Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Fifteenth after Pentecost (A)—Exodus 14:19–31; Matthew 18:21–35

How to buy the book: https://lectionarypoems.blogspot.com/2020/06/remember-that-you-can-get-these-poems.html

Exodus 14:19–31 

Marc Chagall: Crossing the Red Sea (1955) 

National Museum Marc Chagall, Nice

Dead on the Seashore

 

This text, awash in vividness,

Reveals the LORD's omnipotence,

But maybe not in how it seems;

It's not just that the waters cleared,

But that the LORD here persevered

To see the still enslaved, redeemed.

 

The program of this one we laud 

Is less that we, the act applaud,

And more we're grounded in the why:

God always stands with those oppressed,

While those who cause others' distress

God with a mighty arm, defies.

 

Scott L. Barton

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

 

+  +  +

 

Matthew 18:21–35

For Your Own Good

 

Beware the preacher who pontificates,

The one who has to tell the people what to do;

Beware bad news, when we are in bad straights:

"Forgiveness is the thing to which we all must hew

Or else!" For though the text appears to say

That God is like a king who'll throw you into jail—

Who, if you don't forgive, will make you pay—

If Jesus said it, he means evil will prevail

Within our hearts, 'cause that's the way things are!

It's how God made it; enmity will eat away,

Forever burning, evermore to scar,

Until its hold by you is loosed; and that's the day

When you discover that what God holds dear

Is you! Forgiveness is what puts you in the clear.

 

Scott L. Barton

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”