Proper 5 Yr A
Believe!

Eye Candy:
The prophet Hosea, from the Siena museum, Siena, Italy;
“Woman with the flow of blood”, by Wesley Frank;
“Healing of Jairus' daughter“, by James TIssot

Ear Worm:
“You'll never walk alone“, a beloved song sung by the Mother Superior in The Sound of Music;
“The Apostles' Creed“, sung by Emu;
“The Creed (I believe)”, Hillsong worship;
"The apostles' creed (in Latin)", Gregorian chant

Brain Food:
“Some words“, by C  Andrew Doyle from Hitchiking the Word website;
“Commentary“, from SarahLaughed.net;
"Proximate" from Sermons that work, The Episcopal Church

Parables:
“Anything is possible” (2013, TV-Y7), pre-teen runs away from home to find his mother who has gone missing, Review;
“Scenes from an empty church” (2021, not rated), during COVID lockdown, two priests reluctantly open church doors and more, Review;
“An interview with God” (2018, unrated), what questions would you ask God if you had an interview, Review [scroll down]

Hymn Notes: Here's "I'll bet you didn't know that" about "You'll neer walk alone" from The Sound of music. "After the success of Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein sought to create a new musical but feared that critics would unfavorably compare it with the first. The result was Carousel, which opened on Broadway on April 19, 1945, and was a big hit with audiences and critics alike. The show ran for 890 performances in its first run and was also very successful in revival productions. Of all of the shows Rodgers and Hammerstein did together, Carousel was their personal favorite.

"There were many successful songs in Carousel, but one in particular caught on like no other. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was recorded numerous times and became the anthem of the Liverpool Football Club. After a concert by the rock group Queen, the audience began to spontaneously sing the song, which helped inspire the band to create their songs “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” The song also became accepted as a universal hymn, and Irving Berlin once said that “You'll Never Walk Alone” had the same sort of effect on him as did the 23rd Psalm.

"The song became a number one hit in the United Kingdom when Gerry and the Pacemakers recorded it. Alfie Boe, Frank Sinatra, Olivia Newton-John, Pink Floyd, and many others have also recorded the song." 

 In the first reading, we begin a series from the Old Testament that will take us from the beginning of the story of Abraham through the history of the people of Israel culminating in their settling in the Land of Promise following their Exodus from Egypt. 

Today we hear the call of Abraham to go forth to that land. This is the central and founding story of God’s people and through the next six months we will hear it in some detail [in track 1].  

Matthew is also called to go out into a new life, one in which the woman Jesus encountered and the little girl he raised are both as much objects of God’s love as Abraham was. Matthew’s love when called, even though he was a notorious sinner, the woman whose infirmity made her an untouchable to religious purists, and the little girl who would have been regarded by most a expendable turn out to be object of God’s unswerving love.  

Our second reading continues the series from Romans. Paul continues to explore the relation between faith and law. Abraham, who lived long before the law was given, is held up as our model. Abraham was righteous because of his faith and God makes us righteous through faith rather than through the law.  It is easy for us, like people in the biblical accounts, to assume that our conformity to religious structures and rules set us apart from “sinners” who do not follow those rules. 

In the Eucharistic meal, Jesus joins us at table. He joins us regardless of our state of sin or righteousness. This meal is the ongoing sign of God’s love and acceptance of all people.