. Welcome says to the guest: it is so good that you have come. In Latin, the word, hospes, means both guest and host. Hospitality is the transaction between us in which welcome is both given and then received.

We can generously extend our hospitality to newcomers. Doing so is both a kind of prophesy and a choice for Grace.

Connie Holmes is a retired clinical psychologist and has been a member of the Episcopal Church since 1989. She is a second-year member of EfM, a lector and a member of the Congregation Council.

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