This passage finds us at the end of the story of Moses and marks the end of the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Torah. It comes at the end of the book of Deuteronomy, often referred to as the Second Law.<\/p>\n\n
Moses sees the Promised Land from the top of Mount Nebo (verse 1). That his last moments are on a mountaintop may remind us of the other mountaintop experiences where Moses met God face to face. But here it is different. It signals the end Moses\u2019 role in the formation of a new community, the people of Israel.<\/p>\n\n
Let\u2019s focus for a moment on the phrase \u201cservant of the Lord,\u201d abad in Hebrew. During the long journey to the Promised Land there were many times when Moses was probably tempted to call it quits. How easy it would have been to say, \u201cI can\u2019t take it anymore! Too much complaining!\u201d However, he gave into the temptation to seek some glory for himself (Numbers 20:12) and for that, God decreed he would not enter the Promised Land. The final story of Moses shows that even great people, who may seem larger than life to us, are, in the end, human. We can take some comfort in that. At the end of the day, it\u2019s the journey that is important. Now Joshua picks up where Moses left off as abad, \u201cservant of the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Psalm 90 begins Book Four in the Psalter. According to scholar J. Clinton McCann, the psalm itself is divided into four parts: verse 1-2, God; verses 3-6, the frailty of all life; verses 7-11 (not included in the reading), humankind\u2019s disobedience; and verses 12-17, a plea for God\u2019s mercy and compassion.<\/p>\n\n
Although it is the only psalm attributed to Moses, biblical scholars do not general believe he authored it. The theme of finitude, recall Moses\u2019 death in Deuteronomy 34, is carried over in today\u2019s psalm. The psalmist reminds us that we are all dust (recalls Genesis 3) and that we are all on the clock. The clock is ticking; the grass will not stay green forever. This is not the carpe diem philosophy of Ecclesiastes (3:12-13), but an occasion to petition for God\u2019s compassion and mercy while we are alive. Again the word servant, in Hebrew abad, is repeated in verse 13.<\/p>\n\n
What are the best practices for building up a Christian community and a ministry of love of one\u2019s neighbor? Paul spells it out in today\u2019s epistle to the community in Thessalonia, using himself and his companions as examples.<\/p>\n\n
First of all, community builders must speak boldly and with courage, according to Paul. In Philipi, Paul\u2019s message, which was spoken boldly and with courage, was met with great opposition. Speaking \u201ctruth to power,\u201d as Gandhi phrased it, is often not accepted by those who want to maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n\n
Second, community builders must have integrity. In the first-century, Greco-Roman world, leaders were tested for their strength of character. A community builder who seeks after his\/her own glory or personal gain can rip a community apart.<\/p>\n\n
Finally, community builders are \u201csoul-sharers,\u201d as Richard Ascough describes it in his commentary on Working Preacher. As \u201csoul-sharers,\u201d we are called to alleviate suffering in the world, caring for the vulnerable and needy of the community, much as a nurse nurtures the children in her care. In Paul\u2019s time, it was common for the elite to have nurses, nannies, care for their children, and they would remain in close relationships into their adulthood.<\/p>\n\n
This week\u2019s passage appears at the end of a series of debates with Sadducees, lawyers, chief priest, elders scribes Pharisees and their followers. Jesus has handily answered all questions, and finally, one of the lawyers asks: \u201cWhich commandment is the greatest?\u201d (verse 36). Jesus responds with what Jewish people refer to as the Shema, \u201cYou shall love the Lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.\u201d (See also Deuteronomy 6:4-5.) It expands the first commandment found in Exodus: \u201cYou shall have no other gods before me\u201d (Exodus 20:3).<\/p>\n\n
\u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d We know this as the Golden Rule. Versions of this verse are also found in Leviticus 19:18, Romans 13:9 and Galatians 5:14. This is not, eros, \u201cerotic love,\u201d but agape, \u201clove\u201d in the sense of \u201ccompassion\u201d and \u201cmercy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
In her \u201cCharter for Compassion,\u201d Karen Armstrong points out that many religions have a version of the Golden Rule:<\/p>\n\n
\u201cNot one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.\u201d \u2014 Islam, Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13<\/p>\n\n
\u201cOne should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This the essence of morality. All other activities are selfish desire.\u201d \u2014 Hinduis. Ahabharata, Anunsasana Parva 113.8<\/p>\n\n
Jesus affirms these two commands are foundational. David Ewart writes: \u201cAs long as we observe both commandments, we can be confident we are on that Godly path. However if we choose to ignore either love, we will soon find ourselves in a spiritual ditch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Deuteronomy 34:1-12 This passage finds us at the end of the story of Moses and marks the end of the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Torah. It comes at the end of the book of Deuteronomy, often referred to as the Second Law. Moses sees the Promised Land from the top of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,52,33,3],"tags":[111],"class_list":["post-767038","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-sermons-that-work","category-the-season-after-pentecost","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-proper-25a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":33,"label":"The Season After Pentecost"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":111,"label":"Proper 25A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/767038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/767038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":952259,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/767038\/revisions\/952259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}