Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29
You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking, for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for indeed our God is a consuming fire. Reflection How do we worship God? How do we show gratitude? This reading from Hebrews might be a bit hard to read, but essentially, the author is contrasting the side of God which we have been told to fear, with the side of God we see in Jesus, who offered up his very blood for us, so that we could live. The author tells us, that since God is a “consuming fire” who has removed created things, yet in Jesus has given us a kingdom that will not perish, we are to offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe. To me, worshipping God is a lot about gratitude. How can I find ways to be grateful for all that God has done for me and the entire world? It cannot just be a Sunday morning thing, but if my gratitude is real, it will also spill over into how I live my life the rest of the week. I am reminded about Jesus’ calling to love God, and love neighbor. To me, those two commandments are so closely intertwined, that you cannot have one without the other, and together, they perfectly express what showing gratitude to God might look like. --Rev. Dr. Tormod Svensson Prayer Oh God, help me show my gratitude and love for you, by more faithfully loving my neighbor, especially my neighbor who might have been marginalized or looked down upon for any reason. Amen.
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