Show Notes
In this fifth week of Eastertide, Case explores themes of redemption and divine judgment in the context of conflict and the pursuit of peace. He also invites us to pray for areas of ongoing warfare, including conflicts and humanitarian crises in Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Gaza, and the Maghreb.
Nuance’s Formed for Formation is a weekly liturgy to encourage all of us to be faithful to Christ in the public square. Join Case Thorp as he follows the Church calendar through the reading of Scripture, prayer, and short reflections on faith in all facets of public life.
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Episode Transcript
Today we continue our journey in Eastertide. My Easter this year at my church was glorious. Everyone in spring colors, the overabundance of flowers, the crowds, and the orchestra and the choir singing the hallelujah chorus. Victory in Jesus for sure.
Our first reading comes from the Book of Malachi chapter three, verses one through four.
1“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
Malachi 3’s themes of preparation, purification, redemption, and divine judgment can be applied to reflect on the spiritual, moral, and social implications of conflict and the pursuit of peace. The passage speaks of the coming of the Lord and the preparation that precedes it and the context of war.
There may be a connection to the idea of divine judgment or reckoning where conflict and upheaval serve as a, serve as a form of purification or refining process, or is certainly a time of trial or testing for individuals or nations. The imagery of refining and purifying gold and silver suggests a process of cleansing and redemption.
In the context of war, there may be parallels in the idea of conflict leading to transformation or renewal where suffering and hardship ultimately pave the way for spiritual or moral growth. This passage concludes with the promise that the offerings brought to the Lord will be pleasing, suggesting a restoration of relationship and favor with God. In the prelude to war, reconciliation and rebuilding of trust are so important if we hope to restore order and pursue justice.
The passage also includes a warning about the day of the Lord’s coming, describing it as a time of judgment that none can endure. In the context of war, this could be interpreted as a cautionary reminder about the destructive consequences of violence and conflict, urging individuals and nations to seek peace and reconciliation instead. In the Ukraine, Gaza, Niger and more, may peace reign.
A reading from the 84th Psalm for the director of music, according to Gittith of the sons of Korah, a Psalm.
1
How lovely is your dwelling place,
Lord Almighty!
2
My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
4
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
5
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools
7
They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8
Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
9
Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.
10
Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
12
Lord Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you.
Today for our prayer, we pray over the major wars with 10,000 or more combat related deaths in current or the previous year. I invite you to pray with me.
Lord God, we pray for conflict in Myanmar,
the Arab -Israeli conflict between Israeli and Palestinians, particularly in Gaza,
we pray for the insurgency in the Maghreb, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali,
we pray for the Russo-Ukrainian war,
we pray for Sedan.
Lord, make your peace and your order come on these places. May the leaders of these places find better ways. May they find common ends. May they have a compassion for their own people and the ones they are fighting. That they would lay down their swords and take up plowshares so that flourishing and goodness can occur.
Lord, we pray for justice in these countries, that people groups and individuals are held to account for their evil, as well as forgiveness and mercy are granted for those doing good.
Lean in, Lord, to these various places of conflict. And we ask that your presence and your work would be fully known.
Our last reading comes from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, beginning in verse 22.
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
