It took a year to read the Bible, then almost 9 months to read the Apocrypha. Now, I'm going to try to offer reflections on the Narrative Lectionary. But, I won't be posting daily--at least, for a while.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Looking toward a Day of Thanksgiving, Reflection on Deuteronomy 8:7-18

We are reflecting on two sets of texts this week. 


Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, that period of time during which we celebrate the first coming of Christ and anticipate the second coming. Two important themes are repentance and expectation.

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, a day of gratitude, recognition of blessings received, and for many of us, sharing an abundant meal. The lectionary readings for Thanksgiving are Deuteronomy 8:7-18; Psalm 65; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; and Luke 17:11-19.

Be thankful, Deuteronomy reminds us, for the land that God has given to us. Plentiful, clean water; fertile land; abundant mineral resources. Be thankful. Don't forget that these gifts are from God. Treat them as gifts. Don't start thinking that somehow all that you have is due to your own effort.


The water, the land, the other resources are gifts. They are also responsibilities. Treat these gifts right. The September 2008 issue of Weavings asks
What kind of world will our children and grandchildren inherit? Will it be the bleak world envisioned by some, where we will live "not only in the ruins of nature, but in the ruins of the civilization that ruined it"?
Read more about the land given to us by God.

Lectio Divina: Deuteronomy 8:7-11

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