Are You Being Sifted?
- davidwperk
- Jun 25, 2021
- 5 min read
Devotional Reflection, Friday, June 25, 2021
Proper 7, the week of the fourth Sunday after Pentecost
The Rev. David W. Perkins, Th.D.
Key phrase for reflection from today’s reading:
31‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail
Today we celebrate the Feast of James Weldon Johnson. (See below.)
Daily Office Lectionary
AM, Psalm 102; PM, Psalm 107:1-32
1 Samuel 9:1-14; Acts 7:17-29; Luke 22:31-38
Morning Prayer, Rite 2, page 75, Book of Common Prayer
Evening Prayer, Rite 2, page 115, Book of Common Prayer
Compline (Night Prayer), Page 127, Book of Common Prayer
Daily Office Gospel, Luke 22:31-38
31‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ 33And he said to him, ‘Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death!’ 34Jesus said, ‘I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you have denied three times that you know me.’ 35He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ They said, ‘No, not a thing.’ 36He said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one. 37For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, “And he was counted among the lawless”; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.’ 38They said, ‘Lord, look, here are two swords.’ He replied, ‘It is enough.’
David's Reflections
British writer David Bolt wrote: "Anyone who has tried to formulate a private prayer in silence, and in his own heart, will know what I mean by diabolical interference. The forces of evil are in opposition to the will of God. And the nearer a (person’s) man's will approaches God's the more apparent and stronger and more formidable this opposition is seen to be. It is only when we are going in more or less the same direction as the devil that we are unconscious of any opposition at all." *
That phrase, "diabolical interference," stuck with me, as did the final sentence. "It is only when we are going in more or less the same direction as the devil that we are unconscious of any opposition at all." Jesus warned Peter on the night of his betrayal by Judas Iscariot that Satan was seeking the Twelve to sift them and to undermine their commitment. The pronoun "you" in verse 31 is plural, which the translators have made clear with the phrase "all of you."
But, in verse 32, the pronoun is singular, "I have prayed for you." Jesus was expecting Peter both to fail the sifting test and to recover from that failure. He said to Peter, "Once you have turned back," which refers to Peter’s impending denials. But, he also charges him with the words, "strengthen your brothers."
This text has sobering messages for us. Jesus prays for us, knowing that we will lose many of our bouts with evil. Jesus prays for us knowing the malevolent intent of the Tempter. The Evil One desires to undermine our faith and commitment. Jesus prays for us knowing our weakness and our limits. He prays for us that our losses to evil will be temporary setbacks.
Our intellects can become a temptation to us as well. We can get distracted with the notion that Satan is a mythic character and nothing to fear. Imagine with me that such is the case, that Satan is a cypher for the power of evil at work in the world—lust, power, and greed in particular. Those powers can have us in their grip while we play the mental game about the existence of Satan. Someone once observed that the greatest victory of the demons may have been to convince us of their nonexistence.
Jesus also prays for us knowing how interdependent we are. Others count on us and look to us for encouragement. Friends, coworkers, relatives, even acquaintances take courage from our lives; they find emotional strength in us. If our momentary lapses matured into a profound departure from the Lord, those who take courage in us would be at risk. "When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." That was Jesus' word to Peter.
David Bolt's words keep echoing in my memory: "It is only when we are going in more or less the same direction as the devil that we are unconscious of any opposition at all." When life seems racked with spiritual conflict, resistance, crisis, emotional difficulties, relational stresses, we well may be experiencing diabolical interference. That would be especially true if we have recently made a new commitment or experienced a deepening of our Christian experience.
Take courage. Jesus prays for us. He understands the unrelenting nature of evil, having withstood it in his own life and even cringed under its pressure in the Garden of Gethsemane. He understands frailty and vulnerability. If we fail, the Savior will be waiting on the other side of that failure to embrace, strengthen, and work within us. That was true for Peter. It holds true for each of us.
* David Bolt, Of Heaven and Hope. Foreword, J. B. Phillips (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1965), p. 115.
Collect of the Day, The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost. Proper 7
O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, 230)
Today we celebrate the Feast of Today we celebrate the Feast of James Weldon Johnson, poet. (died 26 June 1938).
Collect of the Feast of James Weldon Johnson
Eternal God, who gave your servant James Weldon Johnson a heart and voice to praise your Name in verse: As he gave us powerful words to glorify you, may we also speak with joy and boldness to banish hatred from your creation; in the Name of Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Collect for Fridays
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 97)
A Prayer for Light
Almighty God, we give you thanks for surrounding us, as daylight fades, with the brightness of the vesper light; and we implore you of your great mercy that, as you enfold us with the radiance of this light, so you would shine into our hearts the brightness of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 110)
A Collect for Mission
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP, 280)
Comments