Daily Readings - Wed Oct 11 2017
First Reading - Jonah 4.1-11
Jonah
But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Gospel - Luke 11.1-4
Luke
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.Give us day by day our daily bread.And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter profound lessons on mercy, prayer, and trust in God's plan. The Book of Jonah presents a prophet grappling with God's compassion, while the Gospel of Luke offers the Lord's Prayer, a timeless guide to deepening our relationship with the Father.
Jonah's story unfolds as he struggles with God's decision to spare Nineveh. Despite Jonah's anger and sense of injustice, God uses a simple plant and a worm to illustrate His boundless mercy. This teaches Jonah—and us—that God's love extends far beyond our limited understanding, embracing even those we might deem unworthy. Meanwhile, in Luke, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray with humility and trust, emphasizing themes of forgiveness and reliance on God's providence.
These readings connect through their emphasis on mercy and prayer. Jonah's experience shows that God's ways are not our ways, urging us to embrace His compassion. The Lord's Prayer guides us to seek God's will and forgive others, mirroring the mercy Jonah was taught. In our daily lives, we can apply these lessons by practicing forgiveness and trusting in God's plan, even when it challenges our expectations. Let us reflect on how we can grow in mercy and deepen our prayer life, trusting that God's love and wisdom guide us always.