Forward Movement is an official, non-profit agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to create compelling content for Christian living. Since 1935 we have published the quarterly devotional Forward Day by Day, as well as pamphlets, booklets, and books that encourage and nourish people in their lives of prayer and faith.
SATURDAY, May 28
Romans 15:1-13. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.
It sometimes comes as a shock to people when I tell them that Paul’s letters to his congregations predate the writing of the gospels. An equal shock occurs when people realize that the only scriptures Paul knew were the Hebrew scriptures, our Old Testament, which he probably read only in their Greek translation. Most likely Jesus didn’t know much Greek or biblical Hebrew, but read or heard the scriptures in their Aramaic translation. Their experience of having only segments of holy writ available seems utterly remote from our own, a matter of former days.
Yet for all the piecemeal quality of these scriptures, they continue to give us hope, joining our present speech to ancient words, grounding our common language in ancient testimonies: written testimonies to a God who makes all things new, the God who was, and is, and is to come, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Just as eyes, when dimmed with age or weakness, discern nothing distinctly unless aided by spectacles, so we are immediately confused unless scripture guides us in seeking God.
—John Calvin
PRAY for the Diocese of Northern Mexico (Mexico)
Ps 75, 76 * 23, 27; Wisdom 19:1-8, 18-22; Luke 9:1-17
View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com or Oremus Bible browser.
A Meditation for Pentecost
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