Come and See What God Has Done

Preparing for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Three Days before Sunday (Year C)

Scripture (semicontinuous)

Psalter: Psalm 66:1-12

Old Testament: Jeremiah 25:1-14

Epistle: 2 Timothy 1:13-18

Scripture (complementary)

Psalter: Psalm 111

Old Testament: Leviticus 14:33-53

Epistle: 2 Timothy 1:13-18

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Prayer

O Lord, who is the Wholeness of the sick and Home of the exile, give us grace to seek the well-being of those among whom we live, so that all people may come to know the healing of your love and new voices join to give you thanks in Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Reflection

Come and see what God has done:

    he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.

He turned the sea into dry land;

    they passed through the river on foot.

There we rejoiced in him,

    who rules by his might forever,

whose eyes keep watch on the nations—

    let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah (Psalm 66:5-7).

by Joan Stott

The Psalmist invites you and me to: “…Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he does for his people…!” The author then listed one of the people of God’s great miracles of freedom and release from all that enslaved them. But it is also possible that other generations of God’s people could sing that same message in different circumstances. There are probably countless stories of people – in large or small numbers – who have made the same claims of God’s leading and guiding as they fled to freedom, and a new life free from all forms of persecution and fear.

The first of the European settlers to Australia were mostly convicts, sent here often for very minor infringements; and any criminal habits they had, were probably learned during their long sea voyage. History being what it is with its varying interpretations, it is also reported that many other early settlers who came to Australia were disenfranchised or dispirited church goers, and they were encouraged by officials in that fledgling government, to help bring about a better balance of religious and social influences upon that penal colony. Whatever were the motives behind this migration policy, people were uprooted in a far away land with few resources, other than their character, determination, and their faith in God’s guidance and blessing. They were certainly tested in that journey, but they received many blessings from God in their freedom.

The courage and fortitude demonstrated by many of those settlers who placed their trust in God even as they each day prayed words like these: “Our lives are in God’s hands, and God will keep our feet from stumbling.” To help compensate for the wild harshness of the land, they imported their own trees, plants, birds and animals - anything that brought a touch of their homeland to them. They also experienced so many different climatic changes because of the wide range of weather experienced in this land, but eventually they also knew “...a place of great abundance…” They also knew all about “fire and flood…” and knew they were being tested and purified. Those faithful, Godly people surely sang God’s praises in their campsites: “…Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he does for his people…! “Come, let us rejoice in who God is. For by God’s great power he rules forever. God watches every movement of the nations… Let the whole world bless our God.”

PRAYER: In your love, O God of hosts, your people find healing. Grant that the pains of our journey may not obscure the presence of Christ among us, but that we may always give thanks for your healing power as we travel on the way to your kingdom. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Check out more of Joan Stott’s writings, here.