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Lectionary Reflection
Year C, Proper 18
Revised Common Lectionary
Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture) Lesson
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Deuteronomy 30:15-20
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Moses
said to all Israel the words which the Lord commanded him,
"See, I have set before you today life and prosperity,
death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the
LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving
the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his
commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live
and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you
in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your
heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray
to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you
today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in
the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.
Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving
the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him;
for that means life to you and length of days, so that you
may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your
ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."
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Reflection on
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
by Charles Morello, Jr.
This lesson looks at the world in Black & White
("life and prosperity" vs "death and adversity".
Our modern world appears to have shades of grey that blur these
distinctions. However, when we, in the early years of the 21st Century
look at the changes happening in our environment, we certainly appear
to have a "Black & White World" again. We stand at
a point where all our actions appear to either help or hurt the
environment in ways larger than in previous generations.
Deuteronomy enjoins us to walk in the ways of the Lord and follow
the Law, even exhorting us to "choose life". Choosing
life means choosing life for our planet and future generations,
not just our own personal lives and our own personal salvation.
And this has never been more true than today. Our personal and corporate
decisions of prosperity or adversity have moved us into decisions
of death or life. As our prosperity in the Northern Hemisphere has
exploded (into an over-prosperity) and placed demands on the environment,
we have pushed all life on this planet closer to long-term adversity
and death. Some examples are
- exponential growth in emissions caused by motor vehicle sales
in emerging countries
- continued use of pesticides and herbicides that contaminate
water supplies
- refusal by leaders to address the root causes of problems
- selecting the short-term (initially less expensive) way over
the long-term but initially more expensive way
As we move forward through this Century, we all need to be mindful
that our over-prosperity – if done indiscriminately and without
concern for the environment – will harm our fellow creatures
and plants on the earth. In our over-prosperity we may have created
a new god. We should try to be mindful of our actions and choose
life – for us and for future generations by choosing life for
everyone and everything in creation.
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To Reflections on other RCL Readings for Year C,
Proper 18:
| Reflections available at the active links |
Semi-Continuous Track |
Gospel Theme Track |
| Old Testament (Hebrew Scripture) Reading: |
Jeremiah 18:1-11 |
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 |
| Psalm |
Psalm 139:1-5, 13-17 |
Psalm 1 |
| New Testament Lesson |
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| Gospel |
Luke 14:25-33
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To Reflections on other Standard (Episcopal) Lectionary
Readings for Year C, Proper 18:
Old Testament
(Hebrew Scripture)
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 |
no reflection available |
Psalm
1
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no reflection available |
this page |
Gospel
Luke 14:25-33
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no reflection available |
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Charles
"Chuck" Morello, Jr. was the Webverger for this
website and member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Virginia,
MN, when he wrote this reflection in 2007. Chuck and we
welcome your comments. Please address your comments or additional
reflections to Chuck
Morello or any MEESC
member, or mail them to:
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MEESC
c/o C. Morello
4451 Lakeside Drive
Eveleth, MN 55743-4400 USA |
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The MEESC assumes
that all correspondence received is for publication on this
web site. If your comments are not for publication, please
so note on your correspondence. The MEESC reserves the right
to decide which items are included on the website.
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This page last updated 2007-01-15.
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