Preparing for the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany - MIcah 6:1-8

First, let me just say that we haven't forgotten about our promise to write about each of the lectionary readings.  This week we are simply trying different days and times to confirm what days and times are best for future posts.

Here is the text from Micah 6:1-8:

Listen to what the Lord says:

“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
    let the hills hear what you have to say.

² “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
    listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
    he is lodging a charge against Israel.

³ “My people, what have I done to you?
    How have I burdened you? Answer me.
⁴ I brought you up out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
    also Aaron and Miriam.
⁵ My people, remember
    what Balak king of Moab plotted
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

⁶ With what shall I come before the Lord
    and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly^[a] with your God.

 

One of the most powerful themes in the holy scriptures is that of reversal.  Simply put, time and time again God shows us that God's expectations are different from our own.  In this text we see God who is displeased with the people of Israel.  They have been unfaithful in their worship as they follow and devote themselves to other gods and idols of the day.  God's patience is astounding.  Slow to anger and even slower to destroy.  YHWH stands in stark contrast to the other gods of the day, for YHWH has extreme concern for those oppressed or without power and those disadvantaged by dishonest action.

 

We see here a great conversation where God invites those of Israel to state their case...it is very legal in orientation as God brings a case against Israel - a people that have broken a covenant.  After this invitation by God, God then pleads God's case.  You can almost hear the pain and hurt that God feels at the way God's people have failed to uphold the covenant.  God reminds Israel of all the many things that God has done to free them and redeem them; yet there is still an inference that God's people don't believe that it has been enough.  It is as if God is recognizing that the people's complaint is why does God punish us while other nations prosper under these other gods.  So God insistently asks, "how have I burdened you."  The next line of the text is unclear whether it is a representative of Israel that asks or the prophet himself, but clearly the people want to know what God expects.  God responds in a way that reverses the expectations of the day (what other gods expect) and reveal the true character of YHWH.  So there is no need, God says, for the things of the world in the ancient near east.  Rather, God intimates that instead of a sacrificial offering God is asking us to love mercy the way that God does.  Instead of the plunder from arms and the loot of war, God asks us for some humility.  Instead of lording our privilege over others, God asks us to act justly.

How are you (or we as a church) practicing (loving) mercy, acting justly, and walking humbly with your Lord?  Please feel free to comment below!

Preparing for the third Sunday after the Epiphany - Matthew 4:12-23

 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. ¹³ Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— ¹⁴ to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,
    Galilee of the Gentiles—
¹⁶ the people living in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
    a light has dawned.”^[a]

¹⁷ From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

 

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.
²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

I would again like to note that many modern theologians would break this particular texts into 3 parts: 

The first part would be directed at verses 12-17 in which the 'kingdom of heaven' is of primary importance.  It sets the ground work for a theme that will be found throughout Matthew's gospel.  It is interesting to note that the gospel writer does not hold the 'kingdom of heaven' as an ideal, but rather sees it as definitively revealed and embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus.  Fast forward a couple of thousand years and the theologian rooted in Matthew would suggest that as the church proclaims the act of God in Jesus, the church extends or continues Christ's own preaching into the modern era.  The theocentricity and kingship language found throughout the remainder of the gospel reaffirm and support this perspective.

The second part of the passage would include verses 18-22 and would focus on the calling of the first disciples.  It appears that Matthew may be addressing the question within his community that is: How do people become disciples of Christ?  It appears that for Matthew the root of discipleship may not be in belief at all, but rather in strictly, and with complete abandon, following Jesus.  This messes with the idealism and rationalism of the 21st century, because if we take the story as it is written, then Jesus appears disruptively in our lives and doesn't ask us to accept his principles, or admire him, or even accept him as our personal savior; instead, we are simply called to follow him.  And if the reaction of the disciples is any indicator as to what our reaction is supposed to be, then there is an immediacy of dropping everything and doing just that.  Not a comforting notion in the world of competing demands that we live in today.

The final verse, for most modern theologians, would be included in a set that runs 4:23-5:2 and sets the stage for the Sermon on the Mount.  Some see verse 23 as causal for verse 24 (his fame came from his travels) while others suggest that 23 simply shows what Jesus did with the disciples after he said 'follow me.'

Here is the tough question: can we learn anything about unity from these passages?  Is there any inference that can be made about keeping the main thing the main thing?  Please feel free to comment below.   

Preparing for the third Sunday after the Epiphany - 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,^[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. ¹¹ My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. ¹² What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas^[b]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) ¹⁷ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.


Let me first say that while verse 18 is included in the Revised Common Lectionary for this coming Sunday's readings, I feel that this verse is better situated in a block that includes verses 18-25 or 18-31.  As such, I have listed it here, but am really looking at verses 10-17 as they may apply to this weekend's sermon.

The first century church in Corinth is apparently under the stress of divergent opinions to the point that division threatens this early church.  Paul is responding to these stressors by exhorting the congregation to be united.

Now let's be clear; Paul recognized all sorts of differences within the body of Christ.  Some of the differences within the people who would call themselves followers of Jesus are even attributed by Paul across his writings to the Holy Spirit's working to enrich the life of the church.  Paul's problem is not that different people have different gifts or that the Holy Spirit is working in the lives of people differently for sanctification, mission or edification of the body.  Paul's main concern appears to be the fact that the church in Corinth has lost sight of the main thing.  I would think that our current episcopal leader, Bishop Scott Jones, would be proud of Paul telling the church to keep the main thing the main thing.  Essentially, Paul wants the church to remember that the basis of Christian unity is to be found in our embracing the shared death with Christ in which God began our new life in Christ.

Our unity does not rest on the power of persuasion and whether or not we hold the same view of specific issues.  Our unity is our solidarity with Christ and our inclusion into Christ and therefore into the kingdom of God.

I would invite you to think about the many issues that face the world and the church today.  What are some of the things that are causing divisions or disunity within our ranks?  If we were to fully live into the exhortation that Paul had for the church in Corinth (and has for our own local churches), what might that look like?  Maybe a different way of asking the question would be, how do we as local churches and individual Christ followers keep the main thing as the main thing?

Please feel free to comment below.

Preparing for the third Sunday after the Epiphany - Psalm 27:1, 4-9

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? 
The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, O Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.

 Luke A. Powery and Willie Jennings write:

"The gift of direction most often comes into view as the central benefit of God's light.  God directs us through and around those things of life that would harm us or even destroy us.  God will guide us as we face the traps of our enemies and the unanticipated times of trouble.  God's delivering hand is also God's guiding hand.  Salvation encompasses sanctification.  The action of God makes possible the response of humanity.  The psalmist's heart speaks the right response to God's gracious direction: seek God.  Ask for the help that God gives.  The seeking in itself marks sanctifications form.  To be sanctified is to be one whose life follows God and goes where God directs.  A sanctified life is a life bound to God in fundamental movement toward God.  Such movement gives meaning to the ideas of being set apart to God for service.  This is the essence of the concept of holiness--a life of movement toward God, a life that follows God's direction (The Abingdon Theological Companion to the Lectionary - Preaching Year A, page 53)."

While I love what Powery and Jennings have written, I also think that this Psalm is a calling for us to trust rather than to fear.  It is a mode of operation that all followers of God are called to---that is to wait on God, the one who is our Light and our Salvation.  To lean into God in such a way as to seek and find light, life, strength,, courage and direction from God...even in the midst of the anxiety, inhumanity, brutality and greed of our 21st century context. 

Preparing for the third Sunday after the Epiphany - Isaiah 9:1-4

9 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

2 The people walking in darkness
    have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
3 You have enlarged the nation
    and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
    as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
    when dividing the plunder.
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
    you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
    the bar across their shoulders,
    the rod of their oppressor.

This text may be familiar to some as it was just recently utilized in some churches for Christmas Eve.  We immediately begin to hear the stories of Christmas ring in our ears...but this text bears a second look.

First, let us not take a pejorative view of this text that creates a false dichotomy between Israel and gentiles (the remaining nations).  It should be read as good news for all of God's people, for we have all been in darkness...and God is concerned about all of God's children.  God is doing a new thing in which the bonds of oppression are broken and all of God's children are able and invited to walk in this dawning light.

Second, we must recognize that this light breaking through the darkness entails both liberation and guidance.  Oppressors are freed from their darkness of oppressing and the oppressed are freed from the yolk of their oppressors.  We are led by this light from darkness to joy...guided, if you will, by the sovereign hand of the light bearer. 

Isaiah's prophetic words lay the foundation of a week long look at the light of salvation.  More importantly, however, these conversations will bear witness to Paul's call to the church in Corinth to remain united.  So I will leave you with this question to ponder as we journey towards another Sunday: what do you think Isaiah would say the connection is between light and unity?

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the subject below in the comments section.

Preparing for the second Sunday afer the Epiphany - John 1:29-42

John 1:29-42

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." ³² Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." ³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" ³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" ³⁹ "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

Can you hear that ancient voice that tells us of the one who would pave the way for Christ's coming?  Do you see how God utilized John's voice to draw others to God's self?  Do you hear how one voice testifying to God lead other voices to speak their own recognitions of God?  It is interesting that in the cacophony of voices found in the world, Jesus' word is heard among them.  Perhaps the continuation of God's words mixed with ours is the most beautiful miracle of this passage.

We read these words and know that the cycle continues.  God speaks, humans respond.  Humans speak to the presence of God, others are drawn to God.  God speaks (in the person of Jesus) to those who would testify anew, and Jesus is revealed and seen.  Then, as if that wasn't enough, God speaks again saying, "come and see" and invites his newest disciples (those who once followed John) to come even closer as Jesus reveals more deeply to them that he is the messiah.

There is an interesting reliance by Jesus on the words of those he encounters.  While the word became flesh and dwelt among humanity, humanity has a role in perpetuating that Word.  Paul will later remind us that through the hearing of the word, we come to know the Word (logos/Jesus) because faith comes in that hearing (Romans 10:17).  It might be well for us to remember that the Word and words do things.  They can enact love, mercy and grace.  Let us not take for granted, nor underestimate the power of the Word...or even the power of our own words.  Let us remember that the Word heals, delivers and saves.  Let our words rise up in testimony to the Word made flesh that we may continuously be a part of the conversation and that our words may lead others to the Word that is life.

Preparing for the second Sunday after the Epiphany - 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  For in him you have been enriched in every way - in all your speaking and in all your knowledge - because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.  Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

I realize that not everyone is as enamored with Paul as I am, and I admit it took me a long time to get where I am at, but I absolutely love Paul's writings.  If you haven't spent much time looking at the letters that are attributed to Paul, you might have missed some important insights:
1) Paul counts us all as saints - those set apart for God - because God claimed us and we claimed God.
2) Every one of Paul's letters opens with an affirmation of God's grace and everyone ends with God's grace.  This is simply because, according to Paul, all of our lives in Christ, at every point, depends on God's freely bestowed gift.
3) Although the varying churches that Paul writes to are probably house churches, it is important to understand that Paul saw believers everywhere belonging to the same large family regardless of local affiliation.

Specific to this letter to the church in Corinth, Paul is suggesting that our individual stories are always to be viewed in the bigger story of what God is doing in and through Christ Jesus.  The beginning of our faith and the culmination of God's work are a deeply woven tapestry.  Our story i sa part of God's story and our story affects those around us.  Additionally, Paul suggests that a basic human response to the grace that has been freely given to us is thanksgiving towards God.

So my question for today is quite simple:  Have you thanked God today?  Take some time and do that now and if you feel moved to do so, share some of the things you are grateful to God for in the comments section below.