The Lent Podcast series
Week 4, Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent
Writing and read by Joost Röselaars, Mpho Tutu van Furth, Rachelle van Andel
Misha Goetz sings Shema Yisrael: Hear O Israel the Lord Your God is holy
the your God is One
The Collect
Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety un-
der your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may
be guarded by your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel
Matthew 5:17–19
Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I
have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth
pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all
is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these command-
ments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the king-
dom of heaven.”
Reflection:
You shall love God with all your heart, all your mind, your soul and your strength.
And you shall love your neighbour as yourself. “The rest”, so Rabbi Hillel said, “is
commentary.” By commentary the rabbi means explanation and example. In he
passage of Matthew’s Gospel read today we hear Jesus affirm the tradition in
which he was raised and from which he draws his authority. His life and ministry
do not overturn the teachings of the Torah instead they animate the commandments
bringing alive to those who watch and follow him the meaning of God’s law. Those
of us who profess a Christian faith are followers of this teacher. We have stepped
into a living tradition of relationship with God. Christianity does not write a newstory, instead it continues the family story that thee Bible has been telling. As dis-
ciples of Jesus we are tasked not only with knowing, understanding and assenting
to God’s commandments we are called to live the message of Christ. How do we
embody love in our daily lives? What do we mark as important and what or whom
do we consider unworthy of our attention? In which parts of our lives do we guard
our comforts at the expense of other people or our planet? In what ways are we
straying from the teaching of unconditional love that Christ lived and for which he
died?
Prayer:
May God bless you and keep you
May God’s face shine upon you
May God be gracious to you
And give you peace
Amen.
gepubliceerd op 14 maart 2023