Summary

Week 5 SUMMARY

[Exodus 17]  Do we really want to live in ‘Grumbletown’? Exodus gives us an unlovely picture of people with genuine and reasonable grievances comparable to cost-of-living issues – how do we treat the leaders we ask  to sort out environmental circumstances  for which we need God’s help, as well as wisdom?  Psalm 78 suggests the resources of faith and Scripture should have something to offer – though only when devoutly recycled in daily use. What are we ‘hiding from our children’ which could inspire us to respond creatively and in partnership with the Earth and other people? Ezekiel 18 is a helpful reflection on the ‘sour grapes’  tendency of generations to blame each other: does your church reach out to young people in despair about the damage undeniably done by those who have been in charge of human societies in our lifetimes?  Psalm 25 and Philippians 2 deal with the place of humility in our change of course, whereas  Matthew 21:23-32 shows us the unlovely and even tragically familiar  spectacle of  religious leaders who know they’ve lost the argument, digging in in the hope of delay by means of procedure. Have no patience with such tactics: Jesus’ crafty response is exemplary. 

PDF OF NOTES ON ALL THIS WEEK’S READINGS