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Description

Based on the passage in Romans 11 where Paul talks about inheritance of the Jews and Gentiles. Lectionary Proper 15A.

Service resource for reflection, summery, responsive, or other

Includes 3 pages -
1st as seen (reflection)
2nd printer friendly version of first page
3rd notes for usage

Part of set - including reflection on Matthew 15, background image for Matthew, background image for Romans & title image


Introverted Inheritance - Romans
The grafted branch - Romans 11: 1-32

Look at the Jews, think of their blessing, wonder why we would be born gentile, separated by birth. Not to grow our lives as theirs, our parents to teach us differently. We were not born of the fruit trees, in that garden, but left to grow wild on the mountainside. The gardener
pruned his more trendily, showed his love to them, guided them, fought with them and rewarded them. They in turn traced back their heritage, back to the wild tree the gardener had first chosen, had uprooted and moved to his fertile ground. We did not see what they saw,
had no link we could trace back to that seed but still we now nestle amongst them. Our ancestral trees are left to wilt on that mountainside while we give fruit to the now boundary-less garden. We were cut away from our birthright, given places on the trees cultivated by the gardener himself. We now stand on the roots provided by the great Jews of all history. We have become their inheritance, stepped in at the last moment, producing fruit labelled with their name. This inheritance is logical, wholly undeserved, stolen from the branches that fell to give us their place. We open wide our willingness to host more of the intruders, to mottle the bark with a myriad of hews and textures.

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© Kate Abbott : Jun 11

Notes for Reflection
This reflection is a general resource for the lectionary Proper week 15 year A or any other time of the year when you are for some reason using the reading. It is based on the passage in Romans 11 where the Paul talks about the remnant of Israel and how their inheritance is now open to the gentiles through Jesus Christ. The reflection is original, though it is supposed to be believable and based on the clues left for us in the surrounding passages where possible. It can be used as a monologue reading, a service introduction, an idea summery from the passage or in any way you feel fit.

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