The grace and care of God for humanity, and the call for us to care for one another shines through all of the readings this week. In the continuous Old Testament reading, David grieves for Saul, even though the dead king had been his enemy and persecutor. He also grieves for Jonathan whom he had loved dearly. David’s grace and care, and his instruction for the whole nation to join him in grief for their king, demonstrates the faithful love and grace of God, and provides an example of the kind of character that God seeks to nurture in us.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus heals two people – the daughter of a wealthy religious leader and a poor, excluded, “unclean” woman. Here, the indiscriminate love and grace of Jesus is reflected, as he meets both rich and poor, powerful and weak, at their point of need.
The Psalm reflects God’s faithfulness and grace and the hope and trust we can place in the God who seeks to rescue us and bring us life.
Finally, in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church he encourages them to care for other believers and share their abundance in order that all may have enough. All of these readings reveal God’s compassion and love for all people, and the challenge for us to love as we have been loved, while sharing our resources and preserving the dignity of others.
It’s a call to allow our faith in God’s nature and mission to lead us into gracious and generous relationships in which we care for and bring wholeness and life to one another. After last week’s call to live in and serve in God’s authority, this week’s Lectionary shows us that our service is to all, and it’s a service of generosity and love, not dominance or judgement.