Receiving June 14 worship scriptures

Scriptures for June 14
Genesis 18:1-15
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:35-10:8

Please see http://charistis.blogspot.com/2008/03/receiving-word-as-spirit-and-life.html for ways you can receive these scriptures.

June 7 prayer for receptivity
Your word as spirit and life is what I want to receive. Your word from Your heart, God. Living out of a suitcase for just a weekend seems to disrupt my receptivity. I pray for receptivity that "weathers" travel. More than that I pray for receptivity that weathers the meandering of my mind and heart. I pray for receptivity well grounded in confession, in your light, and in union with You.

Genesis 18:1-15
"...three men were standing by him..." (vs. 2)
"Then they said to him, 'Where...'" (vs. 9)
"And He said, 'I will...'" (vs. 10)
"And the LORD said to Abraham..." (vs. 13)
Three men; they said; then He (one of them) said; then the LORD.
Three, then He, then the LORD--this invites reflection on trinity and incarnation.

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
"I love the LORD, because He has heard
My voice and my supplications." (vs. 1)
Consider what Abraham said to, or asked God after the original promise(s) (Genesis 12:1ff) and after the promise in this week's passage from Genesis 18. What must it have been like for Abram, then Abraham, to experience God's actual presence and hear such enormous promises? What must it have been like for Abraham to experience such utter powerlessness? There was nothing Abraham could do to make the promise of the birth of a son to Sarah and him come true. Abraham had a lot to "work out" keeping company with such power at the same time he was so powerless.

"What Shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows to the LORD
Now in the presence of all His people." (vss. 12-14)
A fitting response from a powerless person united with perfect Power:
- Take up the cup of salvation
- Call upon the name of the LOD
- Pay vows in the presence of all His people

Romans 5:1-8
Faith --> peace with God
Faith --> into grace and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God
Also, glory in tribulations, knowing
tribulation -->
character -->
hope.
Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit who was given to us.
This passage shows that character is a consequence or outgrowth of tribulation; it's not an achievement. Also, character is not the summit or ultimate destination. The love of God poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit is.

The next word after the account of the faith dynamic is "For." Faith is what it is for (or because):
"When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." (vs. 6)
Consider how powerlessness unfolded for Abraham and Sarah; and how it unfolds for us. There seems to be some inverse proportion. The greater our powerlessness, the greater (or more real, or more accessible) God's power. The more we realize and acknowledge (confess) our powerlessness, the more we realize and experience His power. It's when we are without strength--period--that He dies for us. It's not when, or after, we have achieved a desirable character. This verse (vs. 6) is the foundation for, cause of, reason for verses 1 through 5. Consider how we come to realize how "without strength" we are. For Abraham it was a long and intense route into the full extent of his powerlessness.

Matthew 9:35-10:8
"Freely you have received, freely give." (ch. 10 vs. 8)
Give out of what you received, not out of what you achieve.
The disciples didn't decide to become good at healing, or raising the dead, or exorcising. The disciples were given power (ch. 10 vs. 1).
What is (are) the difference(s) between divine empowerment and the power we get other ways?
To the extent receiving actually happens, free giving actually happens.
Receiving makes empowered giving possible.