How the Mighty Have Fallen
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture
Semi-continuous: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
Complementary: Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 or Lamentations 3:22-33; Psalm 30; 2 Corinthians 8:7-15; Mark 5:21-43
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Prayer
God of hope, you are ruler of night as well as day, guardian of those who wander in the shadows. Be new light and life for those who live in the darkness of despair, for prisoners of guilt and grief, for victims of fantasy and depression, that even where death’s cold grip tightens, we may know the power of the one who conquered fear and death. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)
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Reflection
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.
David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:
Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath,
proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,
the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.
You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor bounteous fields!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.
From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor the sword of Saul return empty.
Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.
O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful,
passing the love of women.
How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished! (2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27).
How the mighty have fallen from heights unseen where eagles soar. Once proud, now whispers on the wind. In the shadow of greatness they stood, statues carved from dreams. Their laughter a symphony echoing through the valleys, their footsteps thunder on the hills.
How the mighty have fallen like stars. They burned bright and fierce casting light into the darkest night; but even stars succumb to the dawn, their brilliance fading into memory—a tale told by the fire, a song sung by the ancients who remember the dance of giants.
How the mighty have fallen, their crowns now dust, their thrones abandoned—left for the wildflowers to claim—their stories etched in the stones, of ruined palaces, where once their voices rang out—commanding—now silenced by the passage of time.
How the mighty have fallen not with a cry, but a sigh, as the world turns relentless as the seasons change, unyielding; and the mountains, once their guardians bow their heads in solemn tribute to the fallen, the once revered whose names now whispers, fade into the twilight.
How the mighty have fallen, and in their fall we see ourselves fragile and fleeting, caught in the tide of time; and we remember with hearts heavy the rise and fall, the glory and the ruin, the dance of the mighty, and the silence that follows.
PRAYER: Companion in life an death, your love is steadfast and never ends; our weeping may linger with night, but you give joy in the morning. Touch us with your healing grace that, restored to wholeness, we may live out our calling as your resurrection people. Amen. (Revised Common Lectionary)
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