{"id":14137,"date":"2012-09-25T07:00:32","date_gmt":"2012-09-25T14:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=14137"},"modified":"2015-03-19T15:50:52","modified_gmt":"2015-03-19T22:50:52","slug":"sunday-lectionary-extraordinary-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2012\/09\/25\/sunday-lectionary-extraordinary-grace\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Lectionary: Extraordinary Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I said, I’ll still be producing these Lectionary Notes from time to time, as and when we have new people leading the JP2 Group’s Bible Study. This week Rob will be leading for the first time, so here are some notes…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: September 30th, 2012<\/h2>\n

Our Readings this week concern God’s gratuitous gift of His Spirit.<\/p>\n

In the First Reading, even though Eldad and Medad were not at the Tent of Meeting, God’s Spirit falls upon them. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples not to hinder the work done in His name by others simply because they didn’t belong to their group. Jesus then gives them some warnings, exhorting them to cast off anything which hinders their entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. St. James in our Second Reading is handing out warnings too, especially to the rich.<\/p>\n

The Sacraments are the “ordinary” means of God’s grace (although far from “ordinary”<\/em>!), but God’s grace is not simply restricted to the Sacraments. So, as you go about this week, be on the lookout for God’s “extra-ordinary” grace at work…<\/p>\n

\"grace\"<\/p>\n

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Reading I: Numbers 11:25-29<\/h3>\n

We have heard quite a bit from the Book of Deuteronomy recently. However, this week we hear from the Book of Numbers. Numbers is the fourth book of the Bible, just before Deuteronomy. The narrative of Numbers covers about thirty-nine years, running from around the second year in the desert up until Moses’ death just prior to the entry into the Promised Land.<\/p>\n

The original Hebrew version of this book titles it “Bammidbar”<\/span>, <\/em>which means\u00a0“In the wilderness”<\/em><\/span>. However, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (the Septuagint),\u00a0it is called\u00a0“Numbers”<\/em><\/span>\u00a0because it concerns the counting of the people. The people are counted in a census which is used to demonstrate that God has remained faithful to His promise to Abraham:<\/p>\n

I will surely bless you\u00a0and make your descendants\u00a0as numerous as the stars in the sky\u00a0and as the sand on the seashore<\/em> – Genesis 22:17<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Patriarch Joseph brought His father Jacob into Egypt, there were 70 people, but by the time of the Exodus there were 600,000…<\/p>\n

The Book of Numbers is divided into three main sections:<\/p>\n

1. Numbers 1 – 9<\/strong>
\nSinai Discourse<\/p>\n

2. Numbers 10 – 21<\/strong>
\nJourney in the wilderness, from which our extract today is drawn.<\/p>\n

3. Numbers 22 – 36<\/strong>
\nPlains of Moab Discourse<\/p>\n

Israel has broken their covenant with God twice now.\u00a0Moses has complained to God about the strain of having to care for all the (grumbling) People of Israel. In response to this, God tells him to summon the seventy elders…<\/p>\n

The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses.<\/span>\u00a0Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses,<\/span>\u00a0the LORD bestowed it on the seventy elders;<\/span>\u00a0and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad,<\/span>\u00a0were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp.\u00a0<\/span>They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent;<\/span>\u00a0yet the spirit came to rest on them also,<\/span>\u00a0and they prophesied in the camp.<\/span>\u00a0So, when a young man quickly told Moses,<\/span>\u00a0“Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, “<\/span>\u00a0Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses’ aide, said,<\/span>\u00a0“Moses, my lord, stop them.”<\/span>\u00a0But Moses answered him,<\/span>\u00a0“Are you jealous for my sake?<\/span>\u00a0Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets!\u00a0Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Questions:<\/p>\n