1The 2:1 (NRSV)
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in
vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at
Philip'pi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel
of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from
deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been approved by
God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to
please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as
God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for
greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others,
7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle
among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we
care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of
God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
Every Sunday our church, Grace Episcopal, has four readings from scriptures. I daresay this is as money or more as most churches, including ones that rhetorically devote themselves to the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible.
There is a prescribed lectionary for the Episcopalian church, and the same for the Roman Catholic church. These are slightly different, but share the same principles and structure. Some churches don't like the idea of so much structure. They don't mind bible readings, but prefer the spiritual leader (preacher, pastor, reverend, etc.) choose them as the spirit moves them.
Not only are the readings set, the priest also tires to center his sermon on them, particularly on the Gospel reading. To me, this helps encourage a wide variety of themes and commentary. Some feel better if the spiritual leader just speaks out on whatever moves them that week.
That "free will" can lead to certain overbearing repetition. I know of a church where the pastor decided to spend a whole year sermonizing on Revelations. The next year he spent it all on Isiah. And after that, he decided to go back to Revelations because he didn't believe everyone absorbed what he was saying the first time.
The lectionary reading above is one that I will be reading today in the church as Lector. It proclaims evangelizing as more than just proselytizing and simply sharing the Gospel. It is in LIVING the Gospel, in sharing yourself, in kindness and giving, that we truly evangelize. One must practice the word as well as preach it.
Love God, love your neighbor. Everything comes back to that.
It's the most important revelation of all.
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