Daily Readings - Sun Mar 24 2019

¹Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.²And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.³And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.⁴And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.⁵And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.⁶Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.⁷And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;⁸And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.¹³And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?¹⁴And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.¹⁵And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

1 Corinthians

Chapter 10

¹Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;²And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;³And did all eat the same spiritual meat;⁴And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.⁵But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.⁶Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.¹⁰Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.¹¹Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.¹²Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Luke

Chapter 13

¹There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.²And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?³I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.⁴Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?⁵I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.⁶He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.⁷Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?⁸And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:⁹And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter powerful reminders of God’s presence, His call to us, and the urgency of living a life of faith and repentance. The first reading from Exodus describes Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush, a moment of profound revelation. God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and commissions Moses to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt. This passage emphasizes God’s initiative in salvation and the importance of responding to His call with faith and courage. The second reading from 1 Corinthians connects the Israelites’ journey through the desert to our own spiritual journey. Paul reminds us that the Israelites’ experiences—both their blessings and their failures—serve as examples for us. He warns against taking God’s grace for granted and against indulging in sin, urging us instead to live with humility and gratitude. The Gospel from Luke reinforces this message of repentance and spiritual vigilance. Jesus responds to tragic events by emphasizing that suffering is not a sign of greater guilt but a call to repentance. His parable of the fig tree reminds us that God is patient and gives us time to bear fruit, but we must not presume upon His mercy. These readings invite us to reflect on our own relationship with God. Like Moses, we are called to recognize God’s presence in our lives and to respond with faith and obedience. Like the Israelites, we must avoid the dangers of complacency and sin. And like the fig tree, we are called to bear fruit—fruit that comes from a life of prayer, repentance, and love. Let us ask ourselves: Am I attentive to God’s call? Am I living a life that reflects His grace? Am I bearing fruit that glorifies Him? May we embrace the gift of God’s patience and strive to live as His faithful and fruitful people.