Wednesday of Pentecost 17
Wednesday of the 17th Sunday after Pentecost
Collect of the Day: O Lord, we pray that Your grace may always go before and follow after us, that we may continually be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Epistle for this Wednesday of the 17th Sunday after Pentecost is from Ephesians, the third chapter. (Ephesians 3:13-21)
13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 7th chapter. (Luke 7:11-17)
11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. This is the Gospel of Our Lord
O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes. Jesus describes the blessing that he brings to those with faith in Him. The second beatitude is “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” In a different sermon, addressing a different audience, in a different place, Jesus speaks four blessings and four woes. The third blessing states, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”
The widow of Nain is a woman of great sorrow. She is undoubtably heavy with grief. Her mourning and her weeping are bitter. She has the friendship of her village, but she does not have the love and support of her husband for he died. As a widow, and now as a childless mother, she is bereft of her family and her future. She walks the familiar path to the cemetery burdened by her pain. Her future, always tenuous, is now bleak. What joy can she have? How shall she ever laugh again? Life has dealt her a harsh blow.
The gospel says that when Jesus saw her, he had compassion upon her. He speaks words that make no sense to anyone. “Do not weep.” Unbeknownst to the widow of Nain and the crowd, they have entered into the promise of Jesus’ sermons. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”
The voice of Jesus is the voice of God. Because the man Jesus is God himself, the blessed Son of God, he speaks a word of forgiveness and people are forgiven. He speaks a word of healing, the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the demons flee, the limbs are straightened and grow. Now, he speaks to the dead son. “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And, of course, the son obeyed.
What comes next must be among the sweetest words in the New Testament, “and Jesus gave him to his mother.” The son who was lost to her has been returned to her. She has been comforted by the Lord of life with the life of her son. Surely, this miracle shook her so deeply that she could only laugh. Her son is returned to her. Jesus gave him life. In giving the Son life, he gave her life too.
Jesus takes up the cross so that all who believe in Him have eternal life. Since Jesus raises the Widow’s son, since He calls Lazarus forth from the grave, since Jesus announces to the repentant thief on the cross that “today you will be with me in paradise,” we have confidence that Jesus has the power to say to us, you are forgiven. Jesus’ ministry on earth demonstrates his authority and power. In his cross, he substitutes himself for us. He bears our sins. On account of his sacrifice, we are declared righteous. Jesus gives to us the promise of a joyous life in eternity.
We all will know our share of mourning and weeping. Yet, we live with Jesus’ promise. We are comforted by the grace of His love, His presence, His forgiveness, and the promise of everlasting life in paradise.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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