Faith Formation Office

The best day of my life

Joseph Wolyniak — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 00:00:17 +0000

St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Petit-Trou de Nippes, Haiti “This was the best day of my life” “Me too” “Me too…” By the time we got around the circle of the Colorado Youth Leadership Institute year two participants, all 11 echoed Macy’s beginning statement: “This was the best day of my life!” These 12 leaders from all around the Episcopal Church in Colorado had just finished their first full day at St. Paul’s school working with their 8th grade students. There were the natural barriers that uncertainty and cautiousness bring, but soon the students were sharing games and songs in Créole and English, playing foutbol (soccer), laughing at recess, swimming in the Caribbean and discovering that the students at St. Paul’s share the same hopes and dreams they do. Everyday was a different experience of Haitian culture, their challenges, and joys. Our time together was full of discovery, laughter, learning, prayer, and the best expressions of God’s love for us. It was an amazing experience! On that first day our new Haitian friends taught us a song Lespri ou va gidem (Your Spirit Will Guide Me) Lespri ou va gidem (Your Spirit Will Guide Me) Your Spirit Will Guide Me It will walk with me It will give me power in love Love, oh, oh, oh Holy Spirit make me feel much love We found ourselves singing it everywhere we traveled together, even in the airport on the way home. Click the audio file to hear us singing with our Haitian brothers and sisters. The Holy Spirit was our companion and guide on our adventure together! Next summer this same group of leaders, led again by the Holy Spirit will go on a pilgrimage together. If you are interested in being a part of our new 2015 Year I Team go to http://cathedralridge.org or email The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org for more information. The Colorado Youth Leadership Institute - Year I Who: Rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders When: August 3-8, 2015 Where: The Center at Cathedral Ridge What does it mean to be a servant leader, work as a team, and bring your full heart and faith into every aspect of your life? Through team and individual challenges, students learn judgment and decision-making skills based in God and faith and how to apply them with compassion as servant leaders in the world. Team-building, spiritual practice, and exploration are central to this program. COYLI is a three-year commitment. Special thanks to the Reverend Père Abiade Lozama, Priest in Charge of St. Paul’s and our Colorado Haiti Project hosts helped make this the mission the experience of a lifetime! -- The Rev. Ken Malcolm

Sunshine Smile and No Judgements

Joseph Wolyniak — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 00:00:46 +0000

The time that I spent in Haiti this past summer, however short, changed my life; and I say that with the utmost conviction. However, it didn’t change my life exactly the way I thought it was going to. Going into this trip I really didn’t have a clear idea about what we were going to accomplish in Haiti. And when Fr. Ken told the team that we were there simply to build relationships my thoughts were like that of many in the group. “Well, aren’t we going to build some ‘thing’ for them? Like a house or a new church?” But when we arrived at St. Paul’s School any initial doubts that had been on my mind about the real purpose of our trip were immediately swept away. Fr. Abiad greeted our group with the warmest of welcomes, and I realized we were all at home. Over the next couple of days we spent time with the older students of St. Paul’s School, and we played with the younger children at recess. As we interacted, I discovered that we didn’t need to build them a new bookshelf or desks in order to spread hope. It was our mere desire to kindle a relationship with the people in Petit-Trou de Nippes that sparked hope; hope not only found in them, but in us as well. Those few days of games and conversation filled my heart with pure joy. A little boy with a sunshine smile gleefully standing by my side one day, with no means of communication, just to simply be with me. No judgments or preconceptions crossing his mind about who I might be. Conversation, I might add, only possible due to the patience and willingness of some of St. Paul’s 10th students who taught us the basics of Creole. And as the week came to a close I not only felt sad to leave, but also excited to go back home and change the popular concept of what a mission trip is all about. Yes, it is very important to have teams building and repairing; but it is also just as important having teams there with their full attention and love set forth to build a relationship that will spark hope and joy from both ends. The people of Haiti changed my life. And I hope with all of my heart that I had at least the smallest of impacts on them. -Lily Z.

Haiti: Perception vs. Reality

Joseph Wolyniak — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 00:00:08 +0000

As I prepared for my trip to Haiti, I got lots of warnings. Everybody expected that we would be throwing up and miserable the first few days because of the planes and the food. A lot of my friends and family were worried that it was too dangerous, that Haiti was a violent country. I was constantly reminded to take my malaria medication on time and to not drink the water. Ever. Many Americans view Haitians and other people living in third-world countries as charity cases. They see these countries as places to be pitied and not visited. Others told me that the trip would be eye-opening, interesting, and educational. While it was all of those things, the words were always said in a tone of voice that made it was clear that the speaker was trying to put a positive spin on their expectations. None of my friends and family in the States, or myself for that matter, expected my trip to be surreal, incredible, awe-inspiring, and beautiful, but it was. Really, I think those words are too weak to even begin to describe the journey I went on this past week. The best way I can think of to describe the experience is to say that I fell in love with Haiti. I fell in love with the food, the people, the community, the beauty, and the purity of the country. As I write this, being thrown from side to side in the wayback of a white Mitsubishi Montero, driving away from Petit Trou, my heart is breaking because I have to leave this wonderful place. I, and eleven other teenagers and an adult Priest, Ken, began by taking a red-eye flight to Atlanta and spent five hours sleeping in the freezing airport before flying to Port-au-Prince. We drove, the next morning, to St. Paul's, an Episcopal school outside of Petit Trou de Nippes, and spent three full days there. In those three days we had enough wonderful experiences to fill a novel. We were given coconut water straight from the coconut and got to swim with Haitians in the clear water of the Caribbean. We searched for the North Star among thousands of others, oohed and ahhed at shooting stars, and marveled at the disk of the Milky Way at midnight from the middle of a highway. Even so, the most memorable part of my trip was sitting in a classroom with eleven other American teenagers and ever increasing numbers of Haitian teenagers, learning Kreyol and teaching English. Our first night at St. Paul's, we ate dinner with Père Abiade, the priest of the church there, and afterwards he had invited four Haitian teenagers to discuss the possibility of Kreyol and English lessons. The Americans were all for it and the Haitians ranged from open to the idea to downright cynical. By the end of the meeting, however, everyone was smiling with excitement at the prospect of learning a new language, and we scheduled a lesson for the next evening, starting with the human body. The lessons soon became the best part of my day, ahead of even the smiling second and eighth graders we worked with in the mornings. There was something magical about two groups of teenagers from very different cultures coming together to share our languages. The next evening, the Haitians led us to an empty classroom equipped with a basic wooden teacher’s desk, a wall-mounted chalkboard, some chalk, and an assortment of rickety wooden benches, which we arranged in a U shape around the room. Generally, the Americans sat together towards the back of the room (the base of the U) and the Haitians sat near the front (the uprights). By a chance of timing I ended up on a bench with only Haitians. One of the girls who sat next to me introduced herself as Kristina and we both spoke some French. That first night, there were less than ten Haitians at lessons. We taught each other the parts of the head (tèt) and face by pointing at a model and writing the words on the board, first in Kreyol and then in English. The second night there were more people there, including some of the eighth graders we had worked with earlier in the day. Before class started, Kristina and I went over the words from the previous night, helping each other with our pronunciation. During class, we continued with other parts of the body and by the end of the night everyone knew the song "head, shoulders, knees and toes" ("Tèt, zèpōls, jenou, zōtèy") in both languages. During our third and last lesson we branched out from the body into more difficult words. They weren't more difficult because they were longer, but because it was often more difficult to communicate the meaning across the language barrier. We covered numbers (en, de, twa), colors (rouj, ble, e jòn for red, blue, and yellow), family members (Manman e Papa), days of the week, sports, and more. That third lesson evolved into one or two Americans working together to make a vocabulary list and others jumping in with ideas to communicate meaning, not moving on until everyone understood. The challenge and the playfulness of that lesson made it the most fun as we acted out what we were trying to say. By the end of the second lesson we were all friends, by the third we were family. That evening was our last at St. Paul's and there was a party that night as a send-off. The party was a lot of fun, but for me, the most memorable part of that night was earlier, after the Kreyol lesson but before dinner. One of the other Americans, Claire, and I asked Kristina for pictures with her. She walked us over to the little playground by the school and posed us on the teeter-totter, slide, and other parts of the playground. After we took the photos, we walked back, and Claire went ahead while Kristina and I walked together behind her. "You are leaving tomorrow?" she asked in French. "Yes" I replied. I didn't know what else to say. Kristina nodded. "Be careful," she said, "Be vigilant. Take care of yourself." I thanked her quietly and we walked back to the gym together. Before I left, trying to describe my trip was difficult because I didn't know how to describe what we would be doing. We weren't building houses or a school. We weren't there to teach English, not really. It wasn't until afterwards that I realized that we were there to build relationships with the students at St. Paul's and with the rest of the community. We were there to learn about Haiti and her people and her culture, and to share some of our own. What I learned was that Haiti, especially rural Haiti, outside of Port-au-Prince, is very different from the way most Americans perceive it. Yes, they don't always have enough to eat, but the community takes care of each other, always sharing what they have with others who have less. They do need help, I think, in building wells and learning skills and trades like how best to grow crops, but Haitians are more than just charity cases. They can learn from us, but we can learn from them too, about community and how easy it is to bring people together. I fell in love with Haiti because I feel like I have friends there, friends closer than some of my American ones, who I've known for years. Try not to think of Haiti as a country that needs our help. Think of it as a place to invest in, a place with people with hopes and dreams like yours, a safe place, a place where the people could be your friends if you wanted them to be. -- Erin Moriarty

A goat named Joe

Joseph Wolyniak — Sat, 12 Sep 2015 00:00:31 +0000

The first thing I noticed when I stepped off the plane was the heat. It was like walking into a thick wall of heat and humidity. Which are two things I am not too fond of. Then in just a fews steps you could hear music. It was loud, lively and definitely made it clear we were not in America anymore. Customs was way more relaxed than any other place I’ve been. We got through quickly with only a few hiccups. Apparently red pen does work. From the time we landed to getting into the 3 cars that would take us to the hotel it was all a blur of new sounds, new sights, and a new layer of sweet. Our first day in Haiti wasn't really Haiti, it was a nice hotel with AC, a pool, a restaurant, all the things you would find in a nice hotel. No, no that is not Haiti. The next day we piled back into the cars and drove the 5-6 hrs to St Paul’s. I was in Mario’s car and there we (Macy, Tat, and I) realized how amazing Mario is. Mario was one of our translators but most of all he was more like a friend. Once we got to St Paul’s Father Abiade welcomed us with a church service just for us. There we got to see what church is like for them, which as you might guess has some similarities to ours but was completely different too. They sang songs that when we thought they would end they started back up again. The peace was a lot longer than the 1-2 mins we are used to. I was surprised how many of them came to us to welcome us. Finally it was time for our first dinner at St Paul’s. It was all new food that I had no idea what was what, but I put my pickiness aside and took a little from each plate, and to my surprise I really like the food. They kept us well fed, especially when it came to Joe. One morning we noticed a goat tied to a building and we knew it was going to be dinner soon but of course we had to name it, I mean why wouldn't you? So the goat that would be our dinner became known as Joe. That night when we saw a platter with meat on it we knew, it was Joe. In unison we all proclaimed, “Joe!” as sat down. And yes we did eat Joe, he was one of the better dinners in my life. We didn't come to Haiti for the food, but to build relationships with the people of Haiti. We started with some of the youth leaders of the community. At first we were all a little reserved and held back. We had decided that we would teach each other our languages (we would teach them English and they would teach us Creole). We started that night, and that's when we got into it. That was when the wall of discomfort broke between us, in our Creole/English lessons, that is when we really started to build relationships. We learned how to say, “My name is..” “how are you...” “what is your name?” and the body parts. It became something we all looked forward to. In the mornings we were in various classrooms at the school. We were with the 8th graders and the 2nd graders during their classes. At recess all the kids would swarm to the us and ask us questions, grab our hands, arms, touch our hair, and take us around the school. Once the heat got to us we decided that we would go to the ocean. This was about a mile walk to these jagged rocks that lead to the bright blue Carribbean. We had to jump off a small rock to get into the cooling salt water. After the first day that we when we couldn't resist going back everyday and everyday more and more of the local kids would join us. It is still hard to process that this trip actually happened. That yes we did go to Haiti. It was all very overwhelming but it was all so surreal. I guess that would be the way to describe the trip, overwhelming and surreal. -- Elizabeth Dixon

Wrestling with Angels 01: Greg Garrett

Joseph Wolyniak — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 00:00:13 +0000

Our very first Wrestling with Angels podcast features Greg Garrett. Greg is a professor of English at Baylor University, Theologian in Residence at Gladstone Library in Wales, Writer in Residence at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin Texas and our 2015 Diocesan Convention Keynote Speaker. Greg is the author of many works of fiction and nonfiction including My Church is Not Dying, The Other Jesus, Crossing Myself, and most recently Entertaining Judgment: The Afterlife in Popular Imagination. Listen to the Wrestling with Angels Podcast. Visit Greg Garrett's Amazon author page.

Connecting with the people of Haiti

Joseph Wolyniak — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 00:00:30 +0000

First of all I would just like to say how amazing my trip to Haiti was. Definitely one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The reason that Haiti was so great was not the beautiful scenery or the the crystal clear ocean (that definitely helped though) but rather all of the people there. A large majority of Haiti is filled with poverty and hard life conditions and yet the inhabitants are content with their situation and joyous in their everyday lives. In addition to the overflowing spirit and contentedness of the Haitians, no where else have I ever felt so welcomed and loved by complete strangers. Even though we had just met they welcomed us as if we were their actual family. One experience that demonstrates this perfectly is the story of DJ Peter. One afternoon, our group had wandered down to the ocean where there was a small cliff we all decided to jump off of. After jumping from the ledge into the water I came to the surface and was met by an adult Haitian stranger. He seemed very excited about something as he paddled towards me. “Your name is Peter?”, he asked me. “Um yeah”, I replied, a little startled that he somehow knew my name. “My name is Peter!”, he exclaimed. “You and me, two of a kind”, Haitian Peter said as he gestured between the two of us. With the little english he knew, Haitian Peter began to explain to me how he was a DJ and makes “Peter remixes”. Then, with the help of very off key singing he listed every American musician he knew including Eminem, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber (who he said was his favorite and that I looked exactly like him). Throughout our whole conversation in the middle of the ocean, DJ Peter emanated a feeling of pure joy in life and extreme excitement over the smallest of things. As our posse left the ocean the group of Haitians also departed from the area. We walked through the forest-like area on our way back to town and it so happened that DJ Peter ended up walking besides me. Even though there was a sizable language gap, he managed to get the message out that the two of us were now “best friends”. DJ Peter’s open friendliness and happy demeanor stuck with me along with how quickly he befriended me. This along with countless other experiences during the week showcased that the true treasure in Haiti, lies in all of its people. - Peter

Saintly Reflection: Teresa de Ávila (1515–1582)

Joseph Wolyniak — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 00:00:55 +0000

Christ Has No Body Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Born in Spain, Teresa entered a Carmelite convent when she was eighteen, and later earned a reputation as a mystic, reformer, and writer who experienced divine visions. She founded a convent, and wrote the book The Way of Perfection for her nuns. Other important books by her include her Autobiography and The Interior Castle. Click here for the source of this post.

Saintly Reflection: Martin of Tours (d. 397)

Joseph Wolyniak — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:00:12 +0000

Allow me, brothers, to look toward heaven rather than at the earth, so that my spirit may set on the right course when the time comes for me to go on my journey to the Lord.

A conscientious objector who wanted to be a monk; a monk who was maneuvered into being a bishop; a bishop who fought paganism as well as pleaded for mercy to heretics—such was Martin of Tours, one of the most popular of saints and one of the first not to be a martyr. Born of pagan parents in what is now Hungary and raised in Italy, this son of a veteran was forced at the age of 15 to serve in the army. He became a Christian catechumen and was baptized at 18. It was said that he lived more like a monk than a soldier. At 23, he refused a war bonus and told his commander: "I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ. Give the bounty to those who are going to fight. But I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight." After great difficulties, he was discharged and went to be a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers (saint day: January 13). He was ordained an exorcist and worked with great zeal against the Arians. He became a monk, living first at Milan and later on a small island. When Hilary was restored to his see after exile, Martin returned to France and established what may have been the first French monastery near Poitiers. He lived there for 10 years, forming his disciples and preaching throughout the countryside. The people of Tours demanded that he become their bishop. He was drawn to that city by a ruse—the need of a sick person—and was brought to the church, where he reluctantly allowed himself to be consecrated bishop. Some of the consecrating bishops thought his rumpled appearance and unkempt hair indicated that he was not dignified enough for the office. Along with St. Ambrose, Martin rejected Bishop Ithacius’s principle of putting heretics to death—as well as the intrusion of the emperor into such matters. He prevailed upon the emperor to spare the life of the heretic Priscillian. For his efforts, Martin was accused of the same heresy, and Priscillian was executed after all. Martin then pleaded for a cessation of the persecution of Priscillian’s followers in Spain. He still felt he could cooperate with Ithacius in other areas, but afterwards his conscience troubled him about this decision. As death approached, his followers begged him not to leave them. He prayed, "Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work. Your will be done." Click here for the source of this post.

Video: The Unity and Beauty of the Eucharist

Joseph Wolyniak — Sat, 26 Sep 2015 00:00:42 +0000

"There was a woman who became an Episcopalian in the 1940s. She was dating a young guy who was a Baptist, a licensed... licensed to preach in the Baptist tradition and she took him to her church. Both of them were African American. The church where they went was all White. This was in the 1940s in the segregated heart of America. When she went to Communion, he sat in the pew because in those days, if you were Baptist, you didn't take Communion in an Episcopal church and vice versa. So he sat in the pews, she went up to take Communion, was the only Black person in the congregation, and he waited to see what would happen. Because not only were they taking the bread, but he noticed they were all drinking from the same cup. He had never seen Black folk and White folk drink out of the same cup, or from the same water fountain. So she went up to take Communion and the priest came and in those days just the priest gave out the bread. The priest was giving out the bread, body of Christ. Bread of heaven, body of Christ. Bread of heaven, body of Christ. [...]" Listen to the Right Reverend Bishop Michael Curry speak about the unity and beauty of the Eucharist.

Video: We Are ALL Missionaries

Joseph Wolyniak — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 00:00:43 +0000

"We are all missionaries or we are nothing. - Archbishop Desmond Tutu We are all about mission Supporting, connecting, listening Bringing a global perspective to local action We're creating movements, addressing poverty, seeking environmental justice"

Video: I am a Missionary - The Reverend Stephanie Spellers

Joseph Wolyniak — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 00:00:15 +0000

"You know, once upon a time, when we talked about mission or missionaries, we were talking about someone who went far, far away to some distant land and shared the gospel, built new communities. Today, the places that are unknown for us, the places that we are sent to share good news may not just be way over across an ocean. It may be across the river. It may be across the street. It may be the very neighborhood that you're in right now. It gets interesting: we've had to use the word missional to describe what is essentially being a missionary. It's all about being serious about God's mission. And being sent for God's mission. [...]" Watch the video of the Reverend Stephanie Spellers as she explains how every Episcopalian is a missionary.

Video: Our Lady of Guadalupe in Seattle, WA

Joseph Wolyniak — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:00:54 +0000

"In Seattle, we have a total population of 600,000 people. Of this total, six percent of the population, which is 40,000 people are of latin origin. The Pacific Northwest is considered one of the unchurched places in the States, so we have a challenge too. I'm trying to bring in people of anglo origin and people of latin origin and be together. The theology of our ministry is about unity. Our mission is to bring in different demographics: a new generation of latinos which is second generation, third generation, and they have the culture of their parents and grand-parents but are totally immersed in the anglo culture; bilingual couples and people attracted to the latin culture and language. We have a totally bilingual liturgy. [...]" Watch the Reverend Alfredo Feregrino speak about the diversity in the Episcopal Church.

Video: Un pan, un cuerpo – Intercession Episcopal Church

Joseph Wolyniak — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 12:00:52 +0000

"Un pan, un cuerpo" Lay leader Arturo Melgoza sums it up well: "It doesn't matter if we speak English or Spanish... the important thing here is love." At this parish, with both English- and Spanish-speaking congregations, what unites the community is a sense of call to common mission. An example of "un pan, un cuerpo" / "one bread, one body" (1 Corinthians 10:17) at work, this church bears witness to the unity that can be found in all of our diversity. An Episcopal parish fittingly lead by a Lutheran pastor and lay leaders from various backgrounds, what brings and keeps this body together is the love of God and neighbor they share. To learn more about Intercession, see http://www.iethornton.net. From the video: "'By loving our neighbor we love God because God made us in his image. We have to see God in everything, in the diversity of cultures. We shouldn't create borders that divide but instead we should be bridges that connect. It doesn't matter if we speak English or Spanish... the important thing here is love.' 'I spent a lot my life in cross-cultural settings, and for me that is part of both what is really exciting and attractive about being able to be alongside this congregation. It's like a cross-cultural experiment all the time. I'm a Lutheran Pastor serving in an Episcopal congregation. For me, it's huge, it feeds my soul, and it is such a gift because, really, there is more that unites us than what divides us.' [...]" View the full video:

"Un pan, un cuerpo" Video Credits

Featuring: The Reverend Kim Gonia and Arturo Melgoza Filmed and directed by: Otherworldly Productions Produced by: The Rev. Canon Ken Malcolm (Canon for Faith Formation, Servant Leadership & Evangelism) and Joseph Wolyniak (Missioner for Discipleship and Theological Education), The Episcopal Church in Colorado – Office of Faith Formation Translation by: Elizabeth P. Malcolm With special thanks to: The people of Intercession Episcopal Church (Thornton, CO) and all who support its ministries.

Cathedral Camp

Joseph Wolyniak — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Age: 8-14 Cathedral Camp is a whole week’s worth of sleepovers! Make new friends and reunite with old ones. Play all day. Have a carnival, slide down the water slide, pray, hike, do crafts, sing, laugh, and watch the stars at night. Don’t miss out!

Lectionary Reflection for Second Sunday after Pentecost

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for May 29, 2016

Proper 4

First Reading: 1 Kings 18:20-21, (22-29), 30-39 Alternate: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. (Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets number four hundred fifty. Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them.As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.) Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down;Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”;with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed.Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time,so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding.Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.”

Worth Noting: “Limping along with two opinions.” Elijah names a common condition – being unwilling to take a firm stand for one of two paths. But sometimes might we be mistaken that options are mutually exclusive? For the first centuries, many Christians maintained ties to the Synagogue and traditional Jewish practices. Are we too quick today to see irreconcilable differences in options?

Psalm 96 Alternate: Psalm 96:1-9 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. Worth Noting: The psalm presents some call the Gospel of the Old Testament: the nations are called to acknowledge that the Lord, the God of Israel, reigns in justice over all the earth, restoring order where there was chaos and evoking joy among all creatures. Do you see the work of restoring creation by eradicating poverty, environmental pollution, and war, for instance, as the work of the Lord? What is your role in that? Second Reading: Galatians 1:1-12 Paul an apostle-- sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--and all the members of God's family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Worth Noting: Left unsaid is how Paul received a revelation of Jesus Christ after the death of Jesus. Have you experienced divine revelations? How and when have they come? Gospel: Luke 7:1-10 After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death.When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him,for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. Worth Noting: Jesus alone expresses amazement at the trust the Centurion expresses for Jesus’ healing powers. Did the others simply assume that anyone with half a brain would trust in Jesus’ ability to heal from afar? Have you known people of other faith traditions who surprised you by their trust – or courage, or some other virtue? Do you have difficulty explaining the source of their behavior? CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Galatians Let’s stipulate that Paul wrote the Letter to the Galatians in the mid-50’s (say a quarter century after Jesus’ death), between the time he wrote his first letter to Corinth and writing his letter to Rome. Based on the arguments Paul pursues in the letter, it is widely agreed that Paul wrote to a community of Christ followers that he had originally formed. Further, we surmise that Paul had learned that other Christian teachers had come to persuade them that they needed to be circumcised in order to become full sons of Abraham (“sons” since circumcision is no issue for women). Paul argues vehemently – if not always cogently – that accepting circumcision would be a repudiation of salvation through Jesus Christ. The editors of the Revised Common Lectionary, facing a difficult task of fitting in readings throughout the three-year cycle, omitted a section (Galatians 1:24 to 2:14) we believe crucial to understanding Paul’s motivation. In it, Paul describes two episodes key to the early Church. The first is the agreement between Paul and “the pillars” of the Church in Jerusalem – Peter, James and John –that they will be apostles to the Jews and Paul apostle to everyone else. The section concludes with a description of a subsequent dispute between Peter and Paul in Antioch over Peter’s refusal to eat with non-Jews. The lectionary picks up (on June 12) with Paul’s comments about Peter’s behavior (whether to Peter personally or only on paper is not clear). Why talk about what is not in the Lectionary? Because the omission of this section omits the context for Paul’s anger with the Galatians, so evident in the abrupt, barely civil salutation (compare, for example, Galatians 1:1-12 with 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 or Romans 1:1-13). What the editors have left out is, first of all apostolic confirmation of the validity and exclusivity of Paul’s mission: he is to be the apostle to the Gentiles of his particular Gospel. Further, we miss a key passage in which Paul accepts the legitimacy of the mission to the Jews; Paul acknowledges a diversity of ways to follow Christ. (These first two points are captured in Galatians 2:7-9.) And finally one misses Paul’s account (the only one we have) of his confrontation in Antioch with Peter, a battle that Paul apparently lost (Galatians 2:11-13). Now Paul might rightly fear a repetition of the problems in Antioch in Galatia. Will his work among the Gentiles be undermined once again, this time by these teachers of a different Gospel? This Paul was desperate to avoid, and in a frantic state of mind he penned the Letter to the Galatians. Entering into the Scriptures Luke’s Gospel tale of the healing of the centurion’s slave reminds us of the entirely natural interactions between Jews and Gentiles at the time of Jesus. This story tells us that the elders of the people spoke on behalf of a Roman soldier, an officer in the occupying force. For his part, the centurion probably had much respect for the religion of the Jews, just as many of his countrymen did. Hence his financing construction of the local synagogue. The Jewish elders of the town were perfectly willing not only to accept his money for the project but also to speak on his behalf to Jesus of Nazareth, the miracle worker. Similar close connections between Jews and Gentiles provided the paths and networks for the movement of Christianity from a Jewish sect centered in the Eastern Mediterranean to a worldwide community composed of peoples of all nations. In fact, it is very possible that the Roman army helped spread the Gospel, as legions stationed in Palestine redeployed to Italy or Spain or Gaul. The museum of Chester, England provides evidence of this kind of movement, displaying the personal effects of a Roman soldier native of Syria, the very heart of ancient Christianity, but 2400 miles from northwest England. Could he not have brought the Gospel with him to the Angles and the Saxons of Britain? Who Gets the Miracle? Suppose Luke’s tale had a different ending. What if Jesus had decided to forego the opportunity to display his telekinetic powers and instead allowed the slave to die? After all, the slave died later anyway, so what’s the use? Furthermore, the slave’s life was restored to being a slave. Perhaps he preferred death to continued life in servitude. Fortunately for us, in all the Gospel stories Jesus never refuses the request of anyone for a healing of a disease of mind or body. A millennium earlier, Elijah pulled off a spectacular demonstration of the Lord’s power to grill a water-soaked steak. Do these miracles conflict with our experience of deaths from diseases despite the fervent prayers of many? Are we just worse pray-ers? Prompting Conversations Why was the Lord, the God of Israel, so insistent on bringing the other nations into his worship (showing up the Baal and sending Paul off to the Gentiles, for instance)? Why do Christians go on missions today? How do “false teachers” work today? How can we distinguish them from prophets of a new understanding of God? How do you understand the power of prayer? Is God waiting for us to ask for help before rendering assistance? Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 3, 2016

Proper 9

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-14 Alternate: Isaiah 66:10-14 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife.She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house.Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!¹re not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage.¹³But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. Worth Noting: This is a great story. Don’t we empathize with Naaman? Do you see heroic deeds (martyrs or missionaries to war-torn lands or medical missionaries like Albert Schweitzer or Mother Theresa) as being the only truly holy deeds and work-a-day efforts as piddling in comparison? Psalm 30 Alternate: Psalm 66:1-8 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. ²O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. ³O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. ⁴Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. ⁵For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. ⁶As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” ⁷By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. ⁸To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: ⁹“What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? ¹⁰Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” ¹¹You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, ¹²so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Worth Noting: Second Reading: Galatians 6:[1-6], 7-16 [My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. ²Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.³For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves.⁴All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride.⁵For all must carry their own loads.⁶Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.] ⁷Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.⁸If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.⁹So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.¹⁰So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. ¹¹See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!¹²It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised-- only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.¹³Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh.¹⁴May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.¹⁵For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!¹⁶As for those who will follow this rule-- peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Worth Noting: While who exactly Paul means by “the Israel of God” (a term not used in Judaism and appearing only here in the New Testament) is not clear, what is clear is the implication for the listeners to the letter that they are part of the Israel of God, worshipping the Lord, the God of Israel. Do Christians generally see themselves as branches on the sturdy olive tree that is Israel? (See Romans 11:17-24.) Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.²He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.³Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.⁴Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’⁶And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.⁷Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.⁸Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you;⁹cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰“But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say,¹¹‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” ¹⁷The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” ¹⁸He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.¹⁹See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Worth Noting: The seventy (not the twelve apostles, but “others”) are to precede Jesus in his journey. Their vocation is to bring peace, to heal, and to proclaim that the reign of God is near. Is this still the missionary’s vocation? Is that how missionaries are portrayed? CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures Paul claims that he can only boast in the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14). Fair enough. Jesus’ crucifixion was a climactic moment in the universe, and no human (including Paul) earned the right to boast of personal accomplishment. What does it mean, however, that “by which [or “by whom”; Paul may be referring either to the cross or to Jesus or both] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14)? Elsewhere in Galatians Paul writes that “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:19) and in Romans Paul writes “We know that our old self was crucified with him [Christ] so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6). For Christians, the cross primarily conveys the instrument of salvation or redemption. The cross also serves as a symbol of death before entering a new life. Thus Paul adds in Galatians that after the crucifixion with Christ, Paul no longer lives but Christ lives in him (Galatians 2:20) while the Romans citation claims that with the crucifixion Paul no longer lives in sin. From a different perspective, in Romans 6 Paul uses the same death and new life language when speaking of baptism (Romans 6:3-11). But in Galatians 6:14 Paul is not talking about being crucified with Christ but with the world. Most interestingly, Paul says that the world has been crucified to him. Because of the linkage between baptism and crucifixion noted above, Paul apparently believes this mutual crucifixion was accomplished at baptism. Then does Paul mean that at baptism the world dies and takes on new life, just as the new Christian does? Many would limit Paul’s reflection in Galatians 6:14 to a simple comment that Paul is referring to his death to sin and former ways of life. But he is clear here and elsewhere that the Christian participates in the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How could he not mean that the Christian also shares in the action of redemption and salvation of the world as well? Living out baptism, then, is to live out the redemption of the world. Remember to Say “Please” and “Thank You” Someone once said that most prayers come in two varieties: “Please! Please! Please!” and “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Praying the Psalms is Israel’s communal way of making that same point: Psalms typically open with a statement of a problem or distressful situation, followed first by acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness in saving action in the past, and then concluding with thanksgiving, in the assurance that past favors presage God’s action in the present. Ending thus means that gratitude is the most memorable section of prayer; it is the attitude one is likely to take away from praying the Psalms. As far as we know, humans are the only creatures who give thanks to God for life and all the favors associated with life. Gratitude seems to be a distinctly human activity, the vocation of every human being. That notion seems confirmed by psychologists’ reports that a daily practice of writing down three things for which we are grateful may be as powerful a cure of emotional maladies as anti-depressants. We are called to be thankful, grateful creatures. Prompting Conversations Namaan is cured by a simple down-home remedy. Do you find yourself wondering if holy things shouldn’t be more special? Maybe more difficult? Have you attempted the exercise of writing down three things for which to be grateful each day? Did you perceive a change in attitude? What might it mean if each baptism is an example of the world being crucified again to a Christian? Elisha healed the Syrian Namaan; Jesus sent the 70 to various towns and villages; Paul traveled around the Mediterranean preaching Christ. Christianity has always been a religion reaching out. For centuries, Europe and North America sent missionaries throughout the Southern Hemisphere. As the number of Christians in the Southern Hemisphere continues to grow larger than the number in Europe and North America, will the flow of missionaries be reversed? To what extent do you see Christianity embodied in local cultures? Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Lent 2017 Archive

Tracy — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 17:48:44 +0000

How will you mark the season?

In the season of Lent, running roughly 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, we are invited to a "holy observance...by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word." (Book of Common Prayer, 265) On March 1 we begin the season anew. Here you can find resources to help you, your family, and your congregation step back from daily routine and more fully participate in this time of preparation and reflection. Do you have resources you would like to share with the wider diocese? Please let us know.

Retreat, Prayer, & Scripture Study

Living Lent can be difficult unless you break the habits and routines of everyday life. Withdraw from week-in, week-out busyness to spend time with God in prayer, Scripture study, and small-group conversation. If you don't currently have a structured prayer life, consider committing yourself to praying the Daily Office during Lent. The four-fold form of Anglican prayer--including Morning Prayer (which takes about ~20 min), Noonday Prayer (~5 min), Evening Prayer (~20 min), and Compline (~7 min)--draws on Scripture to invite us into a rhythm of daily quietude. For the office in its full form (including daily scripture readings, appointed collects, and some additional add-ons), see the Office of Faith Formation's Daily Prayer page.

Faith Formation Blog

For this year's Lenten Blog, posts will be written by Office of the Bishop staff. Look for new posts on Ash Wednesday, then Tuesdays and Thursdays during the six weeks of Lent.

Lectio for Lent--An Audio-Guided Lectio Divina (NEW)

At the start of Advent, St. Gregory's, Littleton, began living a "Year of Wholeness." Since then the congregation has been discovering ways to engage in wholeness in Christ--spiritually, mentally, and physically. The spiritual component includes some modern, some traditional disciplines. One Sunday during Epiphany, Fr. Todd led a Lectio Divina in lieu of a sermon, and from this grew the inspiration for Lectio for Lent. St. Gregory's invites you to use Lectio for Lent as part of your Lenten discipline. Listen to it in the car, while doing dishes, or during a quiet moment in your day. You may sign up for a daily email reminder or simply access the series from the church website. Learn more >>

Online Book Club--Lenten Selection (NEW)

On Wednesday, March 22, the Online Book Club will begin its Lenten selection Walk with Jesus: Stations of the Cross by Henry Nouwen. Walk with Jesus is a book of meditations inspired by a series of drawings by Sr. Helen David. The drawings represent traditional Stations of the Cross through the passion and suffering of the world's poor. It is through these images that Nouwen uncovers the ongoing passion of Christ. The book club typically meets every other week via the easy-to-use online video conferencing software Zoom. Participants also are able to join by phone. Sign up Now to receive log-in details for our next meeting.

Lenten Series

Are you looking for an adult formation or soup supper series to use during the season of Lent? Check out 5 Marks of Love: A Six Week Series for Lent, a new Lenten study from The Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) and the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE). This six-week series provides the opportunity to observe and to reflect on the ways in which the Divine Life expresses itself in and through us: individually and in our faith communities, as well as in the world around us. Each week explores the Anglican Marks of Mission (Tell, Teach, Tend, Transform, and Treasure) through videos, questions, and exercises so we can speak more clearly and act truthfully, motivated always by hearts marked by God’s love. Read more >>

Meditations for the Season

Ashes and the Phoenix: Meditations for the Season of Lent can be read alone or added to your daily prayer routine. Writers include Cynthia Cannon, Mary Cox, Jason Leo, Teresa Pasquale Mateus, C.K. Robertson, Porter Taylor, and Glenice Robinson-Como. "Threaded throughout with the stunningly visual and visceral poems of Len Freeman and guided by the collects for Lent and Holy Week, Ashes and the Phoenix seeks to lead us through the emotions, symbols, sights, sounds, and scents of Lent. Check out a Sample Reading. Copies can be ordered from Forward Movement.

Children's Ministry: Burying the Alleluia

During the season of Lent, Episcopalians give up speaking or singing the word "alleluia." Going without this joyful word helps us celebrate it all the more come Easter. To help children say goodbye to the alleluia, you can create a tangible alleluia, place it inside a bag or some sort of container with a lid and either set it aside or bury it outside. Say a prayer of farewell and wait for Easter to resurrect it. More information and prayer idea >>

Youth: Daily Devotion

How can we support our young people in finding a meaningful Lenten discipline? Is it even fair to expect one more thing of them in their busy daily lives? How about a daily devotion? Something to help them pause and recenter themselves each day with meditation and prayer. Have a look at d365, a website produced by Passport, Inc. with daily devotions--"reflections on themes that impact our faith journey"--written especially for students. Each devotion invites the reader to pause, listen, think, pray, and go. An optional musical selection can be played during the devotion. Devotions take approximately 5-10 minutes a day. The Episcopal Church is one of three denominational sponsors of d365.

Youth: Book Resource

Church Publishing has adapted its book Christ Walk for a tween teen audience. Christ Walk Kids is a 40-day journey for youth "to explore mind, body, and spiritual health while setting physical goals by committing to walk different routes based on routes in the Bible." Each chapter explores a topic all kids think about, but don't always know how to discuss. Topics are accompanied by physical challenges (walking, running, or biking "biblical" routes); mental challenges (deep discussion and thoughtfulness of youth health risks); and spiritual challenges (biblical references and spiritually grounded self-development). Read more about the book >>

Family: Observing Lent in the Home

Parents are the ultimate guides in the Christian formation of their children. Praying and learning together in the home makes faith foundational in a child's life. Lent in a Bag is a multisensorial way to help the whole family practice Lent. Symbols relating to the life of Christ are placed in a bag. Then, each week (or more frequently) a family member chooses one of the symbols, reads a related reflection, and invites discussion about its meaning in Christ's life and in our own.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 30, 2017 Eighth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 12

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 29:15-29 Alternate: 1 Kings 3:5-12

Worth Noting: What are we to make of Biblical family values? Jacob had nine children with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and was father to four sons with Bilhah and Zilpah. Each of Jacob’s offspring played a role in salvation history. How does your community support unusual family constellations?

Psalm 105:1-11, 45b Alternate Psalm 119:129-136 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. 2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. 3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. 5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, 6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. 8 He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” 45bPraise the LORD! Worth Noting: Muslims, Christians, and Jews may all pray this Psalm. How should the three faiths negotiate God’s eternal covenant with the descendants of Abraham to give to them “the land of Canaan”? Second Reading: Romans 8:26-39 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Worth Noting: Throughout Romans 8, Paul writes poetically of creation’s mystical union with Christ and the Spirit in love. As the body of Christ, how does your community embody and enact this love? Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all this?” They [the disciples] answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Worth Noting: Jesus expresses appreciation for the scribes who remember and update our story. Who is the scribe, the memory-catcher, in your local, religious community? How does your community pass on its history and way of doing things to newcomers – with intentional group sessions? Mentoring? CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures Jesus and Matthew use parables to prod thinking, to rouse the imagination, to break old ways of thinking. While the parables in this week’s Gospel are often called “parables of the kingdom of heaven,” two of them may be said to do that while the others describe how one must react to the presences of the kingdom. The parables of the mustard seed and of the leaven in dough (verses 31-33) suggest that the kingdom of God works invisibly, silently, to transform the world. The Church is not necessarily coextensive with the kingdom of heaven but is itself silently and invisibly transformed. Who is included in the kingdom of heaven? As the mustard tree-shrub provides shelter and resting place to birds from everywhere, can we say that the kingdom of heaven welcomes peoples from all directions? The fifth parable, of the net bringing in many fish (verses 47 -50) affirms that the kingdom does exactly that, drawing in all indiscriminately. Jesus does not set out the criteria for judgment between the evil and the righteous in this parable but does later in Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the judgment of the nations. There the criteria are clear: the corporal works of mercy (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc.). Many of all beliefs and none meet these standards. We also note that people consume the mustard plant and the leaven. Just so, humans are to use and in turn be enriched by the kingdom. Jesus emphasizes the value of the kingdom in the parables of the treasure in the field and pearl of great value (verses 44-46). Matthew could not have provided a more direct lesson than with these stories. His community would have been familiar with similar stories of suddenly found riches, stories used for general education and for legal analysis. Jesus simply assumes typical human behavior. In both of these parables, he emphasizes that both finders sell all they had in order to capture the prize. Jesus asks just such commitment from his followers, here and elsewhere in the Gospel (see Matthew 6:19-21; 19:21). Leaving It All on the Field Parables are meant to be mulled over, preferably in dialogue with others. We are urged to find new meanings in them as we change and grow. The observations above reflect a broad consensus on the way Matthew’s first hearers would have understood the parables. We don’t usually think about these particular parables as telling us about God and Jesus, but perhaps they do that too. Christians assert that Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, relinquished his divinity in order to dwell as a human within creation. Could not the treasure hunter and the merchant who sell everything be figures of Jesus? Is this not what Paul spoke of in Philippians 2, when he reminds us that Jesus emptied himself for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus urges his followers to sell all and follow him, he walks the talk. Prompting Conversations Why does it seem so important to remember our family stories? Do we make an equal effort to remember and pass down the stories of our communities? We can “risk it all” financially, socially, and often, most frighteningly, in our relationships. Getting married represents such a move. When have you ever been willing to risk it all to achieve a major goal? What were your emotions as you did? If in these parables, it is Jesus who goes all in, how might we understand the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price? Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims publications to academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Relationship - Advent

Ken Malcolm — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 00:23:51 +0000

I can hardly believe the sacred season of Advent is upon us. Advent, is a season of preparation, expectation, repentance, and, believe it or not, fasting. We are remembering and preparing for the birth of Jesus, as we prepare ourselves for the time of his coming again. Every year, I have to admit, I expect the readings for the season of Advent to be about the coming of Jesus and I am surprised that they are about the end of the world! Advent begins in the Gospel of Luke with Jesus, who is already well aware of the likelihood of his own demise, preaching prophetically about the destruction of the world. And indeed, just a few decades later in about the year 70ce, the Romans put down the last Jewish uprising—destroying the Temple, the world as the Jews knew it came to an end. It is easy to get lost in the images of death and destruction that Jesus predicts we will bring on ourselves. It plays to our fears, or at least our suspicion that the world is falling apart. But to rest in our fears is to miss the point of these stories the promise that they bring: a promise of relationship and love with our creator, even unto the end. I have a poster on the wall of my office that depicts a scene painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. God the Creator and Adam the Creation reaching out to each other. Relationship. Relationship. Love. Companionship on the journey of our lives. That is why we prepare, expect, repent, and even fast during the season of Advent. To refocus our heart and minds on the knowledge and love of this God who is the source of love and relationship. Eugene Peterson’s dynamic rendering of the bible, the Message, puts an even sharper point on a verse from the reading from Luke for Advent I (Luke 21:25-36): “Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping.” That about says it all! A season of preparation and expectation should permeate all that we do and focus us on what’s really important: our relationship with God and the Messiah who is to come. It is all about relationship! May Christ be our new beginning, the hope and salvation of the world; and may the blessing of God be with you all this Advent season! The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org

Beware of the Grinch!

Ken Malcolm — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 00:01:50 +0000

One of my favorite books as a child was Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I still read it with my boys and of course we own the 1966 cartoon. It is on the short list of must see TV! Remember, the Grinch cannot stand all the singing and merriment going on down the mountain in Whoville, so he dresses up as Santa, lashes his dog Max to the front of a sled and heads down the mountain determined to steal all the decorations and presents so they Whos in Whoville will stop all that blasted singing! In the 1966 cartoon, a chorus sings us through the adventure: You're a monster, Mr. Grinch Your heart's an empty hole Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul Mr. Gri-inch I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole! Of course at the end of the day, the Grinch realizes that the season has nothing to do with all the presents and decorations, it is the birth of Love. His heart is softened and grows thanks to the love of a little girl named Cindy Lou Who. Sometimes I feel like consumerism and conspicuous consumption play the role of Grinch today, trying to distract us as they steal Advent. Being neck deep in wrapping paper and holiday craziness is not what waiting expectantly on the birth of Jesus should look like. I’m as guilty as any in getting caught up in all the falderal. Amidst the craziness, take time for quiet reflections on the blessings Jesus has bestowed upon us. Turn to Luke 1 and slowly read and savor the Magnificat, The Song of Mary. Allow its beauty to bring your world back into focus and remind you what Advent is all about. The first verse is a beautiful as anything written: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliest of his servant. May Almighty God, by whose providence our Savior Christ came among us in great humility, sanctify us with the light of his blessing, and set us free from all sin. When we are distracted and lose sight of the most important things, may our focus be restored and our hearts warmed. Amen. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org

Perfection of God

Ken Malcolm — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 00:01:26 +0000

Meister Eckhart was a 13^th century medieval theologian, philosopher and mystic. He wrote at the height of the scholasticism movement and applied its rigorous logic to a mystical view of God. Eckhart believed we have the capacity in our souls for taking in the nearness and presence of God. As you might imagine the Vatican and the Pope did not share his belief that we might fully know God (the clergy after all were the gatekeepers of such things). Very few Christian theologians or mystics throughout history have argued that perfect union with God was possible in this life. Teresa of Avila may have come the closest in her book The Interior Castle, where she wrote the goal is to get beyond the “7^th mansion of our souls” where the difference between oneself and God disappears. Thomas Aquinas a 13^th century contemporary of Eckhart encouraged the believer to “advance and go forth” on the journey toward God, but “even though thou knowest thou wilt not achieve it, rejoice in thy progress” (Summa Contra Gentiles). But Eckhart was different. Eckhart wrote and preached the possibility of reaching that wholeness and completion that is self-evident in God, but here is the catch: he believed that it was only through community, only through relationship that we might achieve that perfection we desperately seek. Think about that – only through relationship – all of us together – this crazy mixed up jumble of humanity seeking God’s perfection! It sounds impossible, but here is the amazing part of the mystery of Advent: All things are possible again. It is a cosmogony, the birth of creation! Our liturgical calendar, our church year, holds out the possibility of participating in the creation of the world. Righting the wrongs of the past, making everything and everyone new. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, we are there. At the Red Sea with Moses, we are there. By the waters of Babylon we are there. In the manger with Mary and Joseph, we are there. You see, we no longer live in a maddening endless repetition of the same old thing over and over. Yahweh, acting in time, in our biblical stories, broke that cycle and Jesus being born made it possible that we might be redeemed in time for all eternity. Seek the wholeness and perfection of God. Seek what the saints of all time have sought. Seek it with each other and in each other. What is there to lose? We are promised Jesus’ relationship, presence, and perfection even unto the end of times. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org

Prophets

Ken Malcolm — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 00:01:04 +0000

There is nothing really warm and fuzzy about Prophets is there? Prophets tend to come along when established powers have run their course, when the present reality is so divorced from God’s intention for Creation that it demands a new voice. And usually those new voices proclaim the unthinkable to those in power. Prophets don’t play well with others. When the king asked the prophet Jeremiah, “Any word from the Lord?” You know he isn’t going to like what he hears. Daniel ends up in a lion’s den, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are found praising Yahweh in King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace – and they were the lucky ones. We all know things don’t end so well for John the Baptist. Prophets proclaim justice, not my justice, or your justice, or even the Church’s justice, they proclaim God’s justice. But one thing all prophets seem to have in common is they speak truth to power. They speak the truth in love as Ephesians 4:15 says and they speak it on behalf of their communities. Prophets say hard things and they say them because they are true. Prophets of course are not limited to religion. It was the prophetic voice of John Adams that stunned the 2^nd Continental Congress in 1775 by calling for independency from England. He was labeled a lunatic by the press and the Tories, unstable by the great Ben Franklin, and yet he spoke truth to power and changed the course of history. Prophets rarely make the fun people to invite over for dinner list, but the world needs prophets, always has and probably always will. Well, the gospel reading for the 3^rd Sunday in Advent leaves us no doubt what kind of person we are dealing with: "You Brood of Vipers! Who Warned You?" It is not the kind of language we hear very much today except from maybe a TV evangelist or two, more concerned with profit than prophecy. My guess is the crowd gathered at the river that day received John the Baptist’s rebuke with the same enthusiasm that we would. John’s rebuke catches the crowd off guard, and tries to shake them from their complacency. He offers a prophetic warning about the justice of God It does not matter if you are a Son or Daughter of Abraham (he tells them), your salvation is not assured because God can just as easily turn these stones into Abraham’s descendants. I think there is a tendency to hear these words and think John is not talking to us, only the first century Jews gathered at the river. And it is the very same complacency they exhibit that leads us to rationalize ourselves out of the story. So, once John the Baptist has their attention – whether focused on him out of anger, fear, or disbelief – he has their attention. They ask him, “So, how are we to avoid the destruction you speak of, how are we to bear fruit?” And from apocalyptic images of destruction he offers practical advice to the crowd, to tax collectors, and to soldiers. To the crowd: Share what you have. To the Tax Collector: Collect only what you are owed. To the Soldier: Don’t extort money from the people by threat. In other words, “Do unto other as you would have them do unto you.” We all can use a little warning every now and again, we all need to be reminded what gospel living looks like, and we all need to remember the transformative power of the peace that passes all understanding. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org

Spirit and Fire

Ken Malcolm — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 00:01:28 +0000

Throughout the Advent season our Sunday lectionary readings are full of images of darkness, smoke, and fire. They always take my mind to a dark place and I have to remind myself that these apocalyptic images are not about the end of the world rather they are about the renewal of all things. Luke even tells us that Jesus will baptize with Spirit and Fire. Finally, he points to the coming Messiah who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire (Luke 3:16). Spirit and Fire Lightening in the darkness Fire signals Moses Flames surrounded by smoke Furnaces of fire that don’t consume Fiery light in the clouds Israel is the people who “looked into the flame of God.” (Deut 4:11) All are signals to those gathered that in the coming Messiah, God will be present. Spirit and Fire - It is a continuation of what the 20^th c theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar called a “dialectic of fire,” which begins in the Garden of Eden with the flaming sword of the cherub and finds its resolution in the cross and the eschaton. Anointed by fire in baptism, this Messiah the people seek, signals the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God. That is very good news! The message of Spirit and Fire, the read between the lines message, is one of alertness, watchfulness, and readiness. Fire is dangerous, and fire gives life. We are called to wait and prepare for the coming of the Savior. Not by sitting on the edge of our seats, rather through the example of our discipleship. By living our own baptismal covenant, “Seeking Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.” Be vigilant, be watchful, be single-minded in anticipation of our Savior. Hans Urs von Balthasar. The Glory of the Lord: A Theological Aesthetics. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1991, p. 47. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org

Holiday Madness?

Ken Malcolm — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 00:01:40 +0000

Last week I made the mistake of not buying food for Thanksgiving dinner until the day before. So, Tuesday night I made a list for the grocery stores, grouped the items based on their places in the store and made a plan of attack for the next day. So, I got up early Wednesday and my wife Beth and I headed to a couple of grocery stores to buy food for the feast. "I hope we are not too late. We should have come earlier," I said as we walked from the car to the first store. We braced ourselves for the onslaught. And it was crowded, but not that crowded. Really, no worse than any Sunday evening. The thing was, it felt like people were in a veritable panic, including me! The tension, or anxiety, or whatever was palpable. We purchased what we needed and headed to the second store which was less crowded than the first. After the second person ran into me with their cart as they raced around the store, it dawned on me: we were doing this to ourselves. We expected the stores to be crazy and crowded, and even though they were not, we behaved as if they were. Our collective anxiety and panic was not in reaction to the circumstances we encountered, it was in reaction to the circumstances we imagined. We were doing it to ourselves. What is the antidote to this kind of thing? I'm not sure but Psalm 46:11 is a good place to start: Be still and know that I am God Be still and know that I am Be still and know Be still Be May this season of Advent bring the blessing of stillness to us all. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org

Video: All we need - St. Andrews Episcopal Church

Joseph Wolyniak — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 12:00:37 +0000

"We have all that we need." That is the mindset that pervades this parish: a theology of abundance out of which much is shared. Those in Manitou Springs, both longtime residents and those just passing through, know this parish to be a place where they are welcome. At a central crossroads in the community, it is a place where people belong. Gifts are given and received, friendships are made, and meals are shared. All we need is given. And all we need is received. To learn more about St. Andrew's, see http://www.saintandrewsmanitousprings.com. From the video: "Jesus said to love God with everything you have and to love your neighbor as I have loved you. It has become clear to me that a community filled with love and acceptance can transform people who have lost, because of circumstances in their lives, the belief that they are loved. I have seen people enter this community and they are transformed into people who feel loved and who can love. [...]" View the full video:

"All We Need" Video Credits

Featuring: The Reverend Susie Merrin and Betty Palmer Filmed and directed by: Otherworldly Productions Produced by: The Rev. Canon Ken Malcolm (Canon for Faith Formation, Servant Leadership & Evangelism) and Joseph Wolyniak (Missioner for Discipleship and Theological Education), The Episcopal Church in Colorado – Office of Faith Formation With special thanks to: The people of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Manitou Springs, CO) and all who support this parish and its ministries. St. Andrew's wishes to offer additional thanks to: - All those who gather on Sundays to share a meal at St. Andrew’s; - All congregation members and other community members who help prepare the meals; - Lisa Bausch (Senior Warden) and St. Andrew's vestry members who continually support the ministry; - The Rev. Sally Monroe and The Rev. Deacon Frances Mutolo who helped rekindle the vision; - The late Tom Palmer and the late Rev. Scott Frantz, whose original vision and dedication we honor with this ministry; - And the individuals, churches, and Sangre de Cristo Region who have given so generously to support the ministries of this parish. We could not do it without you.

Video: Show Me – Trinity Episcopal Church

Joseph Wolyniak — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 12:00:42 +0000

"Show me that you care." That is the challenge presented to the people of this parish, Trinity Episcopal Church (Greeley, CO). And it is a challenge they meet head on. Having helped to establish and continuing to partner with the Island Grove community in northeast Greeley, the parishioners exemplify love "not in word or speech, but in truth and action" (1 John 3.18). To learn more about Trinity, see trinitygreeley.org. From the video: "I have a story that I read the other day about a woman writer and she was telling a story about a young woman who she had known as a girl when she was home on a visit. The author was wearing a cross and the girl asked her: 'Is that who you are now? Well, show me, show me that you care about the crisis of the refugees; show me that you care about the hungry; show me that you will accept and love people that are different from you. And, if you can do that, then I might believe in the Jesus you talk about.'[...]" View the full video:

"Show Me" Video Credits

Featuring: Donna Wood, Christopher Woodruff, and Richard Maxfield Filmed and directed by: Otherworldly Productions Produced by: The Rev. Canon Ken Malcolm (Canon for Faith Formation, Servant Leadership & Evangelism) and Joseph Wolyniak (Missioner for Discipleship & Theological Education), The Episcopal Church in Colorado – Office of Faith Formation With special thanks to: The Reverend Jack Stapleton and the people of Trinity Episcopal Church (Greeley, CO), along with all who support this parish and its ministries.

Video: The Christ Light – St. Barnabas of the Valley

Joseph Wolyniak — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 12:00:10 +0000

"Art is the Christ light in each person made visible," begins The Rev. Leigh Waggoner in this video highlighting the power of art and beauty to transform lives. To learn more about St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (Cortez, CO), see http://www.stbarnabascortez.org/. From the video: "Art is the Christ light in each person made visible. It's the interior spark of the divine that finds expression in the world. It's the sacred made physical. [...]" I think the space that's created amongst the people of St. Barnabas is so beautiful. We don't just imagine, we recognize and we serve Christ in all persons. We do that in many ways here. We do it through our worship, we do it through Grace's Kitchen - the soup kitchen, we do it with beauty and music, and art. The idea for the art program: I visited one of the fellows who eats at Grace's Kitchen, went to his house, his apartment, and saw this incredible art he had done. He made the most amazing miniatures of the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde. He carved tiny little stones... It took him years. When he was telling me about it, he told me this is what saved him. [...]" View the full video:

"The Christ Light" Video Credits

Featuring: The Rev. Leigh Waggoner and Justin Dodson Filmed and directed by: Otherworldly Productions Produced by: The Rev. Canon Ken Malcolm (Canon for Faith Formation, Servant Leadership & Evangelism) and Joseph Wolyniak (Missioner for Discipleship and Theological Education), The Episcopal Church in Colorado--Office of Faith Formation With special thanks to: The people of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church (Cortez, CO), the twenty-six volunteers who make Grace's Kitchen possible, and the generous financial donors from around the diocese whose giving supports St. Barnabas and its ministries.

Video: Family - St. Peter's of the Valley Episcopal Church

Joseph Wolyniak — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 12:00:40 +0000

A sense of family: that is what you will encounter in this video highlighting St. Peter's of the Valley Episcopal Church (Basalt, CO). To learn more about St. Peter's, see http://www.stpetersbasalt.com/. From the video: "'What makes St. Peter's St Peter's is the sense of family you feel here.' 'I feel like St Peter's is a family in a lot of ways. We have all these different generations that have come together and chosen to be here. We have people who have been here for years and years, decades... We have people who came last week and are going to come back. You have that collaboration of old and new again and to see everyone each Sunday is pretty special.' 'We are a truly intergenerational community. Having people participate in worship and in mission, and in faith formation, brings the different perspectives of the different generations into a common dialogue.' 'I think the diversity of age is pretty cool. The last church I was at with my dad, it was pretty much all really, really elderly people or really, really young people but here I think it's kind of a mix of each of these groups, so I think that's pretty cool.' [...]" View the full video:

"Family" Video Credits

Featuring: The Reverend Will Fisher, Ella, Rex, and Charlotte Filmed and directed by: Otherworldly Productions Produced by: The Rev Canon Ken Malcolm (Canon for Faith Formation, Servant Leadership & Evangelism) and Joseph Wolyniak (Missioner for Discipleship and Theological Education), The Episcopal Church in Colorado – Office of Faith Formation With special thanks to: The people of St. Peter’s of the Valley Episcopal Church (Basalt, CO), Phoebe Gruel for coordinating this effort, and all who support this parish and its ministries.

Video: Just Pray – Church of England

Joseph Wolyniak — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 12:00:39 +0000

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen." Prayer is for everyone. #justpray

Endings, Beginnings, and Advent Hope

Joseph Wolyniak — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 17:59:47 +0000

By Dr. Gregory Allen Robbins Last summer I began preparing for a continuing education course I would teach for three weeks in September for the University of Denver’s Enrichment Program for life-long learners. The course would be focused on the life and work of Albert Schweitzer. September 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of his death. Born in 1875, Schweitzer was an accomplished theologian, musician, and missionary. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. Even at the age of 26 Schweitzer had established himself as a New Testament scholar of unusual promise. His 1906 watershed work, Quest of the Historical Jesus, has had a lasting impact on historical Jesus studies. His 1908 biography of J.S. Bach was also considered definitive. Five years later, after adding medical degree to his impressive résumé, Schweitzer commenced on a life devoted to missionary service in Africa, during which time he not only continued his biblical and musical studies but also fostered the renaissance of tracker organ building. There he also articulated a worldview he characterized as “reverence of life,” one that, drew out the ethical and ecological implications of what he saw to be at the core of Jesus’ life and teaching. Consider the overall shape of the argument in Schweitzer’s Quest of the Historical Jesus. Like some of his contemporaries, Schweitzer sought to distinguish the historical Jesus from the Christ of dogma. In doing that he found it necessary to assert what many in his own day had overlooked: Jesus was a Jew. More importantly, Schweitzer maintained, Jesus was an apocalyptic Jew who preached an eschatological message and lived accordingly. By his reading of the Gospels, Schweitzer was convinced that Jesus’ ministry betrayed a consistent eschatology. The beginning and the end of that ministry were keys to the middle. [caption id="attachment_1864" align="alignright" width="212"] Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)[/caption] Jesus began his career by being baptized by John the Baptist, an apocalyptic prophet. He was crucified at the hands of the Romans who considered him an insurrectionist. The historically reliable traditions of Jesus’ deeds make sense only against the backdrop of an apocalyptic self-understanding: his choice of twelve disciples, his association with outcasts, his reputation as a miracle worker, his cleansing of the Temple. The teachings (parables) and radical ethic were consistent with an apocalyptic worldview that limned both an ending of the evil age in which he found himself and hope for God’s righteous rule he both expected as imminent and enacted as if present. That worldview set him on a collision course with Jewish religious leaders and with Roman authority. Reading Schweitzer in late July meant that Advent 2015 came early for me. In the dog days of summer I was caught up in the same welter of texts the lectionary now asks us to contemplate as autumn gives way to the shivering blasts of winter. What might we learn from these passages with their dire language of endings and their fervent messages of hope in the face of so much darkness? How do they function? Reading Schweitzer and others (especially the work of my late teacher Rowan Greer as he guides us through the writings of Gregory of Nyssa, Saint Augustine, John Donne and Jeremy Taylor), here is what I’ve come up with. Eschatological and apocalyptic thinking, with their concomitant elements of endings and beginnings remind us that hope necessarily exposes what is tragic in human life. We cannot hope to know what hope itself is unless first we come to terms fully with what we might agree is hopeless in our world—the inevitability of death and affliction, the ways in which we make war on one another and on ourselves, the sense of meaninglessness and lovelessness that often overwhelms us. Hope that is truly hope-full requires that we see evil for what it is. Wrestling with endings and with hope also turns a searchlight on and reveals those aspects of our lives in this world that we know will and must last, those things that will find their completion and perfection the age to come. For example, apocalyptic and eschatological writings have a clear eye for the beauty and order of the physical creation; they delight in it. Why else would the Book of Revelation end as it does with the repristinization of the cosmos? We sense, too, that we can and do experience fellowship with God and with one another in this life, and that our fellowship in the Church gives us a glimpse of what is surely perdurable. Eschatological and apocalyptic visions are not without an emphasis on continuity; in the midst of chaos, mysteriously, our destiny is adumbrated. Visions of endings and of hope have also to do with the moral life. Their promise carries a demand. How shall we respond to hope? How shall we live our lives meaningfully in the meantime? Had Jesus and the Jewish seers in whose line he stood only announced doom and gloom, what would have been the benefit? Reading Schweitzer before and thinking about him again during Advent helps me recognize that at this season I am/we are caught between paradigms of discontinuity and anticipation on the one hand, and paradigms of continuity and participation on other. We see – both things that can’t last and those that must be. Schweitzer thought that to be thus placed, on an Archimedean point, so to speak, was to be liberated from the tyranny of a world that always finds a way of affirming itself as the best of all possible worlds, and to begin to grasp the meaning of the Incarnation of the One “who comes to us as unknown.” May it be so for us in this season. [caption id="attachment_1861" align="alignleft" width="139"] Dr. Gregory Robbins, Iliff Anglican Studies[/caption] Dr. Gregory Allen Robbins is the Director of the Anglican Studies Program at Iliff School of Theology, Canon Theologian at Saint John's Cathedral--Denver, and an Associate Professor of Christian Origins / Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Denver.

It's been an interesting year so far

Ken Malcolm — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 04:39:07 +0000

It’s been an interesting year so far, with the last season of the Voice, the never ending presidential campaign, and a few rounds of what exactly did North Korea detonate, plus two of my popular culture heroes dying, the outside world in which we live has been eventful. My inside world has not been quiet either. I have had death, grief, loss, and a little conflict thrown in. Lest this sound like a list of complaints, I don’t usually look at these things in a glass half empty sort of way. As someone wise once said, at least I have a glass. Still, when my calendar told me this morning that it was the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, I though, there’s no way that’s possible unless I am living in a soap opera. Then, there is the issue of what is going on with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, which I will get to in a minute. So, I have found myself praying an odd prayer whenever I think about all that’s going on: “God, please heal all our hearts, but not all the way.” Those broken places give us compassion for each other and all the ways we show up unprepared for the things we have to face. A broken heart is one of the most useful tools for cultivating compassion, which I am in great need of these days. The other tool I have at my disposal is listening to the stories that come my way and by grace, finding that they are the whisper of the Holy Spirit. I perked up a few weeks ago when I heard the wedding at Cana story from John, because I know I’m always showing up to life a few cases of wine short of a real party. In fact, if my own capabilities were all I had to go on, things would be pretty dire, with guests drinking water and grumbling, “The food stinks and there’s not enough of it.” Sometimes, when I forget my capacity is not the whole thing, it does get funky out here. Make no mistake, the party we are talking about is a wedding, because in the end, when dealing with Jesus, it usually does come down to love, union, communion, and all the holy mess that goes along with community. So when my kids told me The Episcopal Church was all over the media, as a story for the world to read, I took notice. The Holy Spirit was whispering. At its bones, the issue is that there is a lack of agreement about what love looks like in the world. To which I say, welcome to my life these days. No matter which side is looking, this lack of communion is a loss. I can tell you this first hand. Loss is a sign of letting go of what’s no longer working. It’s taking a stand about love and being willing to accept the consequences knowing that it only matters that you do the next right thing to support deeper connection. Not what the outcome is. God takes care of the outcome. We, in our state of showing up without enough wine, probably should not be in charge of the outcome or the guests will revolt. I don’t know the end of my stories yet, which is either a relief or a reason to wake up at two A.M. in a sweat, nor are we at the end of the story of how the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church will find healing. However the Holy Spirit is reminding me that at the end of the Wedding at Cana, there is hope. Someone will notice that the wine is running out, and can be counted on to comment on it to the right people (are you following me here with the current events?). The really good wine will appear, and only a few people, the servants, will ever know where it came from because only a few of us pay attention to the stories and how they are so intertwined with our lives. That means that when the stories come rolling in, I pray my little prayer of healing, “God, please heal all our hearts, but not all the way.” For the Church right now it means that people of conscience and faith are disagreeing on some basic things that leave us in what I will call “a situation.” Those of us paying attention to the stories, we are the servants at the wedding, and we are going to be the people who know where the wine came from when it all shakes out, and though we will be grateful, we will also never be the same. Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

Beauty and Ashes

Ken Malcolm — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 04:38:40 +0000

It seems kinda funny to talk about beauty and the penitential season of Lent in the same breath. But, that is exactly what our liturgy calls us to do! Last Sunday at the Transfiguration of Jesus it is the beatific vision (and the call to ministry it represents) that sends Peter, James, and John back down the mountain and into the messiness of ministry along side Jesus. Beauty calls us into relationship. Beauty calls us to love. Beauty calls us into the world. and it is Beauty that now calls us to turn toward Jerusalem and the cross. Our Lenten pilgrimage, our journey to the cross, begins with Ash Wednesday. The imposition of ashes reminds us of our human frailty and our place in creation. Ashes are also an outward and visible sign of our commitment to a path of repentance. What does a path of repentance look like? Self-examination, meditating on the Word of God, and acting in the community are all parts of the Ash Wednesday liturgy to help us get started. But, for those among us who have endured, illness, terrible loss, or other profound struggles, or even those who increasingly see a world that seems to be coming apart at the seams - we don't need anyone, including the church, to remind us of our fragility, or the uncertainty of life. For generations of Christians, Lent was a season that seemed to say, if it is salvation that you desire, well then turn your backs on the joys of this fleeting life and the beauties of the earth. As if salvation depended on us rather than God’s unending grace! Yes, life is a serious and risky business, and no one gets out alive. But is salvation about escaping this world of perpetual perishing or could it also be about seeing everlasting beauty in each passing moment? In the Creation story in the first chapter of Genesis, God sings the world into existence and at each pause of that Creation liturgy God saw what had been made and said, “It is beautiful.” It is that holy awe-filled awareness that Lent is intended to bring back into focus. I invite us all into a Holy Lent, one in which renewal, spiritual examination, and meditating on the Word of God are central to our lives. Deny yourselves those things that you desire too much, those things that might be distracting you from the beauty of this world. Take on those things that focus your heart and mind on the knowledge and beauty of the Love of God. Use this time to be very serious about who you really are and whose you really are. It will make a difference. But consider this, if the starkness, and asceticism, which can be appropriate in this season of Lent, does not speak to your soul and draw you closer to God, then maybe the uncertainty of life might invite you to a new awareness of the beauty of God’s creation. Maybe it invites you to seize the moment and rejoice in the world around you. Maybe it invites you to act as a steward of this amazing gift in ways you never before considered. Even the haunting image of Jesus on the cross, the image to which we now turn to and long for, casts an incomprehensibly beautiful light. Dostoevsky suggested this when he wrote; “Perhaps it is beauty that will save us in the end,” (The Invisible Embrace of Beauty, pg. 221). May this season of Lent be for you one of blessings, and holiness, and remarkable beauty! The Reverend Ken Malcolm is Canon Missioner for Leadership Development and Formation

"Make Me Good": Living Lent with Nurse Jackie

FaithFormation — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 17:19:56 +0000

Throughout Lent, The Episcopal Church in Colorado-Office of Faith Formation will feature reflections from young leaders across our diocese. Today's post comes from The Rev'd Liz Costello, curate at Saint John's Cathedral-Denver.

I've just recently caught up on the Showtime series "Nurse Jackie" that ended this past June, featuring the Emmy-winning actress Edie Falco who plays Jackie Peyton, RN: a gifted but flawed nurse whose struggles with addiction to prescription opiates is the pivot point of the show's narrative. Her dependency is visceral and gut-wrenching, sullying relationships with family and friends as she lies, cheats, steals, and compromises herself and those she loves. And yet, in spite of her flaws, she proves herself to be an eminently lovable character time and again: a devoted mother; a skilled, dedicated, and caring nurse; a person with a heart of gold untarnished by even her worst offenses. You cannot help but root for her as she battles the disease of addiction, even with all the missteps she makes along the road of life. The comedy is every bit a drama, chock full of unforgettable lines. But it was a line from the final episode--"Say a Little Prayer" (Season 7, Episode 12)--that I won't soon forget.

[Spoiler alert! Don't keep reading if you plan to binge-watch on Netflix!]

In the finale, we find Jackie in a church pleading to God: “Make me good.” Personal crisis and desperation brings Jackie back to church again and again. Like all of us, Jackie is both sinner and saint. Her desperate cry to be made good is uttered as she hits rock bottom, with addiction leaving her life in ruins. Her consistently poor choices, stemming from her disease, infect her whole life: her marriage is in tatters, her daughters become increasingly estranged, and even her nursing license is imperiled. And yet, at the same time, Jackie is an extraordinarily caring friend and devoted nursing professional. The sentiment routinely expressed by her patients is one that many share: “What, are you like a saint or something?!” Jackie is a complicated character, but in both her gifts and goofs she breathes her prayer to God: “Make me good.” In a way, this is precisely what Lent is all about: being made good. As we enter into the season of Lent, we wrestle with those things that impede our ability to live into our God-given goodness by naming our sins and by begging God to deliver us. Nurse Jackie’s prayer is--in effect--a CliffsNotes version of the Great Litany, in which the cantor intones:

“From all evil and wickedness; from sin… From all blindness of heart...

From all inordinate and sinful affections....”

and the congregation responds:

“Good Lord, deliver us!”

(The Great Litany, Book of Common Prayer, pp. 147-155)

The attempt to live into our God-given goodness is why we take up Lenten practices. We give things up or take things on in the hopes of being formed into more virtuous people. For some, it might mean giving up self-criticism so that we can better recognize the many ways that God has made us good enough. For others, it might mean beginning to compost so that we might better live into our role as custodians of creation. Whatever our Lenten practices might be, they are all exercises that form us into being better people.

But Lent does not end there. It is not just about what we do or don't do to be good.

In that last episode of Nurse Jackie, our protagonist is busy getting her life back on track. She is working toward sobriety, looking forward to starting a new job, reconciling with her family, and even celebrating a new engagement and soon-coming remarriage. The hospital in which she spent most of her career is going to close. At the end of her shift on her very last day in those familiar surrounds, Jackie finds that her last patient also struggles with an opiate addiction. She does what she does best, movingly nursing him with compassion and care. She washes his feet, binds up his wounds, and encourages him on his path to sobriety. In many ways, as we witness her good deeds, we see how God had indeed answered her prayer to be good. And then. Just before joining her colleagues at a party, Jackie does something that shocks us. Unless we've struggled with addiction or known someone who has, we may not be able to comprehend it. At that very moment when it seems she is back on the straight and narrow, Jackie pockets a bit of the contraband left from her last patient. She heads straight into a familiar bathroom stall, one she's clandestinely frequented many times before, and snorts three lines for old times' sake. As she leaves the bathroom for the party, she passes out and collapses to the ground. There she lies, in the very last scene of the show, slipping in and out of consciousness, with her nursing colleague Zoë struggling to keep her conscious amid the overdose, saying: “You’re good, Jackie. You’re good. You’re good.” The viewer is left to interpret whether or not Jackie will survive. Either way, in the throes of her disease, Jackie’s slight smile suggests that she hears in Zoë's pleading the prayer of her heart: to be good. This is the gift of Lent: in our greatest successes and even our most grievous failures, we are made good by God's grace. God's grace, soon to be revealed to us again on the cross of Calvary and empty tomb, is sufficient to call out of us that which is indeed good and to cover a multitude of our worst sins. God looks at us as God looked at creation in those first six days and says: "You are good." Lent is not just about asking God to make us good through practices rendering us evermore virtuous. Lent is about preparing us to receive salvation from the One who made us, and all of creation, good. The very same One who has reconciled all things to Himself. This Lent, as we join Nurse Jackie in asking God to make us good, may we receive the gift of Christ’s saving presence. And in so doing, may we know what it is to receive that perfect gift of God's unending grace--even in our imperfection. The Rev'd Liz Costello is a curate at Saint John's Cathedral (Denver, CO). She holds a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale Divinity School, a Certificate in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. She enjoys hiking, traveling, cooking, yoga, and spending time with her family. She can be contacted at liz [at] sjcathedral.org.

Lectionary Reflection for February 28, 2016

FaithFormation — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 22:35:55 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for February 28, 2016

Third Sunday in Lent

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up. When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush. “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you:’ This is my name forever, and this is my title for all generations.”

Worth Noting: God opens the dialogue with Moses with the command to take off his sandals, for he is on holy ground. But why walk around the desert unshod? Are not shod feet as holy as unshod? A Hasidic commentary on the point gives an arresting explanation: “Only when one is barefoot can one feel the little stones underfoot. Moses was to lead his people in such a way that he could feel their smallest sorrows.” Do you (physically, mentally, or metaphorically) take off your shoes on entering places of prayer? What does that mean to you?

Psalm 63:1-8 O God, you are my God, I seek you

my soul thirsts for you

my flesh faints for you

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary

beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,

and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

when I think of you on my bed

and meditate on you in the watches of the night;

for you have been my help,

and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

Worth Noting: Psalm 63, with special reference to these first eight verses, has been called “a psalm by a boundless optimist,” as it is filled with a realization of the depth of the love that God has for humans. What does it take for you to fully realize that love? How does it sustain you?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,and all ate the same spiritual food,and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Worth Noting: (1) Paul uses his Scripture typologically; that is, he interprets the Scriptures and their narratives as “examples” (tupos in Greek) for us, not just as literal happenings. Is Paul really saying that God destroyed 23,000 to teach us a lesson? (2) “We must not put Christ to the test” echoes the readings from the first Sunday in Lent, when the devil tempted Jesus: Let us not do as the devil did. When and how do we tempt Jesus?

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them-- do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Worth Noting: Jesus morphs from responding to the victims of atrocities to a parable about forestry. How does that parable follow that discussion? In the parable, who is the tree owner, who the gardener, and who or what does the fig tree exemplify? How might the parable relate to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Moses asks God for God’s own name in order to persuade the Hebrew people of his credentials. If Moses can tell them the name of the god who sent him, they will be willing to follow him. The passage itself has three names for God, Hebrew transliterations are: Elohim (which the New Revised Standard Version translates “God”), YHVH (translated “Lord”) and Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (translated “I am who I am”). Only the last is a possible new self-revelation. Elohim is a common name both for the God of the Hebrews and for other gods. The tetragammon, YHVH or Lord, is used well over a 100 times in the book of Genesis, from the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to the very last Hebrew word in the book. Surely this was a name known to Moses and the Hebrews. It is, however, an elusive name, with some sort of origin in the Hebrew verb meaning “to be.” It could mean “He is” or “He will be” or something entirely different. The name Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh is a sentence to itself and can be translated as the NRSV does (that is, Ehyeh has a present meaning in both parts of the phrase), or one or more of the verbs may be translated in the future, so “I will be.” Further, Asher can be “who” or “what.” Thus the permutations are “I am/will be who/what I am /will be” (pick one of each pair – for instance, “I am what I will be”). Many, if not most, scholars prefer to put the verbs into the future tense – “I will be who/what I will be,” – rather than the more traditional translation as in the NRSV. Putting the verbs into the future conveys the sense that the Lord will be known to the people by future divine deeds, most notable bringing the people out of Egypt and establishing a covenantal relationship with them. Having received this name of God, Moses never uses it in his discussions with the people. We might speculate that Moses, who Scripture tells us knew God better than any other person, asked the question for his own benefit not that of the people. God recognizes that need, and in response provides an enigmatic, mysterious response. Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh might well be translated “Come and see; see who I am by what it is that I do.”

Dessert Blooms

The story goes that a pagan asked a rabbi “Why did God choose a bush from which to appear to Moses?” The rabbi replied “to teach you that no place is devoid of God’s presence, not even a lowly bush.” Psalm 63 is rightly understood to have been composed for Temple liturgies. The psalmist took it as self-evident that the Temple was a site uniquely filled with the divine presence. On the other hand, the rabbi in the story understood that God’s presence fills creation. The psalmist may dread the arid desert, but it was exactly there that Moses encountered the living God.

Prompting Conversations

Jews, Christians, and Muslims revere the name of God for its power. To use the name is to call on that power. Does it make you cringe to hear it misused? How do you avoid doing so?

How can we today use properly the names of God given to Moses? How do they help us understand the mystery of God in the world?

A strain in Abrahamic religions holds that God destroys evil and blesses with prosperity the righteous. That theology prompts the questions of Jesus. Does it explain well the existence of evil in the world? Does Jesus confirm it in the parable?

Many admit they are more likely to find God in nature than in a church, synagogue, temple, or mosque. What is missing from formal liturgies that make this true? What do formal settings, on the other hand, provide that moments in nature cannot?

Download PDF version of above here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Beyond Handouts

Joseph Wolyniak — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 05:36:23 +0000

Beyond Handouts: Power, Privilege, Place & Persons

A #CEEP2016 Smart Start Session

At the 2016 Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes (CEEP) Conference, lay and ordained leaders from across the Episcopal Church in Colorado participated in sessions exploring how God is at work in this diocese and the wider Anglican world. One such gathering was the Justice Matters session (Smart Start 8), led by The Rev. Ruth Woodliff-Stanley (Interim President, The Episcopal Building Fund) and The Rev. Rebecca Jones (Curate, St. Thomas Episcopal Church-Denver). With presenters at three sites in the Denver metro area, participants from across the world were offered a firsthand glimpse at diverse contextual models for the universal pursuit of justice. Resources from each of those sites is listed below, along the with contact information for presenters at the respective sites.

32nd Avenue Jubilee Center

The 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center is a small social services agency co-located with Our Merciful Savior Episcopal Church in an area just outside of Lower Downtown Denver, known as the North Side. Begun in 2001 as a diocesan institution in response to rapid changes in the neighborhood caused by gentrification, the Jubilee Center has focused its bilingual (English and Spanish) services on children, their families, immigrants, and the low-income, medically underserved members of the neighborhood. Its programs include youth enrichment (after school and summer day camp focused on academics), emergency assistance and referral for individuals, immigration advocacy, healthcare assistance (vision care and transportation to medical appointments), and an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) initiative.

Resources

"ABCD with Your Neighborhood": A manual on asset-based community development prepared by the 32nd Avenue Jubilee Center and published under a Creative Commons license. More information about this pilot project is available on the 32nd Ave website and blog.
"Theology of Accompaniment and Asset-Based Community Development": An essay by Lelanda Lee laying out a theological rationale for this unique approach to community engagement.
"Anti-Racism Conversations 101": A manual for beginning a dialogue on racism over the course of seven initial conversations.
"Urban Church ~~Planting~~ Plantations": An essay on the trappings of well-meaning but adversely impactful 'urban renewal' church plants... and what to do about it.

St. Francis Center

St. Francis Center is a nonprofit organization with roots in the Episcopal Church, offering a place of refuge for people who are homeless since 1983. Open to both men and women in the metro Denver area, SFC provides a safe and welcoming environment for people during the day when other shelters are closed or overcrowded. Guests (as they are known at SFC) are also offered an opportunity to talk with social workers, nurses, mental health counselors, and employment specialists as a first step toward transitioning out of homelessness. St. Francis Center is open year-round and serves a daily average of almost 800 people.

Resources

"St. Francis Center History": A brief history written by Dr. Phil Tompkins, a retired communication professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
"Homelessness Facts": Some quick facts about homelessness in Denver and the guests who visit SFC.

Black Lives Matter / St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Black Lives Matter is a chapter-based national organization working for the validity of Black life and to rebuild the Black liberation movement. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in the United States who actively resist dehumanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. The local Denver chapter, BLM5280, works to "cultivate communities of abundant joy where all Black people are emboldened and empowered to lead, love, heal, and thrive." St. Thomas Episcopal Church-Denver, a historic site for racial justice work, played host to the Rev. Tawana Davis and the Rev. Dawn Riley Duval of Soul2Soul and BLM5280.

Resources

"The Moral Document for Racial Justice": A collective call to solidarity and action in response to systemic problems of racial injustice.
"'No Slavery, No Exceptions' Fact Sheet": A fact sheet from a growing coalition of voices seeking to end modern-day slavery starting with a statewide constitutional amendment to both define and completely ban slavery within the state of Colorado.
"CEEP Workshop Handout": Handout with further links and suggested resources from the Rev. Tawana Davis and the Rev. Dawn Riley Duval.
"CEEP Slides": Presentation from the Rev. Tawana Davis and the Rev. Dawn Riley Duval.

Faith on the Road to Love

Ken Malcolm — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 21:17:35 +0000

There was once a newly ordained bishop who decided to visit all parts of his new diocese. At the end of his travels he was told that the only part of the diocese that he had not visited was a remote island on which lived but three simple monks. Being as much a part of the diocese as any other, the bishop set out for the island in a small boat for a three day visit. When he arrived, he found that things there were worse than he had expected. These three monks seemed to him to know nothing of the ways of Christians. They didn’t even know the Lord’s Prayer. The bishop became determined that if nothing else, he would certainly teach the monks to pray the Lord’s Prayer. So, together they worked hard learning the prayer, and finally, on the day that the bishop was to leave, the three monks were able to recite the prayer for him. The bishop then got into his boat and went away from the island. But still within sight of the island, the bishop heard something and looked back toward the island. He saw the three monks running across the top of the water toward him. When they reached the boat, the monks cried to him that they were very sorry, but they had forgotten the prayer that he had taught them. Amazed and humbled, the bishop asked them how they normally prayed. “We pray to God, with tears,” they answered, “that He would forgive us and teach us to love more.” Leo Tolstoy May God bless you with a Holy Lent

Lectionary Reflection for March 6, 2016

FaithFormation — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 00:31:02 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for March 6, 2016

Fourth Sunday of Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Worth Noting: Manna was food for the desert. On leaving the desert and entering the Promised Land, God stopped its distribution. Does your tradition regularly distribute the Eucharist? Is this food for the journey through the desert or food for the Promised Land (“bread of heaven”)?

Psalm 32 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

While I kept silence, my body wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not hide my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you;

at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.

You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,

else it will not stay near you.

Many are the torments of the wicked,

but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Worth Noting: Maybe you feel this way: “I tell the truth because my memory isn’t good enough to lie.” The psalmist assures us that naming our faults and transgressions, becoming transparent to God and to others, restores right relationships and righteousness. It is not in purity and rectitude but in speech and forgiveness that our hope lies. Can you relate a time when admitting a fault, to you or by you, restored a damaged relationship?

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Worth Noting: Paul charges the Corinthians with the same charge God gave to Jesus: reconcile the world to God. Is that the usual understanding of the Christian vocation? What does it mean in your key relationships, with parents and children, employers and employees, others of differing faith traditions, foreigners?

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “There was a man who had two sons.The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need.So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs.He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger!I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ “So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. “Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe – the best one – and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate;for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing.He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on.He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ “Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends.But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

Worth Noting: The parable of the Prodigal Son – or do you prefer to call it the parable of the Prodigal Father? – may be one of the greatest short stories ever composed. Notably absent from the characters in the story, however, is the mother of the two sons. What must she have been doing and thinking? Why was she omitted? Right now, today, with which of the characters (mother, father, servants, older son, younger son) do you identify most strongly? With whom would you like to be in a family relationship: father, elder son, younger son, mother?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

What does Paul mean that God made Christ “to be sin who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21)? If sin is understood as a deliberate rupture of the bond between God and either an individual or community in an act of defiance of the creature-liness of the human, how could Christ be such an act? And why would that act result in our becoming “the righteousness of God”? Considered carefully, Paul’s sentence has great bearing on our understanding of the mechanism by which humanity is reconciled to God through and with Christ. Would you be surprised to learn that almost as many as have thought about this sentence have argued to as many conclusions? The usual way to attack this verse is to assume that somehow Christ’s death saved humanity: Christ was a sacrifice on behalf of humanity, or Christ’s death atoned for the sins of humanity, or Christ’s death expiated humanity’s sins. If one starts with those conclusions (developed perhaps from other New Testament texts) then somehow Christ takes on the sins of humanity (some argue as a scapegoat might be thought to bear the sins of the people), and in his perfectly undeserved execution restores humanity. There may be another way to think about it, the way the most ancient commentators approached this text. First of all, sin does not in any way hurt God. So there is nothing anyone can or need do to restore God to a former state. Sin hurts humans, in their relationships with God, with others, and with all of creation. Sin kills these relationships, all the bonds that knit creation together and creation with the Creator. Once humanity has ruptured these bonds through sin, the world becomes “sin” itself as it is no longer in proper relationship with itself or with God. Proof: there is death in the world and “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). By assuming a human, created nature, Christ assumed this sin and in the incarnation elevated created natures (including human nature) to new heights, to the possibility of taking on the divine. Thus the ancient commentators wrote that God became human that humans might become God. They saw in Christ the working out of what the philosopher Plato saw as the goal of the human life, theosis, becoming like God. What do these ancient commentators think Paul was talking about in the passage above? That Christ assumed a sinful human nature that included the totality of human life – birth, youth, emotions, work, struggles, and ultimately and especially death – and thereby divinized it all, and restored to humans the ability to be righteous, to have a right relationship with each other, with creation, and with God.

Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Restoration

During the financial crisis of 2008 some advocated for government assistance to financial institutions, but others argued that this would be a case of rewarding bad behavior and would lead inevitably to more and more institutions adopting bad practices in the belief that governments would bail them out in the event of imminent failure. In the Parable of the Prodigal Son, many of us see ourselves as the elder son – the good and faithful son who judges himself misused by the prodigality of the father. What was the point of his good behavior if the wastrel son receives as much of the father’s love as does he? We who might identify with the faithful elder son might face this same question in our lives: If the father in the story embodies God’s values, then wouldn’t we be better off following the example of the younger wastrel son and depend on God’s love (and a death bed conversion)? Isn’t the younger son a case study in eating his cake and having it too?

Prompting Conversations

As manna (and now matzos) remind Jews of the time in the desert, are there special foods you associate with particular anniversaries or celebrations (think chocolate birthday cakes with pink icing)? What does eating those particular foods signify for you?

Can you share an example of reconciliation that you call to mind when the topic comes up? Was breaking some silence part of the process? Can you translate the experience to a broader stage – how we reconcile with other nations, for example?

Is there any good reason to live a life of service and rectitude besides gaining some form of salvation? Do you do good only because you fear the consequences of doing evil?

Click here for PDF version of above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Kids Ask The Darndest Things

FaithFormation — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 18:26:39 +0000

Throughout Lent, The Episcopal Church in Colorado-Office of Faith Formation will feature reflections from young leaders across our diocese. Today’s post comes from Tory Moir, student in the Anglican Studies program at Iliff School of Theology.

I am one of two co-teachers for our 'tweens' class at my parish, St Thomas Episcopal Church in Denver. Our kids are late elementary schoolers, old enough to ask impossible questions (the likes of which anyone who has spent time around kids will be sorely familiar). One of the most rewarding things about this ministry is answering such challenging queries. It really gives us adults an opportunity to think through theological questions -- especially things we might otherwise take for granted. This past week, as we talked about the Temptation of Jesus within a broader conversation about Lent, I was hit with this zinger:

“Why didn’t God just kill the devil when he had the chance?”

Courtesy of Maclan, age 9, the question caused me and my co-teacher to pause and take stock. If the Lenten subject matter was difficult to begin with, this question pushed me well beyond my comfort zone. And it isn't the first time a question from a child has done that. In fact, I've found that the innocent inquiries of children are some of the most incredibly profound engagements with theological conundrums imaginable. Their questions can be dizzyingly profound. I often find that the kids are teaching me far more than I am teaching them. In response to Mac's curveball, I drew a deep breath and took my best swing. I explained that while destroying the devil was undoubtedly within Jesus’s power as the Son of God, the Son of Man was also fully human. In order to most fully live into the human experience, Jesus chose to beat the devil a different way: by saying no. As such resistance is an option open to all of us humans, our Lord availed Himself of that which was commonly available to our human natures. And in so doing, He countered temptation’s lies and false promises with the truths of God. In my stammering response, I felt as though I had stumbled onto something deeply true. As we told the kids, our Lenten disciplines are a way of drawing closer to God. This not necessarily because, as many Christians have assumed, self-denial is holy in and of itself. Rather, our disciplines allow us to emulate Jesus in the desert, to battle with our temptations, and experience God’s work in us. When we deny ourselves in Lent, we experience a God who -- far from being aloof to our human weakness -- intimately knows the tug of a truly bad idea, an unhealthy choice. Our God knows where we’re coming from firsthand. God is with us even -- and especially -- in our moments of weakness. Jesus, who was tempted with an instant gratification we can only dream of (all the power and acclaim the world could provide, including the avoidance of human suffering), said resoundingly: “No.” As I said to Mac, we can’t kill our demons. Neither can we banish temptation for good. We can only say "no" -- again and again -- as temptations inevitably arise. In resisting temptation as Jesus did, we learn that our “no” is also a “yes.” At the heart of Lent is the dual nature of Jesus’s denial of temptation. He didn’t just say no to the devil, he said yes to God and the call laid on His earthly life. As Jesus did in saying no, we also say yes to God. And herein lies the holiness of our Lenten abstinence. Not only that we resist temptation by saying no, but also that in saying no we simultaneously say yes to the good that God seeks to work in us. We say yes to God’s life-giving will for our lives. We say yes to all the ways God longs to transform us, our communities, our world. We say yes to a God who knows us in our human frailty and loves us -- not from far away, but from right up close. I don't know if I answered Mac's question. But I think, through him, God answered mine. Tory Moir is a Masters of Divinity student in the Anglican Studies program at the Iliff School of Theology. A parishioner at St Thomas-Denver, she currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Colorado Episcopal Service Corps. She can be reached at tkuepper [at] iliff.edu.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 16:34:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for March 13, 2016

Fifth Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21 Thus says the Lord,

who makes a way in the sea,

a path in the mighty waters,

who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior;

they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:

Do not remember the former things,

or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert.

The wild animals will honor me,

the jackals and the ostriches;

for I give water in the wilderness,

and rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,

the people whom I formed for myself

so that they might declare my praise.

Psalm 126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us,

and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,

like the watercourses in the Negeb.

May those who sow in tears

reap with shouts of joy.

Those who go out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

carrying their sheaves.

Worth Noting: Isaiah and the psalmist recall God’s deliverance in years gone by – the Exodus in one case, and an unspecified event for the psalmist. Both find in history assurance of God’s continued care for the people. Do we not similarly carry our history forward with us, reflecting on the present and the future in light of that history? Do joyful memories give you confidence in times of crisis? Or do you have painful memories that drain your strength? Have you found ways to cope with those memories?

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14 If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Worth Noting: A translation “through the faith of Christ” (rather than “faith in Christ) would seem to be supported by the phrase “because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Some action of Christ has worked to bring Paul into a deep relationship with Christ and through Christ with God. What difference does it make to you whether Paul preached “faith in Christ” or “faith of Christ”?

Gospel: John 12:1-8 Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said,“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

Worth Noting: John recounts this version of a troubling story found in all four Gospels. The modern reader asks: Wasn’t Judas right? Wouldn’t it have been better to sell the perfume and distribute the proceeds to the poor (avoiding putting the money into the common purse, of course)? Doesn’t the Gospel of John affirm that Jesus and Jesus’ Spirit are still with us, belying the words “. . . you do not always have me”?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The passage from Philippians seems to denigrate Judaism. A quick and decontextualized reading might conclude that Paul, dividing his life into the time before encountering Christ and the time after this encounter, shuns everything before the encounter. That is not, however, exactly what Paul says in this passage from the letter to the Philippians. First of all, at the time Paul was writing, Christ followers constituted a sect within Judaism. Paul’s mission, as he explains it in the letter to the Galatians, is to bring the Gentiles into the worship of the God of Israel. Paul does not claim that he “converted” from Judaism to a new religion, but found a new vocation within the religion. Did Paul’s listeners in Philippi become Jews (or Israelites) when they chose to follow Christ? Because, on the one hand, they worshipped the same God, Romans would probably classify them as Jews. Because, on the other hand, following Paul’s instruction, Gentile Christ followers may not have been circumcised, other Jews who did not follow Christ may have refused to consider them Jews. Hold that thought for a moment. Now, does Paul actually say that he is no longer circumcised, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee as to the Law, and righteous under the Law? Clearly he was still all of these things. They are a status symbol: particularly being a Pharisee, the premier teachers of the Law in Paul’s day. Paul’s opponents, we surmise, claimed a preferred status within the religion of Israel; Paul claims a status at least as exalted. Both claims only make sense if the contest is being waged within the community of the religion of Israel. Christians today have little interest in the credentials of Jewish rabbis. Why should they? Rabbis have authority within their community but not within Christian groups. “Wait!” you may say. “Doesn’t Paul say that all of these status symbols are a dead loss?” Absolutely! His experience of the risen Christ and his call to be missionary to the Gentiles gave Paul’s life a whole new direction, just as a young woman’s recognition of a call to ministry gives her life a whole new direction. And just as the well-formed priest or minister takes with her and makes use of past experiences, so too Paul continued to draw on his Jewish heritage in the ministry to which God called him.

“You Always Have the Poor with You”

When I was in sixth grade, Sr. Mary Leonard, of happy memory, put me on a debate team defending the apparent message from this Gospel: “The poor you always have with you, so pour some perfume on Jesus’ feet.” Needless to say, we were crushed: Not only were the other side better debaters (all girls!), even twelve-year-old boys realize perfumed feet should not have priority over food and shelter for the poor. So did the Gospel writers, all of whom included this story in one form or another. How can we bring it home, make sense of it for today? Herewith some thoughts. First, the Evangelist focuses on the action of Mary as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ death and burial. Alone in the Gospel, Mary recognizes that Jesus must die and, indeed, his death is imminent. Second, the Evangelist contrasts the generosity of Mary with the greed of Judas. How should one use wealth? To advance the Gospel, to evangelize. We also might see Mary’s generosity as an imperfect, human response to the super abundant divine love of Jesus. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus surely were grateful for the resuscitation of Lazarus. More than that, doubtless they shared the realization that Jesus’ incarnation was a moment of powerful generosity (see Philippians 2:5-11) that fills the universe with the aroma of divinity. Mary’s action responds to God’s generous gift of life – eternal life – by an act consecrating a perfume representing a year’s wages to the author of life. Doing so, she affirms the value and blessedness of life.

Prompting Conversations

Have you ever converted from being non-Christian to Christian (e.g., Muslim to United Methodist) or converted the other way? Have you ever left one Christian tradition for another (e.g., Roman Catholic for United Methodist)? How would you describe the difference between the two? Which was Paul’s?

Each Christian tradition has its own particular customs for decorating and furnishing places of worship. Some have elaborate art work throughout; others are simple and spare. If you have a regular place of worship, what might a visitor conclude from your community’s choices? What do the choices for decoration say about your priorities, theology, and worship resources?

Are you aware of the impact of your own history on the way you operate in the world? Can you describe one event or circumstance you look back on to draw strength in times of anxiety and trouble? How do the practices of Lent and the collective, communal memory of the Paschal Mystery play in your memory?

Click here for PDF version of above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Perfection - Where relationship goes to die

Ken Malcolm — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 16:48:12 +0000

Lent is a dangerous time for me. I have this little perfectionist streak. So give me a chance to add a discipline or take away a vice and I’m all over it. No sugar? I’ll revel in the chance to say no to ice cream and dessert and, without fail, I’ll do it perfectly. What I have been in danger of, though, is doing it perfectly without getting it right at all. And it took a mess up for me to see that - a mess up in close proximity to reading the parable of the prodigal son, or really the two sons and the father. The mess up was not huge, or life threatening. I slipped up on my Lenten discipline, ok, twice in one day. This never happens to me. Never. Not ever. Not once, not under any circumstance. So twice within a few hours was, well, shocking. Now, if you are picturing a debauched scene of me on the kitchen floor drinking simple syrup from an open bottle, I need to tell you it didn’t get that interesting. Except to me. I’m proud of my trustworthiness when it comes to getting it right all the time. So even though I could have rationalized it away, I went to church Sunday morning feeling as though I was personally responsible for climate change or deforestation. So, the parable. One of my great beloved teachers says, “Don’t forget you are everyone in the story.” Ok. But I would like to be anyone in the story except the brother who stayed. He’s a little bit of a jerk. When I listened to the reading in the warm chapel with the colors from the stained glass making my arms blue and red, and the quiet around the words, I heard something different. I think because of my mess ups this weekend I was more receptive to the story, rooting for the prodigal son and the dad to have their moment. And then it hit me. I had not been rooting for them before. I was a little envious, a little superior. I would never have said I sided with the son who stayed, the other brother, but I must have been siding with him. He’s the perfectionist in the story. The one who gets it right. All the time. All day long. And here’s the thing - he believes that getting it right and being the good guy means he has a great relationship with his father. He was resentful, wanting his own party for being so perfect. Ouch. I know that feeling. Perfect is not a relationship. Not with God, not with other people, not with yourself. Perfect is the place relationship goes to die. So when I started on Ash Wednesday, having been told this was a period of time to form relationship with Christ and to feed that relationship, I thought, easy peasy. No problem. I got this. Which, by the way should have been a sign that I was maybe not in the right frame of mind. That is other brother thinking. Kingdom logic is not other brother logic. Perfect is not an A+ and perfect all the time is not the path to relationship with God. So what I took to heart from the story is: Don’t stand around doing it all just right myself and thinking that I have created a relationship with God. Try making room for the possibility that the relationship could be two way. That Jesus needs a little space in there too. Showing up as I am, with all my flaws, leaves the room for redemption. Honestly, better a few mess ups and a real chance at forgiveness than a superior attitude and no forgiveness. Better we all end where the story ends, right in the middle of trying to find a way back to each other, which is where I may be hanging out for a while.

Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 11:45:00 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for March 20, 2016

Sunday of the Passion and Palm Sunday

THE READINGS First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens —

wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.

The Lord God helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

It is the Lord God who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Worth Noting: In its original setting, Isaiah gives voice to both the desolation of the people in captivity (caused by their own sinfulness) and to their hope in the restitution of their land based on the Lord’s continuing relationship with Israel. Tough love in ancient Israel? Christians often read this passage as a prophecy of the Passion of Jesus, with the associated belief in his vindication through the resurrection. How do you see punishment, restoration of relationships, and redemption playing out in your life?

Psalm 31:9-16 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;

my eye wastes away from grief,

my soul and body also.

For my life is spent with sorrow,

and my years with sighing;

my strength fails because of my misery,

and my bones waste away.

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,

a horror to my neighbors,

an object of dread to my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street flee from me.

I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;

I have become like a broken vessel.

For I hear the whispering of many

– terror all around! –

as they scheme together against me,

as they plot to take my life.

But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, “You are my God.”

My times are in your hand;

deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your steadfast love.

Worth Noting: Not only is the poet’s body in tatters (“I have become like a broken vessel” Psalm 31:12), she has been rejected by her community (“a horror to my neighbors . . . an object of dread to acquaintances” Psalm 31:11). Where can one find the strength to continue life in such dire circumstances? The poet finds it in the Lord, in a memory of their covenantal relationship. Without support from friends and relatives, could you overcome severe physical disabilities or emotional trauma? Where else would you find strength?

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Worth Noting: Paul probably is quoting from a hymn sung by the Philippians. In its lyric, the singer affirms and internalizes the message that the Christian’s response to Christ is to follow the arc of incarnation, life, death and resurrection in service to humanity (“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”). Can you keep this poem with you during Holy Week to help you reflect on the Paschal Mystery?

Gospel: Luke 23:1-49 Longer reading Luke 22:14-23:56 Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate.They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.”But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.” When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time.When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign.He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer.The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him.Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate.That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies. Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people,and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him.Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death.I will therefore have him flogged and release him.” Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again;²¹but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!”²² A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed.So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted.He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished. As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him.But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing.And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last. When the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent.” And when all the crowds who had gathered there for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they returned home, beating their breasts.But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

Worth Noting: One of the few elements of Jesus’ passion found in all four Gospels is the inscription on the cross: “This is the King of the Jews.” The Romans typically posted such a summary of the crime above the condemned: Where is the deterrent value if no one knows why the criminal was executed? For the Romans, the executioners, Jesus probably was seen as a political revolutionary, a claimant to the throne of Judea. Would Luke, a second generation Christian, have understood the charge in the same way? For Christians, how is this sign understood today?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

The Use of the Passion Narratives Just as with the popular celebration of Christmas, when we place shepherds from Luke’s Gospel next to wise men from Matthew’s, we are prone to combine differing elements from each Gospel’s account of the Passion, stirring in extra-Biblical material to create a more dramatic account. The Stations of the Cross are a prime example of this practice, with five of the fourteen stations (Jesus meeting his mother, falling three times, and having his face washed by Veronica) based on material taken not from Biblical accounts but from other sources. The practice raises a series of questions: Did these events occur? Could they have occurred? What difference does it make whether or not they occurred? That these events are not mentioned in the Gospels, our earliest accounts of the Passion (the presence of Mary the mother of Jesus is directly and explicitly denied in Mark, Matthew and Luke while affirmed by John) casts doubt on their facticity, but there is nothing obviously impious about any one of them (save the contradiction of three-fourths of the Gospels). What difference it makes is a larger and more highly charged question. To reflect on it, one must consider some of the darkest moments of Christian history. Looking back, one sees that violent anti-Jewish attacks often peaked during the Christian Holy Week, just when the Church reflects most deeply on accounts of Christ’s Passion. Passion plays, performed well into the 20^th century and composed of material selectively chosen from Gospel accounts plus extra-Biblical material, often improperly and unjustly charged all Jews of all times and in all places with the death of Jesus, the crime of deicide. Aroused by the dramatic presentation of these events, Christians rampaged against their Jewish neighbors. The question of the roles of Jews and Jewish sects in the Gospels attracts the attention of Jewish and Christian scholars. While conclusions range widely, the center of the discussion points to some role by some Jewish leaders in initiating the sequence of events culminating in Jesus’ execution. The role of the Romans and their brutal procurator, Pontius Pilate, remains primary, however, in an execution by crucifixion of what the Romans understood to be a revolutionary (evidenced by the sign “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews”). Beyond these limited statements, firm conclusions are few and hard to find. As the only accounts available of the events, the Gospels, often contradictory and thoroughly colored by arguments between second and third generation Christ followers and traditional Jews, provide shaky witnesses to peripheral events surrounding the death of Jesus. Gospel writers focused on the death and resurrection of the one they called the Son of God. If some responsibility – or blame – for that death can be shifted from the all-powerful Roman authorities to a nation with strange religious practices whose Temple the Roman army destroyed in the course of putting down a revolution, so much the better.

Entering into the Scriptures

To appreciate more deeply the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ Passion, one can compare the accounts in the Gospels of Mark (our earliest), Luke (read this year on Passion Sunday), and John (read every Good Friday). One would note the many common incidents in the three and also the many differences and contradictions. Does Jesus experience an agony in the garden (Mark and Luke) or not (John)? Does Jesus die the day after the Passover meal (Mark and Luke) or on the afternoon before (John)? Does Jesus die alone, with no friends, disciples, or family attending (Mark), or does a seminal community witness his death and receive his spirit (John)? The point: these three accounts are theological and pastoral statements, designed to benefit particular people in particular circumstances. As in any ancient history, the writer is concerned with what the principal agent, here Jesus of Nazareth, must have said – no stenographers or videographers were in attendance to preserve the actions and words. While in Mark Jesus is a silent and lonely victim, in Luke Jesus consoles his friends, forgives his executioners and the Good Thief, deliberately hands over his life to the Father, and on his death the people return home sorrowing. It is a death of one who maintains control of his emotions and of his life even at death. The ancient reader would have recognized that Luke’s account bears a strong debt to Plato’s account of the death of Socrates – perhaps as much as to Mark’s narrative.

The Death of the Son of God

Why did Jesus die? The most obvious reason is that Jesus died because he was fully human and nothing human was foreign to him. Death, therefore, came to Jesus just as it came to Mary and Joseph, and to each of his disciples ever since. Christian creeds offer another reason: Jesus died for our sins, which may be the same thing as saying that in becoming human, becoming subject to death, Jesus lived for our sins. The more difficult question is the meaning of the way Jesus died – alone, tortured, and crucified. Surely simply being subject to death would have been enough. Why die in such a shameful way? It is as if Jesus came to sanctify not only the easy death of one who dies peacefully in sleep at an advanced age, but also the charged, broken, agonizing death of the woman slaughtered and raped, of the victim lynched for the color of his skin, of the criminal, guilty or not, condemned to the electric chair. Inhuman death became for once and for all the way of the Lord.

Prompting Conversations

Why would John – or anyone – rewrite the story of Jesus’ passion and death? What elements do you think are crucial and which may be “spun” and to what purpose? In some modern Ways of the Cross, participants travel to and pray at sites of tragic events from the past year. Is this a fair adaption of the traditional ritual? If asked, what sites in your area would you recommend? Is it daunting to realize that the Christian, one who purports to follow the way of Jesus, follows one who suffered such a death? Click here for PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Reflection on the Lectionary

FaithFormation — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 14:15:11 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for March 27, 2016

Easter Sunday

First Reading: Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 65:17-25

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Worth Noting: This selection pictures Peter’s speech to the centurion Cornelius who summoned Peter to baptize his household. The moment serves as the narrative divide in Acts of the Apostles between the time of the mission to the Jews and the time of the mission to the Gentiles. It provides a highly summarized creed highlighting the universality of Jesus’ mission (“. . . in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Acts 10:35). How universal do you find this message? How is it proclaimed today?

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his steadfast love endures forever!

Let Israel say,

“His steadfast love endures forever.”

The Lord is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:

“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;

the right hand of the Lord is exalted;

the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”

I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord has punished me severely,

but he did not give me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;

the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Worth Noting: In singing of the power of the “right hand of the Lord” (Psalm 118:15-16), the Psalmist recalls the deliverance from slavery in Egypt. In remembering their deliverance from slavery to death, and from a belief that death makes striving in life absurd, Christians celebrate the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. That does not take away a visceral, irrational terror of death for many. Does the memory of Easter help you deal with that fear?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 or Acts 10:34-43 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Worth Noting: Paul assumes that members of his audience do put their hope in Christ. How positively do you value hope? Is it a transitory emotion? A permanent attitude or stance towards life? How would you distinguish it from “faith”? Is there such a thing as “Easter hope”?

Gospel: Luke 24:1-12 or John 20:1-18 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they [the women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee] came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,but when they went in, they did not find the body.While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Worth Noting: “Remembering” is an active, Christian activity. We re-member Christ in the Eucharist, both in recalling his death and in becoming members once again of the body of Christ. How do you re-member the Easter story?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to The Acts of the Apostles

Throughout each Easter Season, the Sunday Lectionary draws the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles rather than the Old Testament, the usual practice. This work is attributed to Luke, the author of the third Gospel (based on the opening verses of Acts, the similar writing style, and the choice of themes throughout the two works). When taken with the Gospel of Luke, Acts presents a sweeping view of the history of God at work, from the Old Testament (witnessed in the narratives of the births of Jesus and John), through the work of Jesus to his death and resurrection, followed in Acts by the story of the earliest Church still tied to the Temple, and finally through the Gentile mission of Paul to a community largely composed of non-Jews. Thus, the two works provide a narrative arc that takes the reader from Abraham through Moses to Jesus and then to Peter and Paul. Written around the year 100 c.e. (plus or minus as much as 20 years), Acts provides the modern reader with an account of the early Church as the author supposes it must have been. With few if any records on which to ground the narrative, the author constructed a history in which the heroes of the Church – Peter, Paul, James, Philip, and the other apostles – work harmoniously to promote Jesus’ message. Together the leaders address the needs of the growing community of Jesus followers, without any of the kinds of conflicts one detects in Paul’s writings (see, for example, Galatians 1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:10 and following). The work addresses the question “How should a Spirit-led people act – as individuals and as a community?” The answer, in an inspired portrait of the first Christian communities, resonates in the 21^st century as a model for the Christian way of life.

Entering into the Scriptures

For Christians, the story of the Empty Tomb stands as a founding story of their faith and practices. Its retelling on Easter Sunday prompts Christians of any and no regular affiliation to seek out a place of worship to hear the ancient proclamation: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” Recognizing the importance of this story to his third generation Christian audience, Luke has provided links to the other important story, the Incarnation. Luke hints that Jesus is born at night (when the shepherds were watching their flocks); the women find the empty tomb at the end of a long night, at dawn. Jesus is born in a manger, not his own home; on his death he is laid in a borrowed tomb. Mary wrapped the new-born Jesus in swaddling clothes; Peter finds the burial cloths left behind – the Risen One casts aside ties that bind. At the birth, angels proclaim Jesus’ birth to terrified, lowly shepherds; at the Resurrection, angels proclaim the living Christ to terrified women whom some men deem delusional. The Incarnation and Resurrection serve as bookends to the story of Jesus. Yes, there is a prologue and an epilogue, but these two events serve to define who we are: People of an incarnate God who has conquered death.

Was the Medium the Message?

The Gospel accounts of the first Easter Sunday vary, but all four agree that it is women, come to anoint Jesus’ body, who first discover the empty tomb. In the account from Luke (above), their witness is derided by the male disciples. Peter runs to the tomb: To confirm the account or emphatically to disprove it, we are not told. Since the women arrived at the tomb with spices to clean and anoint Jesus’ body we know that they did not expect an empty tomb. Is it any wonder that the male apostles were skeptical of their report? Was it that women bore the message that made the men doubt? Or was it simply too good to be true?

Prompting Conversations

At Easter the first Christians celebrated the promise that Christ has conquered death. What does it mean to you that there is life after bodily death? Easter is about this Good News. And what constitutes “news”? “Dog bites man is not news. Man bites dog is news.” Do you wish there were more good news reported in the media? Or is the good news that shootings and fraud are news but people living their life well is not? What does it mean that women were the first to proclaim the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection? What difference would it make if Peter or one of the other apostles or even Jesus’ father Joseph had been the first to the tomb? Click here for a PDF version of the above Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Discovering the New in Lent

FaithFormation — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 15:46:54 +0000

Soon after my 29^th birthday last August, I took the plunge. I began googling, “Piano Teachers, Longmont, CO”. I found Miss Darlene on Craigslist. The picture depicted a wonderfully warm woman, standing in front of her piano and an array of musical notes on the wall. Her bio said, “My philosophy on teaching piano and my goal as a piano teacher is to share my own love of music and cultivate a love for music in everyone I teach.” It also said that she studied at the Royal School of Music in London and was a member of the Boulder Area Music Teachers’ Association. I took my husband Alan with me to interview her just in case she was a serial killer. It turns out she was who she said she was; and after 30 minutes, I had signed up for piano lessons with Miss Darlene. I would now join the two dozen eight year olds and two other adults who study under her tutelage. My piano goals included not only enjoying learning and becoming proficient, but playing the prelude for our Sunday night 530 Still Point service, and being the go to accompanist for a hymn sing at a party in case it popped up. It turns out I had a long way to go. When I look back over my life, I’ve always been drawn to music. My earliest memories include hearing the organ in church and my dad playing the guitar for my family. I began playing the cornet in 5^th grade. I then dabbled in the French horn and guitar. There is something about the beauty of music that connects me to my deepest self, and in my deepest self, to God. Learning how to play the piano has reinvigorated something deep within me. Taking on a new hobby can do that, but it can be especially true if you’ve always wanted to do something. In the six months that I’ve been learning, I have had to reflect on how I schedule my day. Add in something new. Make sure I made time for this new discipline. Every day built on the previous day. The season of Lent can do the same thing. It can be six weeks where you discover a new practice to reinvigorate your faith life. Or, it can be the time to rediscover something you’ve always loved. No matter how many times you’ve participated in the season of Lent, it can be a time to explore. Our Lenten practices can serve as a way to rediscover the passions and loves that God has placed within us. Our walks in faith invite us to reflect on how we schedule our days. We can take each day and build on the one before. They take time and practice to work on. What have you always wanted to discover about God or how God acts in your life? What is stirring within you? It’s not too late for this Lent for you to take the plunge. Did you set a goal for your prayer life or a daily discipline that didn’t quite get up and running? Recommit today. Did Lent sneak up on you and you didn’t get the chance to plan a Lenten discipline? Here’s your chance to start one. Beginning something new almost always requires a willingness to let go of the fears that surround it. We often don’t know what is needed of us until we really dive in and are in the midst of it. We are fortunate to be able to give our fears of beginning something new to Jesus- our God that became in every way like us, who experienced those same fears we do. And, in the darkness of the tomb, came to resurrection and new life. I hope that in this final week of Lent, you may find something or continue to find something that leads you out of darkness and into light, and out of fear and into peace. The Rev’d Melissa Adzima is the Associate at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Denver. She holds a Master in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. She and her husband Alan have two Shiba Inus and two once-feral cats. She loves exploring the mountains, photography, reading mystery novels, and cooking new recipes. She can be contacted at melissa [at ] standrewdenver.org.

Convergence

FaithFormation — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 20:52:31 +0000

[A poem by Br. Karekin Madteos Yarian, BSG. The Brotherhood of St Gregory is one of the thirty two canonically recognized religious orders and faith communities in the Episcopal Church.] "Convergence" On the concurrence of Good Friday and the Feast of the Annunciation

There is a stone beneath the tree

She kneels before. The Sun shines down and she

Is mute before the endlessness, the joy

Of what the voice has whispered to a longing heart.

She was a mother, is a mother who, before the stone,

Sun warmed, recalls the pangs, the writhing pain

Of birth, the twisting of the shearing spear

That rent her flesh and cleaved it.

She is a mother, was a mother

Who endured each lash that life delivered

To a child misunderstood by everyone. She kneels

Before the stone, recalls when she was not afraid,

And weaves a crown for a forgotten wedding day;

With hands that tremble plucks the thorns

From roses white and fair, despises them.

She whispers lullabies, a ragged voice from cursing.

"He comes, behold, he comes in glory tender."

And Gabriel his hand upon her shoulder,

Beneath the canopy in sweetest shade

They wait for silent stones to rise up – weeping.

With red raw hands she clutches at her breast,

And still the scent of cassia upon them,

Of nard she could not scrub away, the odor

Like the failure of a promise made of straw.

She is a mother, reaches for a vessel;

Pours out wine upon the ground and prays

For water pure to wash away the foulness

Of death, to wring a river from a linen shroud.

Even Gabriel beside her weeps,

Cannot tell her not to be afraid, he chokes

Upon the tide of pain that washes up,

A flood of gall that rises in his throat.

There is a stone beneath the tree

She kneels before. The Sun shines down and she

Is mute before the emptiness, the pain

Of what the voice has whispered to a broken heart.

Her joy poured out like flows of blood

And water, just as his poor sundered flesh

Now imprisoned by a stone; no angels’ song

Or sound of braying beast to bid him welcome.

“He comes, behold, he comes in glory blazing.”

There, beneath the tree whose shade grows dim

The beginning and the end converge in silence,

The fulcrum, creaking from the rafter, pulls.

What difference between swaddling and a shroud

When a mother’s hand has wound them both

And stained them both with tears of joy or pain? Or

That by a carpenter’s skilled hand the frame was built,

Both the manger and the cross made to receive him

Unforeseen? There’s no small irony.

Her face she lowers to the ground, and prays

For a swift hail of stones to end her pain.

Here these two in sorrow stand, old friends

Whose memories swirl around the air like ash

Or dust shaken from the scrolls where prophets’

Shadows wait, smile knowingly and sing.

Wait, O Lady, patiently, to bear him.

For he shall bear you also to the throne.

And in these final hours while your grief flows free

Take sweet Gabriel’s hand and weep for me.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 14:01:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for April 3, 2016

Second Sunday of Easter

First Reading: Acts 5:27-32

When they [court officers and their captain] had brought them [the apostles], they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Worth Noting: Acts here records the first Christian resistance to unjust laws. Is this a model of behavior for our own times?

Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150

The Lord is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.

There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:

“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;

the right hand of the Lord is exalted;

the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”

I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord has punished me severely,

but he did not give me over to death.

Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord;

the righteous shall enter through it.

I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!

O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God, and he has given us light.

Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God, I will extol you.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 118:14-29 NRS)

Worth Noting: The Hebrew word chesed, is translated “steadfast love” in the New Revised Standard Version (Psalm 118:29) while other versions use “mercy.” Are they the same in English? Which do you prefer?

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. ^“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty . . .”

Worth Noting: These verses introduce Revelation as a letter to seven particular communities in what we now call Asia Minor. The author wants to persuade these communities to reform their behavior and to do so uses poetic language and images. The reader must keep in mind these aspects: persuading particular Christian communities with particular aspirations and difficulties with language that is not literal but evocative. How would you persuade communities of proper behavior? Blogs? YouTube videos?

Gospel: John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week [Easter Sunday], and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs sin the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. Worth Noting: Early hearers of this passage must have been shocked. The Gospel says that “whose sins you retain/grasp/hold, they are retained/grasped/held.” Who is doing the grasping and retaining: the one who has sinned or the one who has the power to forgive sins? If it is God who forgives sins, and we simply proclaim that grace of forgiveness, when we do not so proclaim, do we hold the sins ourselves?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Book of Revelation

For the remainder of the Easter Season, the Second Reading will be taken from the Book of Revelation. Ascribed from the time of the early Church to John, son of Zebedee and reputed author of the Gospel, the work is now considered to be the work of an otherwise unknown Christian prophet, probably Palestinian by birth. (For ease, the author will be referred to as John, the author cited in Revelation 1:1, 4.) The ethnicity of the author is attested by the facility and imagination with which John uses the Old Testament Scripture, indicating a deep knowledge and understanding of them. Revelation may be characterized as prophetic apocalypse, meant to be read aloud in one sitting in a communal liturgy. The author calls on the listeners to change their behaviors. He uses the narrative of an apocalypse, a revelation to the writer of heaven by a heavenly creature, to persuade them. The approach taken in Journeying is that Revelation was written to a community of Christians in Asia Minor with a view to pulling them away from their current posture of accommodation with and even admiration for the Roman Empire. The world is divided into good and evil, and the Romans not only epitomize that evil they are Satan’s implements for perpetuating it. John urges the communities to take passive resistance against Rome, fully recognizing that such a stance would bring down on them the Empire’s terrible might. The conclusion of the struggle against Rome is foregone; the slain lamb, Jesus Christ, has already won victory on the Cross. A popular assumption in the past was that John wrote Revelation in a time of persecution under the Roman emperor Diocletian. More recent studies, however, suggest that Diocletian did not persecute the Christians but was in fact a rather well-meaning and effective leader. Rather than being persecuted, John objected to the willingness of Christians to blend in with the religious practices of the day (c. 95 c.e.). The letters are addressed to the seven cities in Asia Minor where the imperial cult was strongest. Christians there would have been expected to offer sacrifice to the emperor, but what the consequences of failing to do so are not clear. (Fifteen years later a governor in the same area wrote back to Rome asking guidance on this very question.) The fact that only one martyr is ever mentioned in Revelation (Antipas, Revelation 2:13) suggests that martyrdom was not a widespread threat. This way of looking at Revelation differs radically from a popular view that the book is a prediction of the end times, and the end times are upon us. Besides doing major violence to the text, such a view implies that Revelation had no meaning and no message for the people to whom it first was addressed. On the other hand, approaching the text in the same way other New Testament texts are studied – considering the communal and historical context within which it was written, for example – allows the reader to read the text on its own terms (as it was meant to be understood by the first hearers) and to find how their situation is analogous to our own. And surely there is much in the current culture that is to be resisted, and resistance will generate push-back, harassment, and even crucifixion, for that was the fate of the Lamb.

Entering into the Scriptures

New Testament literature differs from Old Testament literature in many important respects (e.g., language, time of composition, worldview). One of the ways that is not often considered is the difference between literature for a people struggling to live as a nation in a covenant with the Lord, and literature for a tiny scattered minority struggling to survive, much less prosper, in the Roman Empire. The Hebrew prophets, for instance, railed against political systems that failed to enact the Lord’s value of care for the oppressed. These were expressly political texts. Christian writers, on the other hand, ignored the politics of Rome and urged their individual fellows to hold fast to their convictions despite provocations and enticements from Rome. They explore the question “How shall we behave in an antagonistic, largely pagan society?” Their response is most fully worked out in Acts of the Apostles and Revelation. This week’s reading from Acts suggests Christians must be willing to disobey seemingly legitimately enacted laws that violate God’s law and to accept the consequences of their disobedience. The author of Revelation urges his communities to resist the blandishments of the surrounding culture.

Whom Should I Believe?

The Easter narratives are filled with stories of people who do not believe the message they receive. In this week’s Gospel Thomas cannot accept the testimony of the other disciples. But let us remember that even Mary Magdalene refuses to accept that Jesus has been raised, that his body has not been stolen when confronted with the empty tomb and the testimony of two men (John 20:2-2, 11-15). These stories remind us of the conclusions of modern day psychologists of how hard it is to convince someone of facts that conflict with preconceived values, attitudes, and worldviews. The Gospels portray Thomas and Mary as particularly close to Jesus. Could it be that in their grief they were unable, or unwilling, to accept a tale so outrageous lest their heart be broken once again?

Prompting Conversations

When was the last time you heard a sermon based on Revelation? Do you think the preacher’s assumption about the purpose of Revelation was the same as used in Journeying?

For those living in an open, democratic society, how may the lessons in Acts and Revelation be put into practice? Furthermore, how should one integrate those lessons with the prophetic teachings of the Hebrew prophets?

Have you had the experience of denying an important story that later proved true? Can you describe why you wouldn’t accept it at first and then were willing to do so?

Click here for PDF version of above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

The Office of Faith Formation is hiring!

FaithFormation — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 22:13:49 +0000

Interested in using your God-given gifts to further the work of The Episcopal Church in Colorado? The Office of Faith Formation invites applications for a part-time contract position: Coordinator for Children, Youth, & Family Ministry This position will be a three-month term in the first instance with the possibility of renewal/permanency after an initial-term performance review. Compensation commensurate with experience. To apply, submit résumé, references, and cover letter via email to faith@coloradodiocese.org. Questions may be directed to Joseph Wolyniak (jwolyniak@coloradiocese.org; 303.837.1173, ext. 2031). Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the respective positions are filled. The Episcopal Church in Colorado welcomes applications from all with a familiarity of and commitment to the Episcopal Church, irrespective of age, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or physical ability.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 14:26:47 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for April 10, 2016

Third Sunday of Easter

First Reading: Acts 9:1-6 [7-20] Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priestand asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” [The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”]

Worth Noting: Acts of the Apostles includes three versions of the story of Saul’s/Paul’s accepting his mission to the Gentiles (this one, and Acts 22:6-12 and 26:12:18). All three differ from each other and from Paul’s own account in Galatians 1:13-17. All include the basic mission of Paul to bring to the Gentiles the knowledge of Jesus Christ and through and in Jesus worship of the God of Israel. Are there vitally important stories in your family that no one tells exactly the same? Is the message always the same? Apart from bad memory (yours, of course, being excellent), what do the differing stories tell us about our families?

Psalm 30 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up,

and did not let my foes rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,

and you have healed me.

O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol,

restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment;

his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may linger for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I shall never be moved.”

By your favor, O LORD,

you had established me as a strong mountain;

you hid your face;

I was dismayed.

To you, O LORD, I cried,

and to the LORD I made supplication:

“What profit is there in my death,

if I go down to the Pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness?

Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me!

O LORD, be my helper!”

You have turned my mourning into dancing;

you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Second Reading: Revelation 5:11-14 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom

and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Worth Noting: Throughout Revelation, the prophet John urges listeners to contemplate the liturgies of heaven, to compare them with the paltry rituals of emperor worship of their neighbors, and to ask: Who has the greater power, God and Christ or the emperor? At this point in Revelation, John introduces the Lamb, “standing as if slaughtered” (Revelation 5:6), who will declare the fate of humanity. This Lamb, with God, is worshipped by all of heaven and earth. Are there rituals you see around you celebrating secular power?

Gospel: John 21:1-19 After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.”He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea.But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” Worth Noting: From John 21:15-17, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” The first two times he uses the Greek verb agapaō, from which comes the word “agape.” The third time Jesus uses fileō, root for “philanthropy” (love of humans). All three times, Peter responds with fileō. It is not clear that one can draw any conclusions from the author’s use of different verbs. Both mean “love.” How many words for “love” do you use? Or, how many ways do you use the word “love”? Do they have anything in common?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

John 21 is widely regarded as an appendix to the main body of the Gospel of John, but an appendix added very early to the Gospel. It is a highly stylized story whose implausible features only highlight its nearly mythical cast. (Implausible features: Can Jesus just say something to the fishermen who are 100 yards offshore [John 21: 5, 8]? Would an experienced fisherman put his clothes on and then jump into the water to swim the same 100 yards [John 21:7]? Why does Jesus ask to have raw, unprepared fish brought to the fire on which fish and bread are already broiling [John 21:9-10]? And by the way, why does Nathanael, who has not been mentioned since John 1:49 suddenly appear here, twenty chapters later [John 21:2]?) This selection combines two important stories, the first a post-resurrection appearance to some of the disciples in a manner reminiscent of Luke’s account of the Eucharistic celebration of the risen Jesus with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) and the second an account of a public ritual of reconciliation between Peter and Jesus. The reconciliation includes Jesus giving Peter the mission to care for the infant Church in Jerusalem. The story dramatizes reconciliation and vocation – a call to service – within the Eucharist. Jesus, it should be noted, first feeds Peter before ritually reversing Peter’s three-fold denial (John 18:17, 25-27) and giving Peter his mandate of service. Peter never expresses sorrow for his denial but affirms his love for Jesus and, at least implicitly, his acceptance of Jesus’ charge.

Gratitude

The Psalms typically include expressions of gratitude, thanksgiving for specific actions by God for the benefit of the singer. While the human race shares many features with the rest of creation, to the best of our knowledge only humans give thanks for gifts received, making these acts of gratitude a defining element of human nature. Is it any wonder, then, that psychologists tell us that over time a daily discipline of recording three specific things for which we are grateful has as much power to combat depression as the best drugs? From a Biblical view, expressions of gratitude grow from and express the very core of our nature.

Prompting Conversations

Have you ever tried writing three things for which you are grateful for thirty days? If so, how did the practice impact your attitude and worldview?

In your religious tradition, how are Eucharist, reconciliation, and vocation ritualized? Can you relate a time you created a ritual of reconciliation (e.g., bringing an apple pie to a disaffected neighbor)?

This is the weekend that Major League Baseball returns and hope springs eternal. Whence cometh that hope? What do the rituals of baseball and other sports tell us about our need for communal rituals? Do they compete with our religious rituals?

Click here for PDF version of this week's Journeying. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:37:44 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings and Commentary for April 17, 2016

Fourth Sunday of Easter

First Reading: Acts 9:36-43 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs.Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Worth Noting: This story is immediately preceded by the brief account of Peter’s healing of a crippled Jew by the name of Aeneas, and is followed by the longer story of Peter’s baptizing the household of the centurion Cornelius. (Peter’s speech on that occasion was the first reading for Easter Sunday.) The movement is from Peter healing a Jewish man, to reviving a Jewish woman, to baptizing and bringing into the community, a Gentile. Is this a movement from much to more to most?

Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

I fear no evil; for you are with me;

your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Worth Noting: In the last verse, the English verb “follow” continues the tradition of the King James Version but misses the hunting sense in the original Hebrew verb radaf. Translators struggle with why “goodness and mercy” should pursue, or set off after, or persecute (all possibilities from Hebrew-English lexicons) the psalmist. To buttress the argument, one may note that many contemporary Jewish congregations call themselves Rodef Shalom, Pursuing Peace. Can you make sense of an alternative translation from the rest of the psalm?

Second Reading: Revelation 7:9-17 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honor

and power and might

be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and worship him day and night within his temple,

and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;

for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Worth Noting: The prophet’s vision of heaven includes people from all nations. How inclusive is your religious tradition or denomination? Worldwide? In your particular community?

Gospel: John 10:22-30 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter,and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one.”

Worth Noting: We know the “festival of the Dedication” as Chanukah. While the feast commemorates the rededication of the Temple in 164 b.c.e., after its desecration (2 Maccabees 1:9), it also evokes the consecrations of other holy places – the altar of the Tabernacle in Numbers 7:10-11, Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:63), and the Second Temple itself (Ezra 6:16). The first question of the Jews, “If you are the Messiah tell us plainly,” is appropriate as the Messiah is the anointed one, dedicated to God and to the people.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In the world of the Psalms, a shepherd may indeed tend sheep, but a shepherd often was more than that. Perhaps influenced by the image of David as shepherd and king, the term shepherd also is used metaphorically for one who reigns as king, whose duty it is to shepherd the people in their covenant with God (as “he leads me in right paths” Psalm 23: 3). After the death of Saul, for example, all the tribes gather to call on David to be their ruler, pointing out that “The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2) During the exile in Babylon, Ezekiel condemns those shepherds of the people who put personal gain over the public welfare (Ezekiel 34:2-6). Elsewhere in the ancient world, Roman propaganda included the images of the Caesar as shepherd of the people. While the Gospel of Mark follows this kingly tradition in its recounting of the time when Jesus had pity on the crowd gathered in the wilderness (“they were like sheep without a shepherd” [Mark 6:34]), by and large the New Testament ignores this image of the king and focuses on Jesus the shepherd who keeps sheep safe (John 10:11-16; 1 Peter 2:25), or herds sheep into nourishing places as in the selection from Revelation (“for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life”[Revelation 7:17]). The loss of the metaphor of shepherd as king partly reflects the difference in the status of the community. Israel had a king and the image of a shepherd – especially the shepherd-king David – proved a useful standard for judging his worth. The New Testament communities, on the other hand, were minorities within minorities, with little impact on the ruler. For them, Jesus leading them to a place of plenty provided a reassuring and strengthening image for the individual Christian.

“It’s a Miracle!”

How important are miracles? Historians believe that an important impetus to the growth of the infant Church was the perception that Christians were healers. On a very practical level, Christians provided basic care for each other during epidemics, risking their own lives in the process, and kept mortality rates below average, which convinced the general population that here was a community worth joining. More enticing yet were the healing and revivification stories Christians told about Jesus and his disciples, such as the stories of Peter, Aeneas and Tabitha. Do such miracles occur today? Many work hard to discredit the very notion of a miracle, in the sense of a divine intervention into the natural order. On the other hand, the Vatican continues to document miracles in the process of declaring anyone a saint. And how do we classify the day-to-day miracles of finding lost keys after petitioning St Anthony for assistance? Can we consider the lives of such as Mother Theresa miracles? How about the lives of the many who dedicate their lives to the service of the community – as religious leaders, lay workers, diplomats, and military personnel? Are the rest of us not blessed by their lives and dedication?

Prompting Conversations

The psalmist claims that goodness and justice pursued him, like a hound after a fox. Has goodness and justice ever hunted you down? Was that miraculous? Have you been involved, even peripherally, with what you consider a healing miracle? Can you describe what happened? Were others brought to faith as a consequence? Have you ever witnessed such a significant change in personality or attitude that it could only be described as miraculous? What contributed to the change? Was it miraculous that anyone still cared about the person? Click here for PDF of the above Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Sun, 17 Apr 2016 22:17:06 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for April 24, 2016

Fifth Sunday in Easter

First Reading: Acts 11:1-18 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ “But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

Worth Noting: Acts describes the momentous, even world-changing event when the early Christian community, composed of observant Jews, accepted a mission to non-Jews, Gentiles. They foresaw (though probably only dimly) a community of Christ followers composed of traditionally observant Jews and non-Jews both. How willing is your community to accept “liberal” or “conservative” (depending on how your community identifies itself) Christians? Are you willing to even allow that there may be other kinds of Christians?

Psalm 148 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

Worth Noting: The third of five praise psalms that conclude the Psalter (Psalms 146-150), Psalm 148 emphasizes praise of Israel’s God, the Lord, by all creation – heavenly (verses 1-6) and earthly (verses 7-14), including the covenanted people (verse 14). It opens and closes (as do the other four psalms) with “Hallelu-jah,” Praise-the Lord. How can we conceive of creation (especially inanimate objects) praising God?

Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-6 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

Worth Noting: The prophet John, near the end of his prophecy, brings us his vision of the eternal heaven. Note what will not be there: no sea – Revelation’s symbol of chaos and evil – no death, no mourning, no crying and no pain, for God will be with God’s people. What else would you like to be absent from eternity? Dogs? Faith? Hope? Marriage? Terrorists?

Gospel: John 13:31-35 When he [Judas] had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. “Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Worth Noting: What? We can’t follow Jesus? What does it mean that where Jesus is going we cannot come?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

The Gospel of John uses cryptic sayings to spark questions and reflection on the part of the reader. The obvious reference to Jesus’ impending death as an act of glorification of Jesus and the Father is one example. In fact, the equation of death with glorification is a recurring theme in John (see John 7:39; 12:23; and 17:1). But how can a death, an ignominious death on a cross, bespeak glorification? The Greek term that John uses, doxa, has many connotations. In general, it refers to how someone is judged publicly, what we might call their reputation. For most in the Greco-Roman world, reputation was their most valuable asset. Could a death be expected to raise one’s reputation? Indeed, it might, for many in the long line of Greek and Roman heroes died nobly, including the wronged Roman matron Lucretia (510 b.c.e.), the Greek philosopher Socrates (399 b.c.e.), and the Roman philosopher Seneca (65 c.e.). Women and men accepted death rather than have their name, their reputation, besmirched. John’s prime audience would have understood that an unjust death nobly borne indeed would enhance one’s doxa. John also saw that Jesus’ death was connected to the coming of the Spirit (for example, John 7:39). John does not say that the crucifixion caused the Spirit to come but apparently understood that Jesus in his natural, birth body could not coexist in the world with the Spirit. Only when the Spirit was poured out on the disciples (John 20:22; see also John 19:30) would they understand that the Word was made flesh to bring eternal life to those who follow him (John 1:1; 3:16). Then would Jesus’ and the Father’s doxa be fully understood and praised.

“They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love”

One of John’s other cryptic sayings is Jesus’ commandment that we love one another, just as he loves us (John 13:34). Perhaps no other command can evoke as much reflection as this – today as much as 2000 years ago. It’s particularly daunting because Jesus doesn’t say “Love one another as you love yourself,” – which allows for many human imperfections – but “Love one another with a divine love.” How do we love one another? How do we take on the mind of Jesus (Philippians 2:5)? The diversity of Christians insures there is no single right way to do it. We all need to work on it with our own gifts. The New Testament, however, provides one overriding principle: subordination to the flourishing of others. In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of the disciples to prepare them for their mission. Paul emphasizes that in the Incarnation Jesus humbled himself, foregoing equality with God for the sake of Adam’s descendants (Philippians 2:5-11; see also Romans 7-8). Does the New Testament present us an impossible standard? Generations of Christians have said “No! It is a standard few measure up to but all strive to attain.” The deeper question is how should we, in this time and in this place, live to this standard.

Prompting Conversations

Have you ever thought that death was glorious? In thinking about that, consider what other ways there could be to think about Jesus’ crucifixion as his and the Father’s glorification?

What does it mean to like one another? What does it mean to love one another? Love has something to do with relationships. How far can our relationships reach? Across borders? Through time?

Elizabeth Barret Browning wrote: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” In your ordinary, everyday, work-a-day life, in how many ways does God love you? How might you love your best friends in similar ways? How, for instance, might you bring your best friend sunshine, blue skies, and spring time? How about the person you least admire?

For a printable version of the above, please click here.

Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Sun, 24 Apr 2016 21:54:07 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for May 1, 2016

Sixth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 16:9-15 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis,and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days.On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

Worth Noting: Women are key to the success of Paul’s mission. Last week we read of the healing of the widow Tabitha (Greek Dorcas) that brought many to Christ. In this incident, Paul and companions proceed to a place of prayer frequented (only?) by women. Acts identifies Lydia as a person of means, a self-employed merchant and head of a household commodious enough to house three guests on the spur of a moment. The Church has survived many heresies and schisms. Could your community ever survive the defection of women?

Psalm 67 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.

Worth Noting: Certain subsets of Christian theology argue that the Church has succeeded Israel as the chosen people of God. If so, then who in the contemporary world are the nations?

Second Reading: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. . . . I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day – and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Worth Noting: Here is a vision of the eternal Kingdom of God. Can you describe what the earthly Kingdom should look like? Leaving aside abominations, who would be able to stand against the standard of not practicing falsehoods? Would any of us be written in the Lamb’s book of life?

Gospel: John 14:23-29 Alternative: John 5:1-9 Jesus answered him [Judas, not the Iscariot], “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you.But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

Worth Noting: Jesus promises that the Advocate, aka Holy Spirit, will teach the infant Church everything and remind the people of all that Jesus said and did. Did the Advocate stop teaching with that first generation? How might the Spirit speak to the Church today? Using Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter? Blogs? Letters to the Editor? Wouldn’t the Spirit use the latest technologies?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Jesus urges his disciples to keep his “word,” his logos. No one English word encompasses the possible breadth of the Greek logos, including a simple word expressing an inward thought, an entire statement, a speech or conversation; a story or tale, the thing spoken of itself, or a principle or reason. The first hearers of John’s Gospel understood and accepted all the connotations behind Jesus’ logos. For contemporary ears, how does the message resonate using other definitions for logos? Suppose we substitute “story” for “word” in this selection. In this light, Jesus speaks of his story, the story of the eternal creator come to bring life to the world. The passage would read: Those who love me will keep my story, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my story; and the story that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” Or suppose we use “principle.” Then: Those who love me will keep my principle, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my principles; and the principle that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” Thinking about logos in this way leads the reader to circle back through the Gospel, the story of Jesus, to reflect on the principles that animated his life.

“The Peace that Passes All Understanding”

We all want peace, right? What kind of peace is Jesus talking about here, if it’s not peace as the world gives peace? Peace seems to come in many shapes and forms. Revelation’s image of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22) presents ultimate, eternal peace as a time of communal tranquility, of the absence of strife and evil in the divine presence. The Gospel of John seems to emphasize an individual’s consolation from peace, as it is used within the context of Jesus conferring peace on his disciples, as in the selection from the Gospel. Should Christ’s peace only be consoling? A priest we once knew offered a sign of peace to the congregation with the words “May Christ’s challenging and consoling peace be with you.” Indeed, Jesus tells his disciples on the first Easter evening “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me so I send you” (John 20:21). Here there is a link to mission, to being sent into the world to bring peace by enacting Christ’s logos. Indeed, we speak often of “waging war.” Is there a way to wage peace?

Prompting Conversations

Lydia provided Paul and his companions hospitality. Why is hospitality such an important feature of early Christianity? Is it still? Is your community marked by hospitality? Above we substituted “story” and “principle” for “word” in the Gospel selection. What if you substituted “speech” or “reason”? Would they work as well? Have you seen a picture, read a poem, or witnessed a dance with the thought that “this is Christ’s peace”? Can you portray peace artistically – in word, color, or music? In other words, what does Christ’s peace see and feel like? Click here for PDF of above readings and commentary. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection for Seventh Sunday of Easter

Joseph Wolyniak — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:52:45 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary Readings for May 8, 2016 Seventh Sunday of Easter THE READINGS First Reading: Acts 16:16-34 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling.While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.”She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jewsand are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods.After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely.Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped.But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. Worth Noting: Paul preached the Word to the jailer who washed their wounds, and only then was baptized and shared a meal. Hearing the Gospel, understanding the Way of Jesus, and then caring for the wounded and imprisoned preceded full initiation through baptism and Eucharist. How does fulfilling the Gospel mean both an internal assent to the mystery of Jesus and a life of service to the wounded and imprisoned? Psalm 97 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God. For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! Worth Noting: The psalm celebrates the kingship of the Lord, in which all of creation participates. How does the Lord exercise the status and power of this position? If the Lord is ruler of the heavens and the earth and all that are in them, how must one treat fellow subjects? Second Reading: Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 [The angel who showed the revelation to the prophet John said:] “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work.I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. . . . “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” . . . And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. . . . The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. Worth Noting: Thus concludes Revelation, the closing book of the New Testament and entire Christian Bible. Does the revelation of the Word of God end with this book? Is there revelation in God’s creation – for instance through astronomical measurements of the age of the universe or explorations of neuroscience or even of new poems and works of art? Gospel: John 17:20-26 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures Now you would think that if there is one verse of the New Testament that everyone would agree on it would be the last verse, right? On the contrary, no verse may better represent the issues involved in producing an accurate translation and no verse may display better the truth of the saying that “every translation is an interpretation.” The New Revised Standard Version reads as above, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” This is the same translation found in the Revised Standard Version and is close to the New International Version translation “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” The King James Version (and New King James Version) read “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.” In all of these translations, the grace of God is directed to Christians. Those who adopt this translation argue that the whole point of Revelation is to buttress the Christian communities in their struggles with the competing culture, and the prophet John was interested only in their welfare. The problem is that the most widely accepted scholarly reproduction of the original Greek text of Revelation omits “you,” “saints,” and “Amen.” Two other English translations, the New American Bible and the New English Bible, respect this Greek text with identical translations: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.” Their reading of the text makes the grace of Jesus available to the whole world. At the end, the prophet prays that grace will be accepted by all nations. Which is “right”? We do not have the original text produced by the prophet John to settle the dispute; our earliest Greek texts of Revelation were produced at least 100 years after its composition (and copies of this verse another 100 years after that). In the absence of that original text, scholars of the New Testament who strive to reconstruct that original text deal in probabilities. For instance, they ask what is the most probable text that gave rise to all of the other variant texts that we have? For this verse in this book, they conclude it is the simplest and shortest text. Other Greek readings also deserve our consideration, as they memorialize the communal experience of other early Christian communities with Revelation. But modern Christians who view the Bible as an indispensable guide for their life might ask whether translations based on other textual traditions still convey a Word of God to the people of God. Since the transmission of the Word depends on both the text as a transmitter and an engaged, active listener, one can never say for sure that any translation conveys God’s Word. On the other hand, if one asks whether the Word of God can have multiple meanings for the people of God today, that question must be answered with a resounding “Yes!” The Bible remains a text whose meaning can neither be exhausted by a single reader nor limited in relevance by time or space. It’s All Their Fault! Consider the art and intelligence of the owners of the slave girl in the account from Acts. When Paul exorcised the demon from her and freed her from demonic possession, they lost a valuable asset. Their loss, however, need not affect the other Philippians adversely, but by playing on the crowd’s fear and dislike of foreigners they retaliated against Paul. While there was no Roman law against being a Jew or practicing the rites of Judaism, the exploiters of the slave girl turned Paul’s ethnicity and religion against him. Demagogues and tyrants throughout history have blamed foreigners or persons of “impure” blood for the evils in a system. That is so much easier than dealing with the difficult problems, multiple issues, and entrenched power structures that must be dealt with when solving national problems of poverty, educational attainment, crime, and income distribution. Acts gives us a snapshot of how this blaming strategy plays out against one of the heroes of Christian history. Prompting Conversations If you are a member of a Bible study group, does your group encourage many translations or work with just one? Can you see advantages to both of these practices? Which do you prefer? Have you ever been unjustly accused of a crime or a misdeed carrying with it serious consequences? Can you share your reaction? Were you able to sing joyful songs and develop a friendship with your prosecutor as Paul did? Have you identified the demons in your life? Can you share how you have dealt with them in the past? Dennis Haugh, a coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies at the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Fri, 13 May 2016 18:58:09 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for May 15, 2015

Pentecost

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21 Alternative: Genesis 11:1-9 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning.No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Worth Noting: In his two volume work, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles, Luke emphasized the continuity between the religion of Israel and his community of Christians. Are you aware of the close ties between the beliefs and practices of Judaism and modern Christianity? Is it important to you?

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works – who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!

Worth Noting: Christians may seem to argue more over creation than to praise it, to revel in it. The psalmist sees the very breath of God creating and renewing the earth (Psalm 104:30). Where do you see God breaking through in creation, perhaps the creation of humans, or animals, or the landscape?

Second Reading: Romans 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Worth Noting: What does it mean to you to be a child of God? How do you interact with children, your children and others?

Gospel: John 14:8-17, [25-27] Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. . . . [“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”]

Worth Noting: Jesus says that the Holy Spirit abides with us. Plural us. If the world does not see the Spirit, is it the fault of Christians with whom the Spirit abides or the fault of the observer? How else would the observer see the Spirit?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

In his letter to the Romans, Paul relies on a practice well-known at every level of Greco-Roman society: adoption. Julius Caesar, at the top of the social order, adopted his nephew Gaius Octavius and named him his heir. Gaius Octavius became Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, and adopted Tiberius, who then became the next emperor. While the Julian emperors provide the most notable examples of adoption, all levels of society followed rituals that deliberately brought children, teens, and young adults into the family – including infants born into traditional marriages. In the patriarchal society of the Roman Empire, unless a father so adopted the new born, it would not be accepted into the family, despite birth paternity. Rituals incorporating children into a family persist today. In modern Judaism, during the ritual of circumcision, the father blesses the child saying that God “has commanded us to make our sons enter into the covenant of Abraham our father.” Until that ritual, we infer, the child was not within the covenantal Abrahamic line. For the Christian, baptism brings one into the family of God. Then we acknowledge God as the Father, the head of the household, the Church, with all of the responsibilities for care for his clients just as they have responsibilities to him as their patron. Then they can cry “Abba, Father.”

Happy Birthday Church! Now Do Something!

Christians view Pentecost as the day to celebrate the birth of the Church, the day when the promised Advocate filled the Church with gifts of wisdom and courage. That is the day the community that followed Jesus through his career in Galilee to his death and resurrection in Jerusalem became the Body of Christ (see, among others, 1 Corinthians 12:27). In the Gospel from John (John 14:9) Jesus says that anyone who has seen him has seen the Father. How does the Holy Spirit fit in this conversation? John’s recurring image of the Holy Spirit is as the Advocate (Example: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” [John 14:26].). The Advocate is the multi-tasker par excellence. The first task is to advocate on our behalf. The second is to remind the Church of all that Jesus taught and did. The third is to advocate on behalf of the dispossessed, the impaired, the afflicted, urging us to action. In these roles, the Advocate works so that the Church, the Body of Christ in this time and place, aligns itself with the creative deeds of the Father and the redeeming deeds of Christ. Prompting Conversations How does a family formed by adoption differ from a family formed by birth? Is one somehow better than the other? What does it mean that non-Jews have been adopted into the heritage of Abraham (see Romans 4 and 8)? The Spirit is known for being wild and uncontrollable. Is it fear of that wildness (and the wilderness?) that keeps Christians from being as enamored (or engaged) with the Spirit as with the Father and the Son? Have you heard someone blame Christians for ills in the world? What were their issues? How do their complaints align with your understanding of what it means to be a Christian? For a PDF version of above, suitable for printing, click here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 16 May 2016 14:27:05 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for May 22, 2016

Trinity Sunday

First Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: “To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. . . . “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth— when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”

Worth Noting: It is wisdom, Biblical wisdom, to rejoice in all of creation, and especially in the human race. Is this the message of the Spirit of Wisdom that informed Christians at Pentecost?

Psalm 8 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Worth Noting: Words of praise for the Lord frame the psalmist’s reflection on the account in Genesis 1of humanity’s creation in the image of God and dominion over creation. Is the point of Psalm 8 that the proof that Lord’s name is majestic is the human race? Is that self-serving on the part of the psalmist?

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Worth Noting: In this passage Paul describes the three-fold functions of the Christian God: to create, to reconcile, and to inspire. How have you experienced these actions?

Gospel: John 16:12-15 [On the evening before his death, Jesus said to his disciples:] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Worth Noting: In Hebrew, “spirit” would be a feminine noun, ruach. In Greek it is neuter, pneuma, without gender. In both languages, “truth” is feminine. Why then do we refer to the “Spirit of truth” as “he”? Can one of the persons of the Trinity be imaged as feminine? What difference would that make?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Wisdom Literature

The Revised Common Lectionary sprinkles readings from the Old Testament wisdom literature, like the selection from Proverbs this Sunday, throughout the liturgical year without any sustained reading from one text. Part of the reason for this decision must be that the books generally included – Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon from the Protestant canon; Wisdom of Solomon (or Wisdom), and Sirach (or Wisdom of Ben Sira) from the Deuterocanonical (or second canon) collection – can be repetitious, confusing, tedious, and boring when read in large blocks. Nevertheless, they hold wisdom earned over centuries of living in hard times – times much harder than ours.

Much of wisdom literature is socially and theologically conservative, produced for the benefit of those interested in making their way in a hierarchical, conservative business and political world. Young men (the usual audience for this literature) were urged to follow the ways of their ancestors. As religion and politics were inextricably linked, the writers also preached conservative religious values. (Both Job and Ecclesiastes provide useful corrections to this “establishment theology.”) There is more than just this practical wisdom of the market and court, for wisdom literature also deals in the Big Questions that haunt humanity: From whence did we come? Is a good God the creator of everything and if so then whence comes the pain and suffering so evident in the world? The selection from Proverbs for this Sunday affirms that a good God created all, including the human race, and did so with wisdom. For Proverbs and throughout wisdom literature, wisdom is an understanding of the underlying structure of creation. The struggle to attain wisdom is the struggle to understand what makes creation tick. Old Testament writers could not imagine an expanding universe 13 billion years old, but if they lived today we can be sure that they would immerse themselves in astronomy and physics. With the best contemporary scientists, they would ask: Where is the wisdom, the structure, the beginning and the end of this universe?

Entering into the Scriptures

The doctrine of the Trinity is not obviously developed in Scripture. To be sure, by the time that the Gospel of John was written, Jesus Christ was considered to be divine, pre-existent with the Father. The Gospel confidently asserts this belief without the theological and philosophical sophistication behind the great 4^th and 5^th century creeds. John and Paul follow the same track in speaking of the Spirit: The Spirit is crucial for both of them, but it is not clear that they believe that the Spirit is a separate personality or is the Spirit of Jesus and/or the Father that will be communicated to followers of Christ. Theologians wrestled with their own evolving understandings of human natures and personalities to explicate what the New Testament propounds in a tantalizing, mysterious way – the relationship Jesus tells us of Father, Son, and Spirit. While Scripture is often seen as the standard against which theological explanations must ultimately be measured (“does this conflict with Scripture as we now understand Scripture?”), Scripture’s more fruitful role is to provide material on the mysteries of creation generating further thought and reflection, deepening our understanding of ourselves and our relationships with God and all of God’s creation.

“What in the World Should I Make of the Trinity?”

Wisdom literature grapples with the structure and dynamics of creation. Celebration of the mystery of the Trinity poses an even more fundamental mystery for Christians: What does it mean that the Creator of all creation is one God in three persons? Is the promulgation of the mystery of the Trinity in various creeds simply a case of theologians worrying about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin or does this mystery tell us something about us and the rest of creation? Explanations of the Trinity almost invariably involve analogies that limp badly and often border on Christian heresy. Perhaps we can do better by accepting the fact of the mystery and attack it as we attack so many mysteries with a different question: What does the revelation of God as three persons in one mean for those who live in the early 21^st century? Would our workaday lives be different if we affirmed either Jewish monotheism or Hindu polytheism?

Prompting Conversations

Has reflection on Scripture prompted you to ask new questions about the world around you?

Observations from space lead scientists to conclude that the universe in which we live is over 13 billion years old and is expanding at an accelerating rate. Does such a description affirm or confuse your conception of a creating God?

Genesis affirms that all humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). What might it mean to be made in the image of a triune God? Would the notion that God is love (1 John 4:7-8) help incorporate the mystery of the Trinity into our lives?

Click here for a PDF version of the above Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection for Second Sunday after Pentecost

FaithFormation — Mon, 23 May 2016 14:48:05 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for May 29, 2016

Proper 4

Worth Noting: The psalm presents some call the Gospel of the Old Testament: the nations are called to acknowledge that the Lord, the God of Israel, reigns in justice over all the earth, restoring order where there was chaos and evoking joy among all creatures. Do you see the work of restoring creation by eradicating poverty, environmental pollution, and war, for instance, as the work of the Lord? What is your role in that?

Second Reading: Galatians 1:1-12 Paul an apostle-- sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--and all the members of God's family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Worth Noting: Left unsaid is how Paul received a revelation of Jesus Christ after the death of Jesus. Have you experienced divine revelations? How and when have they come?

Gospel: Luke 7:1-10 After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death.When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave.When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him,for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Worth Noting: Jesus alone expresses amazement at the trust the Centurion expresses for Jesus’ healing powers. Did the others simply assume that anyone with half a brain would trust in Jesus’ ability to heal from afar? Have you known people of other faith traditions who surprised you by their trust – or courage, or some other virtue? Do you have difficulty explaining the source of their behavior?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

Let’s stipulate that Paul wrote the Letter to the Galatians in the mid-50’s (say a quarter century after Jesus’ death), between the time he wrote his first letter to Corinth and writing his letter to Rome. Based on the arguments Paul pursues in the letter, it is widely agreed that Paul wrote to a community of Christ followers that he had originally formed. Further, we surmise that Paul had learned that other Christian teachers had come to persuade them that they needed to be circumcised in order to become full sons of Abraham (“sons” since circumcision is no issue for women). Paul argues vehemently – if not always cogently – that accepting circumcision would be a repudiation of salvation through Jesus Christ. The editors of the Revised Common Lectionary, facing a difficult task of fitting in readings throughout the three-year cycle, omitted a section (Galatians 1:24 to 2:14) we believe crucial to understanding Paul’s motivation. In it, Paul describes two episodes key to the early Church. The first is the agreement between Paul and “the pillars” of the Church in Jerusalem – Peter, James and John –that they will be apostles to the Jews and Paul apostle to everyone else. The section concludes with a description of a subsequent dispute between Peter and Paul in Antioch over Peter’s refusal to eat with non-Jews. The lectionary picks up (on June 12) with Paul’s comments about Peter’s behavior (whether to Peter personally or only on paper is not clear). Why talk about what is not in the Lectionary? Because the omission of this section omits the context for Paul’s anger with the Galatians, so evident in the abrupt, barely civil salutation (compare, for example, Galatians 1:1-12 with 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 or Romans 1:1-13). What the editors have left out is, first of all apostolic confirmation of the validity and exclusivity of Paul’s mission: he is to be the apostle to the Gentiles of his particular Gospel. Further, we miss a key passage in which Paul accepts the legitimacy of the mission to the Jews; Paul acknowledges a diversity of ways to follow Christ. (These first two points are captured in Galatians 2:7-9.) And finally one misses Paul’s account (the only one we have) of his confrontation in Antioch with Peter, a battle that Paul apparently lost (Galatians 2:11-13). Now Paul might rightly fear a repetition of the problems in Antioch in Galatia. Will his work among the Gentiles be undermined once again, this time by these teachers of a different Gospel? This Paul was desperate to avoid, and in a frantic state of mind he penned the Letter to the Galatians.

Entering into the Scriptures

Luke’s Gospel tale of the healing of the centurion’s slave reminds us of the entirely natural interactions between Jews and Gentiles at the time of Jesus. This story tells us that the elders of the people spoke on behalf of a Roman soldier, an officer in the occupying force. For his part, the centurion probably had much respect for the religion of the Jews, just as many of his countrymen did. Hence his financing construction of the local synagogue. The Jewish elders of the town were perfectly willing not only to accept his money for the project but also to speak on his behalf to Jesus of Nazareth, the miracle worker. Similar close connections between Jews and Gentiles provided the paths and networks for the movement of Christianity from a Jewish sect centered in the Eastern Mediterranean to a worldwide community composed of peoples of all nations. In fact, it is very possible that the Roman army helped spread the Gospel, as legions stationed in Palestine redeployed to Italy or Spain or Gaul. The museum of Chester, England provides evidence of this kind of movement, displaying the personal effects of a Roman soldier native of Syria, the very heart of ancient Christianity, but 2400 miles from northwest England. Could he not have brought the Gospel with him to the Angles and the Saxons of Britain?

Who Gets the Miracle?

Suppose Luke’s tale had a different ending. What if Jesus had decided to forego the opportunity to display his telekinetic powers and instead allowed the slave to die? After all, the slave died later anyway, so what’s the use? Furthermore, the slave’s life was restored to being a slave. Perhaps he preferred death to continued life in servitude. Fortunately for us, in all the Gospel stories Jesus never refuses the request of anyone for a healing of a disease of mind or body. A millennium earlier, Elijah pulled off a spectacular demonstration of the Lord’s power to grill a water-soaked steak. Do these miracles conflict with our experience of deaths from diseases despite the fervent prayers of many? Are we just worse pray-ers?

Prompting Conversations

Why was the Lord, the God of Israel, so insistent on bringing the other nations into his worship (showing up the Baal and sending Paul off to the Gentiles, for instance)? Why do Christians go on missions today?

How do “false teachers” work today? How can we distinguish them from prophets of a new understanding of God?

How do you understand the power of prayer? Is God waiting for us to ask for help before rendering assistance?

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 May 2016 14:55:05 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for June 5, 2016,

Proper 5

First Reading: 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) Alternate 1 Kings 17:17-24 Then the word of the LORD came to him [Elijah], saying,“Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.” As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son.For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days.The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah. (After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.She then said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!” But he said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. He cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.” The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, “See, your son is alive.” So the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”)

Worth Noting: At the time, an interesting theological point: The God of Israel has powers in foreign lands, not only in Israel.

Psalm 146 Alternate: Psalm 30 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!

Worth Noting: The psalmist stands in the place of “the oppressed . . . the hungry . . . the prisoners . . . the bowed down. . . the strangers . . . the orphans and the widow” (Psalm 146:7-9) and concludes the powerful, “the princes,” will be of no avail and should be ignored (Psalm 146:3-4). It is the Lord who will establish a just distribution of the goods of the earth. In your experience, who are the “princes” and “the wicked”? Who is it that acts for the Lord in your life? Who restores you when life becomes oppressive?

Second Reading: Galatians 1:11-24 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin;for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord's brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.

Worth Noting: Why would Paul persecute the “church of God” (Galatians 1:13)? Not anything personal against Jesus whom he never met. Let’s assume Paul considered Christians dangerous for the welfare of the Jewish people. What of their teaching or life style would do that?

Gospel: Luke 7:11-17 Soon afterwards he [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him.As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

Worth Noting: While the other Gospel writers write of “fear” strictly in the sense of an emotion of terror and dread, Luke also uses the word “fear” in the Old Testament sense of “in awe of the work of the Lord” (Luke 7:11 above [“Fear seized all of them . . .] and, for example, Luke 1:12, 1:50 and Acts 9:31). Should we be afraid of contact with the divine? Are you? Or is this an old-fashioned, Old Testament concept replaced by the New Testament?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

Luke’s account of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain exemplifies Luke’s ability to leverage his audience’s familiarity with religious traditions from both the Hebrew Scriptures and accounts of the Greco-Roman gods to tell the story of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke’s account provides a contrast with the account in 1 Kings 17:17-24 (read above), of Elijah’s resuscitation of the son of the widow of Zarephath. Luke shows Jesus’ superiority by, firstly, acting without any request from the widow, and, secondly, easily carrying out the healing. No carrying the boy up flights of stairs and calling on the Lord. Jesus is the Lord, especially the Lord of life, and raises the young man on power of his own word. Greeks and Romans also had accounts of the resuscitation of the dead by especially worthy individuals. From the 4^th century b.c.e., Asclepios, a physician and Greek god of medicine, is reported to have come upon a mortally ill man being carried on a stretcher. He ordered them to stop and healed the sick man. The intercultural dialogue was not necessarily all one way, with Christians reacting to traditional religious beliefs. In the late 2^nd century c.e., roughly 100 years after Luke wrote, Philostratus told how Apollonius of Tyana came upon the funeral procession for a maiden stricken on her wedding day. As did Jesus, Apollonius took command, learning the girl’s name, muttering something indistinctly, and restoring her life. Given that this account closely follows the contours of both the story of the widow of Nain and of other healings by Jesus, it is quite possible that Philostratus modeled the miracle after Gospel accounts in order to re-establish the value of the traditional gods over the upstart Christians.

A Religion of Foolish and Low Individuals

The reading from 1 Kings, the Psalms, and Luke all speak of God’s care for the widow. Throughout the Bible, it is assumed that a widow has no power to direct her own life, no agency. Luke follows this tradition in the Gospel account: Unlike the widow of Zarephath whom Elijah aided, the widow of Nain asks nothing, speaks nothing, has no voice in her troubles. Jesus has compassion and speaks to her and for her. Without a man – a father, husband, or son – to protect and feed her, the widow well might be left depending upon the kindness of strangers (apologies to Tennessee Williams and Vivien Leigh).

About the time Luke wrote, widows began to have a special status in the hierarchy of the Christian community, in some places even ranking above the order of deacons (who included women as well). While they could be dependent on the Christian community for sustenance, some wealthy widows founded and supported communities of women who themselves supported bishops and presbyters as well as fulfilling the traditional roles of preparing women for baptism and visiting the sick and imprisoned. In the mid-2^nd century, the critic Celsus called Christianity a religion of “foolish and low individuals, and persons devoid of perception, and slaves, and women, and children, of whom the teachers of the divine word wish to make converts.” Meant to be demeaning, would this be a badge of honor?

Prompting Conversations

What evokes awe in you? Nature? Liturgy? Good deeds? Music, painting, or other works of art? Do you see God there?

How do you see Christianity and contemporary culture influencing each other? Is all the influence one way? How does Christianity influence pop culture?

Is it your impression that Christianity has ever been a religion of the riffraff? Is it now? Should it be?

What is the status of women in your religious community? Have they full and equal status with men? (If you are a man, please also ask a woman how she would answer.)

Click here for PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 22:08:40 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for June 12, 2016

Proper 6

First Reading: 1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14), 15-21a Alternate: 2 Samuel 11:26-12-10, 13-15 Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat. His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?”He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it;’ but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly;seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.” The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them,they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly.The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death.Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”) As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.” Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, I will bring disaster on you . . . .”

Worth Noting: When David conspired to have Uriah, husband of Bathsheba, slain in battle, Nathan the prophet confronted David who repented of the deed (2 Samuel 12:1-15). Why does Elijah and/or the Lord not give Ahab an opportunity to repent? Are there times we may not give someone another chance at redemption?

Psalm 5:1-8 Alternate: Psalm 32 Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing. Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful. But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

Worth Noting: The psalmist brings a legal suit against an enemy before the Lord and relies on the Lord’s righteousness (including an aversion to the wicked and steadfast love for the psalmist [Psalm 5:3-6, and 7]) for redress. The Lord is intimately present, always active, and deeply concerned for the everyday life of the faithful. Many see God differently – as the watchmaker who set creation in motion and lets creation play out as it will. Do either of these positions sound right to you? In your experience, how does God operate in the world?

Second Reading: Galatians 2:15-21 [Paul argued with Peter:] We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Worth Noting: The New Revised Standard Version footnotes each occurrence of “faith in Christ” with “Or faith of Christ” (Galatians 2:16, 17 and elsewhere). We have written on this before and will simply note that the alternate translation of the Greek, pistis Christou, emphasizes Christ’s work of redemption and minimizes any action, whether an interior assent or physical action, taken by humans. (Those wishing more on the subject may address us directly at dennis4627@aol.com.) What difference do you think the two translations make?

Gospel: Luke 7:36-8:3 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table.And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment.Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him – that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “Speak.” “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.”Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet.You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Worth Noting: Do you find anything in this selection to link Mary Magdalene and the woman who bathes Jesus’ feet with her tears? Is a person possessed a sinner?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

We start with 2 Peter 3:16 where we read that in Paul’s letters “are some things hard to understand . . .” Case in point: How does the Law work in Paul’s life? On the one hand a person is not justified by works of the law. On the other hand, through the law Paul died to the law. In his letters, when Paul speaks of the law, nomos in Greek, usually his reference is to the Torah, the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The way he refers to law varies considerably. About half the time, Paul refers to the law as either a standard for judgement or a guide to conduct. Paul for instance wants his communities to follow the Ten Commandments. The Torah includes much besides the Ten Commandments, however, including stories of the creation, of Noah and the flood, and of the Exodus. How does Paul understand these and other such non-legal material when he speaks of “law”? And what does he mean by “works of the law” (Galatians 2:16)? All of these and more questions surface when reading Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Needless to say, as with any question about Paul’s letters, vast expanses of forest have been turned into pulp into paper to accommodate writings on the question of Paul and the law. Here’s one view (and since there are so many, essentially every view is a minority view). Paul reckoned that all nations come under the laws outlined in the first 11 chapters of Genesis: Do not deny God; do not blaspheme God; do not murder; do not engage in illicit sexual relations; do not steal; and do not eat of a live animal (and possibly do establish a legal system to ensure obedience to the law). For Paul, Jews have accepted other laws particular to their nation, in particular the commandment to circumcise every male as a sign of their membership in the covenant first established with Abraham. These particular commandments are the works of the law to which Paul refers. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection (summarized as the faith of Christ) compensated for the lives that Gentiles have been living when they are baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Then they too are brought into the family of Abraham. No need for them to be circumcised. Eat bacon and thrive. Careful reading of the letters of Paul will show that this brief summary omits many aspects. Nevertheless, the broad outline helps clarify Paul’s anxious feelings about the circumstances the Galatians find themselves in and why Paul’s writings on the law may sometimes seem contradictory. What is important to keep in mind is the person to whom Paul is referring: Gentile or Jew? The law means different things for different people.

Which Comes First, Love or Forgiveness?

The way Luke tells the story of the forgiveness of the woman who is a sinner prompts us to say that there is more going on than meets the eye. In the recent past Jesus must have spoken with her, offering her compassion and love, acknowledging her past sin (forgery? theft? bashing her husband?), current contrition, and resolve to amend her life. She reacts to Jesus’ intervention in her life with a profligate act of love. Those of us who have been forgiven for some major transgression – by family or friends perhaps – can speak of the release from carrying a heavy weight that comes from admitting the transgression and receiving a word of forgiveness. The sun is suddenly brighter and we have a spring in our step. The woman took the next step, pouring her money into an ointment for Jesus’ feet. Theologians dispute which comes first, love or forgiveness. Perhaps they are simultaneous. Perhaps looking into Jesus’ eyes the woman saw the reflection of the woman that Jesus saw, a loving child made in God’s own image. Perhaps she fell in love with that woman. Perhaps she forgave her.

Prompting Conversations

How does “law” work for you? Do you react well to someone telling you what to do?

Can you recall an instance of forgiving a transgression by a family member or friend? Was it easy? Did the “sinner” first express remorse and ask forgiveness?

Can you recall an instance when you were forgiven a transgression by a family member or friend? Can you describe your emotions before and after?

Click here for PDF version of the readings and commentary.

Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 22:28:28 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for June 19, 2016

Proper 7

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-4, [5-7], 8-15a Alternate Isaiah 65:1-9 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” [Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”] He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus . . .”

Worth Noting: Elijah journeys forty days and forty nights to seek refuge from the Lord. What happens? The Lord sends him right back. As the story continues, the Lord does promise protection, and Elijah does as directed. Is this your experience of God’s ways – confronting danger even after petitioning for refuge? Have you seen God protecting you?

Psalm 42 and 43 Alternate Psalm 22:18-27 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?” As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?” Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

Worth Noting: Because several Hebrew texts show Psalms 42 and 43 as one psalm, an arrangement based on common themes, common vocabulary, and a common refrain (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5), the Lectionary treats these as a single psalm. The psalmist is experiencing an exile – perhaps geographic but certainly spiritual – from the God of the Temple, leaving his soul parched (Psalm 42:1-3). The psalmist finds hope in the memory of the community at worship in the Temple (Psalm 43:4-5). Do you find hope in communal liturgies? Are the liturgies in your community communal or simply many people praying by themselves side by side?

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-29 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. Worth Noting: Does not this passage especially lend itself to understanding Paul’s discussion of “faith” as referring to the “faith – or perhaps better the “faith-fulness” – of Christ? (Both “faith” and “faithfulness” are justifiable translations of the Greek pistis.) Reread the selection substituting “faithfulness of Christ” for “faith.” How does it sound now? Gospel: Luke 8:26-39 Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs.When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me” – for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him.They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Worth Noting: The Gerasene demoniac appears to have been Jesus’ first apostle (that is, “one sent”). Is this the normal relationship between healing and mission? Have you witnessed this at other times?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Prophets Elijah and Elisha

At this point, we are about half way through the Lectionary selections about Elijah and Elisha, prophets in the northern kingdom of Israel active in the second half of the 9^th century b.c.e. (Say with me: “J before S: Elijah before Elisha.”) Accounts of the prophets Elijah and Elisha appear in 1 and 2 Kings, with the stories of Elijah relatively well integrated into the account of the political activities of Israel. Elijah protested the introduction of the worship of Baal following the marriage of King Ahab to Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon and an ally of Ahab. This week’s account of Elijah finding God on Mount Horeb (another name for Mount Sinai) in the “sound of silence” (1 Kings 19:13) contrasts the appearance of the Lord with Baal, a nature god associated with wind, earthquake, and fire and, interestingly enough, with the account in Exodus 19-20 of the appearance of the Lord in the same elements. While Elijah appears as a single prophet involved with the politics of his day, the majority of the accounts of Elisha relate his involvement with the lives of ordinary Israelites and he appears with a company of prophets for whom he is responsible (e.g., 2 Kings 4:1-7, 42-44). While both are occasionally referred to as “prophet,” the more common designation is “man of God.” The latter title more closely approximates their role as intermediaries between the Lord, God, and humanity. From previous week’s readings, for example, Elijah contests with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19-41) and accuses Ahab of murder Ahab (1 Kings 21:19-22), bringing the mind and power of God to the world. When he provides food for the widow of Zaephath and revives her son, (1 Kings 17:8-24) he brings the world to the Lord. They are, in other words, humans who operate on the threshold between the human and the divine. Sometimes they foresee the future, but more often they deal with the present.

Entering into the Scriptures

The Synoptic Gospels share (but John omits) the story of Jesus healing the Gerasene man possessed by a legion of demons: Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; and this week’s reading, Luke 8:26-39. Mark, the shortest of the three Gospels, provides the longest and fullest version of the healing. Luke follows Mark closely in the outline of the story but elevates the level of the Greek and edits out certain of the less critical items in the story (particularly Mark’s description in Mark 5:3-6 of the possessed man’s condition). Matthew does a wholesale edit on Mark, shifting the focus of the narration from the demoniac to Jesus and his work. Alone of the three, for instance, Matthew omits the cured man’s request to become a follower of Jesus, Jesus’ command to tell of his healing to friends and relatives, and his compliance (Mark 5:18-20 and Luke 8:38-39). That Mark’s is the oldest version may be seen in Luke’s surprisingly awkward editing of Mark so that in Luke Jesus has returned to the other side of the lake, away from the Gerasenes before he mentions the cured man’s request (Luke 8:38-39). Mark, in contrast, has Jesus in the process of entering the boat when the man asks to join his troop (Mark 5:18). It is as if Luke suddenly remember this point and sticks it in, regardless of continuity. Why the differences? Mark and Luke are both concerned with the discipleship of people surrounding Jesus. Matthew almost ignores others with a singular focus on Jesus. While Mark evenhandedly portrays both positive (the demoniac) and negative examples (Peter and the other disciples), Luke, anxious to portray an early Church filled with a Spirit-filled charity, tends to emphasize the successes of those first disciples. Mark’s vision may be the more realistic, and appropriate for our own times while Luke’s provides us a glimpse of a communal goal for which we can strive.

“Listen up! This is important!”

Put aside scholarly disputations for the moment. Think about the implications of Galatians 3:26-29:

. . . for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Paul is describing not so much a loss of identity as a transformation of the way that we define ourselves. Now, we define ourselves in contrast to other humans: I am male, not female. One of the ways that I know what it means to be male is to know that I am not female. In baptism we put on Christ, and with that Christ becomes our new identity. This same transformation occurs, Paul assures us, in each baptized person. Elsewhere in his correspondence Paul recaps this transformation: “if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul not only disrupts the existing social order, by acknowledging no difference based on class, ethnicity, or gender, but also overturns Genesis 1:27: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, emphasis added). Christ has inaugurated a new creation as well as a new social order. Perhaps a measure of our acceptance of our baptism is how well we are able to see through distinctions based on ethnicity, social status and gender. After experiencing a special moment, we sometimes say “Now we have to go back to the real world.” Perhaps Paul is telling us that “the real world” is the world without distinctions among people.

Prompting Conversations

Elijah and the Gerasene demoniac both experience God’s healing power (one psychic, the other physical) and are then sent back “to the real world.” Is healing always a prelude to mission?

How do you see Paul’s claims that through baptism into Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female reflected in your liturgies?

What about the unbaptized: does Paul say that we must see a distinction between “them and us”?

Click here for PDF version of the above.

Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 02:05:42 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for June 26, 2016

Proper 8

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 Alternate: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. . . . Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

Worth Noting: The story of Elijah’s ascension and Elisha’s assumption of his powers is strange, if not eerie. What might be the import of Elisha’s exclamation “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”?

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 Alternate: Psalm 16 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples. With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Worth Noting: Psalm 77 speaks of the relationship of the nation to their God. Probably composed during the Babylonian exile (597-539 b.c.e.), the poet laments the current situation (Psalm 77:1-2), but offers hope: The God who exercises sovereignty over nature (Psalm 77:11-13, 16-18), is the same God who delivered the people from slavery in Egypt (Psalm 77:14-15, 19-20). Does belief in God’s ultimate sovereignty give you hope in times of stress and oppression?

Second Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-25 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. . . . For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions,envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Worth Noting: Paul summarizes the whole Torah with the quotation from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” just as Jesus does (see Mark 12:31 and parallels). Does it not follow that Galatians 5:18 (“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law”) can not mean that the Christ-filled Galatians may ignore the precepts of the Torah concerning (for example) murder, adultery, and stealing? How might you make sense of what Paul is saying?

Gospel: Luke 9:51-62 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he [Jesus] set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Worth Noting: Luke 9:51 marks the opening of the second major section of Luke’s Gospel the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-19:28). Just as Jesus’ mission in Galilee opened with a rejection in Nazareth’s synagogue (Luke 4:28-30), so this second section opens with a rejection by a town in Samaria (Luke 9:52-55), prefiguring Jesus’ ultimate rejection in Jerusalem. This second section is a journey extending for ten chapters. What is there about a journey that is so appealing as metaphor of the Christian life? Do you see your spiritual life – however you define it – as a journey?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

Luke may not have recorded Jesus best day. First a Samaritan town denies him hospitality and then three individuals allow “the anxieties, and riches and pleasures of life” to “choke” off the word of God in their lives, recapitulating part of the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15). These disappointments occur just as Jesus begins his long journey to Jerusalem. In the remainder of the journey to Jerusalem, Jesus develops what it means to have the word of God bear fruit in one’s life, teaching his disciples and others, principally through miracles and parables. It is a long course in discipleship. Like Luke, the Gospel of Mark too focuses on what it means to be a disciple, but takes a decidedly different tack. Mark’s apostles, especially, never understand Jesus or his mission. Sometimes today we hear Peter referred to fondly because his obstinacy reminds us so much of ourselves. Luke’s portrayal of the disciples is less critical – Jesus never gets angry with them, for instance. They have much to learn, but they absorb their lessons well. In the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles Luke sets out to portray the infant community of Christians as unified in charity and works of mercy. Reasoned discussion resolves tensions. The Church of the first century serves as a model for all.

What Do We Want? Freedom! When Do We Want it? Now!

What is the freedom to which Christ calls Christians (Galatians 5:1, 13)? In this week’s and next week’s Lectionary selections Paul denies the Christian license to either untrammeled individuality or to unfettered sensuality (Galatians 5:19-20; 6:8) but urges the Christian to engage in the works and fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25; 6:1-10). It is a freedom from one form of slavery to another: from a slavery to the elements of this world (Galatians 4:3) to a slavery to each other (Galatians 5:13).

Why is this new slavery “freedom”? Paul assumes his hearers know. For our part, we can say: Because it is freely chosen; because it comes after a struggle to upend the slavery to the world; because it frees the Christian from the “anxieties, riches, and pleasures,” the judgments and prejudices of the world, and frees the Christian to acknowledge freely that our best selves, our real selves, are attuned to God and to service to one another and to all creation. With a sigh too deep for words, we freely relax into God’s world as an infant nestles in her mother’s arms.

Prompting Conversations

Elisha requested a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. For what would you ask a departing prophet? Is that what you would have asked for a year ago? Five years ago? What’s changed?

Before embarking on Luke’s journey of discovery about discipleship, think about what constitutes the good disciple. What are the qualities you would name? Who might exemplify each of these qualities?

Does Christianity promote freedom or does it promote obedience to a series of laws and commandments? How have you seen it play out in your life and in others’ as well?

Click here for PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 14:02:37 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 3, 2016

Proper 9

THE READINGS

Worth Noting: This is a great story. Don’t we empathize with Naaman? Do you see heroic deeds (martyrs or missionaries to war-torn lands or medical missionaries like Albert Schweitzer or Mother Theresa) as being the only truly holy deeds and work-a-day efforts as piddling in comparison?

Psalm 30 Alternate: Psalm 66:1-8 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Second Reading: Galatians 6:[1-6], 7-16 [My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves.All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride.For all must carry their own loads.Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.] Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised-- only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule-- peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Worth Noting: While who exactly Paul means by “the Israel of God” (a term not used in Judaism and appearing only here in the New Testament) is not clear, what is clear is the implication for the listeners to the letter that they are part of the Israel of God, worshipping the Lord, the God of Israel. Do Christians generally see themselves as branches on the sturdy olive tree that is Israel? (See Romans 11:17-24.)

Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.⁵Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you;cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ “But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say,‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Worth Noting: The seventy (not the twelve apostles, but “others”) are to precede Jesus in his journey. Their vocation is to bring peace, to heal, and to proclaim that the reign of God is near. Is this still the missionary’s vocation? Is that how missionaries are portrayed?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Paul claims that he can only boast in the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14). Fair enough. Jesus’ crucifixion was a climactic moment in the universe, and no human (including Paul) earned the right to boast of personal accomplishment. What does it mean, however, that “by which [or “by whom”; Paul may be referring either to the cross or to Jesus or both] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14)? Elsewhere in Galatians Paul writes that “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:19) and in Romans Paul writes “We know that our old self was crucified with him [Christ] so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6). For Christians, the cross primarily conveys the instrument of salvation or redemption. The cross also serves as a symbol of death before entering a new life. Thus Paul adds in Galatians that after the crucifixion with Christ, Paul no longer lives but Christ lives in him (Galatians 2:20) while the Romans citation claims that with the crucifixion Paul no longer lives in sin. From a different perspective, in Romans 6 Paul uses the same death and new life language when speaking of baptism (Romans 6:3-11). But in Galatians 6:14 Paul is not talking about being crucified with Christ but with the world. Most interestingly, Paul says that the world has been crucified to him. Because of the linkage between baptism and crucifixion noted above, Paul apparently believes this mutual crucifixion was accomplished at baptism. Then does Paul mean that at baptism the world dies and takes on new life, just as the new Christian does? Many would limit Paul’s reflection in Galatians 6:14 to a simple comment that Paul is referring to his death to sin and former ways of life. But he is clear here and elsewhere that the Christian participates in the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How could he not mean that the Christian also shares in the action of redemption and salvation of the world as well? Living out baptism, then, is to live out the redemption of the world.

Remember to Say “Please” and “Thank You”

Someone once said that most prayers come in two varieties: “Please! Please! Please!” and “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Praying the Psalms is Israel’s communal way of making that same point: Psalms typically open with a statement of a problem or distressful situation, followed first by acknowledgment of God’s faithfulness in saving action in the past, and then concluding with thanksgiving, in the assurance that past favors presage God’s action in the present. Ending thus means that gratitude is the most memorable section of prayer; it is the attitude one is likely to take away from praying the Psalms. As far as we know, humans are the only creatures who give thanks to God for life and all the favors associated with life. Gratitude seems to be a distinctly human activity, the vocation of every human being. That notion seems confirmed by psychologists’ reports that a daily practice of writing down three things for which we are grateful may be as powerful a cure of emotional maladies as anti-depressants. We are called to be thankful, grateful creatures.

Prompting Conversations

Namaan is cured by a simple down-home remedy. Do you find yourself wondering if holy things shouldn’t be more special? Maybe more difficult?

Have you attempted the exercise of writing down three things for which to be grateful each day? Did you perceive a change in attitude?

What might it mean if each baptism is an example of the world being crucified again to a Christian?

Click here for PDF version of the above.

Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

From Board of Directors to Spiritual Elders

FaithFormation — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 17:17:22 +0000

Christopher Ditzenberger, Rector, Saint Gabriel the Archangel Cherry Hills Village, CO A common word heard a generation or two ago was, “The pew cannot rise higher than the pulpit.” The idea that the herald of the gospel must be soaked in a regular regimen of study and prayer in order to present to the congregation mature in the sight of God is easily lost in the weekly pressures of parish ministry. Just as preparing a balanced, nutritious sermon takes forethought and space for the word to work first on the preacher’s heart and then be able to be conveyed with authenticity, so the spiritual life of leaders is not like the turning on or off of a light switch, but is something to be cultivated. Author Ruth Haley Barton is a practitioner of wisdom and spiritual discernment. Several years ago, her book Pursuing God’s Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups caught my attention. I was feeling a sense that our parish leadership wasn’t going into the depths. I lamented that I couldn’t address this very well out of my own reservoir. But, just as Jesus summoned the early disciples to put out into the deep, it felt that we were much too content with fishing the shallows. And I was with them, although I knew that deeper water summoned. The question was: were we content with our vestry being a board of directors or, in some fashion, were we being called to a place of spiritual eldership? In our case, we had already committed to becoming a learning community. That is to say, we would take the first forty-five minutes of each meeting to discuss an article or a chapter from a book that we were reading together and apply it to Saint Gabriel. These discussions were often fruitful, and I would take the ideas back to the staff or work on them in my mind over the coming month. And yet, it also seemed as if this, too, was artificial and that we could either take it or leave it. In other words, there wasn’t yet a collective conviction that we were operating as a Spirit-led community with certain non-negotiable assumptions about being spiritual elders. Barton asks whether our approach to decision making is different in the church from secular models. Is there more to becoming a church with a biblical eldership than “the perfunctory prayers that bookend the meeting”? Does our community life mean something, does it have its own integrity, independent of the financial statements, ministry reports, and arguing over the cost of sharpening the lawnmower blades, as one my clergy colleagues memorably put it? If so, how do we become that kind of community? One thing we know is that becoming a community of spiritual discernment differs dramatically from throwing on a light switch. Further, we also know that corporate leadership discernment around God’s will presumes that each person who is called to be a spiritual elder carries the potential - and responsibility - in his or her individual life to cultivate a receptivity to the Spirit of the Lord. In other words, if corporate leadership is “the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and activity of God as a leadership group relative to the issues we are facing” (italics, Barton original), it is what happens in the inbetween time, the ordinary time, in individual hearts that make up the corporate body, that allows discernment to be, truly, corporate. The practices, the rules of life, the habits of the heart – the prayer, daily office, times of meditation, or centering prayer – till the soil of the individual in such a way that when we come together, we can practice corporate leadership discernment and fulfill our calling as spiritual elders for our congregation. We are novice step-takers, to be sure. We do not always hold up well, necessarily, as a model. But now we have the conviction that unless we do this as a body of leaders, the pew cannot rise higher than the board room. If we rest content with the shallows, the potential of Christ’s calling in us will remain just that, potential. “One thing have I asked of the Lord; one thing I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” - Psalm 27:5 The Rev. Chris Ditzenberger Chris serves as the rector of Saint Gabriel the Archangel, a position he came to in 2005. Prior to this, Chris served parishes in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina and Virginia. A Colorado native, he spent four years in Washington, DC while discerning a call to ordained ministry. Chris currently serves at the Missioner for the High Plains Region. He and his wife, CJ, have two teen-aged children, and together the family enjoys fitness, athletics and exploring the Colorado outdoors.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 17:32:15 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 10, 2016

Proper 10

THE READINGS

First Reading: Amos 7:1-17 Alternate Deuteronomy 30:9-14 This is what the Lord God showed me: he was forming locusts at the time the latter growth began to sprout (it was the latter growth after the king's mowings). When they had finished eating the grass of the land, I said, “O Lord God, forgive, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” The Lord relented concerning this; “It shall not be,” said the Lord. This is what the Lord God showed me: the Lord God was calling for a shower of fire, and it devoured the great deep and was eating up the land. Then I said, “O Lord God, cease, I beg you! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!” The Lord relented concerning this; “This also shall not be,” said the Lord God. This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.” Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.For thus Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.’” And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there;but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.” Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ “Now therefore hear the word of the Lord. You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel, and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’ ^“Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword, and your land shall be parceled out by line; you yourself shall die in an unclean land, and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’”

Worth Noting: The prophet Amos twice deflects the Lord’s punishment of Israel, the northern kingdom of ten tribes of Israel. Amaziah, rather than following Amos’s example, instead blames the messenger. Aren’t we often like Amaziah – unwilling to accept criticism? How have you overcome this propensity? How do you offer criticism to forestall this reaction?

Psalm 82 Alternate: Psalm 25:1-9 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: ^“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.” Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!

Worth Noting: The poet invites the listener/reader to witness a remarkable scene, as the God of Israel, who had apportioned the lands among the many gods (see Deuteronomy 32:8-9) condemns these same gods to death, to loss of their divinity (Psalm 82:6-7), for their failure to provide justice to the poor, the weak, the oppressed. The gods have contributed to this oppression in their lands (Psalm 82:5), as the Israelites bear witness in their own bodies. At the end, the poet calls on God to control the earth in the interest of justice (Psalm 82:8).

Second Reading: Colossians 1:1-14 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospelthat has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Gospel: Luke 10:25-37 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ^“The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Worth Noting: Jesus and the lawyer engage in a perfectly respectful conversation about how to live out the Law. Do you attempt to dialogue with God over the important questions in your life? How do you discern God’s responses to your questions?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Introduction to the Letter to the Colossians

The Letter to the Colossians is a majestic, poetic text, probably written by a member of the “school of Paul” around 90 C.e. Colossae was on an important trade route from what is now southeastern Turkey to the Mediterranean at Ephesus (about 100 miles west of Colossae). Nearby were the more important cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis both of which were home to other Christian communities (Colossians 2:1; 4:13-16). As was the case with the Letter to the Galatians, the writer was concerned to warn about the dangers of false teachers. In the case of Colossians, the dangerous teaching cannot be clearly defined beyond saying that it combined belief in Christ with Jewish and Pagan ideas to build a system in which Christ was subordinated to angelic powers to whom worship was due. Against this teaching, Colossians emphasizes the primacy of Christ as the creator of all things in heaven and on earth. What scholars believe to be a pre-existing hymn sets out this teaching in elegant language (Colossian 1:15-20; next week’s second reading in the Revised Common Lectionary). Colossians sees the world as a hierarchy with Christ at its peak, angels and humans subservient to him. Problematic for many Christians is the author’s insistence that this hierarchical concept applies to human relationships as well, particularly in marriage and employment of slaves, an insistence embodied in the Household Codes (Colossians 3:18-4:1). (Indeed, the conflict of such rules with Paul’s teachings elsewhere on the equality of men and women [for examples, see Galatians 3:28 and his identification of women as his coworkers and even patrons in Romans 16], and his clever use of his personal authority to secure preferential treatment for the slave Onesimus [Letter to Philemon and Galatians 3:28 again] supports the suspicion that Paul did not author Colossians.) The Revised Common Lectionary omits the Household Codes, preferring to emphasize Colossians’ important contribution to the development of our understanding of the nature of Christ. The letter may by outlined summarily as follows: 1:1-2 Opening Formula 1:3-14 Thanksgiving and prayer for the Colossian community; praise of Christ’s sovereignty 1:15-2:23 Setting out Paul’s argument about Christ’s Lordship 1:15-20 Traditional declaration of the belief: Christ hymn 1:21-23 Application of the hymn to the community 1:24-2:5 Paul’s vocation to preach the mystery God has revealed 2:6-23 Christ’s Lordship compared with false human teachings 3:1-4:6 How to live the Christian life: Seek things above, avoid vices, and practice virtues including the household code 4:7-18 Greetings, messages, and closing

Entering into the Scriptures

The parables recounted in the Gospel of Luke end with a catch, a conclusion that defies expectations. In the story of the Good Samaritan, if you think about it, Jesus and the lawyer who engaged him both believed that one should not leave a human being on the side of the road to bleed to death. Helping the one who fell into the hands of robbers was expected of all good Jews.

Note that the man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho – away from Jerusalem and its Temple. Everyone assumes, therefore, that the man was a good Jew. Another assumption is that the priest and the Levite were going in the same direction, away from the Temple. They were not on their way to preside at Temple rituals, and were not concerned about ritual purity. Hence, there was no reason for them not to help the beaten man. The point for Jesus, the lawyer who questioned him, and the onlookers who witnessed the exchange is that the leading figures in Jewish society neglected to follow their own teachings, but a Samaritan did. In the preceding chapter of Luke, in a selection read two Sundays ago, a Samaritan town refuses to receive Jesus and his disciples because they were on their way to Jerusalem. In retaliation, James and John then asked Jesus to burn down the town. (Jesus didn’t.) Such mutual animosity between Jews and Samaritans was real and well documented outside the New Testament. Consider, then, that Jesus leads the lawyer to admit that a despised Samaritan better observes the Law than do two of the leading men of society. Consider also that Jesus’ last question, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” uses the term “neighbor” as shorthand for “one who initiated action for the benefit of another.” Two lessons Jesus teaches: We are called to see the image of a loving God in the one who is the other – especially in the hated other. Second: To neighbor is a verb.

“I know! Let’s Put on a Play!”

The parable of the Good Samaritan is by now so familiar that it simply evokes a mild glow and simple response in the listener: “Right! We should take care of someone fallen on hard times.” The story has lost Jesus’ focus not on the ethics of helping but on the character of one’s enemies. Reimagining the story helps bring out Jesus’ lesson. An amateur production of the 1970’s musical Godspell, for instance, envisioned the victim thrown to the side of a busy interstate highway. The callous priest was replaced with a hippy, guitar-playing nun in a well-decorated VW beetle. In contrast, an uncouth, beer-bellied, tobacco-chewing long-haul truck driver took precious time from his tight schedule to help someone in need. You can guess the punch line, delivered by the innkeeper: “We’ll leave the light on for you!” Parables are meant to be played with. In their rewriting, we find their original intent, and begin to see they portray a new world, God’s world. So often it defies our expectations.

Prompting Conversations

Colossians argues that nothing in the world is superior to Jesus Christ. For you, what is the toughest part of your life to submit to Christ’s Lordship? Perhaps your retirement fund? Your free time? Your family?

God called Amos from Judea to prophesy to the people in Israel, who had been estranged from their Judean cousins for a century. On their behalf, Amos talks God down from the first two acts of divine punishment. Are you willing to pray for the benefit of all your enemies? Even those closest to you – in your family, at work, within your religious community?

Think of yourself as having suffered a terrible mugging in a rough part of town. See yourself lying in an alley, battered, bruised, and bleeding but conscious. Is there anyone from any group about whom you would rather die than acknowledge “She offered help?”

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 14:34:42 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 17, 2016

Proper 11

THE READINGS

First Reading: Amos 8:1-12 Alternate Genesis 18:1-10a This is what the Lord God showed me-- a basket of summer fruit.He said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again pass them by. The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the Lord God; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!” Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds. Shall not the land tremble on this account, and everyone mourn who lives in it, and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt? On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on all loins, and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son, and the end of it like a bitter day. The time is surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land; not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.

Worth Noting: This passage relies on the similarity in sound of the Hebrew for “summer fruit” (qayiz) and the Hebrew for “final days” (qez) to make sense. The northerners among whom Amos worked probably dropped the “yi” from the former so that the sound would have been even closer. Thus, Amos sees summer fruit and the Lord God speaks of the destruction awaiting Israel on its last days.

Psalm 52 Alternate Psalm 15 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying, “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!” But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

Worth Noting: The psalmist warns us against self-reliance, rather than reliance on God. In contemporary society, we are urged to build our individual self-reliance. How do you face this tension? How highly do you value self-reliance (aka “control of the situation)?

Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-28 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers— all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Worth Noting: The author sees the completion of Christ’s afflictions in his own body for the sake of the church. The missionizing, in other words, is completing the reconciliation of the world to God. How does that work? What does it mean for your life?

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Worth Noting: Women did study with rabbis in synagogues at the time of Jesus (see Luke 13:11). Indeed, they provided financial support for the construction and maintenance of synagogues. In a similar way, in contemporary Christian communities, women are often seen as more “religious” than their male counterparts. Is this an inevitable genetic difference between men and women?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Prophet Amos

Amos, a herdsman and gardener from the smaller, southern kingdom of Judah, was called by God to prophecy to the greater, more prosperous northern kingdom of Israel (see Amos 7:12-16 in last week’s reading) sometime in the early to mid-8^th century b.c.e. During this period, the kingdom of Israel prospered, pushing its borders to their extremes, building palaces and temples throughout. Contrary to the practice of other prophets, Amos is less concerned with any idolatry than the principles of social justice among the wealthy. In the readings for this Sunday, Amos proclaims the destruction of Israel because of neglect for and exploitation of the poor and needy. These oracles against Israel are framed by oracles against the nations, Amos 1:3-2:3 and 9:7-10. Amos portrays Israel’s destiny within the context of all of the other nations and emphasizes that not membership in the Covenant but only its living out can insure prosperity. Further, God will judge the people’s righteousness based not only on their adherence to proper rituals and worship, but to their care for the poor and needy among them.

Entering into the Scriptures

Colossians 1:15-20 is the “Christ Hymn,” based on a primitive Christian song which celebrates the unique dignity of the exalted Lord. The author likely made changes to the original to more closely tie the hymn to the situation at hand. For example, verse 18a wraps up the opening praise for Christ’s role in creation, but rather than speak of Christ as head of the universe – a title that would flow naturally from the preceding verses – he is described as head of the church. Reconstructions of the original hymn represent educated guesses, but it is clear that the poem relies for its orientation on Hellenistic Jewish thought. Divine creation is emphasized as well as use of the symbol of Wisdom for Christ – the image of God, the first-born, his presence before all other creation. Proverbs 8:22-31 provides an interesting comparison with the language here. In this understanding of Christ, the poem provides a marker on the development of Christology, from any sense of an adoptionist Christology (Jesus was exalted to be the Christ at his resurrection when he was adopted by God), to a pre-existent but still probably created nature (Colossians 1:a “the first born of all creation”) on the way to the great 4^th and 5^th creeds, collectively known as the Nicene Creed. Development of Christology demonstrates the way that theologians engage Scripture to develop an understanding of the mysteries of the universe, specifically here, what does it mean to say that Jesus of Nazareth is Son of God?

The Activist Contemplative

When asked with which sister they identify, many, if not a majority of modern Christians, say “Martha,” the sister who provides food and shelter. And, indeed, in last week’s Gospel selection, Jesus leads a lawyer to affirm that the Law is fulfilled when one cares for the physical needs of the neighbor. In this week’s Gospel, does Jesus backpedal on that commandment, denigrating Martha’s active hospitality? After all, she is serving as a deacon in this ministry. It is unlikely that Jesus, Luke, or Luke’s audience saw Jesus’ response to Martha’s complaint as demeaning the ministry of hospitality. One thing is clear, however: Martha has too much on her plate, as Jesus tells her “You are worried and distracted by many things” (Luke 10:41). In contemporary parlance, was she trying to multitask – to listen to Jesus while preparing the food? Was she preparing more food than necessary? Was she too concerned about how Jesus would like the food – something over which she had no control – rather than whether she was preparing the food as well as she could – something over which she did have control? In any case, Mary, Martha and all Christians are called to emulate Jesus as activist contemplatives, serving the world but always tending to their own spiritual development. Luke remembers how Jesus engaged in solitary prayer (e.g., Luke 9:18, 11:1), urged his disciples to pray (e.g., Luke 18:1), and healed the sick (e.g., Luke 5:17, 6:18). In the aphorism attributed to Ignatius Loyola “Pray as if everything depended on God; work as if everything depends on you.”

Prompting Conversations

God called Amos to leave his profession, his family, and his nation to prophecy to another people. Have you experienced a call to a new kind of ministry? How did it come to you? How did you respond?

With which sister – Mary the student or Martha the homemaker – do you most identify? Do you see yourself as embodying both?

Is Martha an example of one who is overly self-reliant? Even though Jesus says that “Mary has chosen the better part” (Luke 10 :42), do you have a suspicion that she is too concerned with her own education at the expense of caring for others?

Click here for a PDF Version of the above Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 12:57:27 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 24, 2016

Proper 12

First Reading: Hosea 1:2-10 Alternate: Genesis 18:20-32 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.”So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.” She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, “Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them.But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.” When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God. “Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’”

Worth Noting: The Hebrew word “lo” negates the accompanying concept. So “Lo-ruhamah” is “Not-compassionate” and Lo-ammi” “Not-my-people.” The Lord is threatening to walk away from God’s people. Some may experience this as the “dark night of the soul.” Have you ever felt god-forsaken? If you were able to move through it, what helped you to do so?

Psalm 85 Alternate: Psalm 138 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.

Worth Noting: The psalmist gives us a picture of shalom, pairing steadfast love with faithfulness (aspects of love) and righteousness with peace (aspects of justice) (Psalm 85:10). All four attributes, attitudes, and actions are required for shalom, wholeness in the world. In our world racked by divisions and violence, where do you see these qualities embodied? How do you promote them?

Second Reading: Colossians 2:6-15, [16-19] As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him,rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses,erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. [ Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.]

Worth Noting: This passage hits the heart of the message to the Colossians: Do not become overly involved with the popular philosophies swirling around your city right now. Stick to the message taught to you. Is this the same as a mother’s advice against being swayed by the crowd?

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Worth Noting: Do you think that Jesus meant that anyone who asked for a fish in fact would get the fish? Or did he mean that God would not provide a poisonous fish look-a-like if petitioned for a fish? Is that how parents work: Do they always give what the child asks for?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Prophet Hosea

Hosea prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel at about the same time as the prophet Amos was active there. Hosea differed from Amos in his origin (a native of Israel rather than of Judea) and in his emphasis (declaiming against idolatry rather than social injustices). Hosea’s mission ended a few years before Assyria conquered Israel, destroyed Samaria palaces and places of worship, and transported the people out of the Land, scattering them around the vast Assyrian Empire (722 b.c.e.). Hosea is perhaps best known for using the metaphor of marriage for the relationship between the Lord and Israel. Too much effort is wasted on the question “Did Hosea really marry Gomer?” because it misses Hosea’s objective, to equate the patriarchal leaders of Israel with an unfaithful wife. They became, in the eyes of Hosea, shameless. In a society built on honor and shame, nothing could be worse. The Revised Common Lectionary includes one more reading from Hosea, from chapter 11, next week. There, Hosea’s metaphor for the relationship between the Lord and Israel shifts from aggrieved husband-cheating wife to nurturing parent-obstreperous child. Like any parent, the Lord there finds it difficult to hand Israel over to punishment for its sins, even the punishment provided in the Law. That is a discussion for next week.

Entering into the Scriptures

Warning: Aspiring Greek language nerds may find this essay interesting. Other people: not so much. Best go directly to the essay below. Both Luke and also Matthew in their versions of the Lord’s Prayer use the Greek word epiousios. Since epiousios only appears in the Bible in these two places (Luke 11:3 and Matthew 6:11), and is found nowhere else in ancient Greek (therefore a hapax legomenon – a word appearing but a single time), it becomes extraordinarily difficult to translate it into English. The New Revised Standard Version – and essentially every other major English version – translates it as “daily,” in the phrase “daily bread.” The English translation tradition probably has been influenced by the Latin Vulgate which uses cotidianus, “daily,” here. As the Vulgate was produced around 400 c.e., a time much closer to the original than are we, following its direction makes some sense. On the other hand, German and French choose to translate epiousios with the equivalents of “necessary.” If that route is taken, then the phrase reads “Give us each day our necessary bread.” Using “necessary” consciously limits the amount of bread requested to just that amount needed for one day. There will be no surplus. There now! That wasn’t so bad, was it?

“Your Kingdom Come”

In the Lord’s prayer, we petition for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Should we beware what we pray for? What if our prayers were answered? For what are we actually praying? What would change if the reign of God came right now, this week, in the year of our Lord 2016? Would the United Kingdom still be preparing to leave the European Union, the United States to hold national elections on November 1, and the Chicago White Sox to win the World Series? Would anyone care anymore? In other words, how do we envision the reign of God for which we pray: Is it an entirely new world? On what is it based? (Of more moment, will these questions ever stop?) Just remember: Jesus also said “The kingdom of God is among you” (Luke 11:20; 17:21). So why do we even need to pray for its coming if it is already here?

Prompting Conversations

Christian thinkers through the ages have adopted ideas and systems from their secular colleagues to help understand and explain the Christian mysteries. The author of Colossians, on the other hand, worries about the philosophy of the world damaging the Gospel message. Do you see a need to navigate between the wonders of modern science and philosophy on the one hand and Christian beliefs on the other? How do you do that?

How do you picture the reign of God? How do you hasten its coming?

Does it make sense to only pray for our daily, immediately necessary needs or should we pray for a surplus, above and beyond our immediate needs, for a rainy-day fund? What about a surplus from which to make charitable contributions?

Click here for printable version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 15:31:38 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 31, 2016

Proper 13

First Reading: Hosea 11:1-11 Alternate: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals, and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with bands of love. I was to them like those who lift infants to their cheeks. I bent down to them and fed them. They shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword rages in their cities, it consumes their oracle-priests, and devours because of their schemes. My people are bent on turning away from me. To the Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. They shall go after the Lord, who roars like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west. They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.

Worth Noting: Here, perhaps for the first time, God expresses a love for Israel like a parent for a child (Hosea 11:1). Hosea sees this as a positive since despite all Israel’s misdeeds (Hosea 11:2-7) and because God is God (Hosea 11:9), God will restrain Israel’s punishment. Past experiences can make the metaphor of God and parent difficult for some to relate to positively. How else would you compare the love of God for God’s people? Perhaps spouses for each other? Patriot for country? Aunt for niece?

Psalm 107:1-9, 43 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things. Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Worth Noting: Psalm 107 exemplifies a thanksgiving psalm, with its clear thanksgiving for something specific, here, deliverance from being lost in the desert. In your community’s prayers, do prayers of thanksgiving predominate? Are y’all not grateful?

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things-- anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

Worth Noting: The author exhorts the readers/listeners to realize that through baptism they are united with Christ and through Christ with God. A way of life free of sin and deception must follow, for all are one in Christ. How do you see your baptism impacting your life? Do you believe it unites you with all other Christians? How does that realization impact your life?

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Worth Noting: What do you suppose Luke thought the farmer should have done with his crops? When Egypt enjoyed seven years of surplus, Joseph oversaw the construction of grain warehouses in anticipation of days of want (Genesis 41). Why isn’t that a good model for any farmer?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Gospel of Thomas

The Revised Common Lectionary selects readings from the canonical Bible. With over 60 texts to choose from, there is no need to go outside the limits of the Bible for additional texts and lessons. Nevertheless, publicity of the discovery of texts from early Christian communities has excited many to see how they inform us of the beliefs and practices of these communities. One such text is the Gospel of Thomas, a compilation of 114 sayings and parables attributed to Jesus, generally introduced by the simple phrase, “Jesus said.” The text itself has been recovered in two versions, a longer Coptic (ancient Egyptian) and a Greek. The text lacks many features of the canonical Gospels – a narrative flow, accounts of miracles, and accounts of the birth, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. Over 70 of the sayings, however, have strong parallels with passages in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), including Jesus’ two statements in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 12:14-15 parallels Thomas Saying 72 and Luke 16-21 Thomas 63). The parallels have prompted a debate on whether Thomas represents an early collection of Jesus’ teaching, independent of the Synoptic Gospels, or a later text dependent on them. One can dodge the scholarly controversy by reading it on its own terms, as the product of a Christian community with a distinctive form of Christianity. They remembered Jesus as a teacher of the wisdom necessary to restore one to the original state God intended in the Garden of Eden. The lack of an account of the death suggests that this community did not see the crucifixion as central for salvation. At the same time, a sense of a still-living Jesus is enhanced by the omission of accounts of his resurrection and ascension. Thus, to be saved is to follow the teachings of the Palestinian wisdom teacher who remains in the midst of the community.

Entering into the Scriptures

Wealth in the first century Mediterranean economy rested first and foremost on agriculture. Annual income depended less on one’s own skill and effort than luck and the exploitation of labor. As to luck, we must recall that farming techniques and technology advanced hardly at all over long centuries. An unexpected bumper crop, one overflowing existing warehouses, was not the consequence of investing in new equipment, sowing improved seeds, or applying better fertilizers, but propitious weather patterns. It hardly needs saying that the rich man would not have worked the fields himself. Tenant farmers, slaves, and itinerant workers did the cultivating. Contrary to the teachings of the Hebrew Scriptures and though the rich man arguably contributed nothing to this unexpected bonanza, not only did he not share his windfall with others, he did not even offer thanks. Rightly readers attribute covetousness and greed, equated with idolatry in the reading from Colossians (Colossians 3:5), to this gross insensitivity. Equally may it be said that misplaced arrogance – “This is mine, all mine; I earned it and plan to do with it as I will” – played its part in the man’s head. Together, greed and pride kept him from community with God and neighbor.

Rich Towards the Infinitely Rich

As people who fought a bloody war over grammar (“Should we say ‘The United States is’ or ‘the United States are?’”), we may be perplexed by the locution “those who . . . are not rich towards God.” What does Jesus mean, to be “rich toward God”? We might think that Luke is warning those who are not generous towards God. But wealth and generosity are almost polar opposites in the Gospel of Luke – the rich are not generous. On the other hand, God is infinitely rich and generous towards us. When we are infinitely generous, are we rich towards God? Consider the judgment of the nations recounted in Matthew 25:31-46. There the Son of Man equates his own person with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. Sharing harvests, whether of one’s doing or not, is being rich towards God as God is rich towards us.

Prompting Conversations

How do you view early Christianity – as a unified community growing together in faith or as a dispersed collection of communities with diverse beliefs and practices? How does your view impact your view of the current diversity of expressions of Christianity, from isolated communities focusing solely on the Bible to worldwide communities with heritage of elaborate theologies and organizations?

In the second reading, Colossians equates greed and idolatry. Does that seem right to you? How would that work?

Fear of disasters (loss of jobs, crop failures, market crashes) can also make us reluctant to share our wealth with others. Do you see a combination of greed, pride, and fear impacting your use of wealth? How do you combat them?

Click here for PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 14:01:05 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for August 7, 2016

First Reading: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 Alternate: Genesis 15:1-6 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. . . . Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation – I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Worth Noting: Like Amos the northern prophet, Isaiah the prophet of the Lord in Jerusalem demands right actions on the part of the covenant people. Prayer and worship are all well and good, but it is to action, doing justice, caring for the orphan and widow, avoiding evil that God calls the people. How do prayer and worship, communal and solitary, strengthen your resolve to act as Isaiah demands?

Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23 Alternate Psalm 33:12-22 The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. “Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God. Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me. “Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver. Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

Worth Noting: In the Ancient Near East, people believed sacrifices fed the gods. Contrary to this, Psalm 50 considers sacrifice an act of thanksgiving within and for the covenantal relationship. Do you see self-sacrifice as thanksgiving within any relationship important to you?

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. . . . By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going.By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old – and Sarah herself was barren – because he considered him faithful who had promised.Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.” All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Worth Noting: The virtue of faith, as expressed in Hebrews, has two aspects: a soldier-like obedient fidelity and a trust in a vision of reality suffused with God’s promises. Abraham embodied both aspects, obediently journeying to a land unknown, obediently procreating even in old age, while energized with the vision of God’s promises before them. Is this how you would define “faith”? Do you know people who today embody faith in this way?

Gospel: Luke 12:32-40 [Jesus said to his disciples:] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Worth Noting: Jesus demands that his disciples be single-hearted, that they attend to the kingdom of God, heaven to Luke’s community (Luke 12:33). “Focus people! No multi-tasking!” How does that work for all of those who have to work for a living?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Letter to the Hebrews

Who wrote Hebrews, when it was written, where it was written, and to whom it was written are all matters for analysis and debate. No author is cited within the letter, and the tradition that named Paul as author is now widely rejected. Scholars have proposed dates from pre-70 to 140 c.e. Many argue it was written in Jerusalem to the community in Rome; others, with equal force, argue the opposite, that it was written in Rome to Jerusalem.

Two things are clear. First, the author and the addressees were both thoroughly grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures. Secondly, the author wants to impress upon his audience the significance of Jesus Christ and the values that his readers should share with him. Hebrews is a long sermon focusing on the ongoing life of individuals and congregations. Like any good sermon, Hebrews balances theological expositions, usually based on an exegesis of passages from the Old Testament, with exhortations to a faith-filled life. Herewith a brief outline of the text. Introduction 1:1-4 Christ’s name superior to all others 1:5-2:18 Jesus is faithful and compassionate 3:1-5:10 The central teaching about Jesus 5:11-10:39

Exhortation 6:11-6:20 Jesus high priest according to the order of Melchizedek 7:1-28 Jesus perfected 8:1-9:28 Jesus brings eternal salvation 10:1-18 Concluding exhortation 10:19-39

Faith and endurance, as exemplified by the ancients, needed now 11:1-12:13 The peaceful fruit of justice 12:14-13:19 Conclusion 13:20-21 Over the course of the three-year cycle, the Revised Common Lectionary takes 21 readings from Hebrews. This year, the Lectionary takes four readings, from the start of chapter 11 to near its end, a section devoted primarily to the principles of the Christian life.

Entering into the Scriptures

When Luke wrote this Gospel, technological change was slow. For most people, generations followed generations engaged in the same subsistence farming cycle of sowing, cultivating, and harvesting. The future would be the same as the past. The influential Stoic philosophers argued, in fact, that after a great cataclysm, the world would be reformed and history would repeat itself exactly as if first occurred. (In the July, 2016 reprise, I will be sitting at exactly this desk writing exactly this piece.) This was not the Jewish understanding of history, however. Jewish time began with the creation of the universe and is pointed like an arrow to the arrival of the reign of the Messiah who will restore justice and peace.

This view of history informs the flow of the Gospel reading. In his instruction to be ready for action in Luke 12:35 (usually translated “Gird your loins” rather than “dress for action”), Jesus evokes the Passover meal, when the Hebrew people were commanded: “This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand . . .” (Exodus 12:11). To bring to mind an event in the past was understood to re-member it, to participate once more in its actions. Then in the following verses, Jesus moves from re-membering this event in Jewish history to expecting the second coming of Jesus in the end times (Luke 12:36). Thus, Jesus speaks in the present bringing together the past and the future, modeling the divine perspective of time as the eternal Now.

“Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”

How shall we save the world? Many Christians and Jews see their call as promoting social justice. They respond literally to the prophet Isaiah’s call to “do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Others believe that the individual should concentrate first and foremost on personal piety. God will set right the evils of the world. It is not our role to do so.

This week’s Scripture all seem to come down on one side. As noted above, the prophet Isaiah maintains that ritual sacrifices are meaningless to the Lord. The letter to the Hebrews holds up the example of the actions of faithful Abraham. Luke remembers Jesus saying “Sell your possessions, and give alms” (Luke 12:33). In none of these nor in the Psalm does there appear a concern about personal piety or purity. Rather the message seems to be “Get on with it! Keep putting one foot in front of the other!” Does this mean that the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have dedicated their lives to the monastic life have rejected their obligations to the world? The notion of the eternal, divine Now helps resolve this problem. When we pray and when we act, we are always acting and praying in God’s Now. Our prayers and our actions are indistinguishable to God.

Prompting Conversations

Over-scheduling is the bane of the modern life. Multi-tasking is often the antidote. The wise of every religious tradition urge us to focus on the Now. How do you focus on one task at a time when many tasks are pressing?

Why do we pray? Does it somehow improve God’s life, make God happier?

Why do we help others? Does it improve God’s life? What do we gain if the hungry are fed (for example)? (Note: You may see socio-political advantages to having a well fed population.)

Click here for printable PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 14:01:24 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for August 14, 2016

Proper 15

First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7 Alternate: Jeremiah 23:23-29 ¹Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. ²He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. ³And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. ⁴What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? ⁵And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. ⁶I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. ⁷For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!

Worth Noting: Biblical writers (including Jesus) used the metaphor of a vineyard for the covenanted people, as Isaiah did here. Why would this be appropriate? How is it less than a perfect metaphor?

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 Alternate: Psalm 82

¹Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth ²before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! ⁸You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. ⁹You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. ¹⁰The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches; ¹¹it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River. ¹²Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? ¹³The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it. ¹⁴Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, ¹⁵the stock that your right hand planted. ¹⁶They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance. ¹⁷But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself. ¹⁸Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. ¹⁹Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Worth Noting: The Psalmist is convinced that the terrible times that Judea and Jerusalem are experiencing come from God’s actions. The people have sinned and are now suffering the consequences from God’s own hand. Do you believe that God brings wars, disease, and communal strife upon us because we are sinners? If not, have you an alternative explanation for these calamities, especially natural ones?

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:29-12:2 ^11:29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned.³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.³¹By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. ³²And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,³⁴quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.³⁵Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection.³⁶Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.³⁷They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented –³⁸of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. ³⁹Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised,⁴⁰since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. ^12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,²looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Worth Noting: In this passage, “faith” seems to be the interaction between humans and God. Humans faithfully live in the covenant, relying on God’s promise; God is faithful to promises made. Are there divine promises are important to you?

Gospel: Luke 12:49-56 [Jesus said:] ⁴⁹“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!⁵⁰I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!⁵²From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three;⁵³they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in -law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” ⁵⁴He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens.⁵⁵And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens.⁵⁶You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

Worth Noting: This is not your kumbayah Jesus, but the Jesus acknowledging the inevitable disruption when people change. Students of family dynamics easily document the strife that emanates from a change in the status of anyone in the family, even when the change is positive. Have you been afraid to make a step that would disrupt the dynamics in your family (family of origin; of marriage; of choice)? Did you do so anyway? How did you navigate the changes and uncertainties?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Bible is full of the tension between God’s justice and God’s mercy. The readings from Isaiah, Psalm 80, and Hebrews, for instance, presume that the reader/listener understands that the joys and sorrows, trials and triumphs the Israelites experienced were all sent by God in response to their actions. They were rewarded for faithfulness and punished for sins, especially idolatry. Both the inexpressible joy of the Exodus and the unfathomable sorrow of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by Babylonia show the hand of a justly judging God at work. God’s mercy is evoked by the prophets and the psalmists. In a penitential psalm, the poet cries “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:). In last week’s reading from Hosea (11:9), the psalmist follows the divine indictment of Jerusalem with these words: “I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath” Because clearly undeserved trials are visited on the innocent (infant deformities; the murder of Anne Frank), this worldview is not especially well received in contemporary thought. Nor did all the Scripture writers find this an especially compelling view of God. The Book of Job, perhaps the most subversive text in the Bible, challenges this view with a story of a righteous one undergoing horrible afflictions (especially self-righteous friends). Psalm 13 (“The Unlucky Psalm”) gives the afflicted words to demand from God deliverance from God’s turning away, hiding the divine face from the supplicant. Perhaps the power of the Bible lies precisely in its ambiguity. The Bible provides images and words to express life’s most profound moments to God.

“It’s Just Not Fair!”

Teenagers are particularly sensitive to issues of justice. Ever notice how quickly they react to injustice against themselves or classmates by teachers? “That’s not fair!” is a favorite cry. Parents respond: “Life’s not fair!” but we hope we are wrong. We hope that life is fair, that justice will be established. Recognizing our own failings, we probably have ambivalent feelings about punishment of sinners, but we surely want to see the righteous rewarded for their efforts. After all, as graduation speakers and motivational gurus never tire of telling us, “Follow your passion! You can achieve anything you put your mind to.” To some extent, this relies on the belief that God will reward the righteous. For some, the corollary is also true: The successful are the righteous.

Prompting Conversations

Jesus and the gospel writers lived in a predominantly agrarian culture where talk about vines and vineyards made sense. We are in a predominantly urban and suburban culture. Are there other metaphors that might replace the vine and vineyard?

Is it your expectation that you can accomplish whatever it is you most want to do? Would you advise any young person coming along that this is true?

Do you see God’s justice as more important than God’s mercy? For you? For those who may wish you harm?

Click here for PDF of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Reflection

FaithFormation — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 13:49:34 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for August 21, 2016

Proper 16

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10 Alternate: Isaiah 58:9b-14 ⁴Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁵“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” ⁶Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” ⁷But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. ⁸Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” ⁹Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Worth Noting: This scene follows the classic pattern of a prophet’s call: God calls (appointment as prophet to the nations), the called raises an objection (I’m too young!), and God provides a sign of reassurance (putting words into Jeremiah’s mouth). Have you experienced a call to a vocation or position which you at first declined? Did you end up taking it? What changed your mind?

Psalm 71:1-6 Alternate: Psalm 103:1-8 ¹In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. ²In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. ³Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. ⁴Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. ⁵For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. ⁶Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.

Worth Noting: No longer young, the poet remembers his youthful faithfulness to and reliance on God’s promises. Do you expressly and intentionally rely on God as you did as a youth?

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29 ¹⁸You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest,¹⁹and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them.²⁰(For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.”²¹Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”)²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,²³and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. ²⁵See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven!²⁶At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.”²⁷This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken – that is, created things – so that what cannot be shaken may remain.²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe;²⁹for indeed our God is a consuming fire. Gospel: Luke 13:10-17 Now he [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.¹¹And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”¹³When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” ¹⁵But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?¹⁶And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?”¹⁷When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Worth Noting: Whether or not the teachers of Judaism in Jesus’ day really believed that healing broke the sabbath commandment, need not detain us here. Contemporary Christians need to reflect on the question: How do I honor the command to “Keep the Sabbath holy”? How do I celebrate the sabbath as a day set apart, different, from the other six days?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Prophet Jeremiah

The prophet Jeremiah spoke the word of the Lord to the people of Judea for about 25 years (some scholars say 20; others 30) from (say) 620 b.c.e. to 590 b.c.e. It was a tumultuous time, opening with the efforts by the kings of Judea (southern kingdom) to reestablish political and religious control over the northern region (formerly the kingdom of Israel; conquered by Assyria in 722), and concluding with Jeremiah’s flight to Egypt with some Judean leaders from Babylonia-occupied Jerusalem. Jeremiah, son of the priest, Hilkiah, probably began a career as a professional prophet in his mid- to late-teens. For much of the time, the Judean kings were dealing with their perilous international situation, particularly the ever-looming threat from the emerging regional superpower, Babylon. Through most of this crisis, Jeremiah prophesied that the Judeans had broken the covenant with the Lord and the Babylonians were agents of the will of the Lord God, making resistance futile. His warnings were not well received ether by the court, other prophets, priests of the Temple, or his family, landing him in prison more than once. While his warnings were of disaster, Jeremiah also spoke words of consolation to the people in exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-23; 31:1-25). To the people remaining in the Land, gave a sign of hope when he purchased a farm in his hometown though the land was under siege (Jeremiah 32:7-15). Because no one recorded Jeremiah’s words as he spoke them, the collection we have in the Book of Jeremiah is not necessarily published in chronological order. To establish some rough approximation of the actual chronology, the Revised Common Lectionary “bounces around,” with texts from later chapters interspersed with earlier. Also because of the somewhat helter-skelter editing, any outline of the book is far too complicated for an easy distillation for Journeying. Instead, the reader is asked to remember the turbulent times in which Jeremiah worked, the self-serving reception of his message, and his faithful commitment to the Word of God as he knew it.

Entering into the Scriptures

If for no other reason than to appreciate the New Testament, Christians do well to study the Old Testament; the Letter to the Hebrews is one of the reasons why. The writer simply assumes that the reader/listener understands the comparison being made between the Hebrew people standing at the foot of Mt Sinai and themselves. Starting at Hebrews 12:18 (“You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest”) the author creatively paraphrases Deuteronomy 4:11 (parallel at Exodus 20:18), Exodus 19:16, Exodus 19:12-13, and Deuteronomy 9:19. These passages recall the sense of awe and wonder – what the Biblical authors referred to as “fear of the Lord” – that accompanied the reception of the Ten Commandments. Beginning in early Christianity, some insisted that the Old Testament should be read as the predecessor to the New Testament, if at all. And, it is true, the example above shows how thoroughly the New Testament writers infused their work with allusions and implicit references to the Old Testament. Understanding their allusions requires a better than nodding acquaintance with these older Scriptures. Beyond that, these more ancient Scriptures record a people’s experience of the divine over a tumultuous period of 700 years. The texts were the social media of those seven centuries, recording the highs and lows, successes and failures of the people, along with the hard won wisdom that came from their efforts. They record the emotions and thoughts of a people for whom God was immediately present, and with whom they interacted every day, sometimes in love, sometimes in thanksgiving, sometimes in petition, sometimes in despair, and sometimes in anger. They knew that their God, the God whose face no one could see, was a big enough God to take all of their emotions.

“Keep Holy the Sabbath Day”

My first course for a graduate degree in religious studies was taught by an Orthodox rabbi (in a Baptist seminary for credit in a traditionally Methodist seminary). One of our rabbi’s teachings was that Christians have lost the practice of honoring the sabbath. Perhaps Christians take such stories as this Gospel’s account of the confrontation between Jesus and the synagogue leader as warrant for business as usual on the sabbath. In addition, as Western societies have become more diverse – both less religiously observant and more diverse religiously – the practice of a true sabbath day becomes increasingly difficult. Sundays, the traditional Christian sabbath, feels very much like Saturday (or Wednesday – except that public schools are closed – for that matter). What has been lost might be experienced in neighborhoods with sizable population of Sabbath-observant Jews. There, each Saturday, families walk to the local synagogue past closed stores. They spend the day visiting friends and relatives, reading, and resting. No shopping at the mall. No youth sports. No television, no social media. Everything face-to-face. Is it any wonder that Jewish women welcome Queen Sabbath and Jews honor the Sabbath as a gift from God?

Prompting Conversations

Have you experienced an unexpected call to service? Could you foresee the necessity to upset family, friends, and acquaintances? Was there nevertheless a sense of assurance about the call?

Do you read the Old Testament as Scripture, offering material for reflection on your personal and civic life?

How do you celebrate the Sabbath? Is it a day unlike others?

Click here for printable PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 13:22:28 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for August 28, 2016 Proper 17

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-13 Alternate: Sirach 10:12-18 or Proverbs 25:6-7 4Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? 6 They did not say, “Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?” 7 I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. 8 The priests did not say, “Where is the LORD?” Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit. 9 Therefore once more I accuse you, says the LORD, and I accuse your children's children. 10 Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. 12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD, 13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

Worth Noting: Through Jeremiah, the LORD accuses and convicts Israel of idolatry and stupidity, for stupidly chasing after false gods. Perhaps it’s a banal question, but one we must ask ourselves regularly: What have become the empty gods in my life? Where do I look for water apart from the God of creation and deliverance?

Psalm 81:1, 10-16 Alternate Psalm 112 1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob. 10 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. 11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. 13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! 14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes. 15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever. 16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Worth Noting: Central to this psalm is the imperative that the covenant people listen to the instruction of the LORD, their God (Psalm 81:8, 11, 13). Before one can truly be faithful, one must listen to God’s instruction (“torah” in Hebrew). In our noisy culture, how do you hear God’s instruction for you?

Second Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 1Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6 So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” 7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. . . . 15Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Worth Noting: We live at a time of great distrust of leaders, including religious leaders. Were religious leaders important in forming your character? How so? How about now: Is there one (or more) on whom you rely?

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14 1On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. 7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 12 He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Worth Noting: Be honest: With whom in this story do you most closely identify? Perhaps you enjoy entertaining and identify with the host of the party. With one who sits at the top or bottom of the table? With the crippled, the lame, and the blind? With Jesus? For that character, what is Luke’s message?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The selections from Jeremiah and Psalm 81 stress the importance of memory by the covenant people of their history and of the way that the covenant works. In both, the people are asked to remember God’s mighty deed bringing their ancestors out of Egypt and into the promised land (though that portion of Psalm 81, verses 6-7, is deleted from our reading). The readings emphasize that first came God’s selection of the people, then God’s mighty deeds, and then the covenant with the people. The first response to the covenant is to listen: Listen to what God instructs the people to do, a response that every generation must repeat. From listening, the people are urged to follow the law, preeminently to worship only the LORD God. In the sequence selection-covenant-instruction-response, “understanding” or “rationalizing” the purpose of the law is neither required nor expected. It is in the doing of the Law that the people are to discover its meaning, as seen in Exodus 24:7: “Then Moses took and proclaimed the book of the covenant to the people; and they said, ‘All that the LORD spoke we will do, and we will understand’” (my translation). We moderns want religion to be rational, so we look for sociological or medical reasons to explain God’s reasoning for forbidding eating certain foods, forbidding mixing linen and wool, or enjoining worship of only one God when there are so many attractive gods around. This attitude has scant basis in history. The Old Testament affirms that God gave the Law not as a way to preserve health but to establish God’s own covenanted people, a people set apart, a holy people.

On Avoiding Embarrassing Moments When Dining Out

Are Jesus’ instructions on behavior at a dinner party anything more than good advice on how to avoid being embarrassed? Why are they included in a Gospel? Maybe it’s a literary trick by Luke, who is well known for his artful story telling. The first paragraph of this selection (how to act at a banquet) might have come from Proverbs or from any number of instructional texts for young men entering the great world. Interesting stuff but not novel. So imagine the jolt to Luke’s audience from Jesus’ closing instructions: Don’t invite your friends to dinner, instead invite the down-and-out, the beggars, the impoverished. Why? Because they will never repay your kindness. Now that is counter-cultural!

Prompting Conversations

Are you one who demands rationality throughout the Bible? Do you accept miracles but not irrational laws? Can God’s love for creation be explained rationally?

The Letter to the Hebrews (Hebrews 13:3) calls us to empathize with those in prison or being tortured. Do you find it easy to empathize with the imprisoned, the tortured, the hungry, the homeless?

Ways to feed the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind include inviting persons home for a meal, delivering sandwiches to the homeless, and providing financial support for organizations involved with nutrition. Such actions as these and many more are needed. Which do you find most satisfying?

Click here for downloadable PDF version of the above.

Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 15:10:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for September 4, 2016

Proper 18

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-11 Alternate: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ^18:1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:²“Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.”³So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel.⁴The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. ⁵Then the word of the Lord came to me:^{6 “}Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done?” says the Lord. “Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.⁷At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,⁸but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it.⁹And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,¹⁰but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it.¹¹Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.’”

Worth Noting: The God for whom Jeremiah speaks changes directions. Unlike the God of the philosophers who is unchangeable and never changes his mind, the Lord may decide to punish or to relent depending on humans’ behavior. Is such a God more accessible to you? Is that image of God why you pray?

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 Alternate: Psalm 1 ^139:1O Lord, you have searched me and known me. ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. ³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. ⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. ¹³For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. ¹⁷How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸I try to count them – they are more than the sand; I come to the end – I am still with you.

Worth Noting: Knowing, by God and the singer, how wonderfully God made the singer serves as a recurrent theme in these verses, appearing five times (Psalm 139:1, 2, 4, 6, 14). Is it always good to be known by God? (Ask Job.)

Second Reading: Philemon 1-21 ¹Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker,²to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God⁵because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus.⁶I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.⁷I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. ⁸For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty,⁹yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love-- and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.¹⁰I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment.¹¹Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me.¹²I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.¹³I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel;¹⁴but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced.¹⁵Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever,¹⁶no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother-- especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. ¹⁷So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.¹⁸If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.¹⁹I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.²⁰Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.²¹Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

Worth Noting: Paul writes a (poor) pun in this letter. The Greek name of the slave, Onesimus, may be translated “Useful One,” a common slave name in Paul’s day. In verse 11 Paul says that now Onesimus will really be useful! How does humor work in proclaiming the Gospel? If it’s effective, why don’t we have books on “Jesus’ Fifty Greatest Jokes”?

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33 ^14:25Now large crowds were traveling with him; and he turned and said to them,²⁶“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.²⁷Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?²⁹Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him,³⁰saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’³¹Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?³²If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.³³So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”

Worth Noting: Huh? How does Jesus’ saying on possessions (Luke 14:33) follow from the rest of the material? If we take Jesus at his word, who is Jesus’ disciple? What might it mean to give up all your possessions?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Letter to Philemon

Philemon is the shortest and (hence) probably most popular of Paul’s letters. Paul really puts the pressure on Philemon and Apphia (apparently Philemon’s wife and therefore the day-to-day manager of the household slaves) to act as brother and sister to Onesimus. The Lectionary omits verse 22 which adds more pressure: “One thing more-- prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you.” The clear implication of all of this is that Paul, who claims to be Philemon’s patron (verse 19: “I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.”), plans to show up soon to make sure that Onesimus is treated as a sibling. Following that, should Philemon and Apphia free Onesimus? If they do, will the other slaves then run to be baptized too? Then what?

Entering into the Scriptures

The Bible often provides very mixed guidance on how to deal with current social issues. On slavery, the Old Testament simply assumes that slaves are everywhere and provides laws for their treatment. The New Testament teaching is more ambiguous. The letters traditionally attributed to Paul have a wide range of views. Most readers conclude from the Letter to Philemon that Paul opposed Christians holding slaves. This could be reinforced by such passages as Galatians 3:28 and 1 Corinthians 12:13, in which Paul teaches that in Christ there is neither slave nor free, that all are one in Christ. On the other hand, there are other letters – and these are included among the “Disputed Letters of Paul” – that uphold the institution of slavery, urging slaves to submit quietly to the master, even to the point of mute submission to flogging (for example, Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9). The Gospels, written about the same time as these disputed letters, are silent on the institution of slavery, generally acknowledging the institution without comment. (Jesus, as did Paul and other early Christian writers, urged his followers to be slaves to each other, but this is understood as metaphorical language. See, for instance, Matthew 20:27: “. . . whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave”). Christians now look to the Undisputed Letters of Paul (especially Philemon) along with Jesus’ general attitude of equality of all to condemn all forms of slavery. As a result of actions by Christians and others, slavery has been outlawed in most countries of the world. The mixed Biblical message on it, however, should give everyone pause when looking to the Bible for a single, clear, simple directive on other social questions.

How Hard Is It for a Rich Man to Enter the Kingdom of God?

Few of Jesus’ teachings are as hard as the call for disciples to give up all possessions. Jesus certainly demanded this of his first disciples, Peter, James, and John, and Acts of the Apostles claims that the first Christians held all things in common. On the other hand, ancient rabbis argued that we should earn income and hold some wealth in order to have something to give away.

Perhaps we should consider what it means to “hold possessions.” It might not mean to have complete dominion over our assets. Instead, what if our actions support an attitude that we only hold possessions in stewardship for the whole world, that the things we use to live and we hold for the future, are not ours at all? What if we act as if they belong to God and our vocation is to make the best use of them for the common good? Each of us is, in other words, holds our assets like a bank’s trust officer, charged with conserving and cultivating a portfolio of assets for the good of the beneficiary. To be sure, we are entitled to sustain ourselves and our families with a portion of the income produced. While the proper portion will always be a question, the ultimate destination of the assets never.

Prompting Conversations

Can we change God’s mind from punishment to reward, or the reverse? Or does God never change God’s own mind? Does it make any difference in your life?

Do you use the Bible to help form your attitudes and actions on current social issues? How do you do so?

Do you see yourself as a steward or “trust officer” of whatever wealth you have accumulated? If so, for whose benefit do you hold and manage these assets?

Click here for hard copy PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 16:39:09 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for September 11, 2016

Proper 19

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 Alternate Exodus 32:7-14 ^14:11At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse – ¹²a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them. . . . ²²“For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good.” ²³I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. ²⁴I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. 25 I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, and all the birds of the air had fled. ²⁶I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. ²⁷For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. ²⁸Because of this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above grow black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented nor will I turn back.

Worth Noting: As in much of Jeremiah, speakers change abruptly in this section. Verses 11-12, and 22 are spoken by the Lord, describing divine judgment and the ignorant idolatry of the people. Verses 23-26 are then the words of the prophet Jeremiah, contemplating the devastated land. Then in verses 27 and 28, Jeremiah delivers an oracle, the words of the Lord.

Psalm 14 Alternate Psalm 51:1-11 ^14:1Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. ²The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. ³They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one. ⁴Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? ⁵There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. ⁶You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. ⁷O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.

Worth Noting: The poet almost equates the sin of idolatry with ignorance (Psalm 14:1, 2, 4; see also Jeremiah 14:12 above), a position certain Greek philosophers would applaud. They argued that humans always choose what they believe to be good. When they in fact choose evil, it is from misunderstanding or ignorance, of the true good. Do you see sin as a matter of ignorance, in whole or in part? If so, what does it say about the way to deal with sinners and criminals?

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service,¹³even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,¹⁴and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.¹⁵The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost.¹⁶But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.¹⁷To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Worth Noting: Have you noticed a rebound effect when someone changes their ways, as Paul did, so that they are at least as zealous in their new way of life than they were in their old? Have you experienced that in your life? Have you any explanation for it?

Gospel: Luke 15:1-10 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So he told them this parable:⁴“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?⁵When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.⁶And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'⁷Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. ⁸“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?⁹When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Worth Noting: I have heard it said that no shepherd should leave 99 sheep alone and unprotected to look for a stray 100^th. But God would. Is that good? Should God spend divine time and effort so exorbitantly on a single sheep rather than steward God’s resources to care for the 99? What’s the difference between a human and a divine shepherd?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to 1 and 2 Timothy

These two letters, attributed in their salutations to the apostle Paul (see first verse in each), are now widely considered to be pseudonymous, written by a second or third generation Christian using Paul’s name to add to the writer’s credibility. While there are many differences between the undisputed letters of Paul and these (with the Letter to Titus referred to as the Pastoral Letters), perhaps the easiest to see is the difference in perspective. In the undisputed letters, Paul writes with urgency, for the end of times seems near. In these letters, on the other hand, the writer addresses well organized, settled communities who expect to continue for some time. As a consequence, the teachings in the letters to Timothy are less concerned with doctrine than they are with good organizational order within the community of Christians. First Timothy, chapters 3 through 5, speaks of the organization of the communities, with bishops (“overseers”), deacons, elders (“presbyters”), and widows, carefully setting out the requirements for any to be included in that group. Women and slaves (in 1 Timothy 6) are urged to be . . . well . . . docile (1 Timothy 3:11 and 6:1-2). This is far from the unruly community Paul addresses at Corinth! In 2 Timothy the author writes as if dying soon (2 Timothy 4:6-8 especially) and leaving Timothy to continue his work. Readers note the many allusions to people who have either supported the author (Timothy himself, 1:3-7; Onesiphorus, 1:16; 4:19) and even more those who have left him disappointed (Hymenaeus and Philetus, 2:17; Demas, 4:9; Alexander the coppersmith, 4:14; and those who refused to come to his defense, 4:16). In this respect, 2 Timothy differs from the undisputed Pauline letters and the accounts of Paul in Acts of the Apostles in both of which Paul’s opponents stand outside the Christian community. In 2 Timothy, they appear to have been close to the author at one time but then deserted the Gospel.

Entering into the Scriptures

Luke uses the time of Jesus’ journey from Galilee to Jerusalem to describe the principles of the Christian way of life. In this section, fully one-third of Luke’s text, Jesus uses parables extensively to draw his disciples, including us, into a vision of the Reign of God. Last week, the lesson was all about the necessity for a Stoic-like detachment from possessions. Before returning to the topic of the use of possessions in next week’s reading, this week describes the overwhelming, infinite mercy of God for humans. The Lectionary does a disservice in this regard, because Luke designed this week’s parables to build one on the other to a climax in the parable of the Prodigal Son. That parable, however, will not be read in conjunction with these two. The parable about searching for the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) may not have meant much to Luke’s original audience of largely urban Christians. What would be one sheep from a flock of 100? Why not stay with the flock and protect the 99 from bandits and predators? The stakes rise, perceptibly, in the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). The loss of a drachma was the loss of a day’s wages, equivalent in today’s American economy to approximately $225. That amount would cause anyone to scurry through the house. Chapter 15 ends with the stakes at their highest, in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32, read on the Fourth Sunday of Lent this year). In the construction of the chapter, Luke once again shows Jesus building a psychological and spiritual trap for his listeners and for us. We feel comfortable with the first two stories: God will pursue us like the poet’s hound of heaven. For most of the parable of the Prodigal Son we may again feel assured, comfortable. The father, surely portraying the mercy of God, welcomes home the sinner with the utmost hospitality. Then comes the older brother. Then we suddenly see where Jesus is leading us: What is our attitude towards those who have experienced God’s mercy? Are we as generous as God? We, along with the Pharisees and scribes recognize our own worst behavior mirrored in the jealousy of the elder brother. His might be a rational petulance if the current festivities ate into the remaining family estate, but for the Pharisees, scribes, and us such an attitude demeans – almost blasphemes – the infinite mercy of God.

“I Fled Him Down the Nights and Down the Days . . .”

It seems like all summer we have been saying “God is not fair!” God’s mercy pursues beyond reason; no matter how low we may think we have fallen, mercy and love race to join us. Neither we nor anyone else can escape the infinite love and mercy that is God. Jesus illustrates it, comparing God with the shepherd scrambling over hills looking for one lost sheep. Francis Thompson, once an opium-addicted, homeless poet wrote of it in “The Hound of Heaven.” Parents taste it in their love for their children, especially rebelling teenagers (and see it renewed in the love of those former teenagers for well-beloved grandchildren). Love and mercy create us, surround us, and, at our best, inform our every decision. We bring the world closer to the reign of God as we act in love and mercy, in each meal we prepare, each check we write, each lawn we mow, each ballot we cast, each child we praise. Another Victorian poet declared “The world is charged with God’s grandeur . . . Because the Holy Ghost over the bent/World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.” (“God’s Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins).

Prompting Conversations

Thompson’s life was saved by a prostitute who sheltered, clothed, and fed him. Is this one way God’s love and mercy work, through a public sinner?

If God always offers love and mercy, why ever be a life-long Christian? What would be lost compared with a death bed conversion and repentance?

Each of us experiences God’s love and mercy in different ways – perhaps in realization of forgiveness for sins, in corporal works of mercy, in contemplative prayer, or in music. Can you recall and describe a time you have experienced it?

Click here to download PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 20:31:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for September 18, 2016

18^th Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 20

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 Alternate: Amos 8:4-7 ^8:18My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. ¹⁹Hark, the cry of my poor people from far and wide in the land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” (“Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their foreign idols?”) ²⁰“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” ²¹For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. ²²Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? ^9:1O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!

Worth Noting: The speaker shifts among the Lord, Jeremiah, and the people in this passage. For instance, Jeremiah clearly speaks in verse 21. The Lord responds with the rhetorical questions in verse 22 paraphrased, “Well if medical help is available, why are they suffering?” Jeremiah can only answer (in Jeremiah 9:1) with a powerful expression of empathy with the people.

Psalm 79:1-9 Alternate: Psalm 113 ^79:1O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins. ²They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth. ³They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them. ⁴We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us. ⁵How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire? ⁶Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name. ⁷For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. ⁸Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. ⁹Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name's sake.

Worth Noting: A nation experiencing a national calamity looks to their gods, their ultimate values, for consolation and explanation: How did this happen to us? Psalm 79 looks to the Lord, the God of Israel, for this. Where did you and your community look after 9/11?

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,²for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.³This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,⁴who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.⁵For

there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, ⁶who gave himself a ransom for all

– this was attested at the right time.⁷For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth

Worth Noting: Jews offered prayers and sacrifice in the temple for the welfare of the Emperor. The earliest Christians would have adopted the practice at their own services. Does your community pray for government officials? Is this crossing the line between Church and State?

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.²So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ ³“Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.⁴I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’” ⁵“So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’⁶He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’⁷Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, '’Take your bill and make it eighty.’⁰ ⁸“And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.⁹And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. ¹⁰“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.¹¹If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?¹²And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?¹³No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

For the last few weeks, while reading parables from Luke, we have observed how cleverly Luke constructs his stories to draw us to unexpected connections. This week’s Gospel does something very similar, when read in the original Greek. In Luke 16:8, the subject of the sentence, ho kyrios, elsewhere in Luke is translated “the lord,” usually referring to Jesus. Were this the translation in the New Revised Standard Version, the sentence would then read “And the lord commended the dishonest manager . . .” The reader would ask: Is the praise coming from the steward’s master or from Jesus? Perhaps finding this ambiguity uncomfortable, the NRSV translation committee made two decisions, first to replace “the” with “his” and then to translate kyrios as “master.” As a consequence, rather than reading “And the lord commended the dishonest manager . . .” we have “And his master commended the dishonest manager . . .” The apparent point of the parable is captured in the next phrase, that the children of this world are shrewder in their dealings than are the children of light. Why else would Jesus tell the story if not to make this point? Do we really think that the defrauded master would be praising the industriousness of his nemesis? Translators apparently are anxious to defend the good name of Jesus from the charge of promoting dereliction of duty. On the other hand, we can well doubt that as skilled a writer as Luke created the ambiguity unintentionally, leaving us to wonder the purpose behind such artifice.

Songs of Our Lives

The poetry of the Old Testament expresses the fullest emotions of joy and sorrow, happiness and depression. Selections this week from Jeremiah 8 and Psalm 79 were both produced at the turn of the sixth century b.c.e. Jeremiah described the consequences of a devastating drought, the psalmist the devastation of the destruction of Jerusalem, the razing of the Temple, and the displacement of Jewish leaders by the Babylonians. These works provide words and images that permit Christians to confront their own dismay at the state of the world and to demand that God restore justice. For example, the nearly two-hundred-year-old African-American spiritual “There is a Balm in Gilead” spiritualizes the reference in Jeremiah 8:22 to a medicinal balm associated with trees in Gilead (a region east of where Jesus grew up) to refer now to Jesus as the balm sought. Not all the psalms speak of social issues. Others, like Psalm 13, offer the words of an individual suffering in body and mind, desperate for a sense of God’s presence. Psalm 30, on the other hand, gives praise to God for recovery from just such an episode. Of course, Psalms 23, 91, and 137 serve as the basis for other popular songs and sacred hymns.

Prompting Conversations

Why would Luke create an ambiguity in his writing? Would it not always be better to write clearly, directly, and precisely?

The Psalms are used extensively for communal liturgies by Jewish and Christian communities. Do you use the Book of Psalms in your own personal prayer life? If so, can you share how?

Jesus claims we cannot serve both God and wealth. What might it mean to serve God while still earning enough to feed, house, and educate a family? Should we distinguish between annual earnings and the accumulation of savings and wealth?

Click here for downloadable PDF version of above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 02:17:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for September 25, 2016

Proper 21

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 Alternate: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 ^32:1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.²At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,³where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; . . .” ⁶Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me:⁷Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’⁸Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.⁹And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.¹⁰I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales.¹¹Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy;¹²and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard.¹³In their presence I charged Baruch, saying,^{14 ‘}Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time.¹⁵For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’”

Worth Noting: Jeremiah’s first prophesizing and then actually purchasing land accomplished two things. It corroborated Jeremiah as a true prophet of the Lord and foretold a time when Babylon no longer would occupy Israel. When faced with a difficult teaching, how do you clarify its authority?

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16 Alternate: Psalm 146 ^91:1You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, ²will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” ³For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; ⁴he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. ⁵You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, ⁶or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. ¹⁴ Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. ¹⁵When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. ¹⁶With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-19 ^6:6Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment;⁷for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it;⁸but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.⁹But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.¹⁰For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.¹¹But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.¹²Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.¹³In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you¹⁴to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁵which he will bring about at the right time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.¹⁶It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. ¹⁷As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.¹⁸They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share,¹⁹thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

Worth Noting: This passage includes a strong exhortation for de-cluttering, for simplifying, our lives. Are we content with just food and clothing . . . and perhaps shelter? What more do we need for a fulfilling life? What more do we need for our children?

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31 ^6:19“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.²⁰And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,²¹who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.²²The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.²³In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.²⁴He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.²⁶Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷“He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house – ²⁸for I have five brothers – that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰“He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

What is it about wealth that so engrossed the New Testament writers? Last week, Luke recalled Jesus’ words “You cannot serve God and wealth.” This week both the author of 1 Timothy and Luke write about wealth. Is there nothing else to write about? War? Sex? Truth-telling? Emphasis on wealth apparently arises from the situation of the early Christian congregations. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians provide the best pictures we have of these early churches, and from them we see a community whose members enjoyed a range of financial resources, from the wealthy to the poor. In such communities, might we expect that the difference in wealth would lead to feelings of superiority among the wealthy and jealousy among the poor? To counter some of these attitudes, Paul urged that the wealthy avoid public displays of wealth (e.g., by eating large meals before coming to the community Eucharist). By the time 1 Timothy and the Gospel of Luke were written, 30 years later, Paul’s strategy may have proven insufficient for maintaining fellowship within the communities. Perhaps it became necessary to urge generosity on the part of the wealthy and an attitude of disinterest towards wealth on the part of all (an attitude more difficult for the poor than for the rich). Thus the teaching in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man that the rich must care for the poor (Luke 16:19-31) and 1 Timothy’s teaching that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). If these speculations are accurate, they represent the ongoing commitment of the Christian tradition to fruitful relationships over accumulations of wealth.

How Did We Get Here?

The Scriptures of the Old Testament record an ongoing exploration of the impact of the actions of humans on subsequent events, intertwined with the question of the providence of God. Jeremiah foresaw that infidelity to the Covenant would lead to the destruction of the state and the razing of its capital Jerusalem and the Temple. In this, the Lord, the God of Israel, would use Babylon as a divine punishing rod. In time, however, a chastened Israel would be restored. Psalm 91 has a more generous estimation of God’s providence, expressing trust in a benevolent God to deliver the poet from natural and human dangers. How can we understand the mindset of writers like Jeremiah and the poet of Psalm 91? Their reliance on divine providence to explain disasters, to set their world straight, to deliver them from dangers from men and from nature, looks naive in the extreme. If their words were literally true, would not the righteous alone prosper? This is not the world in which we live, nor is it the world into which Jesus was born, lived, and died. Indeed, The Gospels of Matthew and Luke recount a time when Jesus was tempted to take literally the promises implicit in Psalm 91, but resolutely declined to do so (Matthew 4:6-7; Luke 4:9-12). If we are not to trust – or should we say tempt? – God, how may we draw upon such texts as Psalm 91? We may remember that the writer was no less wise than we and doubtless knew well that the righteous do not always prosper, nor the evil reap the whirlwind. Perhaps we can better understand Psalm 91 as an expression of radical hope – in God’s presence in creation that encourages humans to nurture the life of the City of God. It is hope that God’s love for creation, and all that is in it, will in the end be victorious. It is hope that our own faithfulness will be matched by God’s.

Prompting Conversations

Christian communities take widely differing views of wealth. Some follow a “prosperity gospel” that (put simplistically) equates righteousness with economic prosperity. Others preach radical poverty. Most are somewhere in the middle. How does your community understand such teaching as in Mark 10:25 about the camel and the needle? Consider it literally? Consider it as a metaphor?

It seems genuinely difficult to distinguish the virtues of “faith” and “hope.” What do you think distinguishes each? Are they the same virtue seen in different perspectives?

How do you see God working in the world? Is there a relationship between what we believe, how we operate, and how well the world treats us? Perhaps you think that God left the world, once created, to its own devices?

Click here for downloadable PDF. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 14:14:19 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for October 2, 2016

Proper 22

THE READINGS

First Reading: Lamentations 1:1-6 Alternate Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. ²She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies. ³Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. ⁴The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter. ⁵Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. ⁶From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. Canticle: Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137 Alternate: Psalm 37:1-10 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! ²⁰My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. ²¹But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: ²²The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; ²³they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” ²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. ²⁶It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Worth Noting: The book of Lamentations is a collection of five poems expressing first the deep anguish of the poets over the razing of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the removal of the nation’s leaders to Babylon. Despite these feelings, the poets still managed to find hope in the memory of the Lord’s glorious deeds. The Hebrew Scriptures are replete with expressions of despair, anguish, and consternation over the way that the Lord allowed disaster to befall the covenant people or individuals. How well does your community react to disasters? Do they argue with God over them? Do they simply look to God for solace?

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, ²To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. ³I am grateful to God – whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did – when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.⁴Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.⁵I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.⁶For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands;⁷for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. ⁸Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God,⁹who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,¹⁰but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.¹¹For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,¹²and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.¹³Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.¹⁴Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Worth Noting: The author cites his ancestors as among those who worshipped the true God (2 Timothy 1:3). Moreover, if Timothy’s mother and grandmother were both Christians (and that is not necessarily clear from the text), that would make Timothy a third generation Christian, surely a rare specimen in the first century. How has the spiritual and religious life of your family impacted your life?

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. ⁷“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’?⁸Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’?⁹Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?¹⁰So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”

Worth Noting: In antiquity as in the American Ante-Bellum South, masters had absolute control over the bodies of their slave. Is that kind of control what Jesus is talking about here? Is that how you experience God?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Much of the scholarly discussion about the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) revolves around the question of whether or not they were written by the same Paul who wrote Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians and the four other undisputed Pauline letters. (See “Introduction to 1 and 2 Timothy” in Journeying for September 11, 2016.) The argument ignores the potential relevance of the Pastorals for contemporary Christians. Unlike the communities to whom Paul wrote, the communities of the Pastoral have moved the time horizon for Christ’s second coming beyond their own lifetime. Now Christians recognized that they were in it for the long haul. To bolster their resolve, the author invokes the history of steadfast faithfulness in generations past that has made Timothy and the community what they are. In the enumeration of the virtues of power, love, and self-disciple (2 Timothy 1:7), the author points to what they might become. The author goes beyond this in Second Timothy 1:10, (“. . . but it [God’s grace] has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”). Who would be a “savior”? In the Greco-Roman world, the Emperor, and especially the Emperor Caesar Augustus (reigned 27 b.c.e. to 14 c.e.) were hailed as “saviors” as long as they kept the peace and avoided the calamity of a civil war. Healers like the legendary Asclepius were saviors who brought the dead back to life. For 2 Timothy, the epiphany (NRSV: appearance) of the Savior brought the promise of not just surcease from deadly warfare and the healing of diseases, but also immortality. This is a savior worth following.

Have You Commitment Anxiety?

The Christians of 2 Timothy may have given up the expectation of an imminent Second Coming of Jesus with some sadness and reluctance. Now they could not hide from the fact that being a Christian was more like running a marathon, than a sprint: They must prize the endurance of marathoners like Jemima Sumgong and Eliud Kipchoge over the bursts of blazing speed of sprinters like Elaine Thompson and Usain Bolt. This is the same situation in which we find ourselves, after 2000 years of Jesus not returning. Granted, the Epiphany of Jesus Christ has revealed the solicitude of God for the whole of humanity. Granted, Christ’s life, death, and resurrection model the good life, make it feasible, and show us the rewards of it. Nevertheless, we are a people with a notoriously short attention span. A two-hour marathon holds none of the attraction of a ten-second sprint. The notion of a long-term relationship makes us nervous, for we are never sure that we will be able to sustain our commitments. Nor will an assent to the mysteries of faith do much to assuage the stress from living as a Christian in an un-Christian world. For the Christians around Timothy, the development and growth of a well-structured, hierarchically-organized community we call a church helped ease this transition.

Prompting Conversations

What would you look for in a contemporary savior? Is there someone you regard as a savior, whether personal, national, or global?

Often the only Psalms we hear are those offering praise. Do you ever pray with the Psalms of lament – communal (e.g., Psalm 137) or personal (e.g., Psalm 13)?

How are we to live in these ’tween times? Is it as slaves? From where shall we draw the strength and the training suitable for a marathon of faithfulness?

Click her for above as PDF for downloading. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 14:50:09 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for October 9, 2016

Proper 23

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 Alternate: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c ¹These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. . . .

⁴Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:⁵Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce.⁶Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.⁷But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Worth Noting: Last week’s selection from Lamentations expressed the depth of sorrow over the Babylonian conquest and destruction of Jerusalem. This reading urges those in sorrow to nonetheless establish themselves in Babylon, the home of their conquerors and to pray for the welfare of the city. Was this Good News for the exiles?

Psalm 66:1-12 Alternate: Psalm 111 ¹Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; ²sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. ³Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you. ⁴All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah ⁵Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals. ⁶He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, ⁷who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations – let the rebellious not exalt themselves. ⁸Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, ⁹who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip. ¹⁰For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. ¹¹You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs; ¹²you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.

Worth Noting: Since many Christians will celebrate the life of Francis of Assis on October 4, the psalmist’s call on all creation (Psalm 66:1-3) to praise God seems especially appropriate. Do you see all creation joining in praise of God? Even hurricanes and tornedos? Then the psalmist calls on all people to join in praise of Israel’s God. Is this an example of pre-Christian ecumenism? Could it be for us?

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15 ⁸Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David-- that is my gospel,⁹for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.¹⁰Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.¹¹The saying is sure:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him; ¹²if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us; ¹³if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.

¹⁴Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening.¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Worth Noting: Oh wow: from the top, a ten-word summary of the Gospel. Is that it? Then a short poem summarizing a view of the Christian life with a paradoxical verse at the conclusion telling us that even if we are faithless, Christ is faithful. Is this all one needs? Where are matters of social justice, of building the kingdom? And then a slap in the face of Bible scholars! Of course we wrangle over words. Words matter! Constitutions are words and words matter! Sheeeshhh!

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.¹²As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance,¹³they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?¹⁸Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Worth Noting: Gratitude: What might it mean to live a life of gratitude every moment of every day? Or is life just too hard, too irrational, too immoral?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

A few weeks ago we read the parable of the defrauding servant whom the kurios, lord or master, commended for his foresight. Then we commented on the ambiguity of the term kurios: Did it apply to Jesus or to the master of the servant? (See Journeying for September 18.) In the Gospel selection above, Luke does something else, using a term epistatēs (“Master,” Luke 17:13) that is only used when the speaker refers to Jesus with less than full faith or understanding. The term derives from its application in the Greek to a charioteer, clearly one of the most powerful persons in the army. In Luke, it first appears at the call of the disciples when Peter responds to Jesus’ order to try fishing out in deeper waters with “Master (epistatēs) what do you think we’ve been doing all night?” (Luke 5:4-5 Journeying free translation). Peter again exemplifies this misunderstanding at the Transfiguration when he offers to put up three tents, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (Luke 9:33). In the Gospel selection above and in the interchanges with Peter, the speakers acknowledge Jesus’ power, but do not comprehend the full dimensions of Jesus’ personality and mission. Once the nets are full and his understanding expands, Peter uses the fuller term, kurios: “Lord depart from me, for I am a sinner” (Luke 5:8). Epistatēs, incidentally, is a word whose only six appearances in the New Testament are from the Gospel of Luke. The Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures uses the term relatively rarely, in the sense of an overseer of menial laborers, the epitome at Exodus 1:11 referring to the “taskmasters” put over the Jewish slaves. By using the term, Luke draws on the negative overtones of the terms whenever it appears, signaling to his audience that the term is truly misapplied to Jesus, who is neither a charioteer nor a slave master.

Gratitude in the Gospel of Luke

While we might consider the implications of the fact that only a foreigner, a Samaritan, received Jesus’ praise, consider for the moment the fact that only the one leper who publicly expressed gratitude was commended while the nine others were reprimanded in absentia (Luke 17:16-18). Indeed, in his final comment, “your faith has saved you (Luke 17:19), Jesus appears to equate gratitude with faith. Here’s why we say that. As explained above, the Samaritan and the nine others expressed a very imperfect faith when they referred to Jesus as “Master,” an epistatēs. The Samaritan, we note, praises God and thanks Jesus “falls at his feet” (Luke 17:16, our translation along with other English translations). These actions recognize that Jesus channels the healing power of God – but wasn’t that implicit in the original request for cleansing? What has changed? Perhaps only the Samaritan’s expression of gratitude.

Prompting Conversations

In 2 Timothy 2:8, the writer summarizes his Gospel in ten words (maybe one of the first Christian “elevator speeches”). How would you summarize your faith or vocation in 30 seconds?

Psalm 66 calls on creation to praise God. Is this possible? In what sense might volcanos or rocks be said to worship God? Does the attempt to answer the question require some redefinition of what it means to worship?

Is it possible that Jesus would equate gratitude with faith? How would you understand that?

Click here for downloadable PDF of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:11:39 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for October 16, 2016

Proper 24

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:27-34 Alternate: Genesis 32:22-31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals.²⁸And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord.²⁹In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.” ³⁰But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. ³¹The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.³²It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Worth Noting: “Know the Lord,” urge both the prophet and the Lord. How does one have knowledge of a God that cannot be experienced? The Hebrew verb here and often translated “know” has a wide connotation, perhaps the most helpful embracing “experience, recognize” or even “choose.” To take one, how have you experienced God today?

Psalm 119:97-104 Alternate Psalm 121 ⁹⁷Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. ⁹⁸Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. ⁹⁹I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. ¹⁰⁰I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. ¹⁰¹I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. ¹⁰²I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. ¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Worth Noting: Think about “law” as the set of agreements among people on how they shall deal with one another – who will drive on which side of the road, for instance. In that light, how do laws both expand your liberties and constrain them? Would you agree with the sense of the selection from Psalm 119 that laws and ordinances can direct away from a false way?

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 ^3:14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it,¹⁵and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.¹⁶All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,¹⁷so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. ^4:1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you:²proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.³For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires,⁴and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths.⁵As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. Gospel: Luke 18:1-8 ^{18: 1}Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. ²He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people.³In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’⁴For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone,⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” ⁶And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.⁷And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?⁸I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Worth Noting: Can good come from injustice? Was the widow in the right? If so, why didn’t she marshal the other women to pressure the judge? Was the judge “unjust” or just bone-lazy?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Granted: The point of the Gospel parable is to pray and pray hard and somehow, some day, God will answer our prayers. But we wonder: Why did Jesus choose a widow to be the protagonist? Why not yet another crippled man? Of course, according to Luke, she is a product of Jesus’ story-telling craft – a fictional character. Not too fictional, however, or no one would be able to relate to the story. Scholars (99 and 44/100 % male, of course) have said that she either represents the afflicted individual soul or the Christian community awaiting justice. But she really represents the fierce courage and tenacity of all women who, when faced with injustice, simply stand their ground until righteousness is restored. She is the prototypical uppity woman, for she, alone among the women in either the Gospel of Luke or Acts of the Apostle, actively resists oppressive power. And she wins. (Other women are faithful – spiritual we might say today – and serve Jesus and the men in the community. Jesus and other men heal women; women heal no one. Women are acted upon, not active.) The widow stands out as a realistic snapshot of a woman, probably a mother, determined to right the wrongs she has suffered.

There Oughta be a Law!

Psalm 119, all 176 verses of it, appeals, in poetic, imaginative language, to a life grounded in God’s covenantal relationship. The poet reminds the listener that God has given life and provides in the Torah a set of principles on which to build a life well-lived. Many reflexively translate Torah as “law.” Another sense of Torah is the first five books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. There the material is far broader, richer, and deeper, encompassing creation stories, family histories, and history of the creation of the nation Israel, as well as directions on proper rituals.

The opening chapter of Genesis exemplifies this diversity in the Torah in its account of creation. In that first chapter, we read ²⁶Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”²⁷So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27) These two verses reward continual reflection and redefinition. What is it to be made in the image of God? How should humans exercise dominion over the rest of creation? How are we to understand that male and female are created in God’s image? Rather than demanding blind obedience, the Torah calls its readers to reflect on God’s truths, drawing on the wisdom and experience of a hundred generations, and to embody these mysteries in an ever-changing world. As the reading from 2 Timothy states: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). One hundred and seventy-six verses are just the beginning.

Prompting Conversations

Our society prizes both individual freedom and respect for law and order. In families and communities, how do traditions mold our attitudes and behavior?

Do the cries of the poor – perhaps the world's 21 million refugees – resonate with you as today’s counterpart to the widow?

When faced with the idea of a persistent, uppity woman in the Bible, what do we do with her? In your community, how would she serve as a role model for women and men?

Click here for downloadable PDF version of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 14:23:54 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for October 23, 2016

Proper 25

THE READINGS

First Reading: Joel 2:23-32 Alternate Sirach 35:12-47 or Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22 ²³O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. ²⁴The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. ²⁵I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. ²⁶You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. ²⁷You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame. ²⁸Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. ²⁹Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. ³⁰I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.³¹The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.³²Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

Worth Noting: In this section, the prophet recounts God’s response to the people’s lament over plagues of locusts and failed crops (Joel 1-2). God compensates through an outpouring to the Spirit (Joel 2:28-29). Have you experienced the Spirit of God after suffering loss? How did you recognize it at the time?

Psalm 65 Alternate Psalm 84:1-6 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, ²O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. ³When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. ⁴Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. ⁵By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. ⁶By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. ⁷You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. ⁸Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. ⁹You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. ¹⁰You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. ¹¹You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. ¹²The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, ¹³the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Worth Noting: Psalm 65 pulls together our deepest desires for God. The psalm praises the God who dwells with humanity in the Temple (verses 1-4) and who created the universe and overcomes chaos (verse 5-8). While doing all this, God provides the rain, the material wherewithal, to nourish life (verses 9-13). Have you experienced God doing these things in your life? How might God have overcome chaos?

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 ⁶As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come.⁷I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.⁸From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. . . . ¹⁶At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!¹⁷But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Worth Noting: The sense of “who have longed for his appearance” is of an action that began in the past and continues to the present. While it probably referred originally to all those desiring the second coming of Jesus Christ, could it not also apply to those who look for the divine in their everyday lives? Might the crown of righteousness be given to those who are particularly attentive to manifestations of God today?

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14 ⁹He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:¹⁰“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.¹¹The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.¹²I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ ¹³“But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴“I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted."

Worth Noting: “Who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt.” There is a sense from this sentence, and from the Pharisee's almost instantaneous turn from prayer to God to comparison of himself to “others,” that part of the judgment against him is his need to define his own value in relation to others. How do you avoid leaving this parable thinking “Phew! Well at least I’m better than that Pharisee!”?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Students of the Bible pay close attention to the authors’ use of space to help convey their message. In the readings, Mt Zion and the Temple serve as important symbols as well as spaces for public displays. Joel and Psalm 65 regard them as the space to establish, maintain, and repair the covenant relationship with God. Using the Hebrew Scriptures, Luke’s audience doubtless developed the same level of respect for the Temple as 21^st century Christians have. Luke recognized this respect with his accounts early in the Gospel of the intimate connections between the Temple and the families of John the Baptist and Jesus (see Luke 1-2). By the time Luke wrote his Gospel, some 15 to 20 years after the destruction of the Temple, it is highly likely that few of his audience had ever experienced the Jerusalem Temple. For them, House churches served for gathering places. Luke foreshadows this development in his second volume when he recalls that the earliest community of Christ followers spent time in both places: praying in the Temple and then celebrating Eucharistic meals in their homes (Acts 2:43-47). Consider now the Gospel story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee, properly righteous in his own mind (and ignoring the fact that the Lord and not he initiated the covenant), appears and apparently stays in the Temple. Audiences of Jews, pagans, or Christians would censor this behavior as arrogant pride, beyond the pale of acceptable behavior. The tax collector on the other hand models the life of the Gentile Christian who repents of sins (principally idolatry) and then . . . what does he do? He goes home, there to celebrate with his fellow Christ followers. Here is an element of Luke’s replacement theology, that the home has replaced the Temple. Interestingly enough, this is the same move that the first rabbis pulled off, translating rituals of the destroyed Temple into rituals for the home.

“The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner”

Long distance runners know that building up miles is as much about will power as innate physical capacity. With enough will, endurance can be developed and personal bests bested. Having lived a life of struggle, the author of 2 Timothy prepares for death. Having finished the race, having kept the faith, a life’s work is done and he assures his reader of the strength of his conviction of citizenship in the heavenly kingdom. But wait: Has he accomplished all the goals he set out to meet? Has he seen the conversion of the Roman Empire? Has he preached to the distant Britons? Was that the fight he was given, the race to be run? Success of such a scale was unreachable. That was not the race. Rabbis of the same time as 2 Timothy spoke of being denied the need to complete the task, to finish the race. Though sure that the task is too large for any one person to complete, the Rabbis tell us that it is not our obligation to complete the task; our task is to begin it (Pirkei Avot 2:21); God’s job is to bring it to completion.

Prompting Conversations

Biblical righteousness is often explained as “right relationships” – with God, with others, and with all of creation. How would you characterize the Pharisee's relationships with God, others, and creation? Can one’s relationship be righteous in one (or two) respects but not in all three?

A sign in a Christian church: “Sacred Space: Please Be Silent.” Is not all space created by God and therefore sacred? Are not our dinner tables sacred spaces? Why do we set off certain spaces for communal and individual prayer?

One aid to developing endurance in running is to get lost while training: Just to get home, we run further than planned. Playing with the metaphor in 2 Timothy, do the times we wander in a spiritual wilderness ultimately strengthen our faith and faithfulness? (See John of the Cross and Mother Teresa.)

How do we measure success in our faith communities? Is growth in numbers the proper standard? How do we measure our impact on the world? Should we bother to measure? How do we hold ourselves accountable if we don’t measure results?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:39:12 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for October 30, 2016

Proper 24

THE READINGS

First Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 Alternate Isaiah 1:10-18 ^1:1The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.²O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?³Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.⁴So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous-- therefore judgment comes forth perverted. . . . ^2:1I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.²Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.³For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.⁴Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

Worth Noting: Habakkuk 2:4c “but the righteous live by their faith,” became a proof text for Paul of his Gospel to the Gentiles (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11). Is the prophet contrasting the proud with the righteous? Why would that be? Why would the proud not have the right spirit in them?

Psalm 119:137-144 Alternate Psalm 32:1-8 ¹³⁷You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right. ¹³⁸You have appointed your decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness. ¹³⁹My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words. ¹⁴⁰Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. ¹⁴¹I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. ¹⁴²Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth. ¹⁴³Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight. ¹⁴⁴Your decrees are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.

Worth Noting: How would you understand “faith” in the selection from Habakkuk (Habakkuk 2:4)? The psalmist uses the same Hebrew word at 119:138, which the NRSV translates into English as “faithfulness” (but “faith” in the Habakkuk use). Can God have faith in the way that we say it of each other? How do “faith” and “faithfulness” work?

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 ¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.³We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.⁴Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring. . . . ¹¹To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith,¹²so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Worth Noting: Perhaps the community of Thessaloniki has endured deadly persecutions. But do not all communities suffer afflictions, some deadly to the relationships within the community? How do you persevere and endure the strains and afflictions that appear inevitable for any community?

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10 ¹He entered Jericho and was passing through it.²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich.³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature.⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him.⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

Worth Noting: The NRSV uses the future tense in verse 8 (“I will give . . .I will pay back”) but the original Greek uses the present tense: “I do give . . . I do pay back.” Question: What difference would it make were the Greek more literally translated.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Introduction to 2 Thessalonians

Whether Paul, the undisputed author of 1 Thessalonians, or one of his disciples wrote 2 Thessalonians, the teaching responds to the needs of a community under stress, and looking eagerly toward the end of the world. The writer uses this letter to urge the community to just calm down: The world won’t end any time soon because the signs of the end times have not yet appeared (2 Thessalonians 2). On that basis, the Thessalonians should get back to work, avoid idleness, and earn enough to support self and family (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13). Second Thessalonians shares some of the same apocalyptic figures as does the book of Revelation, suggesting that both were influenced by the Jewish apocalyptic literature of the time (e.g., Book of Enoch). All of this literature reflects the tempestuous climate in which they were written and attests to the apparent ease of circulation of texts in the first century.

Entering into the Scriptures

Students of the Bible note the parallels Luke draws between the story of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus and the teachings of John the Baptist that precede Jesus’ own ministry (Luke 3:1-14). John warns the crowd not to believe they are saved because they call Abraham their father (verse 7). Jesus assures the crowd that Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9). John commands tax collectors “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you” (Luke 3:13). Now, as Jesus approaches Jerusalem and the close of his teaching mission, a tax collector affirms that he does not (or will not) collect more than is prescribed ( Luke 19:8). The parallel extends beyond this teaching for just as John’s proclamation was shortly followed by his arrest (Luke 3:19) and execution (reported at Luke 9:9). Jesus’ own arrest and execution will come shortly after this meeting with Zacchaeus the tax collector. The dialogue with Zacchaeus and the crowd serves as the second bookend for the teaching ministry of Jesus.

A Dozen Means a Dozen; Not Thirteen

Zacchaeus means “the pure one,” in Hebrew (a fact that is only very tangentially related to what follows here). The story of Zacchaeus and the controversy around whether he does or will be righteous brings to mind the story of a bakery in our town. Unlike other bakers and shop owners dependent on the neighborhood trade, the couple who owned and baked never gave freebies. A dozen donuts was 12, not 13. They didn’t throw in extra anything for a birthday order. Never a donation for the parish breakfast. We thought their motto: “You want donuts? You pay for donuts. Nobody’s forcing you.” And so, as time went by, while they developed the reputation for good-tasting, fairly priced goods, never did they win the affection of the neighborhood. Time passes and death came. Then we all learned that this couple had been supporting from the income of their store an orphanage and school. They knew, but never advertised, that every free donut was material taken from the most vulnerable in the world. Surely they knew their reputation as skinflints, tightwads, cheapskates. Surely they bore wounds from this. Never did they let on. Did Jesus know already that Zacchaeus never exacted more than was due and compensated any who overpaid fourfold? Did Jesus see that in his clothes, home, and life style that Zacchaeus was not amassing a fortune?

Prompting Conversations

We have often commented on the skill of the writer we call Luke. While simple language can be powerful, we return time after time to well written stories with carefully constructed plots. Is there one work to which you return over the years for inspiration or consolation or both?

“Fake it until you make it.” Faith, understood as an experience of mind and will open to God’s presence, may sometimes be missing in our lives. Do you think that faithfulness, a willingness to follow God’s will even without faith, can lead to faith? Can it work the other way too? Which is easier for you, faith or faithfulness?

Have you known quiet philanthropists? Seeing the good works of others often spurs our own charity. Why might someone prefer anonymity to publicity over charitable works?

Jesus called Zacchaeus “a son of Abraham.” Was this Jesus’ assurance that Zacchaeus would rest in the bosom of Abraham with Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) and, perhaps, my neighborhood bakers?

Click here for dowloadable, paper version of the above -- a PDF. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 14:15:02 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for November 6, 2016

Proper 27

THE READINGS

First Reading: Haggai 1:15b-2:9 Alternate: Job 19:23-27a ^15bIn the second year of King Darius, in the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Haggai, saying:²Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, and say,³Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?⁴Yet now take courage, O Zerubbabel, says the Lord; take courage, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord; work, for I am with you, says the Lord of hosts,⁵according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My spirit abides among you; do not fear.⁶For thus says the Lord of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;⁷and I will shake all the nations, so that the treasure of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts.⁸The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts.⁹The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

Worth Noting: A month earlier, the Lord had delivered another oracle demanding that the people, starting with Zerubbabel and Joshua, start building a temple for the Lord. Now that the work has progressed, the Lord assures the people that though the temple may not match Solomon’s, it will be just fine and all will be well with them. Are things better when you heed God’s call? How do you discern God’s call from the siren call of the world or your own desires? Might they be the same?

Psalm 145:1-5, 18-21 Alternate: Psalm 17:1-9 ¹I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. ²Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. ³Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. ⁴One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. ⁵On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. . . . ¹⁸The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. ¹⁹He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. ²⁰The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. ²¹My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 ¹As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,²not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.³Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction.⁴He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.⁵Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? . . . ¹³But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.¹⁴For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁵So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.¹⁶Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,¹⁷comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Worth Noting: “Sanctification by the Spirit” goes well beyond simply doing good and avoiding evil. Orthodox Christians have a particularly rich understanding of sanctification, that it starts with being called by God to grow into the likeness of God, becoming by grace what God is by nature. How do you understand the term “sanctification”? What does it mean to you to be holy?

Gospel: Luke 20:27-38 ²⁷Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him²⁸and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.²⁹Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless;³⁰then the second³¹and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless.³²Finally the woman also died.³³In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage;³⁵but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.³⁶Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.³⁷And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.³⁸Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.”

Worth Noting: In Genesis 1:28, God commands humanity “Be fruitful and multiply.” Is Jesus contradicting this and saying that his followers shouldn’t marry? And what is “that age”?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In the story from the Gospel of Luke, do the Sadducees approach Jesus in a spirit of hostility or of dialogue? Are they out to trip him up or are they hoping to clarify what he believes? To be sure, generations of Christian writers and speakers have portrayed the Sadducees as trying to discredit Jesus, but perhaps this judgment needs reconsideration. A quick bit of background.

The question of the resurrection from the dead – indeed, the possibility of life after death – was very much a hot topic in first century Judaism. On one side stood the Sadducees, on the other the Pharisees. The Sadducees, the priestly nobility of Jerusalem, constituted the conservative religious party. They stuck closely to the written Torah, the five books of Moses, (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). There one indeed finds the commandment that the brother of a man who dies childless should marry the widow and that the offspring of the second marriage would be considered offspring of the first (now dead) brother (see Deuteronomy 25:5). In this way, the brother’s lineage would continue. The language of the command is that the second brother “raise up” progeny for his brother. For the Sadducees, this was the only “raising up” or “resurrection” countenanced in Scripture. The Pharisees on this point, claimed that the Oral Torah (teaching God gave Moses on Mt Sinai and handed down orally from teacher to student thereafter) included the revelation of the resurrection of the dead. On other issues (particularly applying priestly purity laws to non-priestly people [Mark 7:1-9]), Jesus disagrees with the Pharisees and takes a position closer to that of the Sadducees. On the important question of the resurrection, then, the Sadducees want to know, where does Jesus stand? Not only is their question legitimate, the Sadducees also approach Jesus respectfully, addressing him with the title “Teacher” (Luke 20:28). Some might say that the choice of example is silly and demeaning, but what better case could be constructed? Bible students note that at this time the story of the seven martyred brothers was circulating among the people (see 4 Maccabees 8-12). Tying their question to an important story actually deepened the relevance of the story. Hence, it is probable that this story, found in all three Synoptic Gospels, remembers a time when the Jerusalem authorities looked to the Teacher Jesus for clarification on an important point, the resurrection of the dead.

What Time is It?

It is a puzzle. Why does Jesus, who seems to delight in the pleasures of life, asking that children be brought to him (Luke 18:16), eating and drinking with every and all (for example: Luke 19:5), speak disparagingly of marriage? Does Jesus deny the first commandment of the Bible, Genesis 1:28? The issue is wrapped up with the question of how Jesus followers should understand their present situation. Luke seems to use marriage as a metaphor for the cares of the world that will distract the Christian from a whole-hearted following of Jesus. Thus, in the parable of the marriage feast (Luke 14:16-20), those who decline the ruler’s invitation include those too busy with work and one consumed with his recent marriage. Paul taught much the same to the community in Corinth, whom he exhorted to stay single or married, but not to change their current state “for the appointed time has run short,” (1 Corinthians 7, particularly verse 29). For Luke and Paul, entangling with the cares of marriage and family distract from the work of the kingdom. The 20^th century Anglican priest, theologian, and cultural critic William Inge is quoted in a similar vein: “Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next.” Can one reconcile such teaching with the experience of contemporary Christians who find it contrary to their own experience of marital and familial love? They find inspiration in the words of 1 John: “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love,” (1 John 4:8). In their inevitably self-sacrificing love for each other and any children, spouses enjoy a taste of the love that is God. At the same time, they treat seriously the potential for imbalance among a legitimate concern for the physical and material well-being of the family, a recurring temptation to “keep up with the Joneses,” and the need to nurture a loving relationship within the family and among the family, God, and the world. Moving slowly and prayerfully, in love and in humor, brings it all together.

Prompting Conversations

The issue of how to engage in civil discourse, as the Sadducees did with Jesus, on contentious issues strikes us as very contemporary. Are there folks with whom you disagree on religious or political issues with whom you can dialogue constructively? Have you changed your mind following such discussions?

New Testament writers urged living in anticipation of the second coming of Jesus and the end of time. Is the second coming an important assumption in the way you live? How do you understand it?

Do you find that your relationships give you a taste of the love that is God? Of the love that God has for creation?

Click here for a downloadable PDF version. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 15:14:07 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for November 13, 2016

Proper 28

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25 Alternate: Malachi 4:1-2a ¹⁷For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.¹⁸But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.¹⁹I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.²⁰No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.²¹They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.²²They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.²³They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord – and their descendants as well.²⁴Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.²⁵The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent-- its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

Worth Noting: This passage provides an apocalypse, a revelation, of the Messianic Age. Like the Revelation of John found in the New Testament, the Isaiahan version focuses on building and maintaining right relationships that provide justice and peace for all. It is a vision of the ideal. In this contentious age, how do you strive to establish right relationships with those with whom you disagree?

Canticle: Isaiah 12:1-6 Alternate: Psalm 98 ¹You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. ²Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. ³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. ⁴And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. ⁵Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. ⁶Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Worth Noting: On occasion, the Lectionary uses a canticle, a Biblical poem found outside the Psalter, in response to the first reading. Canticles are found in the Hebrew Scriptures, as here, as well as in the New Testament, as in Luke 1:46-55. Does it make sense to you to always use poetry, no matter the source? Why not another prose selection?

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 ⁶Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.⁷For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you,⁸and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you.⁹This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate.¹⁰For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.¹¹For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.¹²Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.¹³Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Worth Noting: It’s difficult to know what to do with this teaching from Paul, especially if one compares it with Acts portrait of the early Jerusalem community who held all things in common (Acts 2:44). How do you navigate the issue of who “deserves” and who “doesn’t deserve” your charity?

Gospel: Luke 21:5-19 ⁵When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said,⁶“As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” ⁷They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” ⁸And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. ⁹“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” ¹⁰Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;¹¹there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. ¹²“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.¹³This will give you an opportunity to testify.¹⁴So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance;¹⁵for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.¹⁷You will be hated by all because of my name.¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish.¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

Worth Noting: No debate preparation? Do you imagine that the early Christians took Jesus’ words literally and blithely entered Roman courts without any forethought? The modern analogue to this might be the times you have been faced with a friend, acquaintance, or even a stranger looking for a word of wisdom or consolation in the midst of crisis. In such an encounter, how do you respond? What in your life and practice helps you prepare?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Was the Gospel account of the prediction of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple true prophecy or Monday-morning-quarterbacking? Luke reported Jesus’ words some 15 years after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans. Luke, however, was talking about more than just the physical destruction of the temple. After all, the Babylonians too had destroyed Solomon’s temple, but over the centuries people and rulers in this small, out-of-the-way country joined forces to build one of the wonders of the ancient world. Beyond the physical destruction, Luke is saying: “No more. Temple rituals and sacrifices have completed their purpose.” Indeed, by the time Luke wrote, Jewish leaders had begun the task of reforming the temple-based Religion of Israel into the religion based on home, Torah, and synagogue that is the Judaism of today. There was an ancillary benefit of telling this story. Anxious to distance himself and his communities from any responsibility for the Jewish rebellion that led to the temple’s destruction, Luke uses Jesus’ words as if to say “We had nothing to do with that! We even told those Jewish zealots as much, so don’t blame us!”

“The Defendant Acknowledges the Risk of Refusing [Human] Counsel

Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer includes the petition “And do not bring us to the time of trial” (Luke 11:4). If despite best prayers, the time of trial comes, Luke urges his listener to rely on Jesus, perhaps the Spirit of Jesus (Luke 21:14). These words offer only limited solace, however, since some will be put to death, though not “a hair on your head will perish” (Luke 21:15-18). Yes, dear reader, it does seem impossible that both statements can be true, that we can be put to death but still be assured that God so loves us that not a hair on our heads will perish. Is it a promise only related to the Christian belief in a hereafter?

Prompting Conversations

Isaiah includes his prophecy of the dawning of the Messianic Age (Isaiah 65:17-25), and Luke reports Jesus’ prophecy of the destruction of the temple. Why do Scriptures include such works? Is it to prove the powers of the speakers or something else? How do they relate to the way we live today?

The way Acts conflicts with 2 Thessalonians echoes a perennial contemporary debate: What should be our relationship – first individually and then in civil society – with the addicted, the criminal, and those unable or unwilling to care for themselves? When you see a person at a traffic light panhandling, what is your usual reaction? Is the role of government in these issues a religious matter?

“[N]ot a hair on your head will perish.” Really? Granted the long history of Christian martyrdom, how do you understand this promise?

To download the above as a PDF, click here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 15:46:24 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for November 20, 2016

Feast of Christ the King

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6 ¹Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord.²Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord.³Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.⁴I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. ⁵The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.⁶In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Worth Noting: Throughout the Bible, writers use the image of a shepherd for both God (as in Psalm 23) and the king, as the shepherd David became the great king of a unified nation (see also Numbers 27:17 and Ezekiel 34:2). The shepherd image is paralleled by the image of a flock of helpless, rather dense sheep requiring protection and guidance in the right path. Is a shepherd still a relevant image for our religious, political, and business leaders? Even if not, how might it help us understand some of the qualities of the great leader?

Canticle: Luke 1: 68-79 Alternate: Psalm 46 ⁶⁸Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. ⁶⁹He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, ⁷⁰as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, ⁷¹that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. ⁷²Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, ⁷³the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us⁷⁴that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear,⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. ⁷⁶And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, ⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. ⁷⁸By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, ⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Worth Noting: Zechariah recited this canticle at the circumcision and naming of his son, John the Baptist. It describes John’s vocation, notably “to give knowledge of salvation . . . by the forgiveness of . . . sins,” flowing from “God’s tender mercy” (verses 77 and 78). Is this vocation compatible with your image of John? Do you see prophets today preaching God’s mercy and forgiveness? How do you do so?

Second Reading: Colossians 1:11-20 ¹¹May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.¹³He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;¹⁶for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him.¹⁷He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.¹⁹For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,²⁰and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Worth Noting: Colossians, probably written about the same time as the Gospel of John, opens with a Christ-Hymn, Colossians 1:15-20, in all likelihood well-known both to writer and readers. Indeed, at that point, it is quite possible that the entire congregation joined in proclaiming the hymn. Does your heart quicken when singing certain hymns? What hymns best capture your faith?

Gospel: Luke 23:33-43 ³³When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing.³⁵And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” ³⁶The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine,³⁷and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” ³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?⁴¹And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴²Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Worth Noting: Among the Gospel writers, Luke alone remembers Jesus’ forgiving his tormenters and executioners and the Good Thief (Luke 23:34, 40-42). Is there a limit to forgiveness? May I forgive those whose action against you damaged the social fabric (whatever that means) when you have not forgiven them?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

These Scripture readings have been chosen for the Feast of Christ the King. The central theme of the Gospel reading is Jesus giving forgiveness. In contemporary society, we say “forgive” in only a few particular settings – generally either forgiving financial or other obligations or forgiving personal hurts or actions. In the first sense, the one forgiven is released from an obligation or promise to do something. In the second, the person forgiving in fact promises not to take any further retaliation for the hurt received. That forgiveness dominates Luke’s account of Jesus’ last moments should not surprise. Luke emphasizes the theme of forgiveness early and often. In his canticle (Luke 1:67-79 above), Zechariah declares that the way God’s people will know salvation (or safety or security or deliverance) is through the forgiveness of their sins. In fulfillment of this, John the Baptist proclaims “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3). Jesus’ most distinctive act throughout the Gospel may be his pronouncement of the forgiveness of sins. Jesus demonstrated his power to forgive by curing the paralytic (Luke 5:18-24). And in the final moments of his ministry, Jesus asked forgiveness for his persecutors and the Good Thief (Luke 23:34, 42). In his ministry, Jesus certainly forgave particular individual sins such as robbery, fraud, disobedience to parents, or shoplifting. Jesus also recognized fa relationship between physical and spiritual healing, as in the forgiveness of the paralytic preceding restoration of health (Luke 5:17-25), and the insistence at the start of his ministry that he has come to free/release (same Greek verb as “to forgive) captives and the oppressed (Luke 4:19).

Vive le Roi! Long Live the King!

These Scriptures present successive images of Jesus’ kingship: shepherd, creator of all things, and, finally, the crucified one. The Bible does not lead us to view leadership, dominion, as steady progress towards self-exaltation, but towards the cross, where Jesus offered mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

Prompting Conversations

In an increasingly urban world, shepherds are rarely a significant presence. What’s your image of a shepherd? Have you ever tried to herd sheep? How did that go?

There’s an old ironic saying: “I’ll forgive but I won’t forget!” What is the relationship between forgiveness and forgetfulness? Must we always forget what those who have sinned against us have done? What does your answer say about the process of forgiveness?

In 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, Paul encourages his friends to embrace the ministry of reconciliation, to be ambassadors of reconciliation in the world. How do you view your role in this ministry?

PDF version of the above may be downloaded here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 15:35:48 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for November 27, 2016

First Sunday in Advent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 ¹The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. ²In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. ³Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ⁴He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. ⁵O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Worth Noting: Micah 4:1-4 is close to an exact duplicate of this oracle. Not only is the message the same, the figures are alike (swords into plowshares, for example). A principle of Jewish Biblical reading is that when something is repeated it is especially important. Where is the importance of this message for you?

Psalm 122 ¹I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” ²Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. ³Jerusalem-- built as a city that is bound firmly together. ⁴To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. ⁵For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David. ⁶Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. ⁷Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.” ⁸For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” ⁹For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

Worth Noting: The psalmist plays on the name Jerusalem as sounding like ir-shalom, the city of peace. Jerusalem, a city sacred to each of the Abrahamic religions, is today a site of strife, friction, and killing. Do you find it ironic that Jerusalem is the site of so much contention? It’s a difficult problem, but where would you start to bring peace to “the city of peace”?

Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14 ¹¹Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;¹²the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;¹³let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Worth Noting: Students of Paul point out his insistence that people pay attention to the time. Jesus’ resurrection marks the beginning of the final age that will culminate in Jesus’ dominion in the universe. How do you mark time? How do you identify your current age of life?

Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44 [Jesus said] ³⁶“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.³⁷For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.³⁸For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark,³⁹and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.⁴⁰Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.⁴¹Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.⁴²Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.⁴³But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.⁴⁴Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Introduction to Advent 2016

The First Sunday of Advent marks the start of a new liturgical year just as (in the Northern Hemisphere) the lowering sun shortens days and lengthens shadows. Advent calls for hopeful waiting, developing a sense of expectation, and preparation. It is a time to remember creation’s long wait for the appearance of the Son of God, the Incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ. “All creation,” comments St Paul, “groans in labor pains . . . to be set free from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:22, 21). While Advent reflects on this First Coming, seasonal Liturgies also prompt Christians to look forward to Jesus’ Second Coming. In this sense, Advent has a dual focus, looking back to the Incarnation in Bethlehem and forward to the final triumph of God who will put all things under the rule of His Christ (1 Corinthians 15:28). In today’s world, Advent is a difficult season to celebrate fully. The commercial well-being of the nation from Christmas-related sales prompts the celebration of Christmas from November 1, the day after Halloween. Hence the problem: If Advent is a time of waiting, how can Christmas carols in the coffee shop be appropriate? If it is a season waiting for the Light of the World, what role is there for Christmas lights: Shouldn’t we rather fumble through the dark? “Resistance is futile,” says the evil interrogator in the spy film, and so today holding onto Advent seems futile, when economic forces demand not waiting but impulse purchases, not darkness but garish lights, not reflection on the Second Coming but attention to Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials. Not that the commercialization of Christmas is an unalloyed evil. Advent now is the time for family and work parties, for connecting with all those we love but see only rarely, for practicing the generosity of the Spirit of the Word incarnate. So: Happy New Year from all of us at Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary.

Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew

With this First Sunday of Advent comes the Gospel of Matthew that will provide the core readings during the year. During the past year, we have read the Gospel of Luke as especially concerned with the worldview of an educated Greco-Roman audience (personified in Luke’s patron, Theophilus [Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1]). The Gospel of Matthew has a different audience in view, a community of Christ followers with continuing ties to the Torah, the Hebrew Prophets, and the Psalms. Students of the Gospel point out, for example, that Matthew speaks of “their synagogues” and “their scribes,” referring to synagogues and scribes of the majority of Jews. They draw the implication that Matthew also knew synagogues and scribes of the Christ followers – “our synagogues” and “our scribes.” Matthew’s first readers saw themselves, in other words, as students, disciples of Jesus Christ, the personification and fulfillment of Jewish wisdom. In producing the text, the writer we call Matthew drew first on the Gospel of Mark (reproducing about 80 percent of Mark in the Gospel), then on a compilation of Jesus’ sayings that Matthew shares with Luke called “Q” (from the German quelle, or source), and, finally, certain material unique to Matthew. In doing so, the author serves as the student of Mark and Q, continuing Mark’s narrative framework within which to place the story of Jesus. From Q Matthew draws an insistence on judgment, but adds to Q’s insistence on personal judgment the notion of forgiveness, especially forgiveness as worked out in and by the community of Christ followers. Mark demonstrates how Jesus acted; Matthew echoes Mark and adds what Jesus taught. In line with this, the major portion of the text (Matthew 3:1-25:46) alternates narration of miracles, controversies, and dialogues with the apostles, as recorded by Mark, with five set piece discourses like the Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29) from Q and uniquely Matthean material. This structure of narrative followed by discourse is framed by Jesus’ infancy and his passion, death, and resurrection.

Entering into the Scriptures

Shalom lachem. Peace be to you. The Bible dictionary that comes with my Scripture software has no entry for “peace.” The entries go straight from “pavilion” to “peacocks.” Right: I have a Bible dictionary with an entry for peacock but not peace. Well, never mind. What, after all, could the Bible possibly tell us about peace – personal, national, or international? The English word “Peace,” with its usual connotation of an absence of war, inadequately expresses the wide range of meanings of the Hebrew. Shalom carries the sense of completeness, perfection, of being in a condition in which nothing is lacking. Because the Lord called the people of Israel to live in a covenantal relationship, peace could only be achieved when that relationship was also complete. When it was not, the people experienced the consequence of the lack of peace: wars from surrounding nations, oppressive national rulers, and natural disasters. The essence of Biblical peace, then, comes from establishing and maintaining right relationships with God, each other, and all of creation. Jesus echoed this teaching. The Lord’s Prayer asks that all creation follow God’s will, and forgiveness to the extent that Christians forgive others (Matthew 5:9-15; Luke 11:2-5 parallel). Jesus leaves his peace with his followers, but it is not the peace of the world (John 14:27). For his followers, it must somehow be the peace Jesus found in his life and ministry, most importantly, his ministry of healing and reconciliation. Acts of the Apostles, of course, presented an idealistic portrait of the earliest community of Christ followers, in which everyone shared all material goods (Acts 2:44; 4:32).

“Gentlemen May Cry Peace, Peace but There is No Peace”

The United States recently completed its 58^th quadrennial general election. Candidates up and down the ticket promised peace and security. How do we plan to accomplish that? How many and what resource are we willing to commit to realizing peace? The United States and virtually every other country has a cabinet level department overseeing an armed force trained to fight other nations. On the other hand, only a handful of countries, most famously Costa Rica, have ministries of peace. Well over a hundred proposals to create a cabinet level peace department have come before the US congress over the years, the first in 1793. None have succeeded. Colleges have peace studies, but society values their graduates’ skills far less than those of engineers and accountants. Part of the problem is that we have not grappled with the issue of how to define peace in a competitive international and national environment. During the Cold War, both sides officially backed away from armed conflict, but embraced a doctrine of “Peaceful Competition” in which both sides strove to “bury” the other. Did the end of the Cold War bring anything like peace to the world? Does our national fascination with whatever country’s economy seems to be doing better (currently China, in the past the so-called BRIC group of nations, before that Japan, and even earlier the European Union) mean we can never have true peace on the international level? Our obsession extends to education where proposals to improve educational standards aim to “improve the international competitiveness of our work force,” not to educate well-rounded, thoughtful citizens. On the national and local levels, competition pervading all elements of society (ever heard or thought “our church is bigger than your church!”) diminishes our ability to promote a Biblical peace built on relationships of love.

Prompting Conversations

We start a new Gospel this Sunday. Which is your favorite Gospel? Have you any particular reason for that?

Jesus warns that the Second Coming will be upon us “like a thief in the night.” How do you envision the Second Coming: As the time of your personal reckoning or as the return of Jesus? Is the Second Coming a matter of any practical concern for you? How do you prepare for it?

Waiting seems almost un-American, but can waiting be more than doing nothing? How can we be mindful, for example, of the signs of the coming of the Incarnate Word?

To paraphrase: “A competitive system is the worst system devised except any other system every tried.” Competition encourages innovation, profiting everyone, and at its best permits individuals to develop unique abilities. Do you think there is a way for Biblical peace to coexist with a competitive system? What would that look like?

Click here to download PDF version of the above.

Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 14:45:38 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for December 4, 2016

Second Sunday of Advent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10 ¹A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. ²The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ³His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; ⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. ⁵Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. ⁶The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. ⁷The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. ⁹They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. ¹⁰On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Worth Noting: Faced with the prospect of a war with a vastly superior force, through Isaiah the Lord promises Judah that with a new king (probably Hezekiah, son of the regnant Ahaz) there will be a bright future for the people. The portrait of this utopian time has served as a springboard for the imagination of generations of an ideal time. Isaiah presents a challenge to a too-easy acceptance of this vision, for who will spread knowledge of the Lord over the earth to a level as deep as the Mariana trench? How do you contribute to that project?

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 ¹Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son. ²May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. ³May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. ⁴May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. ⁵May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. ⁶May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. ⁷In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more. . . . ¹⁸Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. ¹⁹Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.

Worth Noting: Verses 1-4 are seen as imperatives for the king: The king must rule with the poor as a first priority. Verses 5-7 offer the consequences of such policies: long life and prosperity for all the nation. With changes for titles and positions, how easily can we pray this psalm for all of our elected officials?

Second Reading: Romans 15:4-13 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.⁵May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus,⁶so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs,⁹and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name”; ¹⁰and again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”; ¹¹and again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”; ¹²and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.” ¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Worth Noting: Paul first looked to Isaiah to understand why God sent him to the Gentiles and then to explain it (as here) to Jewish Christ followers. A question we all need to ask of ourselves and our communities of faith: How receptive are we really to people not like us? We might warmly welcome a family of four – how about a group of 30 looking for a new home?

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12 ¹In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming,²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” ⁴Now John wore clothing of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.⁵Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan,⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. ⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?⁸Bear fruit worthy of repentance.⁹Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.¹⁰Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Worth Noting: The imagination of the Judeans of Jesus’ day was colored by the experiences of deliverance from Egypt, in the original Exodus, and the deliverance from the Babylonian Captivity. In both cases, the people crossed a wilderness to find the Promised Land. The wilderness represented a lifestyle stripped to the essentials, on the one hand, and freedom from political oppression on the other. It was a time of complete dependence on the Lord. Water always represents the life force and, since it has associations with the crossing of the Reed Sea the Judeans’ ancestors crossed from Egypt to the wilderness, it also represents the taking on of a new life of freedom. Have you been baptized? What do the waters of baptism represent for you? Do you have a sense of freedom in baptism?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The kingdom of heaven is a central, organizing concept in the Gospel of Matthew, used a few dozen times by the writer. Unlike the other Gospel writers, Matthew prefers that term to the “the kingdom of God.” Matthew’s term reflects a Jewish sensibility declining to use the name of God. By whatever name, in this Gospel selection, John the Baptist proclaims the Kingdom is drawing near in the person of Jesus. Thus, as in the reading from Isaiah and Psalm 72, the Kingdom and the King, Jesus, are co-extensive: The King is the Kingdom. Because of that, John makes no attempt to define the Kingdom more fully, leaving the people to wonder whether this will be a kingdom of justice and peace or a kingdom of corruption and oppression. Jesus himself never defines the Kingdom as a political scientist might define the European Union or the British Commonwealth. Instead, Jesus tells stories about the Kingdom, parables which tease the imagination of the listener. Four aspects of the Kingdom stand out.

The Kingdom is an eschatological event: it will be fully realized in the last days (Matthew 24:30-31; 25:30-31; 26:64).
While the full realization of the Kingdom awaits the Second Coming, it is present in the same way that a mustard plant is present in its seed (Matthew 13:31-32). That is, the Kingdom is present now and is developing to its fullness.
The Kingdom is about moral standards and actions (Matthew 5:3, 10, 19-20; 18:1-3; 25:1-46).
The Church, the community to which Matthew spoke, is the Kingdom in the world today, composed of evil and good (Matthew 5:13-16; 13:24-30, 36-41; 25:31-46).

The Kingdom, then, is in our midst in an incomplete, imperfect form. Matthew calls Christians to live in it and with it.

Homer: “Too Many Kings Can Ruin an Army”

The Kingdom of Heaven is not an altogether helpful image of a life of perfection. We come from people who revolted against kings and kingdoms. Disdain and distrust are evoked based on the history of blood-thirsty twentieth century dictators. One contemporary writer noted “King [is] a man who excels in inflicting injury to others until he terrorizes everybody into submission” Recognizing these adverse associations, some writers prefer the term “Kin-dom” expressing our relationship as daughters and sons of God. Others, especially poets and songwriters, adopted the term “City of God.” Other concepts may be helpful in exploring the mystery. The creeds speak of the “Communion of Saints,” expressing the reality of the presence now of God and of all the saints: those who have gone before, those present, and those yet unborn. Paul’s image of the Christians forming the Body of Christ on earth (1 Corinthians 12:12-31) promotes a more active role for Christ-followers. To us is given the task of exploring the meaning of Jesus’ term Kingdom of Heaven and translating it into current language. We remember that Jesus used many parables, many stories, many images of the Kingdom. No single image was definitive. Never did Jesus say “The Kingdom of Heaven is.” Six times, Jesus said “The Kingdom of Heaven is like.” And each time the simile was different.

Prompting Conversations

Jesus and John met challenges and opposition throughout their ministries (not all of it deadly or even hostile). Is conflict not a real part of all of our communities? Isn’t that how we grow? How does conflict figure into any discussion of the Kingdom of Heaven?

In the readings, Isaiah, the psalmist, and Paul each provides a picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. What are the elements of your vision of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Is the Kingdom of Heaven only a spiritual, other-worldly object of desire or does it have bearing on how we live here and now?

Click here for downloadable, paper version (PDF) of the above. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Blessed Be the Longing

Tracy — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 16:40:29 +0000

Welcome to our Advent 2016 Faith Formation Blog. I hope you enjoy reading and praying your way into Advent with some of our bloggers. To get things started, I offer you a poem (a prayer really) from the writer John O’Donohue which appears in his collection To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. May God’s blessings be yours this Advent. Ken+ Blessed be the Longing Blessed be the longing that brought you here and quickens your soul with wonder. May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire that disturbs you when you have settled for something safe. May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease to discover the new direction your longing wants you to take. May the forms of your belonging – in love, creativity, and friendship – be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul. May the one you long for long for you. May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire. May a secret providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling. May your mind inhabit your life with the sureness with which your body inhabits the world. May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage. May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency. May you know the urgency with which God longs for you. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Missioner for Evangelism, Christian Formation, and Leadership Training. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org.

A Holy Adventure

Tracy — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 05:00:34 +0000

The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." ~ Matthew 3:3 With these words the status quo is shattered and a holy adventure begins. With these words the listener enters sacred time. In Mircea Eliade’s seminal work The Sacred and the Profane, he argued that for non-religious people the world is homogeneous, that is, it is all the same. But for religious people the world is full of sacred places and sacred writings and sacred time. For us, the world is full of holy and sacred experiences. They are experiences that bring us closer to our Creator and closer to Jesus. That is what Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight at the beginning of this gospel feels like to me. It calls us to heed the sacred and the holy within ourselves so we can also prepare the way of the Lord. It is our call as much as the Prophet Isaiah’s (Isaiah 40:3) and John the Baptist’s. As we move into Advent and begin our church year anew, our sacred calendar gives us a glimpse of the future: the birth, baptism, ministry, death, and resurrection of our Savior. This is the sacred journey we have begun. The temptation is to rush ahead down the path prepared for us, to get to the promise of the resurrection, yet to do so is to abdicate responsibility for the present. We have to (as a wise preacher said to us from the pulpit last Sunday) slow down and give our souls a chance to catch up with our bodies. I think what he meant was as we await the birth of Jesus (the first Advent), as we prepare the way of the Lord, we can only do that by entering into prayer, careful listening, and holy waiting. When we do that we become whole, and sacred waiting fills us with the joy of our own call to ministry. Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. ~ Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent, BCP p. 211 The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Missioner for Evangelism, Christian Formation, and Leadership Training. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org.

The Magi and the Gift of the Star

Tracy — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 06:00:04 +0000

This Advent season my mind keeps returning to the magi. While we don’t know a lot about them, there is certainly a lot we can learn from them. Here are these “wise men” and all we really know is that they followed a star to find Jesus. We aren’t really sure how many there were, where exactly they came from, or why they were so excited for the birth of the king of the Jews. But we do know that they were waiting for this blessed event and were overjoyed when they saw the star. I love that Matthew chose to include the story of the Magi in his telling of Christ’s birth because it helps me to remember to view time differently. It reminds me to view the present as a gift. Here the Magi were, patiently waiting for the prophecy to come to fruition, and low and behold they find the star they had been searching for. What a gift that star was to them! What a time to be alive. It also reminds me that the future is bigger than we think. The Magi knew that this king they had been waiting for was a baby. They were not disappointed when they saw him in his mother’s arms. No, they fell to their knees and worshiped this tiny little baby. They knew that great things were to come from him. In Him, they found hope. So, this year in our time of waiting, let it be active waiting. Look inward and ask yourself what, in this present moment of time, is a gift you have been given? What big things are you waiting for with wild anticipation? How has God blessed you and how will He continue to do so? How can you view the present as a gift and the future as hope? How can you be like the Magi? Elizabeth is the Director of Children and Youth Ministries with The Episcopal Church in Colorado and Youth Pastor at Trinity Episcopal Church, Greeley. Reach her at Elizabeth@EpiscopalColorado.org.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 13:50:57 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for December 11, 2016

Third Sunday in Advent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10 ¹The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus²it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. ³Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. ⁴Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” ⁵Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; ⁶then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; ⁷the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. ⁸A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God's people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray. ⁹No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. ¹⁰And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Worth Noting: The coming of the Messianic age, when right relationships are restored among all peoples, extends then to all of creation, as the natural world too blossoms and rejoices. Can you see a relationship between care of the world and care for other humans?

Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:46b-55 ⁵Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, ⁶who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; ⁷who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; ⁸the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. ⁹The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. ¹⁰The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!

Worth Noting: This is a hymn to the universal royal rule of the Lord, the God of Zion, who exercises world kingship differently from the “historical” kings of Israel and of the nations of the world, through liberating and helping care and concern for the oppressed, those deprived of their rights, and those who suffer. Are these the Biblical values you hear stressed in local and national elections? Are they the values for which you vote?

Second Reading: James 5:7-10 ⁵Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.⁸You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.⁹Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!¹⁰As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Worth Noting: Patience is not a highly-prized virtue in an age of instant everything – responses to (real and imagined) wounds, stock trading, news flashes, and gratification. Nevertheless, we value patience, especially in others. Why? Isn’t patience somehow accepting the status quo? Can you relate a time of waiting patiently for something? How patient were you really?

Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples³and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ⁴Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:⁵the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.⁶And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” ⁷As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?⁸What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces.⁹What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.¹⁰This is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’¹¹Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Worth Noting: Students of Matthew have great difficulty with the last verse, comparing John the Baptist unfavorably with “the least in the kingdom of heaven.” A not improbable explanation is that some in the early Church wished to make perfectly clear that John was a great person, but to be a Jesus follower was even better. By extension, the followers of John, who were still in the Jewish community (see Acts 18:24-26; 19:1-5) were not to be followed. The interpretation accounts for both the saying and a plausible first century setting in which John’s non-Christian disciples were competing with Jesus followers. On the other hand, does it imply that John the Baptist is not in the Kingdom of Heaven? Use your imagination: How would you interpret the saying?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In the first reading from Isaiah, the prophet describes a Messianic age when “. . . the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped . . . (Isaiah 35:5-6). Consider that writing instructors emphasize the use of the active voice (“girl hits ball”) rather than the passive (“the ball is hit by the girl”) for dynamic language. Students of the Bible have come to refer to Isaiah’s and other writers’ use of the passive voice (“eyes shall be opened” for example) in this passage as the “divine passive.” Writers and readers understood that God is the one who opens the eyes of the blind, ears of the deaf, and tongue of the mute, and restores the lame, but reverence for God’s Name prompted oblique rather than direct references. (Not an issue for the poet of Psalm 146 above!) The Gospel encounter between Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist provides the author an opportunity to link Jesus closely to the Old Testament prophetic tradition, particularly to the words of Isaiah. Indeed, Jesus takes the same linguistic path, not claiming that he has accomplished these mighty deeds (though Matthew 8 and 9 are full of such stories), but that they have occurred during his time (Matthew 11:4-6). Thus Jesus, and Matthew after him, point to the deeds as proof that the age of the Messiah had come.

“It’s a Scandal the Way He Acts!”

Why would anyone be scandalized by a young man who restores well-being to the deaf, the blind – even to the dead (Matthew 11:6)? In the context of the first century Mediterranean world, stories of such healers were not uncommon. People traveled long distances to the Greek village of Epidaurus to receive healing instructions from the god Asclepius. The Old Testament narrates healings, miracles, and resuscitations by the prophets. Why would Jesus’ behavior give scandal? Perhaps some took scandal because Jesus’ healing went to those who were unworthy of them. Jesus did not ask the ill to perform any great act. Without asking, Jesus would heal those in distress, and so some “unworthy” of healing would be cured. Like many of us, Jesus’ contemporaries may have looked for some action, some work, on the part of the ill and not gratuitous healings. Perhaps some took scandal because Jesus explicitly linked spiritual and physical healing. In the messianic age, Jesus tells us, healing relationships heals physical disabilities. As Isaiah saw the restoration of an Eden when the Messiah came, so Jesus restored the ill and disabled to right relationships with God and as a consequence their health was restored.

Prompting Conversations

John sent his disciples asking about Jesus as the Messiah: “Are you the One?” John (in Matthew!) seems unsure of Jesus’ identity. Not such a crazy question, really. What would be your picture of the Savior of the world? Would it be of an itinerant preacher and healer in a backwater country? The CEO of a globe-straddling tech company?

The Bible claims that spiritual healing precedes physical – perhaps even ecological – healing. Does this resonate with your experience? Can you describe a time when spiritual healing led to physical healing?

The New Testament refers to tensions between followers of John the Baptist and followers of Jesus. Just as fights within a family can become bitter, so it can be with religious communities. Are there those somehow related to your community with whom you struggle? (Some might call them apostates, or heretics.) How might the tensions be eased? Are there areas, for instance, where your ministries intersect?

To access a PDF version of this click here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

The Journey

Tracy — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 06:00:25 +0000

Several years ago our children’s ministry was inspired to set aside its traditional Christmas pageant and instead enact a version of Las Posadas, "The Inns"—a Mexican tradition in which families recreate the journey of Mary and Joseph, beginning December 16 and ending on Christmas Eve. In our interpretation for the Christmas Eve service, the children—Mary and Joseph, accompanied by numerous peregrinos (pilgrims)—journeyed up and down the darkened aisles of the church, candles in hand, singing and seeking an inn for the Holy Family:

In the darkness of the church comes a loud knock, knock, knock from the rosewood rhythm sticks carried by Joseph. Then small voices:

We arrive so weary From a lengthy journey, And we beg for shelter On this night so cold.

And a resounding response from those in the pews:

Who is at our doorway On this night so cold? Who is knocking loudly And disturbs our rest?

Multiple times (nine to be exact!) the peregrinos stop and sing a verse of their song, and each time they are rejected.

You probably know what comes in the end. Joyful celebration! And yet it isn't the journey’s end that stands out in my memory, but the journey itself—the persistence of the peregrinos, the continued knocking and asking in spite of strong rejection. Wandering in the dark, cold, and wanting rest. Needing to find a room for the child to be born, the one we've been waiting for. Isn’t this a lot like our own journey each Advent, as we seek and try anew to find room in our lives for the coming of God Incarnate? Can we persist even when we are in the darkness? Can we do the hard work of setting aside the things that distance us from God and turn again to the one who is coming? Will we continue to knock? After all, we know what happens if we do. Tracy Methe is the Coordinator for Diocesan Events and Digital Communications for The Episcopal Church in Colorado. She can be reached at Tracy@EpiscopalColorado.org.

We’re Not Really That Different, Are We?

Tracy — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 06:00:36 +0000

Dr. Strater, my esteemed Latin teacher, would remind us often that the people we were reading back in high school Latin - Caesar, Virgil, Catullus, and Josephus were just us with different haircuts. In fact, he insisted that Madonna, the singer, was to be found in the Aeneid as Dido. We couldn’t believe it, because Madonna was so new and so 1980’s, but he insisted people don’t change quite so much over the course of 2000 plus years as we would like to believe. His theory was that we, as a culture, mistakenly believe we understand history as something that happened to people different from us because we are so sure they are different and that we know what we are looking for. He wanted us students to open our eyes and see what was really there – people just like us doing things we understand in settings we might find foreign or interesting, but still driven by the same inner forces we experience today. It blew my little sixteen-year old mind. So, I approach the world into which Jesus was born as someone who only just missed living there by being born in Cleveland, OH instead of Bethlehem. The Latin-speaking and Roman-ruled world of a decaying overreaching empire filled with people who felt invisible to the powers that be but had less than no control feels eerily familiar. Factions within Judaism were at odds with each other, Jerusalem was under the control of Rome, there was fear and social unrest, folks from the farther reaches of the Roman rule were rebelling, and a sense of immanent destruction and fear hovered over everyone. In 70 CE that fear turned devastating with the second destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been the heart and home of Judaism starting with the exodus from Egypt. Like Dorothy visiting Oz, I see some characteristics in that world I recognize. I see tyranny, I see a massive populace unsure as to their place in the world, I see rulers so divorced from their subjects that they really do speak a different language, I see frightened people moved by forces they don’t understand into situations they can’t control. I see fear, injustice, oppression, discrimination, and arrogance. I also see this spark of hope, this belief that eventually, somehow, someone would come along to get them out of it – some messiah, would set to rights all that awful stuff. What did that hope mean to the Jews sitting in Jerusalem or Bethlehem? It was entwined with this idea of political oppression and Roman rule and that the House of David would bring Israel back into the world as a nation to be reckoned with. The messiah would restore Jewish independence, crush all enemies so Israel could emerge as God’s chosen people, assume the throne of David or at least put a son of David in that throne, usher in the great Judgment of the nations, the bad guys would be dead and punished, good guys who are dead will be resurrected, there would be an end hunger, war, misery and political oppression, and the beginning of universal peace and prosperity. Not a bad list, I’d sign up for that – all my enemies vanquished and all the good people back in power to do the right things the right way, from the clearly right point of view. I can understand from where I sit at my desk, with CNN and AP news notifications flashing occasionally across my screen, that a political, external, governmental global messianic solution sounds great. In fact, as an avid devotee of the West Wing, what I would really like right now, in order to right the world in which I live, would be to wake up and find President Josiah Bartlet and his happy den of deep thinkers with big hearts and quippy dialogue running the country. It would be exactly as the Prophets ordered with all the swords beaten into plowshares and the people in whom I have faith running the world. Unfortunately, at least for the people of Israel who were looking hard for the messiah who would check off all the boxes on that list, that is not at all what happened. Not even one little bit. But, we will get to that later. The world felt deeply messed up to the Jews waiting in that sad outpost of the Roman Empire. They had a lot of questions, doubts, fears, and in their dark time they scoured the holy books for some sign of what was to come, especially the writings of the Prophets. They were looking for something they thought they knew with certainty. The Messiah will come and do the following things in the following way and we will know what that looks like because we have read about it. They were interpreting like nobody’s business in order to create an idea of the world to come that felt better than their present moment. The band U2, with Johnny Cash singing, remind us of that search: “I went out searching, looking for one good man/A spirit who would not bend or break.” Except back then they were looking for that man to come from the line of King David and that he would take over the world. If we are like those people 2000 years ago, and I think we really are, then we can learn something from the fact that Jesus showed up and didn’t meet the checklist. My best friend in high school had such a list about potential dates. They will dress preppy but not too preppy, will listen to both Whitney Houston and Peter Gabriel, will love Bach piano concertos, will read the classics but not brag about it. Etc. She was single well into college. I didn’t know then to suggest to her that she just sit with all the unknowns, the doubts and fears, the ways in which life does not show up as bright and shiny, but now, that’s what I would tell her. It’s the same thing I would say to someone in Bethlehem waiting to be counted in a census she did not understand and fearful of her place in the world. If you’re expecting a messiah, I wouldn’t get too stuck on what you think it should look like when the messiah comes. Don’t forget, we’re not so different from each other, dweller in the Roman Empire. And my Latin teacher said to keep an open mind about what we think we should know and he’s in good company. One of Thomas Merton’s prayers comes to mind, “I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.” Merton reminds us that God leads us by the right road, even when we’re not expecting it. Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:36:12 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for December 18, 2016

Fourth Sunday in Advent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-16 ¹⁰Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,¹¹Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. ¹²But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. ¹³Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?¹⁴Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.¹⁵He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.¹⁶For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”

Worth Noting: While Christians (since Matthew’s Gospel) read this passage as a prophecy of Jesus’ virgin birth, in its original context Isaiah foretold the lifting of a siege of Jerusalem by the armies of Israel and Syria before the son of a young already pregnant woman reached the age to take solid foods, typically three or four. That is, Isaiah tells the king of Judah that all will be well and prosperity (in the form of curds and honey) will return in the foreseeable future. How do you read the Old Testament? Is it only useful as a precedent for the New Testament?

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 ¹Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth ²before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! ³Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. ⁴O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? ⁵You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. ⁶You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. ⁷Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. ¹⁷But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself, ¹⁸Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. ¹⁹Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Worth Noting: Psalm 80:1-7 appears to refer to a disaster that has already happened, perhaps the conquest of the northern kingdom and deportation of its leaders by the Assyrians in 722 b.c.e. The concluding verses, on the other hand, are often thought to refer to King Josiah of the southern kingdom of Judah a century later in that time of national stress. Through the years, the people see the Lord as the principal actor in their history, causing defeat but promising victory to those who return to him. How much are your spiritual practices regulated by how well your life is going at the time? Is it during good times or bad that you find God closest?

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7 ¹Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,²which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures,³the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh⁴and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,⁵through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name,⁶including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,⁷To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Worth Noting: This is the earliest statement of the Incarnation, of Jesus’ birth as a human, when the divine infused humanity and all creation. Christians work hard to mine the rich implications of that simple statement. How do you understand the Incarnation? Is there one particular aspect on which you reflect?

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25 ¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.¹⁹Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.²⁰But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.²¹She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²²All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:²³“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” ²⁴When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,²⁵but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Worth Noting: Matthew’s account of an annunciation focuses on Joseph rather than Mary. What is Joseph’s role in the birth and raising of Jesus? How many people does it take to raise a child? How does your community support child-raising families of every stripe?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Scientists, philosophers, and storytellers have been fascinated by dreams for millennia. For the ancients, dreams were one way the divine communicated directly with humans. The healing god Asclepius, for instance, was believed to give prescriptions to the ill during the night in Epidaurus in Greece. Joseph, eleventh of the twelve sons of the patriarch Israel, received his own dreams and correctly interpreted others’ dreams and with these gifts preserved the Hebrew people. Dreams play a significant role in Matthew’s Gospel at Jesus’ birth and death, the beginning and the end. In a dream, an angel announces to Joseph the circumstances of Jesus’ conception (Matthew 1:20-21). In a dream the wise men from the East are warned to avoid Jerusalem on their way home (earliest version of Google Maps?) (Matthew 2:12). In a series of dreams, Joseph is told to flee to Egypt and later to settle in Nazareth (Matthew 2:13, 19, 22). In a dream, Pilate’s wife is told of Jesus’ innocence (Matthew 27:19). Dreams first assure the life of the baby Jesus and at the end witness to his innocence. Dreams remembered may be our unconscious trying to inform our conscious selves. In a similar way, we may have a “funny feeling” about a situation prompting us to act in a certain way. We call it intuition, our unconscious reading a situation and speaking to our conscious.

What’s in a Parent?

During the Christmas season, we celebrate with the Holy Family of Bethlehem. We accompany the three people who contributed to the incarnation of God in creation. First, we acknowledge divinity incarnate in Jesus. Next, we honor the teenaged Mary accepting the honor (and perhaps quaking at the prospect) of being the mother of the Son of God. Finally, we celebrate Joseph rising from sleep to accept the responsibility of preparing Jesus both for the world before him and the world beyond him. Because of Jesus’ miraculous birth, Joseph’s contribution often is slighted. Christians believe Jesus was human in every way but sin. In every way that counts, Joseph was Jesus’ real father. Joseph protected his birth mother and named the child as the angel directed. Joseph provided needed guidance in the ways of the world and in the ways of God. Who else brought Jesus to be circumcised? Who bathed and changed him? Provided food? Taught him respect for the Torah? Gave him a trade? Aren’t these the mark of a real father?

Prompting Conversations

How is your intuition? Can you cite a time when it overrode your conscious, rational decisions to your benefit? Might this conversation with the unconscious be one way God speaks to you?

The Advent-Christmas season exalts tight, harmonious family relationships. To some degree, however, all of us regret some part of our family relationships and many suffer acute pain during the holiday season over remembered deaths – physical and psychic. Are you aware of these pains in your life? In others? How do you cope or help others cope?

The Word of God reaches from the earliest revelations to Abraham and the patriarchs through the centuries to today. Can we think of God’s message – or our understanding of it – as evolving and growing through time? Might Isaiah and the other Hebrew prophets have expressed a piece of God’s Word that Jesus and the Church clarified or amplified (not contradicted)? Do you think that process continues today?

To download post in PDF format, click here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. “Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Saying "Yes"

Tracy — Mon, 12 Dec 2016 15:45:32 +0000

There is something about the colder weather, shorter days, and traditions of the season that offer permission to spend more time with those we love. Whether decorating, baking, watching movies, caroling, or attending a pageant or candlelight worship service together, one of the presents of Advent and Christmas is the gift of time with family and friends. You likely have a list of favorite traditions you share with loved ones this time of year. When we live in the moment and say “yes” to opportunities to play and connect, we embody the love and joy that is God’s gift to us throughout our lives. Life’s quick pace can make it challenging to pause, pay attention, and reside in Advent’s space of joyful anticipation. Connecting with one another as we experience this season’s delights, wherever we find them, helps us offer love to the world. In living beyond today’s dark, cold days and looking forward to the Light we know is on its way, we embody our Christian hope with confidence and peace. Mary and Joseph became a family when they welcomed their new baby on Christmas. Their gifts of love and care for Jesus mirror the love and care God has for us. In focusing on the Christ Child’s family and God’s love, we are reminded that attending to ourselves and others in love and care is a wonderful way to move through life all year long. The Reverend (Deacon) Amy Lythgoe attends seminary at Iliff School of Theology, and serves as a clergy intern at St. John’s-Boulder and the Middle School Chaplain at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal K-8 School, Denver. She can be reached at namastamy@me.com.

One Marshmallow, Or Two?

Tracy — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 05:00:29 +0000

The Stanford Marshmallow experiment was conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel in the 1960s and 1970s. In the study, which was done on children, the subjects were in a room with a marshmallow or some kind of sweet treat. They were told that they could eat it now, but if they waited fifteen minutes they could have twice as much—two marshmallows or two cookies. Then the researchers watched to see how the kids performed. In follow-up studies the researchers found that the kids who could wait for the better deal later had higher SAT scores, more educational attainment, they were not as fat at their peers, and less likely to be in prison. The kids who were able to wait created all sorts of strategies to keep themselves busy while they waited. Some of them talked to themselves, some paced, some created games for themselves, some counted, some covered their eyes, some played with their clothes. I can only imagine the torture of a four year old in a room with a marshmallow trying to wait. I’m not patient by nature. Maybe we learn from this study that none of us really are, we just come up with tricks to keep ourselves from going crazy while we wait for a better outcome. Waiting for a messiah to come left the Jews with a millennia of the Marshmallow experiment. What they did while waiting makes perfect sense. They came up with the expectations that all the things that were happening in the meantime would be righted, that the waiting would be worth more than two marshmallows. In the reading from the Book of James we are told this week: “Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.” Well, they were patient. Then Jesus shows up and instead of two marshmallows, he comes bearing love, grace, forgiveness, healing, and redemption. Which upon first glance did not look so appetizing. In fact it may not have immediately registered that this human specific person-to-person kind of love was any kind of marshmallow at all. John the Baptist was a little concerned as he watched what Jesus was up to. So, he sent two disciples to talk to Jesus and ask, "Are you the one who is to come or are we to wait for another?" Jesus does not answer, "Yes, I am the one." Instead he points them towards his ministry and asks them to go tell John what they have seen and heard. All the things were so small: lepers cured and lame people walking, and deaf people regaining hearing and a blind boy seeing and the poor getting good news. Not even the kind of party you could have with two marshmallows. However, it is exactly the kind of party that can change the world. I was listening to Karen Armstrong, the religious historian, speak about compassion and she said a really pertinent thing. She said that if we all were to live with compassion and care for others every day of our lives the world would be completely changed forever. She said the British often say, after doing something nice for someone, “Well, that was my good deed for the day,” as if one and done was all that was expected of them and they could go back to being jerks. That is eating the first marshmallow and moving on. My friend Kate donated a kidney to someone she didn’t know last week. She was part of a four-transplant-center trade of kidneys in which four different people were taken off the transplant list in one fell swoop. Kate is the kind of person who does everything big, so when I went to visit her while she was recovering, she was planning a huge PR campaign in which she got everyone to understand the miracle of being a kidney donor and she got the entire transplant list eradicated. She wanted to provide that healing to more people than she had kidneys. It dawned on me walking to my car in the cold snowy night that Kate had done person-to-person healing all on her own. That was way more than enough. I know she has larger plans, and those are fine and good, but all they do is encourage what she already did by example. Give what you have every day of your life in care and compassion. Jesus was offering a life of selfless love and compassion one person at a time. Specific love. Healing of body and spirit one person at a time. That’s about the speed we as a people can go. One person at a time, one action at a time, waiting, trying really hard, and then messing up and trying again. The specific personal one at a time healing feels like what we can do at our human pace. I think Desmond Tutu said it best when he said, “God has all of eternity to work on you. You and I are a work in progress. . . Because this God is a three-miles-per-hour God walking at our pace.” And that pace could be three miles an hour, one marshmallow after fifteen minutes, or one person at a time, but whatever it is, it’s working on us. So while we wait this year for Jesus to come, in the quiet hush of expectations, maybe we can see two things. One is that the waiting is good for us and we should use it as practice. And the other is that the reward is on our scale, at our speed, and in our hands to live out. Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

God Loves the World!

Tracy — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 06:00:43 +0000

God Loves the World! God Loves Us! God Loves You! I Love You! God Loves Me! I Love Me! Thanks Be to God! Amen.* Sometimes in the waiting, listening, and quiet contemplation of Advent I forget how extraordinary (that’s not even a big enough word!) it is that the creative and life giving force of the God of all creation was poured into a human form and became flesh and blood! Think about that for a minute. It takes my breath away. The only possible explanation is God Loves the World! * The Shouting Prayer, written by The Reverend Churchill J. Gibson, Jr. May Christ be our new beginning, the hope and salvation of the world. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Missioner for Evangelism, Christian Formation, and Leadership Training. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org.

Ordinary Love

Tracy — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 05:45:56 +0000

On that dark and cold wintry night, the gymnasium was filled with hungry people. One hundred and eighty or so of them. All different ages, some had light white beards like Santa. Others were four years old, blue-eyed and full of hope. It was obvious that many of them were homeless. Others looked like anyone you might see walking down the street. We did not know their stories, but because they were in that room on that night, we knew they were hungry. The youth from the Colorado Springs Regional Confirmation class, a shared ministry between three churches in town, were there to serve food, gift bags, toiletries and other goodies. While our guests were rather joyfully scarfing down a delicious homemade dinner, some of the youth and I formed a choir. We sang good old Christmas favorites like "Deck the Halls" and "Silent Night." As we cheerfully offered our voices, something happened. Not all of us saw it. Those of us who did see were suspended in a holy place. A woman walked over to the dinner table carrying a box. She was shaking it and shaking it and shaking it. A wild look flashed in her eye. At first I thought she was afraid of the box's contents. What was in there? The woman placed the box on the table and opened it up. Out came a brand new pair of black and white running shoes. She began to sob. Oh. Her emotion while carrying that box was not fear, or anger or whatever else might have run through my mind. It was extraordinary, wild thanksgiving. Later on we saw her standing in line with a bright twinkle in her eye, she looked to one of the volunteers and gave a great, big, GIANT hug. Our scripture text for that very day, the third Sunday in advent, was one in which we hear from John the Baptist in prison. He sent his disciples out to ask Jesus if he is really the one. This question is most shocking coming from that holy man, who lived his life preparing the way for our Lord and had witnessed himself, the power in Jesus. It seems to me that John the Baptist was doubting. Perhaps Jesus' ministry was not what he expected. Perhaps he wanted more of a revolution that was bigger and bolder, with clear winners and losers. But that is not what Jesus was doing. In our gospel text, Jesus tells John's disciples about the sick being healed and preaching to the poor. The ordinary were embraced and loved. Maybe John missed the power in that ordinary love because he hadn't been trained to see it. It was so fitting for our youth to serve dinner to the hungry on that third Sunday in Advent after hearing that gospel in church. How many of us, caught up in the stress of day to day life, would ordinarily see the hungry and bear witness to their experience. It is entirely possible that we would ordinarily not notice the power of a woman's hugely profound thankfulness upon receiving a pair of shoes. But on that day we did. We saw in her great thanksgiving and we saw the power of Christ's love embodied in those serving that day. When the hungry woman gave a thank you hug to a volunteer, light was shining in her eyes. That light was of Christ. We, the followers of Jesus, are people of the light. As we hear more news of our country, our world falling into darkness of despair, poverty and violence, we are meant to bear witness to Christ. This advent we prepare to welcome Christ's birth. Like Mary and Joseph, we wait in darkness for the light to come. As Advent unfolds may we remember to see, to love, to embody Jesus Christ, even in the most unlikely dark and ordinary places. The Reverend Krista Dias is the Director of Community Life at Chapel of Our Saviour, Colorado Springs. She can be reached at kdias@chapelofoursaviour.com.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:54:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for December 25, 2016

Christmas Day I

THE READINGS

First Reading Isaiah 9:2-7 ²The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. ³You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. ⁴For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. ⁵For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. ⁶For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Worth Noting: In the Northern Hemisphere, Advent is marked by shortening days, lengthening nights, and walking in darkness. In what ways has this Advent season proven profitable for you? Has it been a walk in darkness or in light? Both?

Psalm 96 ¹O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. ²Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. ³Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. ⁴For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. ⁵For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. ⁶Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. ⁷Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ⁸Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. ⁹Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. ¹⁰Say among the nations, “The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.” ¹¹Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; ¹²let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy ¹³before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.

Worth Noting: Music is an integral part of many Christmas celebrations – formal and informal, public and private. It has been said that “to sing is to pray twice.” Is singing praying twice for you? How might music and singing help ascribe strength and glory to the LORD?

Second Reading: Titus 2:11-14 ¹¹For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,¹²training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,¹³while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.¹⁴He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Worth Noting: The opening verse is a stunner: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all . . .” At first blush, it is a message of universal, unqualified salvation. How would you understand it? Does the rest of the passage diminish the scope of the declaration?

Gospel: Luke 2:1-14, [15-20] ¹In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.²This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.³All went to their own towns to be registered.⁴Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.⁵He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ⁸In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.⁹Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.¹²This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” [¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.]

Worth Noting: The first declaration of the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ: To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah (the anointed one), the Lord. The remaining 22 chapters of Luke’s Gospel provide commentary on the angels’ words. What does it mean to be a Savior? Will the anointed one be like the kings who succeeded King David? What kind of a lord will this child be? And why is such a one lying in a manger?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Many of the details in the account by Luke of Jesus’ birth contradict and confound the account of Jesus’ birth in Matthew. Did Joseph and Mary make their home in Bethlehem (Matthew) or Nazareth (Luke)? Did shepherds (Luke) or wise men from the east (Matthew) come to worship the babe? Later, did the family flee to Egypt (Matthew) or simply return to their home in Nazareth (Luke)? Let’s just take as given, written as they were 80 plus years after the fact, neither account is based on eyewitness accounts – nor does either account claim to be so. The differences between them mark differences in audience. For example: Matthew’s Jewish community appreciated tracing Jesus’ lineage from Abraham through David to Joseph (Matthew 1:1-17), while Luke’s Greek community preferred an ancestry reaching back to Adam and Eve, parents of all people (Luke 3:23-38). What is common to both is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That Jesus’ identity is understood through divine revelation. That Jesus came for all classes and nations, a mystery we honor when shepherds rub shoulders with Asian, and African wise men in our cribs and crèches. In the midst of their accounts of a miraculous birth, both writers foreshadow conflict and death over the Gospel. They warn that not all will accept this good news (as Simeon foresees, Luke 2:34-35) and some will try to kill it (as Herod did, Matthew 2:13-18).

“All I Want for Christmas is Peace on Earth and a Shiny New Car” Surprise! It’s Christmas!

While the world awaited deliverance from war and strife, looked forward to turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4; first Sunday in Advent) what came instead was a baby, “wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider Isaiah’s foretelling of a Messianic age as part of God’s promise to the world. How can Christians reconcile this with their belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah of God? Never did Jesus claim to bring universal peace nor were his successors successful at doing so. How hold both truths at the same time?

Maybe we expected too much and, paradoxically, too little. We expected the immediate fulfillment of all promises. Instead, the birth of Jesus serves as God’s down-payment on the age when the lion and the lamb can lie down together. That’s the “expecting too much” part. We expected too little because with this first installment, God divinizes humanity (and indeed all creation). As Athanasius, a principal author of the Nicene Creed, said, “God became man that men might become God.” (For similar teaching, see 2 Peter 1:4, Iranaeus, and Thomas of Aquinas.) Christians believe that God brings to fruition the prophetic visions. We, made in the image of God, infused with a sense of mission, yet aware of our limitations, struggle to realize the Reign of God on planet Earth and in the process become more like God.

That’s the surprise.

We are the change the prophet foretells . . . and demands.

Prompting Conversations

Mark and John are quite comfortable omitting any account of Jesus’ birth and infancy. Why do you suppose Matthew and Luke decided to add their accounts to the basic Gospel structure? How many differences can you find between their accounts? What does each one connote for the proclamation of the Gospel?

Does the Incarnation light your fire? Not just the “no place like home for the holidays” sentiment, but the thought that the Creator has fused with the created? What can that mean when reflecting on the Resurrection?

Advent is a time of waiting, hoping, and preparing for Christmas. What were your hopes for this Christmas? Do you see yourself empowered to achieve those hopes in the coming year?

Want a hard copy of this? Click here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Contemplating the Light

Tracy — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 05:15:08 +0000

It’s a dark time of year, during what has been a dark season for me, and I have been contemplating the light a lot while I wait for the sun to come up--metaphorically and for real. I had a series of phone calls last week that shed light for me on the darkness that I have been feeling around me. I do a lot of talking on the phone for work to people all over the world and these calls are usually enlightening. This one day, I talked to three people who all said the same thing to me in different ways. One was in Singapore, one was in Germany, and one was in Canada--so the similarities were striking by the time I got to the third call. One felt she was too new to be of service, another that he was too pushy, and the third that he was seeing things totally differently than everyone around him. All three of them are successful people working in a huge company who all felt the gifts they brought to their jobs were somehow not sufficient to the task. I knew they were wrong, but I wondered how they could possibly see themselves in a different light. The light we are waiting for is what Isaac Pennington, a 17th century Quaker, described as the light that flows from life, the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. In that light, we all look very different than we do by the compact fluorescent light bulbs in the lamps in my study. Pennington says that if we come to see by that light, we will be able to distinguish it from all others. If we dwell in that light, we never die. We are alive to what the Spirit is doing, alive to what the world needs, alive to what gifts we are bearing. That seemed like exactly the cure for the darkness. So how? How do we see ourselves, and the people around us, in that light? How, in this world of over-performing where “meets expectations” is a bad review and where we are judged (mostly by ourselves) constantly on what we do, can we find a way to the light? When our human gifts have met their limitations, the boldest thing we can do to get to the light is to love. Might be an odd conversation on a work call, but it’s still true. What Jesus brought to us, the light Pennington describes, is the light of love. The light of God’s love for us and our love for each other. My mother said something to me when I was in college that has stuck with me for decades. I was suffering as only a twenty year old can, and I was telling my mom that I was just not going to be able to pull myself out of it. She said, “Well, I guess if you look at it through your eyes it would look like that. But I wish you could see yourself through God’s eyes.” I started wondering what I would look like through God’s eyes? If I saw myself that way, would I believe it? Would I say yes to it? Think about Mary, who made space in her life and her body to grow that love without questioning the truth of what she was doing. Like Abraham, she said yes first, and figured the rest out later. Our redemption rests on our ability to say yes to love as Mary did. It’s there. We may not feel it all the time but we are swimming in it, we are surrounded by it, we are made of it, and it is the connective tissue of the universe. We have to believe fearlessly in God’s love. We have to put down the deadening darkness that comes from all the things we think we know about how insufficient we are and see ourselves in the light of love. It could blow away any darkness, real or metaphorical, and bring us to life. All three of those people on the phone? The funny thing to me, after listening for a while, was that all of them had mentioned the exact gifts the organization needed to get over the next hurdle. They were already using a new set of eyes, excitement, and genius thinking even though that was not at all how they saw it. They were seeing it through the dark--through that place in themselves where they felt a little dead to the mystery and the wonder of who they are. But it was there, and real, and they were already giving more than they realized. In the right light, I hoped they would see it too. I hope we all do. Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

Longing for Christ

Tracy — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 05:15:13 +0000

I walked into the church. Lights were dim, classical music played softly over the speakers and the smell of incense told me that I was in a sacred space. People poured in through the doors, grabbing leaflets that contained readings along with the small songbook. At the center of the church, monks dressed in white albs took their places on the floor. All around me were fellow Christians sitting with eyes closed in silent prayer. Love filled the place. God is easy to see here. This was one of many trips I took with youth groups on pilgrimage to the Taizé Monastery in France. As I entered prayer with hundreds of fellow Christians on that day, something new caught my eye. Flashes of blue and red were illumined by the sun’s light. It was a window that I hadn’t noticed before. I walked over to take a closer look and the image those colors were depicting became clear. This window was a picture of Mary and her cousin Elisabeth. They reached towards each other as babies leapt in their wombs. We all know the story. It is one we often hear told during this season of Advent. When I saw the window, those two pregnant women full of joyful expectation, something stirred in me too. While standing in that prayerful place, the chatter of the world softened by holy stillness, I longed to be a mother too. The longing for a baby was deep, as deep as the stillness and prayer in that church. I knew it was a calling. I looked at Mary in that window and realized that she must have felt a longing like that too as she waited for the baby Jesus to arrive. The call to motherhood was born in me as I prayed over that Advent scene window one day in Taizé. I became a mother the next year and knew motherhood is a holy vocation. We are not all women hearing the call to motherhood in the way that I did on that day at Taizé, or as Mary did while awaiting Jesus’ birth. But all of us, men, women, parents or not, are meant to birth Christ in some way. Each of us, created by God in a distinct and beautiful way, is called to bear Christ. If we allow ourselves to still the noises of the outer world and pray, we may hear ways Christ is waiting to be born through us. When I looked at that window at Taizé I felt a great desire for motherhood. It was a longing for children. Desire and longing are ways that God often calls each one of us. Sometimes, our deepest and greatest desires are not our desires alone. They are God’s desire for us. In these last few days of Advent, take some time to rest, to be still and pay attention to your deepest longing. It may be the voice of God crying out to be born through you. The Reverend Krista Dias is the Director of Community Life at Chapel of Our Saviour, Colorado Springs. She can be reached at kdias@chapelofoursaviour.com.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 12:50:50 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for January 1, 2017

Holy Name of Jesus

Note: This is one of three possible sets of readings for this day.

THE READINGS

First Reading Numbers 6:22-27 ²²The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:²³Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them, ²⁴The LORD bless you and keep you; ²⁵the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; ²⁶the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. ²⁷So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Worth Noting: When a newborn is given the name of a parent, what does that signify? When an inventor gives his name to the product, what does that signify? When an explorer names a location for herself, what does that signify? What did it mean for the Israelites to have the LORD’s name put on them?

Worth Noting: Psalm 8 places humanity at the apex of creation, exercising dominion under the aegis of the Lord. How is humanity to exercise dominion? Do you see humanity caring and nourishing creation as God cares for and nourishes you?

Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11 ⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,⁵in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.⁶And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Worth Noting: At the time Paul wrote, the Galatians questioned whether, without submitting to circumcision and observing dietary laws, they were members of the household of the God of Israel, the God of Jesus. Paul assures them that the arrival of God’s Son resulted in their adoption into the family of God, an event to which they themselves could attest since they had received the spirit (Galatians 3:2-5; 4:6). As Moses instructed Aaron and the priests to put the name of the Lord on Israel, by the coming of Jesus among humanity, all humans may now be children of God with full rights appurtenant thereto (Galatians 4:7).

Gospel: Luke 2:15-21 When the angels had left [the shepherds] and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ²¹After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Worth Noting: The Hebrew equivalent of Jesus is Joshua, derived from a verbal form meaning “one saves” or “rescues.” The name signifies the vocation. Does your given or family name have other significance? Have you been given a nickname that aptly captures your personality?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Throughout his account of the birth of Jesus, Luke emphasizes Jesus’ relationship to kingship. Luke notes that the journey to Bethlehem, the city of David, was precipitated by the decree of Caesar Augustus, emperor revered for bringing peace to the Roman world. The birth is then given a pastoral setting with angels announcing his birth only to shepherds. Listeners would recall that David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, serving as a shepherd before his anointing – becoming a messiah – by the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16:8-14). Despite David’s humble beginnings, he grew to become Israel’s greatest warrior-king and received God’s promise that his heirs would rule forever (2 Samuel 7: 12-16). Parallels with the history of Israel extend to Mary who displays the virtues of the good Christian, and fulfills the promise of the Hebrew people at Mt Sinai. Then the people vowed to follow the Law and then to understand it (Exodus 19:8; 24:3). Now Mary acts in accordance with God’s instruction, accepting her role as the virgin mother. Even while her new life is unfolding in unexpected ways, Mary “treasures” all these “words” and “ponders them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Obedience, faithfulness, is enacted even with highly imperfect understanding of the enormity of the commitment accepted. And so it is today, with every parent who accepts the responsibility of a new born child. First, we love the child and then we accept, with imperfect understanding, all the uncertainties, demands and promises of the new life.

“What’s in a Name? . . . A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet!”

Why do we name newborns “after” someone? Sometimes we want the name of a deceased person to live on, to continue to have resonance in the universe, to memorialize their lives. Often, we hope the newborn will take on the characteristics of the one named. A once nearly universal custom in Christianity was to give a newborn the name of a well-recognized holy person – “Mary” after the mother of Jesus or “Peter” after Jesus’ disciple for instance. In some cultures, one’s name day, the feast day of the person for whom we are named, is at least as important as one’s birthday. The occasion brings to attention the personal qualities and virtues we are meant to embody. What must it mean, then, to take on the name “Christian”? How is one to embody the virtues and qualities of Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah of the world?

Prompting Conversations

In the large households with which Paul and the Galatians were familiar, the paterfamilias, the father, demanded service and reverence and provided protection and sustenance to all who acknowledged his sovereignty. Is that an outdated model of your relationship with God?

Did you add names or change them as you journeyed through life? Why so? Did it change your viewpoint or attitude toward life?

The feast we celebrate is “The Holy Name of Jesus,” whom we call Jesus Christ. Is it a celebration of our name too? If you accept the name as your own, how has your understanding of its meaning changed during your life? Do you ever look back to ponder these changes?

To download a PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh, coordinator of Adult Faith Formation for St Timothy’s in Centennial CO, completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. (The name “Haugh” is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic for “Son of a Horseman.” NB: Horseman, not horse thief.)

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 15:52:42 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for January 8, 2017

First Sunday after Epiphany

The Baptism of the Lord

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9 ¹Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. ²He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; ³a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. ⁴He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. ⁵Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, ⁷to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. ⁸I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. ⁹See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them. Psalm 29 ¹ Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor. ³The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters. ⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. ⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. ⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” ¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. ¹¹May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Worth Noting: The poet frames a psalm of praise with an imperative to give God praise (Psalm 29:1) and a petition for God to give strength to God’s people (Psalm 29:11). It is the nature of the psalms to include more than one aspect of worship, often, as here, petition and praise. Do you consciously pray in more than one way?

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43 ³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality,³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all.³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Worth Noting: Do you think the apostles were ever baptized? What else gave them the authority to preach and heal as they did?

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17 ¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Worth Noting: This selection records Jesus’ first word in the Gospel of Matthew: Aphes, “let it be,” or “let loose” or, in certain contexts, “forgive.” While Jesus spends a goodly few words on judging and directing, it is still noteworthy that Matthew remembers the first word as this. Would this, aphes [αφες] be a resolution for your new year? How will you know when to “let it be” and when to act?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Psalms

Journeying provides brief introductory comments on individual Biblical books as they appear in the lectionary. Psalms, of course, appear in over 90 percent of the Sunday readings. Each Psalm provides a short response to a real human situation: perhaps a time of sorrow, or a national celebration, or a moment of thanksgiving. As a consequence, short introductions to the book of Psalms invariably present a high level, relatively undetailed sense of the entire collection. These few paragraphs are no exception. We have chosen to point out but a few of the characteristics of the Psalms. Those interested in learning more about the Book of Psalms may respond to Journeying on the Colorado Episcopal website or Facebook page, or at St Timothy’s of Centennial Colorado Facebook page. The collection of Psalms first and foremost is the prayer book of Jews and Christians. The Psalms provide common ground on which diverse religious communities meet and pray. The rich diversity of the psalms, exploring the heights and depths of humanity’s relationship with God, provides ample opportunities for prayer in every occasion, with works for both individual and corporate worship. Psalms 13 and 22, for example, are classed as Psalms of individual lament while Psalm 66 and 124 are psalms of communal thanksgiving. Biblical Hebrew poets largely eschewed use of meter or rhyme to carry and enhance their message (unlike many English poets). Instead, Hebrew poetry derives its power from the highly-compressed nature of Biblical Hebrew (one Hebrew verb may describe the action as well as the gender and number of both subject/actor and object, a task normally requiring at least three English words) and the successive, intensifying repetitions of phrases and ideas in a single verse. In Psalm 29:9 above, for example, the poet claims that “the voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, /and strips the forest bare.” Not only does the LORD’s voice cause the trees to bend and sway as in a strong wind, it is so powerful that leaves are blown off before their time. In Psalm 29:11 the poet becomes more specific, demanding first strength and then peace for God’s people. Few will confidently assign a time or place to the writing of individual Psalms. One might assert with some confidence that most were written between 1000 and 500 b.c.e. and were collected in approximately their current order and form around the end of that period. Given the time span of composition, it is clear that the tradition attributing about half the psalms to David (c. 1000 b.c.e.) is incorrect. The misattribution arose from a misunderstanding of the Hebrew “leDavid” which was translated “of David” rather than “in honor of David” or “in the style of David.” In their transmission, the texts of many Psalms have been corrupted requiring creative editing on the part of the translator. To take one example chosen much at random, the New Revised Standard Version of Psalm 40:6-7 includes two emendations of the traditional text. At the conclusion of verse 6, the NRSV reads “an open ear” while the Hebrew reads “ears.” More significantly, the translators admit terminal puzzlement at verse 7: The footnote reads “Meaning of Hebrew uncertain.” It’s not the words or grammar are difficult; they just don’t fit the context. A literal translation would be “Then I said ‘Behold (or Shazam! or Lo!) I come with a scroll of a document [or “decree”?] written about me.’” What the document contains, and how it bears on the rest of the Psalm is obscure to the point of opacity. While in the case of verse 6 the rewording is relatively simple, problems with verse 7 have proven intransigent. These instances provide more reasons for why each translation is an interpretation and every reader of the Psalms needs facility in Biblical Hebrew!

Entering into the Scriptures

Practically from its beginning, the Church struggled with the Gospel tradition of Jesus’ baptism by John. Why did Jesus need to be baptized? How could one so superior be baptized by an inferior? That Jesus was baptized by John is taken by most scholars as a given, on the basis that the report of the baptism was an embarrassment to the early Church, for the reasons outlined above. For the Church to preserve the story despite this embarrassment provides strong reasons for accepting its truth. One reason we are puzzled is our association of baptism with repairing a state of sin. If Jesus never sinned, then baptism was not important. This may not have been the association of John’s followers with this ritual. Perhaps John’s baptism acknowledged the individual’s association with the entire history of the Jewish people, with their failures as well as God’s mercy towards them. Ezra 9:6-15, for example, records a prayer on the return of the people from exile in Babylon, remembering the sins of ancestors and contemporaries that merited God’s wrath but instead elicited God’s mercy. Prayers of the Qumran community, recovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls and approximately contemporaneous with the production of Matthew’s Gospel, included a prayer on entry into the community that acknowledged the sinfulness of the people as well as God’s mercy. Taking a communal view of baptism helps grasp the meaning behind Jesus’ statement that the baptism would “fulfill all righteousness.” Taking “righteousness” (Greek: dikaiosunē) to be synonymous with “right relationship,” Jesus is expressing his and God’s desire to repair and fulfill the relationship between God and God’s chosen ones, the people of Israel. Matthew established Jesus’ ancestry through patriarchs, kings, ordinary people, and women of sore repute (Matthew 1:1-16). In his baptism confession of sins, Jesus acknowledges this legacy at the start of his ministry. It is the legacy on which he will build in the Sermon on the Mount and the rest of his work.

Congratulations! You finished. Now get cracking!

In their accounts of Jesus’ baptism, the Gospels focus the reader’s attention on the anointing of Jesus at its conclusion. Then the Spirit descends upon Jesus and a voice testifies to his identity as Son of God. This is the point when God acknowledges Jesus as his anointed one, his messiah. The event fulfills the words of Isaiah the prophet: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1). Now Jesus, having completed his preparation, enters his public ministry. A secular analog would be graduations from school, invariably referred to as “commencements,” as they mark the start of a new way of life. The Christian sacraments do likewise, celebrating first the presence of the Spirit and then acceptance of the Christian vocation to prepare for the Kingdom of God.

Prompting Conversations

Does communal repentance make sense to you? Does your community regularly recite a confession of sin expressed in the first-person plural: We confess that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed? How do you understand that: as a composite of individual sins, an acknowledgment of communal failures, communal failure built on individual sin, or something else?

Rituals mark turning points in our lives: baptism marks birth, marriage a commitment to a new relationship, and so forth. How does your religious community mark life’s passages? Are new rituals needed to meet new transitions (e.g., a ritual for those moving to a new city and community)?

When asked what was the most important day in his life, the late Pope John XXIII (known as “Good Pope John”) reportedly cited the day of his baptism as an infant. Have you been baptized? Was it primarily seen as a cleansing from sin? entrance into the Christian community? first step in your ministry? How do you see it now?

For a downloadable, printable PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh has spent over 20 years in the field of adult faith formation. He completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Love, Grief, Pondering

Tracy — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 19:28:17 +0000

So, there is this one word that I can’t get out of my head. It’s like that song you hear, for me they’re usually Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas songs, and after you hear it once it wafts through your brain at all the wrong moments. It becomes a feeling, not a word or a song, like an itch or a pang or a memory. This word, in case you are wondering, is in Greek, but it was in the readings for Christmas Eve and when I heard it I knew it explained the feeling I have been having all week--so it is a kind of backwards stuck in my head since I heard it after I felt it and then was hooked on it because it explained what I felt. Let me start this story going forward. I grew up Jewish. I became Christian. But the non-church part of Christmas has always been culturally beyond my reach. I grew up a “Chinese food and a movie” on Christmas kind of Jew, not a “we have a tree because it’s cultural not religious” kind of Jew. And it has been a very hard barrier to break through. In fact, I love Advent, Christmas, the quiet, the waiting, the expectant hush, the whole thing, but I have never been able to imagine myself with a tree--or any of the other cultural trappings of Christmas. It felt like I would be pretending to be something I am not. It’s hard growing up outside the dominant culture to keep your own heritage going and it takes some resistance. I got used to the resistance and now finding my way through all of that is complicated. As are most worthwhile things. Then, on Thursday, my sweetheart arrived at my door with a tree. A small, cute, inoffensive tree. What my daughter called an incremental tree. A “How could you not love this little tree?” kind of tree. He came bearing lights and ornaments and he recruited my son to find a hanger from which he made a star and strung it with lights. My heart filled up with something I could not dislodge. A feeling of magical fullness and gratitude. Through him God did for me what I had no idea how to do for myself: take a tiny step forward. Now, that fullness and gratitude and joy was banging around in my heart with some strong feelings of confusion, and letting go of my past and learning to be quiet with the beautiful present, while it sounds lovely, is a heavy feeling. I have been letting go for years and sometimes it’s pretty nice. This was not one of those times. This time there was some real grief there. Without which I would not know how committed I am to Jesus and how he is also in there, working in my heart. Then the reading. In the passage from Luke where Mary hears from the shepherds what is going on and she treasures the words and ponders them in her heart. Or keeps the words and ponders them in her heart, if you look at the King James Bible. Either way, it was the pondering them in her heart that got me. In Greek that word has a lot of meanings but the one that made me sigh with relief finally having heard the word that was going through my head all week was “to bring together in one’s mind or confer with one’s self.” Since the arrival of the tree and my joy when we set it up, and my glee at putting presents under it and plugging it in when I make coffee in the morning, there has been some conferring going on in my heart. Part of me is letting something go--not without struggle--handing it off to God to hold. Part of me is feeling a spark of joy that needs to be nurtured. And those two parts are conferring--they are working magic in me that with grace and time are going to turn into something else entirely. Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 09 Jan 2017 17:13:49 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for January 15, 2017

The Second Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7 ¹Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The LORD called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. ²He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. ³And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” ⁴But I said, “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the LORD, and my reward with my God.” ⁵And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and my God has become my strength – ⁶he says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” ⁷Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, “Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Worth Noting: The identity of the person of whom Isaiah writes is unclear. Some would say that the prophet writes of Cyrus the Great, Persian emperor who conquered Babylon and returned exiled Jews to Jerusalem and Judea. Others, that the prophet is personifying Israel itself, reminding the people of their vocation to be a light to the nations. Christians might read the passage as a foretelling of Jesus. However it is read, how does it speak to your call to service?

Psalm 40:1-11 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. ²He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. ³He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. ⁴Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. ⁵You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. ⁶Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. ⁷Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. ⁸I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” ⁹I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. ¹⁰I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. ¹¹Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 ¹Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes. ²To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,⁵for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind – ⁶just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you – ⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Worth Noting: “God is faithful:” a recurring theme in Paul’s letters. How do you understand God’s faithfulness? How does God keep the promises of peace in the prophecies of Isaiah, for instance?

Gospel: John 1:29-42 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’³¹I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.³³I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’³⁴And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” ³⁵The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples,³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” ³⁷The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.⁴¹He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). ⁴²He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

Worth Noting: Andrew and his compatriot did not ask Jesus about his credentials or his teaching. They asked “Where are you staying?” How would that help them decide whether to join his band or not? (Were they looking for soft beds?)

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to 1 Corinthians

For the next six weeks, the second reading will be taken from the first three chapters of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. First Corinthians is referred to as an “occasional letter,” one composed in response to the situation, or occasions in Corinth. Paul has heard reports (1:11-13) and received a letter sent to him for guidance on matters touching on the common life (see for example 7:1, 8:1, 12:1). While we no longer have a copy, Paul reports that he wrote previously to the Corinthians on some of the same issues (5:9). The Corinthian community was composed principally of former pagans, practitioners of traditional, polytheistic religions (6:11; 12:2). Other itinerant Christian teachers have visited Corinth -- Paul mentions Apollos and Cephas (the latter perhaps the apostle Peter). Different instructions have provoked divisions over religious issues (1:11-13; 3:2-5; 11:17-18), exacerbated by tensions based on social and economic status (11:21). Paul writes, then, to maintain the community. Paul repeats the message he first preached to the Corinthians, the message of the Cross, “foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1:18). This message we will hear three times over the next six weeks. The contrast is between the wisdom of the world, which is foolishness, and the power of God. True wisdom, God’s wisdom, is the revelation of the Cross. Late in the letter (15:1-8) Paul pulls together his entire gospel – the death and resurrection of Christ and his appearances to his disciples, the last to Paul. The resurrection, Paul says, conquers death (15:54-55). Before reaching that point, however, Paul wants the Corinthians to understand that Resurrection cannot take place without the Cross: Good Friday comes before Easter.

Entering into the Scriptures

For good reason, ancient Greeks and Romans encountering Christians for the first time, characterized them as a philosophical school, one founded by a Jewish teacher, Jesus of Nazareth. Of course a great teacher would have a school, with a group of students or disciples, who would follow him. There were many models for such a school. Sometimes it was in a particular building (most famously the Academy of Plato in Athens) but it might also be without four walls (Aristotle’s habit of teaching while walking gave his followers the name The Peripatetics). Every school strove to prepare the students to live life well. Instruction, therefore, consisted not only of the master’s words but way of life as well. While all four Gospels describe Jesus’ invitations to disciples and interaction with them, they do not view the disciples or the twelve Apostles within the disciples, in the same way. For whatever reason, the first Gospel, Mark, characterizes the disciples as bewildered, slow-learning, and often frightened. For many, this very human portrait is especially endearing. Later Gospels, however, deal with the disciples in more flattering ways. Matthew and John probably found Mark’s often vivid portraits of the disciples a distraction to their intense and singular focus on Jesus. Matthew might relieve the apostles of responsibility for unseemly behavior, as one might see by comparing Mark 10:35-40 with Mathew 20:20-23 (request for a special place for John and James in Jesus’ kingdom). The Gospel of John, while exhibiting some tension with Peter (epitomized in the tale of Beloved Disciple and Peter racing to empty tomb, John 20:2-4), generally portrays the disciples as good, conscientious students, as extras in the primary story of the Word incarnate. All four Gospels provide ample opportunities for the reader to identify with those who followed Jesus.

“Abide with Me”

Critical in John’s Gospel is the command to “remain” with Jesus and in his love. The importance may be measured by the frequency of use of the Greek verb menō, to remain. It appears 5 times in this passage, some 40 times in the whole Gospel, and 14 times in Jesus last instructions to the disciples (John 14-15), reaching peak intensity in the passage John 15:4-8. How does one today abide with Jesus? Where does Jesus stay? Some say one place to find Jesus is in the memories of his life found in the Gospels. Imperfect recollections though they may be, they provide a portrait of the powerful, energetic, and compassionate teacher and healer leading a lively school of those likewise commissioned to teach and heal. To abide with Jesus is to abide, revel, rest in these memories. Matthew 25:31-46 remembers Jesus offering a second place where one may abide with him. In the passage, he identifies himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the refugee, the unclothed, the sick, and imprisoned. To abide with Jesus is to abide with the poor, the lost, maybe even the delusional.

Prompting Conversations

In Jesus’ day, to be a disciple was to be a student. Are you a “student” of Jesus? Are “disciple” and “student” still equivalent? What’s the difference, and what might that say about the Christian life?

Isaiah speaks of servanthood. Is that part of being a disciple?

Jesus’ calls Christians to “abide with me.” How do you do hang out with someone dead 2000 years? What practices do you employ to continue to abide with him?

For a downloadable PDF version of the above: Click Here Dennis Haugh has enjoyed more than 20 years in the ministry of adult faith formation. He completed his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:08:14 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for January 22, 2017

Third Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading Isaiah 9:1-4 ¹But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. ²The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined. ³You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. ⁴For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Worth Noting: It is likely that this was first a portion of a coronation ode for a new king of Judah around the time that the Assyrian Empire was controlling much of what is now the Middle East. The Lord or the king as instrument of the Lord would throw off the symbols of foreign occupation and oppression: the yoke, the bar, and the rod. Are your rulers-legislators-presidents-governors-mayors chiefly concerned with lifting oppression?

Psalm 27:1, 4-9 ¹The 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? . . . ⁴One thing I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. ⁵For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. ⁶Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. ⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! ⁸“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, LORD, do I seek. ⁹Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 ¹⁰Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.¹¹For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.¹²What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”¹³Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?¹⁴I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,¹⁵so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.¹⁶(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)¹⁷For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. ¹⁸For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Worth Noting: While we must make the effort to grasp the inexhaustible mystery of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paul warns us against taking our limited conclusions and understandings too seriously. My understanding cannot comprehend the totality, and I must acknowledge that your understanding has truth as well. The goal should be to see how we can learn from each other. As we read through 1 Corinthians, see if this is the issue among the groups Paul cites in verse 12. How does your community accommodate different theological understandings?

Gospel: Matthew 4:12-23 ¹²Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee.¹³He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,¹⁴so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:¹⁵ “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – ¹⁶the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” ¹⁷From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ¹⁸As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen.¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him.²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.²²Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. ²³Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Worth Noting: One last geographic play. Mark, without reference to Jesus’ birth story, starts Jesus off in Capernaum. Matthew, having said Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Nazareth (so that Jesus might be called a Nazarene [Matthew 2:23]), now needs to moves Jesus’ home to Capernaum to fulfill the prophetic word of Isaiah.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Over a dozen times in the Gospel, Matthew shows the reader how the actions of Jesus “fulfill” prophecies of Isaiah and the other prophets. Several features of this rhetorical tactic deserve comment. First, we note that Matthew clearly feels entitled to edit the chosen texts to suit his particular needs. Thus, the Gospel passage above truncates the first verse by omitting Isaiah’s verbs – bringing into contempt and making glorious – and changing others – “light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2) to “light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16). The omissions focus the attention of the reader/listener on the geography rather than Isaiah’s understanding of the theology behind the Assyrian conquest of Israel and Samaria, while the vocabulary changes suggest a new day, a new beginning in the ministry of Jesus. Sometimes differences between the NRSV translation of the Hebrew Scriptures and a citation in the New Testament arise from differences in the text used. New Testament writers generally relied on Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures, while modern Bibles begin with Hebrew versions of the same Scriptures. Differences among different versions may explain some differences. In the case of Matthew 4:15, as it happens, Matthew’s quotation corresponds to neither the Greek nor the Hebrew. Perhaps the writer had yet a third version, now unknown to us, or, as seems more likely, simply felt entitled to edit the quotation to fit the needs of the passage. The last explanation leads to a final comment. Matthew, careful readers will conclude, has appropriated Scriptural texts with little or no concern for their original setting. (In this, he followed the direction first sketched out by Paul’s use of the Scriptures in his letters.) One perhaps inadvertent consequence of this appropriation is to deny the validity of the same Scriptures for the religious life of the Jewish people who may not see in the passage from Isaiah (for instance) any foretelling of Jesus or any other Messiah. It is intellectually immature for Christians to claim Matthew’s as the only valid interpretation of Isaiah. Indeed, Christians and Muslims share with Jews these Scriptures but draw diverse conclusions from their readings.

Easy Steps to Becoming Jesus’ Disciple

The editors of the Revised Common Lectionary cleverly brought the Gospel selection to a conclusion. The story of the selection of the first four disciples, Matthew 4:18-22, is nicely framed by two summary statements of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, Matthew 4:17 and 23. Disciples, the framing technique tells us, are those called to proclaim repentance and the imminence of the kingdom of heaven by teaching and curing. Jesus’ disciples, moreover, are not to show the slightest hesitation or to voice a single objection in responding to Jesus’ call (unlike Moses, Mary, and Zechariah, for instance).

Prompting Conversations

Is there only one way to read the Hebrew Scriptures? Is there only one way for Christians or Jews or Muslims to read them? What happens when readers respectfully hear and explore diverse, even conflicting, readings?

How many of us can leave family and jobs to accept a “position” as student of an itinerant preacher-healer? If you consider yourself a Christian but not a mendicant, itinerant ascetic, how do you reconcile your life-style with Jesus’ demands? How do more mundane occupations – perhaps like yours – proclaim the good news of the kingdom of heaven?

Is it important to you to live a life consistent with Biblical teachings? How do you navigate your way through competing interpretations of what it means (for example) to be a Christian?

For a downloadable PDF version of the above Click here. Dennis Haugh, has over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 23 Jan 2017 13:59:31 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for January 29, 2017

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: Micah 6:1-8 ¹Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. ²Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. ³“O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! ⁴For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. ⁵O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD.” ⁶“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? ⁷Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” ⁸He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Worth Noting: The Prophet relays the notice of a law suit by the Lord against the people. The people ask what they might do to repair the breach, and the prophet responds with a recommendation: Ditch the sacrifices and do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly (that is, follow the example) of God.

Psalm 15 ¹O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill? ²Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart; ³who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; ⁴in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the LORD; who stand by their oath even to their hurt; ⁵who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Worth Noting: The poet asks: Who is blessed to abide with the Lord? In other words, who may enter the Temple? There follows ten (or maybe eleven) marks of the righteous and eligible to enter the Temple sanctuary. Note the emphasis on the tongue and speech, entirely appropriate for our age of social media bullying and false news. Do you find it difficult to avoid passing on gossip – even when it’s true?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.¹⁹For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” ²⁰Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?²¹For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.²²For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,²³but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,²⁴but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.²⁵For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. ²⁶Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.²⁷But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;²⁸God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are,²⁹so that no one might boast in the presence of God.³⁰He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption,³¹in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ^{7 “}Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ^{10 “}Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Worth Noting: The Beatitudes represent typically Old Testament values, in line with the teachings from Micah in the first reading and Psalm 15. They confront starkly the values of the larger Greco-Roman culture, based on competition among families and clans. Do they mesh with the values of our surrounding 21^st century culture? Just for instance, are the meek honored?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

For the next four Sundays, the Gospel reading will be taken from Matthew 5, the first part of the Sermon on the Mount. The entire Sermon runs from Matthew 5:1 through chapter 7. It is the first of the five major blocks of teachings that Matthew compiled. It is the first, the longest, and doubtless the most famous and important as well. And has stirred the most discussion and controversy. First, the Sermon on the Mount must be considered within the context of the Gospel of Matthew and within the context of the Old Testament and first century Judaism. As to the latter, Jesus affirms early in the Sermon “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. . . . Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20 NRS). Further, the Beatitudes, the Gospel text, draws heavily on Isaiah’s visions, particularly Isaiah 61:1-3. The last point is that we must consider how terms used ambiguously in the Sermon are used elsewhere in the Gospel to derive Matthew’s meaning here. One example of that is given below A second point is that the Sermon on the Mount should be read as setting out a way of life for Jesus’ disciples. In doing so, Matthew is concerned to stir the reader’s moral imagination, to disrupt a state of lethargy and skepticism. Jesus says throughout that the values of the world, of wealth, fame, and power, are not the values of the kingdom of heaven. Finally, the Sermon on the Mount offers hope. Living through kingdom values well may result in suffering scorn and, indeed, crucifixion. Much wisdom literature from the Ancient Near East, including much of such Old Testament books of Proverbs, saw an immediate payoff in this world from living in accordance with God’s will. Not so in the Sermon on the Mount. The bad news is that the disciple’s reward is delayed to the end of time when all things are put right. The good news is that it will come.

Entering into the Scriptures

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) present a daunting “to-do” list for Jesus’ disciple. So much so, that it has been a matter of controversy as to whether the Beatitudes are meant for the everyday Christian, are an unattainable ideal, or are reserved for religious dedicated to lives of asceticism. The position taken by Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary is that the Beatitudes set out a path to follow. The disciple may not ever attain the perfection foreseen but is still asked to pursue that. To give a sense of the range of options consider the fourth Beatitude, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). One understanding of “righteousness” is that this refers to an action by God, either justification or the delivery of justice at the end of time. A contrasting understanding is that “righteousness’ refers to behavior in accordance with God’s will. The latter seems to be closer to Matthew’s understanding since the last Beatitude promises the kingdom of heaven to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10). Persecution presumably follows an action by the disciple. Later in the Gospel Jesus tells his followers to seek God’s righteousness (Matthew 6:33), again implying actions on their part. But note too that the disciple is one who “hungers and thirsts for righteousness.” The analogy to the appetite for food shows an incompleteness to the attainment of righteousness. It is the one striving to satisfy a hunger who will be filled, for no one but God is completely righteous.

"Gentlemen Cry 'Peace, Peace' -- But There is no Peace"

Each of the Beatitudes presents its own challenge. None may be more needed than the seventh, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). While we recognize its importance, we struggle with questions. What is peace? Are we talking only about inner peace? or peace within close personal relationships? Or is Matthew really talking about big time worldwide peace? What if “The Other Side” doesn’t want peace? And isn’t it the peacemaker, standing in the middle, who catches the haymakers thrown by the antagonists? God’s peace may not be like ours. Consider that Jesus, who as the Son of God lived out the Beatitudes in his own life, destroyed the peace of the Temple when he overthrew the tables of the money changers (Matthew 21:12). In his confrontations with Sadducees and Pharisees Jesus challenged the peace of a settled order. Perhaps God’s peace accommodates tension, conflict, and change. Indeed, perhaps God’s peace accommodates growth and new life.

Prompting Conversations

Jesus promises faithful disciples a reward only at the end of time. In the meantime, do you find some reward for living out the Beatitudes? Any Beatitude in particular?

Is there one Beatitude that you find especially daunting to consider as a guide for your life? Is there someone you know, on the other hand, who embodies that Beatitude?

Can you imagine such a thing as a tense peace that is truly peace? How do you imagine God’s peace?

For a downloadable PDF version, Click here. Dennis Haugh, has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Precious Rightness

Tracy — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 18:08:01 +0000

I do Pilates as often as I can. Which means every day I am not traveling for work, except Sundays. I’m not so much addicted as I am hopelessly in need of being reminded of a few things, because I seem to have a little recidivism issue. If I go more than 24 hours I begin to think I am a brain floating in space, and maybe prefer it that way. If too many days go by I slip into sloth and torpor thinking that the walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water when I’m working counts as exercise, as does searching Netflix. I also completely forget how to pay minute attention to ordinary things and begin to forget that walking is cool and hopping up on the counter to get the bowl out of the top cupboard is also cool and I want to keep being able to do it into my 90s. Oh, and the most important thing about Pilates is humility. I can forget how lovely it is to be bad at things. To have to try really hard. To gain mastery very very very slowly. I like feeling competent, in charge, like I know something. I need to get my ego handed to me at least once a day. I take class with women who are ten years older than me and are Pilates teachers who can do things I can only dream of. I’m always trying to keep up and, occasionally, even wonder why they let me in the advanced classes at all. Tuesday, I came to class knowing all this. I was in the middle of doing something that was both upside down and backwards and my teacher, and part time prophet, Amy, says to me—let me remind you I was upside down, “Well, that LOOKS right, but I think you are doing it all wrong and forcing it to make it LOOK right on the outside. You’re good at making it LOOK right on the outside.” I sat down with a harrumph on the equipment and asked her what she meant. I knew if I wanted my ego intact I needed to leave the prophet alone. If you want your ego intact, LEAVE THE PROPHET ALONE. But, no. “You have to be vulnerable,” she says, “you have to bring it way back to basics and look for the precious rightness, the small way in which you can tenderly find what is right even if it looks all wrong on the outside and start with that. Stop faking it. Sure, it fools most people, but it’s going to hurt you in the long run.” I was stunned. I think, actually, she was stunned too, because I asked her to remember the phrase “precious rightness” so I could write it down when we were done, and even the next day, she was reminding me, “precious rightness.” Why did that hit me so hard? Because it was a total indictment of how I was raised and my way of approaching life. We, in the deep Midwestern wilderness that was Ohio in the 70s, were taught that as long as it looked ok on the outside, that was all that counted. It really didn’t matter how messed up and crazy things got: rehab, bankruptcy, break-ups, death, failure, divorce, or arrests, as long as your matched your shoes and your hair was right, the world kept turning. I love a stiff upper lip. I believe in the idea of grace under pressure. There’s a bright shining line, though, that Amy pointed out to me. It’s all ok as long as you’re not lying. Faking it. Pretending. Acting better than. Being disingenuous. Oh and invulnerable. It’s ok as long as you are not tightening up in order to pretend to be right or do it right or look right (read that as trying to be invulnerable). I was reminded of all of this today when I was listening to Richard Rohr speak at Spiritual Direction Colorado’s annual conference. He defined suffering as: Not in control. “When we’re at a red light,” he joked, “we’re suffering.” Which he insisted was a good thing. The spirituality of imperfection. “We come to God not by doing it right but by doing it wrong,” he said. He went on to talk about vulnerability and opening yourself up to be hurt. The suffering of not being in control allows you to create relationship with God. Which to me is another kind of precious rightness. I’m aware that there is no such thing as a spiritual practice that’s different than a life practice, or as Eugene Peterson says, there’s no such thing as Spiritual Maturity, there’s just maturity. Which is what makes me excited to get back to Pilates next week and let go of my addiction to perfection in favor of finding precious rightness in Pilates and in life. No matter how deeply embarrassing it might be. Michelle Auerbach is a writer and works with organizations on emotional intelligence, storytelling, and mindfulness. She is a parishioner at St. John’s Boulder.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Jan 2017 17:49:42 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 5, 2017

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 58:1-9a [9b-12] ¹Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. ²Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. ³“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. ⁴Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. ⁵Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? ⁶Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? ⁷Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? ⁸Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. ⁹Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. [If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, ¹⁰if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. ¹¹The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. ¹²Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.]

Worth Noting: The prophet disparages fasting, at least fasting divorced from concern for the oppressed and hungry. What is the point of fasting? Jesus fasted (Matthew 4:2) and instructed his disciples on fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). Do you ever fast? What impact might it have on your spirituality?

Psalm 112:1-9 [10] Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments. ²Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. ³Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. ⁴They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. ⁵It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. ⁶For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever. ⁷They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the LORD. ⁸Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. ⁹They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor. [¹⁰The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.]

Worth Noting: The poet constructed Psalm 112, describing living righteously, to be read in conjunction with Psalm 111, describing the righteousness of God. The righteous, whether God or human, live in graciousness, mercy, and justice (Psalm 111:4b; 112:4b). The point of living righteously is to be complete, fulfilled, and at peace – or “Happy” as the New Revised Standard Version says. When have graciousness, mercy and justice been extended to you? Is there someone you know, or know of, who embodies these qualities?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 [13-16] When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.²For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.³And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling.⁴My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,⁵so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. ⁶Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish.⁷But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.⁸None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.⁹But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” – ¹⁰these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.¹¹For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God.¹²Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. [¹³And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. ¹⁴Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.¹⁵Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny. ¹⁶“For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.]

Worth Noting: Faced with sophisticated opponents trained in Greek philosophy, Paul preached the foolishness of Christ’s cross, using his own manner of life, with all of his weaknesses (rather than his oratory), to proclaim the message (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). Those who have accepted this message have a knowledge of God communicated by the Spirit (verse 6-15). As a consequence, Paul and his disciples have taken on the mind of Christ (verse 16). What helps you take on the mind of Christ? Of course, taking on the mind of the crucified-One could be dangerous, right?

Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20 [Jesus said] “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. ¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid.¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. ¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Worth Noting: It is not that the scribes and Pharisees are not themselves righteous, but the follower of Jesus is expected to be even more righteous, to follow God’s will even more closely. Does that sound like a compliment, a challenge, or an order?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

Telling his disciples to be “salt of the earth” may not have seemed so straightforward to Matthew’s readers as readers today may take it. First of all, did Jesus mean “salt of the earth” as in “salt from the earth” or as in “salting the earth” (to make it salty). If it is the latter, then one must ask doesn’t salting the earth render it infertile and unusable (see especially Judges 9:45, but also Psalm 107:33-34, Jeremiah 17:6, and Sirach 39:23)? Within the context of the Sermon on the Mount, this understanding of “salt of the earth” seems completely unproductive, directing searches elsewhere. If then salt from the earth is Matthew’s meaning, how would Matthew’s community have understood the term here? Ancient cooks (and writers) recognized the properties of salt as seasoning and preservative (Job 6:6), so that salt was added even to the sacrifices in the Temple (Leviticus 2:13; 1 Esdras 6:20; 8:30). Throughout antiquity, religious sacrifices of food, crops or animals, symbolized sharing a meal between the god and the offeror, and the meal marked the bond between them. “Sharing the salt” became a short hand for the formation of that bond. (See Ezra 4:14 and the Arabic expression “There is salt between us.”) Not only is salt a seasoning and preservative, it is chemically stable over time. Its stability lends it a patina of permanence, and this permanence, coupled with the notion of a bond, gave rise to the tradition of referring to Israel’s covenant with God as a “covenant of salt” (Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5). (The association of salt with the covenant would have been reinforced by the fact that salt could be used to pay taxes to the sovereign [see 1Maccabees 10:29; 11:35].) This Gospel selection is preceded by the Beatitudes, in which Jesus stakes out his program, explaining how his disciples are to live. As they live into the Beatitudes, they build a permanent covenant. In a way, they covenant with God and with the world, as the disciple brings the world to its potential as the City of God.

For Once, It All Hangs Together

Isaiah considers fasting far inferior to freeing the oppressed, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, clothing the naked. The Psalmist emphasizes the connection between divine and human righteousness. Paul brings his argument to a climax stating that the Christian takes on the mind of Christ, in other words becomes salt for the world. Together, these readings remind the Christian that deeds do count. That to take on the mind of Christ is to do as Christ did: To love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and body, and one’s neighbor as oneself.

Prompting Conversations

Despite Isaiah’s words, persons of all faiths and none promote the discipline of fasting. Have you ever fasted regularly? Did fasting have an impact on your outlook on the world?

Jesus did not come to “abolish the law or the prophets.” If so, should Christians attend synagogue every Sabbath, keep kosher kitchens, and in other ways follow the Torah? Would that be more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees? In any event, how do you see the relationship between Judaism and Christianity in the 21^st century?

The follower of Christ strives to take on the mind of Christ. But to what end? What does it mean to be seasoning to the world? And do you really want to take on the mind of the crucified-One?

For a downloadable, PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh, has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 08:00:43 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 12, 2017

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Alternate Sirach 15:15-20 [Moses spoke to the people:] See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. ¹⁷But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,¹⁸I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.¹⁹I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,²⁰loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Worth Noting: In Deuteronomy, these are the final words in the final sermon of Moses to the Hebrew people before they crossed the Jordan river into the Land. They provide a summary of Deuteronomistic theology, that the people will prosper financially and politically as long as they are faithful to the covenant with the LORD, with the obverse also being true: Forsaking the covenant brings destruction. Do you find financial and social prosperity accompanies keeping all the commandments and moral teachings? In your experience, what does accompany faithfulness to God?

Psalm 119:1-8 ¹Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. ²Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, ³who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways. ⁴You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. ⁵O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! ⁶Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. ⁷I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances. ⁸I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

Worth Noting: Note how the first two verses constitute Old Testament Beatitudes: Happy are those who follow the way of the LORD. The psalmist is convinced that the individual flourishes best within the covenantal relationship forged between the LORD and the people of Israel. Do you have a community within which you thrive?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 ¹And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.²I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready,³for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations?⁴For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human? ⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.⁷So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each.⁹For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building.

Worth Noting: In your community and in your family, do you plant, water, or reap? Perhaps think about how others view your presence.

Gospel: Matthew 5: 21-37 [Jesus said to his disciples:] ²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. ²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell. ³¹"It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. ³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Worth Noting: These are the first four antitheses, teaching by Jesus in the form “You have heard . . . But I say to you.” Note that they don’t contradict the Law of Moses but instead build “a fence around the Torah.” Have you ever “steered clear” of someone or someplace to avoid even a temptation to undesired behavior? Do these antitheses sound similar?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In this Gospel passage, is Jesus just ignoring basic human nature? How can he condemn getting angry – a basic biological reaction to certain stimuli? Or how can he condemn “looking at a woman with lust:” Is that not also a basic biological reaction to certain stimuli? And so it goes throughout the Gospel passage. Readers of Matthew have struggled with these questions at least for 1800 years, with varying responses. For an overview, the reader is directed to the Journeying posting for January 22 on the Sermon on the Mount. A condensed summary, appropriate to these issues: Some hold that indeed Jesus and Matthew are providing an absolutely strict standard to which few will measure up. On the other hand, others take the commands metaphorically, or as ideals that no one can expect to attain. Our opinion is that these commands are to be taken seriously, and they can be understood to be realistic goals for the individual. As to anger, we note that Jesus grew angry (at the Temple moneychangers, Matthew 21:12-13) and called the scribes and Pharisees “fools” (Matthew 23:17; possibly another case of anger). The important part of the teaching here is the instruction to reconcile with the one who causes anger. Being angry certainly puts one into what the old pastoral rule books called “the proximate occasion of sin:” One is more likely to act rashly and destructively, more likely to snuff out life, when angry. Jesus here counsels proceeding to diffuse the anger in a relationship through acts of reconciliation. In the teaching on lust, Matthew uses an interesting construction that the New Revised Standard Version translates economically as “looking at a woman with lust.” A fuller translation would be “looking at a wife/wonman in order to lust,” or “looking at a wife/woman so as to lust after her.” In other words, Jesus and Matthew are not warning against the initial physical response to a stimulus, but intentionally encouraging the consequent emotions. Why? Again, stimulating and entertaining the biological reaction may be a prelude to sinful action. Further, Jesus’ prohibition precludes turning another person into a sex object. Never does Jesus objectify another person; always he views others as subjects in their own right, worthy of care and personal relationships.

L’Chaim! To Life!

A concern for life – extravagantly flourishing life – impels these readings. Deuteronomy, Psalm 119, and Paul directly play variations on themes and images of planting and nurturing life. Matthew’s admonitions provide commentary on the Beatitudes: This is how to live as Jesus lived and when you do you will be blessed. Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Jesus says the life worth living is the life of righteous relationships, marked by humility, mercy, and care for the oppressed. Christians are called to live with the same integrity and passion that Jesus showed. One caution: Live as Jesus lived and expect to die as Jesus died (see Matthew 10:38 and 16:24). Christians know at the core of their being that living Jesus’ life of integrity and passion leads to crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension into the fullness of life eternal. Christian prayers remembering the dead affirm “For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended. . .” In life eternal we continue to live in righteousness with integrity and passion: in a word, in love.

Prompting Conversations

Throughout history, some Jews and Christians have seen worldly prosperity as a mark of spiritual health. Have you experienced such a teaching? Do you see a link between the two?

While acknowledging the need to promote all life, some communities focus on one aspect of life: perhaps its inception, perhaps its end. Does your community have a particular focus? Do you feel drawn to some life issues more than others? Which?

“Feelings are neither good nor bad, they just are,” say the psychologists. Anger and sexual attraction are two feelings. How do you see feelings impacting your decisions? How do you respond to the notion that “if it feels good, it’s ok”?

For a downloadable PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh, has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2016 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 22:07:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 19, 2017

Seventh Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2. 9-18 ¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:²Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. ⁹“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest.¹⁰You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. ^{11 “}You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another.¹²And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord ^{13 “}You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning.¹⁴You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. ^{15 “}You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor.¹⁶You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord. ^{17 “}You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself.¹⁸You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

Worth Noting: Why does the writer repeat the phrase “I am the Lord” six times in this passage? What message does it send to you?

Psalm 119:33-40 ³³Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. ³⁴Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. ³⁵Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. ³⁶Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. ³⁷Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. ³⁸Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you. ³⁹Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. ⁴⁰See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23 ¹⁰According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.¹¹For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. ¹⁶Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?¹⁷If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.¹⁸Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,”²⁰and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” ²¹So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours,²²whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future – all belong to you,²³and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Worth Noting: Paul opens emphasizing the holiness of the Corinthian congregation (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) and concludes with a vision of a bountiful Christian life: “all belong to you, and you belong to Christ” (verses 22-23). How is a life of holiness a life of abundance?

Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48 ³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’³⁹But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;⁴⁰and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;⁴¹and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.⁴²Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. ⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’⁴⁴But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,⁴⁵so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.⁴⁶For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?⁴⁷And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? ⁴⁸“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Worth Noting: Matthew adds to the final verse in the first reading the phrase “and hate your enemy” (see Leviticus 19:18). While critical to make his point, was this addendum warranted in the context of Leviticus 19? Are there risks from doing so?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The commentary for last January 29 addressed the range of possible interpretations for Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. This week’s Gospel selection is the last to be taken from this section of Matthew this year, and it includes perhaps the most challenging teachings of all: to forego retaliation for injury and to love one’s enemy (Matthew 5:39, 44). When the early Christians were part of a political, persecuted minority within the Roman Empire, Jesus’ words were taken literally both for social and for national purposes, as Christians were taught to refrain from serving in the army. As Christians became the dominant political force in the 4^th century, however, teachings needed to reflect the new reality: Would Jesus really demand that Christians refuse to defend themselves, their families, their communities, and indeed their Empire from the circling barbarians? Not surprisingly, Christian authors then and since have responded with forceful arguments in favor of armed response to violence. Over the centuries, Christian theologians worked out the principles of a just war (just cause, last resort, properly authorized, proportionate, likely to succeed) that still resonate in conversations today. Because they are principles, of course different Christians apply them to individual circumstances with widely differing conclusions. Other Christians, however, have clung to a literal interpretation of the teaching. The Christian Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Hindu Mahatma Gandhi taught non-violence in the face of violence, using non-violence as a strategy to overcome superior physical power and to secure human rights. (For a similar result see Proverbs 25:21-22.) Matthew, however, records Jesus offering no hope that his commands will change the enemy and ultimately benefit the oppressed. Indeed, his non-violent acceptance of his Passion provides a contrary lesson.

It’s Just Too Hard!

The Sermon on the Mount, we said a few weeks ago, was meant to stir the imagination of the reader. Matthew presents a number of ultimately “unreasonable” demands on the Christian – and on any community or nation that dares calls itself Christian. Above we thought about the question of the proper use of force to resist aggression. Christians must also confront financial questions, particularly Jesus’ claim that his followers must give and lend to any who ask. Leviticus commands the last fruits of the harvest be left for the poor, at the expense of the farmer’s profit (Leviticus 19:9-10). Luke records Jesus demanding that his followers lend “expecting nothing in return (Luke 6:34-35). In an era of general peacefulness but an obsession with profit maximization, perhaps these teachings are as counter cultural as those on violence.

Prompting Conversations

The Torah (Leviticus 19:2) and Paul (1 Corinthians 3: 16-17) claim that their followers are holy. How do you understand being holy? What are the personal and social dimensions of holiness?

The teaching that the final fruits of the harvest be left for the poor are difficult to enact in today’s urban culture. How might you explain that they may be applied today?

How does your imagination respond to Jesus’ unreasonable demands in the Sermon on the Mount?

To download a PDF version of the above click here.

Dennis Haugh, has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 15:11:02 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 26, 2017

Last Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 24:12-18 ¹²The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”¹³So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.¹⁴To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.” ¹⁵Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.¹⁶The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.¹⁷Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.¹⁸Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. Psalm 2 Alternative Psalm 99 ¹Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain? ²The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying, ³“Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.” ⁴He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. ⁵Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, ⁶“I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” ⁷I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you. ⁸Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. ⁹You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” ¹⁰Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. ¹¹Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling¹²kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.

Worth Noting: This is one of the enthronement psalms, sung at the installation of a king of Israel or Judea. According to the Psalm, sensing a moment of weakness in the transition to a new king, vassal nations revolted (verses 1-3), a fruitless action against the LORD and the LORD’s chosen, the new king (verses 4-9). How do nations know whether they support or affront the Kingdom of God?

Second Reading: 2 Peter 1:16-21 ¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.¹⁹So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.²⁰First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,²¹because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9 ¹Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white.³Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.⁴Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Worth Noting: Why was Jesus transfigured? Jesus had grasped his identity by this time, so there were no surprises for him. Was it for the benefit of Peter, James, and John? If so, then why just these three and not all of the apostles and disciples (especially the women who were financing the whole venture)?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Matthew 17:1-9, the Transfiguration, is not a theological commentary on the nature of Jesus of Nazareth, but, in the first instance, a theophany, an appearance of God to mortals. As such, it shares elements with other divine revelations in the Old Testament: appearance on a mountain (as to Moses on Sinai, Exodus 19 and 24; to Elijah on Horeb 1 Kings 19); a cloud covering the mountain (Exodus citations); and the transfiguration of Moses’ face (Exodus 34). In the second place, the Transfiguration testifies to Jesus’ status and vocation. When the voice from the cloud proclaims “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5), Jesus receives the same title as the newly anointed king in Psalm 2:7b (He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.”) (See also Psalm 89:26-27; 2 Samuel 7:13-15 for the father/God son/king relationship). As the selection of the king of Israel was marked by an anointing (for example, Samuel anoints Saul and later David: 1 Samuel 10:1; 16:12-13), so Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah. In the third place, the Transfiguration puts a final exclamation point on Jesus’ rejection of Satan’s mountaintop temptation to rule the world (Matthew 4:8-10). Then Jesus rejected the blandishments of the world, obedient to his divine vocation. That vocation involves not reigning over the world, not staying above the world, but leaving the mountaintop and an exhilarating mountaintop experience for a life of service to the world (Matthew 17:9-28:27). The vocation ends not on a mountaintop but in the Resurrection’s conquest of sin and death.

Where do We Fit?

We revel in stories of transformation, or repentance, or second-chances. Eastern Christians take the story of the Transfiguration very much to heart. They celebrate the Great Feast of the Metamorphosis (or Transformation or Transfiguration) to reflect on transformation by disciples, whether eyewitnesses or modern followers. God calls the Christian to become like Jesus and like the God who enthroned Jesus. The story of Jesus teaches that divinization occurs not on the mountaintop but in the valley below, not in reigning but in serving.

Prompting Conversations

Part of transformation occurs with the recognition of the divine around us. Nature in mountaintop vistas, sunsets, flowers, and newborns and human acts of generosity or creativity may evoke a sense of awe at the divine. Do you regularly see the divine in your life?

Transformation takes place in the course of life. Have there been moments or experiences that have changed and deepened your life? Have they been mountaintop moments?

It may be impossible to predict future changes and developments, but what practices do you follow that promote further transformation?

To download a PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh, has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 17:08:14 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 5, 2017

First Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 ^2:15The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.¹⁶And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” . . . ^3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’'?” ²The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;³but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” ⁴But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die;⁵for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.⁷Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Worth Noting: What does “the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked” mean to you? One would imagine that their nakedness was a source of embarrassment. Why? Might the author be alluding to something more here?

Psalm 32 ¹Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ²Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. ⁵Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. ⁶Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. ⁷You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. ⁸I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. ⁹Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you. ¹⁰Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD. ¹¹Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

Worth Noting: The psalmist counsels “With confession” (not penance) “comes forgiveness and life.” The corollary: “With silence, comes estrangement and death.” Have you been in a relationship that turned silent? Were you able to break the silence? How did you do that?

Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned – ¹³sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law.¹⁴Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. ¹⁶And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.¹⁷If, because of the one man's trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. ¹⁸Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.¹⁹For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

Worth Noting: Paul draws attention to the abundance of grace from Jesus Christ. From Adam, sin entered the world and brought death. With Christ, has come “abundance of grace and the free gift of” a right relationship with God, “righteousness” (Romans 5:17). How have you experienced an abundance of grace in your life?

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 ¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.²He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished.³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,⁶saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” ⁷Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor;⁹and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” ¹¹Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Worth Noting: Is it striking to you that the Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1)? Why would the Holy Spirit lead anyone to be tempted? Is this why we pray “lead us not into temptation” (see Matthew 6:13)?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Lent

Two days after these essays are published, on March 1, the Church celebrates Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. Has there ever been a verb that seems more misplaced than “celebrates” in that sentence? For so many, Lent brings with it intonations of sacrifices, of being cajoled and browbeaten into “giving up” a small, innocent pleasure. In certain climes, Lent is synonymous with cold wet weather. Of course, we know that “Lent” is some old Anglo-Saxon word or other for “spring.” Yes, of course we want to celebrate spring; it’s just that spring doesn’t show up until well after March 1. Way too early to celebrate. Contrary to the ill feelings expressed above, for this Lent, Journeying will take the stance that

Lent celebrates life, and that life abundant.

Spring may be cold and wet, but the days are getting longer. Crocuses start to push through the snow, breaking ground for the tulips. New life. Lent was started as a time of preparation for the reception of the Easter sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. The rites that celebrate new life in neophytes and in the Church. For the second through the fifth Sundays of Lent, the Lectionary offers four selections from the Gospel of John, each with its own perspective on the way to a right relationship with God. In restored and invigorated relationships, new life. Life in loving relationships is what God created and, in the words of Paul in this week’s reading, Christ restored. Together we will celebrate life this Lent.

Entering into the Scriptures

It is hard to better the words in 2 Peter on Paul’s writing: “. . . There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16). Romans 5:12-19 provides as many opportunities for misunderstanding and scholarly arguments as any selection of similar length. Readers tend to spend a great deal of time thinking about the role of Adam and the effect of his sin in this selection. Does Paul contradict himself? Were all people under the reign of sin from the time of Adam? Was sin some force ruling the universe? If so, then why was not sin reckoned until the production of the Law? What is clear is that Paul saw that death and sin came into the world and ruled over the world unimpeded until the Hebrew people established their covenant with the LORD on Mt. Sinai. Paul would not have needed to remind his audience of his Pharisaic conviction that the Law provided a means for the people of Israel to establish, maintain, and, if needed, restore their relationship with God. It may be that he was alluding to the story that all the nations were offered the opportunity to enter into a covenant with God but only the Jews accepted it. In their rejection of the Law and God’s covenant, then, the nations of the world exposed themselves to judgment for the sins they committed: They should have known better! Paul saw that Jesus Christ has reversed this, restoring a right relationship – or the possibility of one – between the nations (the Gentiles) and the LORD, the God of the patriarchs, prophets, Jesus, and Paul. Now the nations may come out from the dominion of sin into righteousness, from death into life.

How Do We Get an Education?

Schools in Jesus’ time were not dedicated to answering the question “How can I have a good job?” but “How shall I live?” Academic training was never ignored, but more important was the appreciation and appropriation of the attitudes and habits of the teacher: to take on the mind of the teacher. This educational goal Jesus adopted in training apostles and disciples. What about Jesus’ own training. The Gospels recall that Jesus withdrew from everyday life to spend forty days alone, training through fasting, praying, and meditating for the great temptations (Matthew 4:3-10) and for his public ministry. Soon enough Jesus would face temptations to abundant food, fame, and power. Soon enough he would return to “the real world” of petty aggravations, petty jealousies, petty disputes. Before facing these trials, the Spirit led Jesus out to the wilderness to take on the mind of God, to see (putting it almost tritely) the bigger picture. Life is more than satisfying our own petty needs. Life is more than being first, being smartest, even more than being the best healer or counselor. Life at its fullest is taking on the mind and Spirit of God.

Prompting Conversations

“Biblical righteousness involves right relationships with God, other humans, and all of creation.” Does that jibe with what Paul wrote in Romans 5:17-18?

What training have you found most helpful in your career? Your home life? Your spiritual life? Do you renew this training periodically?

Lenten practices call for fasting, prayer, and alms giving as training to celebrate the Easter mysteries. Why would anyone engage in these? Do your practices include a season of fasting? Have you found that from food heightens your spiritual awareness? Might you fast from other things during Lent?

For a downloadable PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Why?

Tracy — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 05:00:30 +0000

Welcome to the Episcopal Church in Colorado’s Faith Formation blog for Lent. I invite you to listen to the different voices we have gathered and hold their reflections in prayer as you move through this holy season. May the blessings of a Holy Lent be yours. - The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm Missioner for Evangelism, Formation, and Leadership Development I am struck every year that on the last Sunday after Epiphany we find ourselves on the mountaintop with Peter, James, and John witnessing the Transfiguration of Jesus, with Elijah and Moses nonetheless! Full of the Spirit and call to ministry, we charge down the mountain to take the Good News to the people. And then, just three short days later, the Ash Wednesday liturgy invites us into a Holy Lent by reminding us to make sure we are, “worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness!” (The Book of Common Prayer 1979, p. 264) What just happened? Since the 6th century, Lent has begun with the ancient liturgy of Ash Wednesday. Originally, ‘notorious sinners’ would be brought into the church, prayed for, marked with the ashes, and then removed from the church building before Holy Communion. Ashes signified a mark of their exile and commitment to a path of repentance. Thus, began their Lenten Journey back into a state of forgiveness and wholeness. Their journey back concluded with their reception and full participation in the Easter Vigil. BRETHREN, in the prymitive churche there was a godlye disciplyne, that at the begynnyng of lente suche persones as were notorious synners, were put to open penaunce, and punished in this worlde, that theyr soules myght bee saved in the day of the lord. And that other admonished by theyr example, might he more afrayed to offende. (The Book of Common Prayer, 1549) The Ash Wednesday Liturgy appeared in the first Book of Common Prayer in England in 1549. That service called for everyone to receive the ashes as a sign of repentance, fasting, and self-denial. Today, those ideas still hold true, but our service adds self-examination, meditating on the Word of God, and acting in the community. I offer these thoughts because in the third millennia of Christianity, this ancient form of worship can be a difficult one to understand and an easy one to misinterpret. Words like wretchedness tend to make us wonder what this could be all about! For generations of Christians, Lent was a season that seemed to say, “if it is salvation that you desire, well then turn your backs on the joy and beauty.” As if salvation depended on us rather than God’s unending grace. I think the pervasive idea that salvation depends on us rather than God, is one of the reasons Lent has remained such an important part of our sacred calendar. It also might explain why the beginning of Lent seems so jarring! In the Gospel reading from Matthew (6:1-6; 16-21) that begins our Lenten journey, Jesus seems to be asking us the simplest and yet most difficult of all questions: Why? Why do we do the things we do? Why do we pray? Why do we go to church? What motivates our actions? By not making God our ‘why,’ have we damaged the relationship that we are meant to have with God? It is a hard, but important question. Jesus teaches us that our actions matter. But he also teaches us that our motivations matter as well. Actions that come from a deep place of prayer, love, and compassion are transformative and bring us into deeper relationship with God. Those very same actions, when they are motivated by selfishness, separate us from our relationship with God. Maybe that’s why Ash Wednesday and Lent are so important. We need to be constantly redirected and refocused on relationship and compassion as our primary motivation. Maybe the jarring transition from the Transfiguration to actually ministering the world is exactly why Ash Wednesday is so important. But what does acting out of relationship and compassion actually look like? I had the opportunity to ask our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry the question, and he answered it this way:

“We need a Church saturated with love. Read the Great Commission but read it through the lens of the Great Commandment. Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Then, saturate them with the love of God, and teach them to pray.”

Saturate them with the love of God. I think I need Lent for that! I pray that we all experience a Holy Lent. May it be one of renewal, spiritual examination, and meditating on the Word of God. Deny yourselves those things that you desire too much, those things that might be distracting you from relationship and compassion. Take on those things that focus your heart and mind on the love of God. Use this time to be very serious about who you really are and whose you really are. Ask the question, “Why?” The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Missioner for Evangelism, Christian Formation, and Leadership Training. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 17:27:12 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 12, 2017

Second Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 12:1-4a ¹Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.²I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.³I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” ⁴So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.

Worth Noting: The LORD sent Abram off on a journey, but not alone. This text mentions his nephew Lot, and later (Genesis 12:5) we learn of his wife Sarai. Who will accompany you on your Lenten journey this year?

Psalm 121 ¹I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come? ²My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. ³He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. ⁴He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. ⁶The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. ⁸The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. Second Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 ¹What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh?²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.³For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”⁴Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due.⁵But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. . .. ¹³For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. ¹⁶For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) – in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

Worth Noting: Here, in broad terms, Paul speaks of the realization of God’s promise in Genesis 12:3 that Abram/Abraham would be a blessing to “all the families of the earth” following Abram’s faithful acceptance of God’s command to “Go . . . to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Have you experienced a better, richer life when following the will of God?

Gospel: John 3:1-17 ¹Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony.¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Worth Noting: Before reading another word, put yourself into Nicodemus’ shoes. Did Nicodemus come with a sincere desire to encounter Jesus? Would you consider your time well spent after this interchange? What would you take away from it?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The creators of Journeying view this section as a place to explore one or two important issues in one of the readings (at least half the time the Gospel), in a thoughtful way. The meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus (one hesitates to use the term “dialogue”) presents unique, perhaps unprecedented challenges. The conversation seems incoherent. It sounds like two people talking at each other while playing with their smart phones: Neither side seems to be responding properly to the other. Part of the problem is Jesus’ changing perspective. Sometimes Jesus relates to the historical moment (dealing with Nicodemus in 30 c.e.) and sometimes he takes the divine perspective in which all time is now. The section John 3:13-15, for instance, is written as if Jesus has already died, been raised, and ascended to the Father, though as far as Nicodemus (and the reader!) can tell, he is still very much alive. Of course, the Gospel of John delights in misunderstandings based on confusion over the meaning of words. Again, the story of Nicodemus includes one. In verse 2, Jesus uses the Greek word anōthen, translated as “from above.” A Greek speaker might hear the same word and think it meant “again,” just as Nicodemus did in verse 4: “How can anyone be born [again] after having grown old?” Back and forth they go. The final issue is the scholarly detection of as many as six editors of the text, each with a personal theological inclination. (Indeed, the only reason to edit such a text would be to “correct” the theology of the whole.) Is there evidence of such in the conversation with Nicodemus? Perhaps the change in perspective noted above betrays such an editor at work. Or Jesus’ apparently unfounded comment in verse 12 “If I have told you about earthly things . . .” What “earthly things” is Jesus talking about? Has an editor removed some teaching from the text? The total effect bedazzles the listener/reader, just as it did Nicodemus. At the same time, the swirl of words does nothing but heighten the sense that Jesus is talking about “heavenly things” (verse 12). His are allusive, difficult to formulate ideas, presented more like an impressionist painting than a technical drawing. The effect is to provoke and stimulate the imagination. We understand, through it all, that Baptism, birth in water and in the Spirit from above, brings insight and entrance to the kingdom of God. Did this work with Nicodemus? He appears twice more in the Gospel of John, both times exposing himself to some danger (John 7:50; 19:39) on behalf of Jesus. Misdirection and ambiguity prove more powerful than training manuals.

That’s Life!

The style of the Gospel of John, with its discursive, elusive language, provides an apt metaphor for the Christian life. Adam and Eve gifted Christians with an imperfect knowledge of good and evil. The Church and the Tradition provide resources and dialogue partners with which to explore the mystery of living in the midst of good and evil. But none of these gifts provides the clear directions to a settled outcome that one expects from Ikea directions for assembling a crib. At the same time, Christians experience rich possibilities in life. There is not one way to live; all need not be monastics, nor need one be a spouse and parent. Life – read God – provides abundant, rich possibilities for living out the basic Christian vocation to build the kingdom of God. It almost matters little which path in the wood we take, as long as we follow the trail eager.

Prompting Conversations

Has the promise to Abraham that all the nations would be blessed through him been realized? In how many ways can we say that the world has been blessed by the people of the Covenant?

Some aptly compare John’s Gospel with great poetry. Truths are spoken indirectly, metaphorically, elusively. What does that imply for reading John’s or any other Gospel?

How can each of the traditional practices of Lent – prayer, almsgiving, and meditation on the Scriptures – help clarify your life options?

To download a PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

The Woman at the Temple

Tracy — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 17:51:54 +0000

John 2:13-22 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews then said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. In those days, there were many who called themselves prophets. At every well, one would stand and promise healing. To laugh at their dances and miracles made the heavy water easier to carry. And one day, I saw one who was different. He walked as I lowered my jug past the stones. He made no calls for the infirm to come to him. But all turned. He did not shout, flap his hands, kick his feet. He made no tries to hold my interest, and yet I did not turn away. No laughter left my lips, and yet my arms felt no weight of hauling up the laden jug. As he left, the man who had laid at the well, unable to see even the brightest sun, wiped away mud and tears while questions fell from his mouth as the spring rain would slip down the mountains. No one paid the prophet. The blind man said, “Tell no one what you have seen.” I asked how the prophet would collect followers with no one to tell. How should one such make a prophet’s living if he took no coins and made so few acolytes? No friend answered. One day I had taken doves I had captured into the temple to sell for medicine for my son. As I turned to take my thin coins for the long walk home, a great tumult began. Oxen snorted and swung wildly. A mule screamed and locked his feet. Birds squawked and strew feathers as they hastily fled. And then the discordant music of a great multitude of coins hitting the floor and rolling across the stones. Standing at the center of the crowd was a man. Though I saw only his back, I recognized him as the quiet prophet from the well. He shouted. Pointed fingers. Kicked tables. Threw money. Challenged to tear down the temple and build it back in three days. I took my coins and ran. At the well, I asked how a prophet would collect followers when he could only belittle. How should one be the prophet who would save us by making violent protest and taking away people’s livelihood. No friend answered. My son had healed when I arrived home. I heard his squeals as he played. And the coins remained unspent. But the prophet’s words kept replaying in my head. The marketplace did good things. Because of it, I could get the money to buy medicine. And yet. The coin from there was not always the worth of what was changed. The High Priests amassed riches in heavy fees while the rest did not gain on their trades. And the coins seemed to burn me. And as though in a fit, I grabbed them and took them to the well. And I threw them in. Barely a sound I heard when they landed in the water beyond the rocks. And that is when he told me. The blind man with new eyes told me all that he had seen. How the prophet who healed him had cried out, forsaken, and then gently given up his breath. And I asked how a prophet could collect followers by letting himself be killed. How could one not enlist his followers to rise up and tear apart the ones who mistreated him so. No friend answered. Early one morning, I had come for water as I was again with child and wished to cool the sickness with the water at the deepest depth of the well. And a man in shining clothes stood by me. And he lifted the water without hands. And so startled by his appearance, I let the water spill on me. And he smiled. And I knew. The Prophet whom I had only seen in profile and questioned now showed me his face. And he had only one command. “Tell all that you have seen.” And I asked how a Prophet could collect a follower so unseen as I. How could one woman telling stories make a difference? No friend answered. But they listened. Sarah McAfee is the Receptionist and Database Administrator for the Office of the Bishop. She has a life-long love of theatre and holy mystery. She can be reached at sarah@episcopalcolorado.org.

Light and Light

Tracy — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 05:30:44 +0000

The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; He has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. ~ Psalm 50 Just a short time ago we were preparing for the coming of Christ among us—a light in the darkness, especially poignant in the winter dark of our Colorado home. We have since experienced the light of Christ’s birth, and liturgically, in the brief months following, we have witnessed his light intensifying. The light of his baptism. The light of his ministry. The astounding light of his transfiguration. The first verse of today’s psalm started me thinking about the rising of the sun and its setting and how it is symbolic of Christ’s birth and inevitable death. It also caused me to realize that the days have grown longer now, and that when driving I’m no longer blinded by the low-hanging winter sun. Yet even as the light of our days grows and the sun cheerfully moves higher across the sky, we are faced with the coming darkness of Christ’s death, the time the Light of the World goes out of the world. Isn’t this, ironically, the darkest time of year? Six weeks of Lent, six weeks of preparing ourselves for the coming darkness—self examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, and self-denial. Hard stuff. But we know what follows! God’s gift of Easter light that is greater than all the light that has come before. And so perhaps our lengthening days are heralding this coming gift—the gift of life and light triumphing over death and darkness. Will we be ready to accept this gift? Will we know how to extend the gift to others? O gracious Light, Pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed…¹During Lent let us pause long enough to cultivate the light of Christ found within each of us, to assess where darkness has crept in and identify shadows that need illuminating. Allow our light to expose to others the redeeming and whole-making light of Christ. ¹BCP 139 Tracy Methe works in the Office of the Bishop as Coordinator for Diocesan Events and Digital Communications and Liaison for Cathedral Ridge. She and her family are parishioners at St. Gabriel the Archangel, Cherry Hills Village. Contact Tracy at Tracy@EpiscopalColorado.org.

The One Who Sings Prays (and Praises!) Twice

Tracy — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 05:30:17 +0000

Music is integral to the lives of many people, though not everyone has the gift of music making. I find myself coveting the gift, which leads me to hope that as I am more fully clothed in the resurrection life, the gift which I long for will be supplied in abundance. Then, and only then, will I dare chant the liturgy. Anyone can learn to appreciate music. I grew up in the era of punk rock and New Wave’s heyday. Wax Trax Records, diagonally across from the Office of the Bishop, was my parish chapel long before I ever entered 1300 North Washington Street as a sometime respectable priest. As such, my musical ear was tuned in a certain way. I brushed off other genres as so beneath me …“Pop music? Ha! Journey? REO Speedwagon? Mainstream!” Rather, I was drawn at first to British Ska and then to U2 (before they, too, became mainstream). An almost religious experience descended upon several thousand devoted fans as Bono closed out U2’s Red Rocks show in 1983 with “40,” an interpretation of Psalm 40. That religious high fueled me throughout my senior year in high school more than any number of youth group meetings in my church. Though far from knowing music, music has a way of getting inside and taking up residence. I find that throughout the liturgical year at certain times I am more engaged with hymnody than with other musical genres. Of late, the work of Kristyn and Keith Getty is looming larger for me. There’s an old and a new about their presentation of hymns. Along the same line of thought, Red Mountain Church, Sandra McCracken and All Sons and Daughters make much of reworking substantive hymns for a contemporary church. I am enough of an evangelist to point people in their direction, saying “Go now. Don’t wait. Check them out; you won’t regret it.” One such hymn has recently resided in me in a particular way this Lent. It is “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” The Gettys feature it in their album “Live at the Gospel Coalition” (2013) in a lovely a capella version. An Isaac Watts, 18^th century hymn, it nonetheless speaks to our souls. I share with you the following: Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the cross of Christ, my God: all the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood. The rebellious nature of my life leads me to grasping for “vain things that charm me most.” It is a response of fear. A response that there is scarcity and I must out-elbow others to get what will soothe and satisfy. It is a response of the downward gaze of our eyes. Rather than looking upward (metaphorically of course) where God is, to focus on what God has already done on our behalf, we look downward as if we have no hope beyond ourselves. Lent reminds us of how small we are. Yes, we are created in the image of God and carry the dignity of every human being, but we are prone to fear and forgetfulness. We are broken and inward, and we grasp. We grasp for things which we think will bring us meaning and fulfillment, when what we really want is God himself. C. S. Lewis once put it memorably in his sermon “The Weight of Glory” where he says: It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. In Christ Jesus, through “the wondrous cross where the young Prince of Glory died,” what is on offer is able to lift our heads, and our hearts, to behold the great things that He has done, not only for all of creation, all of humanity, but for me. For me! And for you! Dear sisters and brothers, that is when we are led to robustly sing--even when our experience has always been that it is hard to find a note and stick to it!--even then we sing: Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small; love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. The Rev. Chris Ditzenberger serves as the rector of Saint Gabriel the Archangel, a position he came to in 2005. Prior to this, Chris served parishes in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina and Virginia. A Colorado native, he spent four years in Washington, DC while discerning a call to ordained ministry. Chris currently serves at the Missioner for the High Plains Region. He and his wife, CJ, have two teen-aged children, and together the family enjoys fitness, athletics and exploring the Colorado outdoors.

My Garden Volunteers

Tracy — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 05:30:17 +0000

This Sunday’s readings, about the difficult Israelites, the caverns of the earth and the pasture of his hand, and the sower and the reaper, brought to mind these musings from the beginning of garden season last year… Every year in my garden, something comes up that I don't recognize. I call them "volunteers." Sometimes the volunteers turn out to be obvious weeds and I pull them out before they can go to seed and spread. And then there are those that end up being delightful plants that I keep as long as they'll stay. Sometimes something comes up and it looks beautiful and provides color during a time of year when the rest of the plants are already done. And so I let it stay because it pleases my eye and because it fills a hole that is otherwise empty. However sometimes these volunteers turn out to be too intrusive and they take over. I had some such plants come up along the back border of the garden--I think they are Michaelmas daisies. They are a lovely shade of purple that I like, but they take over somewhat. I try to cut them back every year so they don't spread too much, but last year I just didn't get to them and they looked so pretty that I let them be because they were providing good cover as well. This year they have taken over the entire bed. They are in five of my flowerbeds (hooray for the wind and seeds and birds!) and while yes, they are pretty and in a couple of places they fill a hole that is otherwise doing nothing this time of year, they are no longer welcome because they have taken over, crowding out some very nice plants. So today, first thing in the morning, with the ground nice and soft, I went into the bed that they originated in and I began pulling them out by the roots. The ground was nice and moist and they came out easily, but I realized that even though they were coming out easily there were a lot of nice plants in there as well that I wanted to keep, so I had to be careful to keep the good plants intact. It was an interesting exercise because as I removed the plants I didn’t want, I realized just how many good plants were still there, but being suffocated. They are going to need a little bit of TLC to bring them back, but hopefully my iris bed with the daylilies and all the lovely ground cover is still there underneath all the bullies and will come back and be as beautiful as it was before. It struck me as I was pulling out all these rogue plants, that while pretty, they have been hiding and suffocating other pretty plants that give me great joy. Isn't life like that also? There are people who are just so attractive and seem so nice and so helpful that they blind us to the fact that they are bullies or overbearing or that they try to push out all of the good, helpful people who are there already. It struck me that one must be very intentional about removing the bad, rots and all, and being careful not to leave anything in there in case it might come back and take over next year. We need to make sure that we remove all of the bad so the good can survive. I also realized as I pulled out the unwanted plants, that parts of other plants unfortunately came out with them, and that the bad often ingratiates itself so deeply with the good that, while we must get rid of the bad, it is sometimes hard not to damage the good in doing so. We can only pray that the remaining good will grow and flourish and be as strong as before the volunteers intruded. Oh my--now back out to tackle the remaining beds and “volunteers”...Happy gardening, and people managing, everyone! Meg Stern is the Executive Assistant to Bishop Rob O’Neill. A native of England, Meg is a passionate gardener, loves to travel, ride her horse, and cook for family and friends. She is married to Jim, with twin 23-year-old sons, David and Antony.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 13:44:05 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 19, 2017

Third Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.²The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” ⁴So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.⁷He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

Worth Noting: In this passage, it seems that God is magnanimous enough and listens well enough to take quarrels with humans in stride. Are you likely to ever experience or witness a hardship or disaster that leads you to quarrel with God? How does your image of God give you permission or stand in your way?

Psalm 95 ¹O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! ²Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! ³For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. ⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. ⁵The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed. ⁶O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! ⁷For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! ⁸Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, ⁹when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. ¹⁰For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.” ¹¹Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.”

Worth Noting: The first section (verses 1-5) commands praise of God for creation, the second section (verses 6-7a) for the covenantal relationship Israel enjoys with God. The third section (verses 7b-11), often neglected in Christian worship, demands that the worshipper “Listen!” with a receptive mind, heart, and soul. What Lenten practices help you listen better to God’s Word for you?

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-11 ¹Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.⁹Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.¹⁰For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.¹¹But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Worth Noting: From reading verses 1-2, does Paul’s reference to justification by faith refer to Jesus’ faith or ours? What does Paul mean when he writes “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. . .” or “. . . now that we have been justified by his blood . . .” (verse 9)? Why does any of this matter?

Gospel: John 4:5-42 So he [Jesus] came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.⁶Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.⁷A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”⁸(His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) ⁹The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) ¹⁰Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?¹²Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”" ¹³Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,¹⁴but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” ¹⁵The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” ¹⁷The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;¹⁸for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” ¹⁹The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet.²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” ²¹Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.²²You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.²³But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.²⁴God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” ²⁶Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” ²⁷Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” ²⁸Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people,²⁹“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?”³⁰They left the city and were on their way to him. ³¹Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” ³²But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.³⁵Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.³⁶The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.³⁷For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’³⁸I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” ³⁹Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.”⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.⁴¹And many more believed because of his word.⁴²They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

Worth Noting: Jesus’ first step in engaging the Samaritan woman and her neighbors is to ask for help – hospitality in particular. Was this critical in paving the way to reconciliation between a group of Samaritans and a group of Jews?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The story of the woman at the well describes the workings of illumination, conversion, and reconciliation. The illumination of the woman at the well stands in stark contrast with the befuddlement of Nicodemus, in the previous chapter 3 of John and last week’s Lectionary reading. Consider the number of contrasts: Nicodemus was named, the woman unnamed. Man/woman. Jew/Samaritan. Powerful/unknown status, at least on introduction. Arrives in the dark/comes in the light of the noon day sun. Ineffective interlocutor/engaged and active dialogue partner. In her engagement, Photini (as she is known in the Eastern Church) even leaps frog Jesus twice. In verse 25, it is she who brings up the notion of the coming Messiah, and defines the Messiah not as an earthly warrior-king, but as the one who “proclaims all things to us,” a conception of the Messiah largely foreign to first century Jewish thought. Having heard Jesus confirm his messiahship, Photini makes the next leap, proclaiming the Gospel to her fellow townspeople (verses 29-30). Her alacrity to accept the implications of Jesus’ life contrasts not only with Nicodemus but also with the Jesus’ laggard disciples who had been with Jesus for some time and witnessed his miracles. Her success with her neighbors follows the typical conversion path. They do not know Jesus; they have never heard him, nor have they witnessed his miracles. They come to Jesus on the strength of their respect for their neighbor, Photini. In contrast, Nicodemus (in John 7) has much less luck with the other Jerusalem leaders as he suggests they follow settled judicial procedures. Photini, the Gospel tells us, brings along her Samaritan neighbors who on the strength of her testimony about Jesus invite him, a Jew, and his Jewish disciples to spend two days with them.

“God . . . has given us the ministry of reconciliation”

The third aspect of the Gospel story on which we will reflect is the working of reconciliation. New Testament writers and other first century historians have documented the deep animosity between Jews and Samaritans. In this Gospel, John illustrates how reconciliation between groups might transpire. Note the first encounter occurs between two individuals, Jesus and Photini, when Jesus asks for help. In his request for water, Jesus displays vulnerability: He comes to Photini not as a representative of a hated neighbor but as a human being needing water, the basic sustenance of life. While Jesus never does get his drink of water, they do engage in a bright conversation, each affirming their respective ethnic identities (Photini: “Are you better than our father Jacob?” Jesus: “Salvation from the Jews.”) but respecting each other – especially each other’s intelligence and wit. Without John’s description, we need to imagine what happened when the townspeople came to the well to find not only Jesus but also his disciples. Had they expected this? Did Peter reach for a stout tree limb in case the perfidious Samaritans attacked? How did Photini and Jesus calm everyone down? We cannot know for sure. But after two more days of interaction, the townspeople determined to follow Jesus whom they too now understood to be a Messiah who proclaimed the truth that brought salvation – reconciliation – to the world.

Prompting Conversations

Can you put yourself in the place of one of Photini’s neighbors finding a band of Jews around your precious well? As a level-headed, responsible, peace-loving Samaritan, how would you have helped defuse the situation?

The story of the Samaritans emphasizes the change that occurred in the townspeople: They believed in Jesus. What do you suppose was the impact of this encounter on Jesus’ disciples? How have you been changed through reconciliation with others?

Water continues to be a scarce and bitterly contested resource throughout the world (including the Western United States). How is your community working to resolve problems of water shortage throughout the world?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 14:21:10 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 26, 2017

Fourth Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 ¹The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” ²Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'³Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." ⁴Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"⁵He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is now before the LORD." ⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."¹⁰Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." ¹¹Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."¹²He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Worth Noting: With his anointing, the Lord marks David as his chosen to be king of Israel. But Saul, of whom Samuel is rightly terrified (see 1 Samuel 16:2), though rejected by the Lord continues as David’s rival for another 15 chapters. Why did it take the Lord so long to permanently remove Saul?

Worth Noting: The relatively tame “follow” in verse 6 might as easily be translated “pursue” or, even stronger “hound,” so that the poet claims “goodness and loving kindness will hound me.” Francis Thompson’s poem “The Hound of Heaven” expressed that sentiment over a century ago. Then, the Hound, God, acted like a deeply enamored teenager desperate to be noticed and to establish a relationship with another. Does a God who hounds loved ones fit your image of God, or is God more passive, waiting for us to act?

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14 ⁸For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— ⁹for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.¹⁰Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.¹¹Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.¹²For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;¹³but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,¹⁴for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Worth Noting: Like the Gospel of John, Ephesians emphasizes the contrast between light and darkness, equating the Lord, Jesus Christ with light. Christ makes visible the darkness, the dead. Lent gives us the opportunity to work with Christ to expose our strengths and weaknesses, and then to rehabilitate the weaknesses and cultivate our strengths. What parts of your life need illumination this Lenten season?

Gospel: John 9:1-41 ¹As he [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.²His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.⁴We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ⁶When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes,⁷saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. ⁸The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”⁹Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹²They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” ¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.¹⁴Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.¹⁵Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.” ¹⁸The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;²¹but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”²²His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.²³Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” sup>24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.³¹We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.³³If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out. ³⁵Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” ³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” ³⁸He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” ⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

Worth Noting: Verse 39 (Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.”) is a typically cryptic Johannine passage. Who is making the judgment? Why does the judgment turn one from blindness to sight and vice versa? Does the interchange with the Pharisees illuminate the verse?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Entering into the Scriptures

Some Christian writers, concerned that strongly anti-Jewish statements in the Gospel of John have proposed that when proclaiming the Gospel, the term “Jews” be replaced by “Jewish leaders.” Verse 22, for instance, would then read “His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders; for the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.” Such textual editors desire to deflect anti-Semitism today based on anti-Jewish sentiments of the first century. While finding the intent laudable, we do not endorse this practice. One danger of substituting “Jewish leaders” for “Jews” is that it perpetuates the insuperable notion that every word in the Bible must be taken as a holy means to salvation. The teaching of mainline Christian traditions, Protestant and Catholic, is that all things necessary for salvation are included in the Bible, but not all things in the Bible are necessary for salvation. John 9 provides an excellent example of just this rule. Christians are those who acknowledge that Jesus Christ, their Messiah, is a prophet (verse 17) who will come as the Son of Man to judge the world (verses 35-39). They see no reason, on the other hand, to perpetuate the anti-Jewish sentiments evident in John’s polemics. Let the first century be the first century. It is left to preacher and teacher to explore the first century dynamics that might have precipitated this language. We know that the first followers of Jesus considered themselves Jews. We also can see that by around 150 c.e. Christian writers no longer saw themselves as Jews. The Gospel gives us one side of the story of this separation, from the viewpoint of Christ followers, and makes no pretense of providing a fair and balanced account of the dispute. We do not, and at this remove cannot, know with any assurance the source of friction between the communities, but many possibilities exist. For instance, John 9:22 above suggests that acknowledging Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, precipitated expulsion from the community. Would that be because the Messiah was widely viewed as a political figure, the King of the Jews? Would that precipitate suspicion on the part of Roman authorities and even persecution of the communities? Or did Christ followers demand that their followers acknowledge the superiority of Jesus to the Torah of Moses? Expulsion in the first instance could be understood as a desire to avoid being tarred with the brush of insurrectionists, while the second represents an attempt to maintain the Jewish identity of the community. These may account for Jewish reluctance to fraternize with Christ followers. We should not overlook the possibility that the Gospel was written to dissuade Christians from fraternizing with Jews. Three centuries later, well after the establishment of Christianity as the Roman state religion, St. John Chrysostom berated Christians who frequented Jewish synagogues, denigrating Jews at the same time. Was the author of the Fourth Gospel doing something similar? Was the anti-Jewish language meant to discourage fraternization with the Torah-observant Jewish community? We do not know whether these or any other explanations are accurate but the actions of Jews and Christ followers in that time and place may have been “perfectly reasonable” when viewed in their context.

“I Love Change; Just Not This Change”

As portrayed in the Gospel of John, the “Jews” exemplify the human inability and unwillingness to change opinions and beliefs in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence. In this they were not much different from us. Studies out recently contradict the theory that humans rationally follow the trail of facts before them. So today some Christians may wonder how the “Jews” could have ignored the proofs of Jesus’ divinity while themselves ignoring warnings about the dangers of cancer and heart disease on packages of cigarettes or ignoring the wealth of Mohammed’s peaceful teachings to condemn all Muslims. As we go about making decisions and constructing our personal and corporate identities, we are influenced, consciously or not, by our histories – our family of origin and travel experiences, for instance – our genes, and the choices we have made in the past. Often we, probably like the Jews of the first century, make decisions out of fear, ignoring the advice of Gamaliel: “. . . I tell you, keep away from [Peter and John] and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them – in that case you may even be found fighting against God!” (Acts 5:38-39). Gamaliel was wise: We need not oppose every innovation, every change to the accepted way of doing things, every person whose style differs from our own. Things of humans will perish, as all things human must. But things of God will flourish.

Prompting Conversations

Many Christians view the Gospel of John as the Gospel of Love, citing, perhaps, the commandment in John 13:34 to love one another. How do you react to the assertion that the Gospel of John includes anti-Jewish sentiments?

Change is inevitable, we always say, but it doesn’t mean we have to like it! Can you name some changes in your life or surroundings over the last year that you embrace? How were the changes introduced?

Have you ever engaged in a political discussion that resulted in people changing their minds? If so, what were the circumstances?

To download a PDF version of the above, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Whose Heart Is Mine?

Tracy — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 05:30:11 +0000

Here we are, fully immersed in Lent. Our cravings for the things we gave up are hopefully not as strong and we are remembering more and more to omit the A-word. We are smack dab in the middle and we’ve got this Lent thing down! But as the days slip by, each one a little longer than the last, my thoughts keep turning to the question “What if I didn’t know?” What if I had no idea that Christ was going to die on the cross? What if I was living in Jesus’ time? Whose heart would mine most closely reflect? Would I be like the disciples, confused by Jesus as He continually mentions His impending death? Would I nervously laugh and dismiss it? Would I be like the common man during Holy Week? Praising Jesus as the Messiah one day and condemning Him the next? Would I deny Him? Would I betray Him? Would I stick by His side and follow Him to Golgotha and weep at his feet? Would I share a last meal with Him and let Him wash my feet? Defend Him with a sword to keep the guards away? Would I fall asleep when He asked me to pray? Do I think I would be stronger in my faith, knowing what I know now? Knowing that, yes, the end is coming, but really, it’s not the end but rather the beginning! Would I trust Jesus at His word and know that He is in control? Do I do that now? As Holy Week draws closer I challenge you to think about where your heart is. Where do you fit in the story? Where do you fall short and how can you trust more, even when it’s so hard to do? Jesus has shown us over and over that He can take all things and make them new. Death has been defeated and we are His forever. The curtain will be torn in two, the ground will shake, and Jesus will rise again. Nothing can separate us from the love of God! May our hearts reflect this always. Elizabeth is the Director of Children and Youth Ministries with The Episcopal Church in Colorado and Youth Pastor at Trinity Episcopal Church, Greeley. Reach her at Elizabeth@EpiscopalColorado.org.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:09:49 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 2, 2017

Fifth Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:1-14 ¹The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.²He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.³He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” ⁴Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.⁵Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.⁶I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.” ⁷So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.⁸I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. ⁹Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. ¹¹Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’¹²Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.¹³And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.¹⁴I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD.”

Worth Noting: Bare, desiccated bones covering a barren plain speak of death, of a massacre, of people dying unloved and unburied. To this desolate scene, God brings the fullness of life. Have you had an experience of a restored physical, mental, or emotional life? How did it happen? Was there someone there, who, like Ezekiel, did God’s bidding and restored your life?

Psalm 130 ¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. ²Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! ³If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? ⁴But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. ⁵I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; ⁶my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. ⁷O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. ⁸It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Worth Noting: The LORD does not forgive the worshipper, but forgives so that the sinner will worship (Psalm 130:4)! Forgiveness reveals God, whose name is Merciful One and is worthy of worship. How do you know whether God has forgiven you of any sins you may have committed? How do we know whether God has forgiven our societies of the sins so slavery, sexism, injustice to the poor?

Second Reading: Romans 8:6-11 ⁶To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.⁷For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot,⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.⁹But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.¹⁰But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Worth Noting: Often Paul is read as being “anti-flesh,” perhaps puritanical in his denigration of the “flesh.” In this passage, however, his focus is not on some flesh-Spirit duality but the focus of the mind. Paul urges the Romans to focus on the Spirit of God, for by doing so “he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also . . .” (Romans 6:11). Does it seem to you that he means that Christians can have their cake and eat it too?

Gospel: John 11:1-45 ¹Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.²Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill.³So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” ⁴But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God's glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” ⁵Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,⁶after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.⁷Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” ⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world.¹⁰But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” ¹¹After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” ¹²The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” ¹³Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep.¹⁴Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.¹⁵For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” ¹⁶Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” ¹⁷When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother.²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home.²¹Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.²²But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” ²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” ²⁴Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” ²⁸When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”²⁹And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.³¹The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.³⁴He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵Jesus began to weep. ³⁶So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” ³⁸Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it.³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me.⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” ⁴⁵Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Worth Noting: Does it seem to you, as it sometimes does to us, that Jesus was a bit mean to the family of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary? And what of Lazarus: Would we not assume that he was enjoying the rewards of a life well-lived, resting in the bosom of Abraham and awaiting the return of his close friend Jesus of Nazareth?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Even a casual reader of the Gospel of John recognizes how unusual the language is. Within a straightforward story, Jesus uses elliptical, non-linear speech, replete with symbols, such as light and darkness and descending and ascending. It is indicative that the Gospel narrator and the character Nicodemus refer to the seven miracles during Jesus’ public ministry as “signs.” The elliptical speech, use of symbolic language, and the way of referring to miracles convince the reader and listener that the Gospel points to realities beyond its surface. Indeed, the Gospel’s greatest sign is the person of Jesus himself, the one who points beyond himself to God and in the pointing, makes God present (see John 14:8-9). As evident in the Lectionary’s recent Gospel selections, Jesus’ companions (Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the disciples, Mary and Martha) do not always understand how physical words and miracles work as symbols to point to greater realities. Understanding comes through dialogue. Jesus’ dialogue only confused Nicodemus but led the Samaritan Woman to evangelize her village. Through probing conversations, the man born blind deepened his understanding of the mystery of the reality of Jesus. Jesus dialogues with Martha and Mary to help them understand that he is the master of life and death. Conversation, dialogue, then, is the primary means of conveying the Gospel message in John. That is prefigured in the first verse of the Gospel, when we hear “In the beginning was the Word [logos].” The Greek logos carries more meanings than simply the basic element of a sentence. Greeks would use rēma for that. Logos, on the other hand, conveys “reason” and/or “conversation.” When the Gospel calls Jesus “the logos,” these connotations come into play. Jesus is the reason and endpoint for creation. In and through Jesus, God and man, the uncreated and created, dialogue, converse. God who is love thus expresses love in conversation. A full translation of that first verse might well read “In the beginning was creation’s reason for being and God’s eternal dialogue with all creation.”

Better Dead than Alive?

Did Jesus do Lazarus any favors by raising him from the dead? In the week before Jesus’ arrival, Lazarus suffered the pangs and anxieties of dying and, at death, the peace that passes all understanding. While in this, his sole appearance in the Gospel of John, he neither speaks nor does more than walk from the grave, we do know that he was beloved by Mary, Martha, and Jesus. We know that others put down their daily tasks to walk from Jerusalem to Bethany to grieve with Martha and Mary. That he was faithful to the law of love we can safely infer. When he walks out of the tomb he faces a future with the only certainty that, yes, he must suffer and die in order to hear again “things not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). Wasn’t he better off dead than alive? We can assume that Lazarus returned to life on earth freely. Buddhists regard highly bodhisattvas, those who it is believed out of compassion for all creation, defer their ascent to Nirvana to enlighten others. So Lazarus, after his death, ascended but at the call of Jesus descended. Freely he returned to bear witness to the power of the life-giving, life-restoring God of Jesus.

Prompting Conversations

John 11:35 (“And Jesus wept.”) is reputed to be the Bible’s shortest verse. Do you see value in the practice of memorizing verses from the Bible?

These readings mix God’s forgiveness with God’s life-giving generosity. How do you see these qualities adhering in God and working in your life?

Consider the axiom from popular culture: “The medium is the message.” If Jesus uses the medium of conversation, what is the message?

In the first reading Ezekiel’s speech raises the bones and restores life. In the Gospel, the friends of Lazarus’ family “unbind him.” How have you helped restore life to others? Was your help the true miracle?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 13:38:32 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 9, 2017

Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a ⁴The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens – wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. ⁵The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. ⁶I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. ⁷The Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; ⁸he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. ⁹It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty?

Worth Noting: Each year on Palm Sunday the Church reads this Hymn of the Suffering Servant as prefiguring the sufferings of Jesus. It is, as well, a cry from the heart of everyone unjustly accused who looks for final vindication in the sight of God. In your life, have you suffered unjust and unaccountable punishment? Does Isaiah capture your feelings and attitudes then?

Psalm 31:9-16 ⁹Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. ¹⁰For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. ¹¹I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. ¹²I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. ¹³For I hear the whispering of many – terror all around! – as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. ¹⁴But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” ¹⁵My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. ¹⁶Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.

Worth Noting: The scorned poet faces enemy hordes with trust in the LORD. In your experience is such trust justified in the short term? Who has acted on God’s behalf for you when you were in dire circumstances?

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11 ⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. ⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Worth Noting: Do we really want the same mind to be in us that is in Christ Jesus (verse 5)? If so, is it a matter of simply letting it happen or do we have to work at it? Is being Godlike, in other words, something that comes naturally or must we strive for it?

Gospel: Matthew 27:11-54 Alternative Matthew 26:14-27:66 ¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” ¹²But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. ¹³Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?”¹⁴But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. ¹⁵Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas.¹⁷So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”¹⁸For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. ¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” ²⁰Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. ²¹The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²²Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” ²⁴So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”²⁵Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ²⁶So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. ²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,²⁹and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”³⁰They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.³¹After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. ³²As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.³³And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),³⁴they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.³⁵And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;³⁶then they sat down there and kept watch over him.³⁷Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” ³⁸Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.³⁹Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads⁴⁰and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying,⁴²“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.⁴³He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God's Son.’” ⁴⁴The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way. ⁴⁵From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.⁴⁶And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”⁴⁷When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.”⁴⁸At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.⁴⁹But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. ⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.⁵²The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.⁵³After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.⁵⁴Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God's Son!”

Worth Noting: Matthew’s portrayal of the saints raised from the tombs fulfills the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:1-14 (“Dry Bones”) read during last week’s liturgy. Without accusing each other of delusions, do you see events in your own life prefigured in the Bible?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The verses Matthew 27:24-25 have from time to time held the fixed, rapacious interest of Western Christians:

²⁴So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.”²⁵Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

It is a dramatic moment – perhaps the most dramatic in the Gospel of Matthew as “the people as a whole” (pas ho laos, or “all the people”), a term reserved by Matthew for the whole people of Israel, take upon themselves the guilt for killing Jesus, the Son of God. At its worst, Matthew 27:25 means that all Jews for all time are guilty of killing Jesus Christ. From this interpretation, Christian anti-Semitism, doubtless grounded in political and financial greed, received jet fuel from the Bible’s own words. They justified Jewish persecution by crusaders who plundered Jewish enclaves in France and Germany on their way to the Holy Land, politicians who decreed that Jews live in small areas, the Ghettos of Europe, and advanced, “civilized” nations who denied refuge to Jews fleeing the Nazi Holocaust. How should we understand this verse? Can we safely ignore it? We believe there are important reasons for considering these verses as produced by and for Matthew’s community, some 50 to 60 years after the event, with little grounding in the historical situation. We begin with the observation that only in Matthew is there such a declaration of collective guilt. None of Mark, Luke, or John record this interchange. Nowhere does Paul refer to it in his letters. It thus fails the first test of authenticity, multiple attestation. Further, the portrayal of Pontius Pilate, the governor, contradicts his reputation in other works. Contemporaries portray him as a ruthless, unprincipled product of the Roman imperial system. The Pontius Pilate of history had scant concern for the fate of an itinerant preacher from a backwater in the backwater he governed. His sudden attack of conscience seems implausible, probably inserted by Matthew to deflect the charge of treason from Jesus: Pilate didn’t think so! A last point: Matthew and his community clearly were engaged in a dispute with their Jewish neighbors who did not recognize Jesus as Messiah. Careful readers have concluded that Matthew devised this statement, along with Matthew 23:34-38, to account for the catastrophe of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 c.e., forty years after Jesus’ death and 15 years before the production of Matthew’s Gospel. The parents and children of verse 25 would have suffered through the horrors of the Jewish revolt (66-73 c.e.). Matthew, besides expecting the Second Coming of Christ soon, never thought that the self-curse of verse 25 would endure for generations: It had already been fulfilled. While many Christians may absolve themselves of any guilt of anti-Semitism, we address the issue here for two reasons. First of all, one must acknowledge the historic importance of these verses in the development of a Christian theology of history. How does one account for the dispersion of God’s Chosen People? Why have Jews been persecuted through the years? Here is one way to address these issues. A second reason is that the hideous trauma of 20 centuries of persecution has impacted Jewish sensibilities today, sometimes unconsciously. Gentiles may believe that this is delusional paranoia (until, that is, another synagogue is vandalized, another Jewish cemetery desecrated). “Surely” they assure each other “such things could not happen here,” wherever “here” happens to be. Jews may smile and allow how no, “here” is different, wondering all the time how different “here” really is.

I Thought You Said We Would Be Talking about Life?

Have you ever read a prospectus for the sale of stocks or bonds? The drafters focus intently on describing the risks of the investment, incessantly asking “Do we have everything?” Matthew’s Passion Narrative provides the quintessential risk factor section: “If you follow Christ, if you have the same mind that is in Christ, realize that you too could end up crucified. Based on past experience, it very likely will not be pleasant.” We began our Lenten season committed to focusing on life. Where can we find life amid the horror of execution by crucifixion? Is a crucifixion by a brutal, occupying authority a fit end to the life well-lived? The latter question answers itself with another: Is there any other honorable way to die? Can one living true to the Good News of the Author of life imagine any other death? Not death by crucifixion, perhaps, but death by the thousand tiny cuts of civilized society – lost “friends,” reduced job prospects, trolled on social media. Perhaps the life well-lived is its own reward. On the other hand, we read last week how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Next week Jesus is raised. Our stories of faithfulness continue, with hope that a life well-lived and a death well-deserved bring fulness of life.

Prompting Conversations

Assuming we want to risk it, how do we take on the same mind “that was in was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)? Does the Bible give us everything we need or should we look for other resources?

The Crucifixion is the supreme paradox of Christianity. Paul called the Cross a stumbling block and foolishness to those who do not believe (see 1 Corinthians 1:23). How do you experience it?

Christian theology struggles to explain the relationship between Christ’s death and humanity’s reconciliation with God. “Redemption” originally referred to the theory that sacrificial death bought humanity out of slavery (“redeemed”) from the devil; “atonement” that Christ died to provide adequate reparation for the insult to God of human sin. Why do you think that Jesus was Incarnate and died as he did? Would the Incarnation have been enough?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

What If

Tracy — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 02:52:15 +0000

This year on Ash Wednesday I had a small epiphany moment. I was listening to our deacon read the Gospel. I was thinking, once again, how ironic it is that we do something that makes us uniquely visible on Ash Wednesday when we impose ashes after having read the scripture that admonishes us to keep our piety private. Yes, some of us promptly scrub off the ashes on our way out of church, some of us go at night and get our ashes, so there is not much opportunity to run into anyone, but there are some of us who wear the ashes visibly ALL day. So what’s up with this admonition? This time on Ash Wednesday, I asked myself the question, “What would you choose as the scripture for Ash Wednesday Rebecca?” I didn’t have to think very long or hard about it. The first image that popped into my mind was that of the Prodigal Son. We begin Lent already forgiven, so what if we approached Lent as if we had already “come to ourselves”? What if this time of reflection and repentance was the journey back to the warm embrace of our Father? We know that Lent ends with Easter. We know our time in the desert wilderness ends in joy. What if Easter is that banquet the father throws for us upon our return? We need our times of self-examination and repentance, we need to remember our mortality. But I wonder how different it would be if we started Lent not with an admonition and a warning about false piety, but approached Lent as an invitation to our journey back to ourselves so that we might live more fully. Knowing that we are all dust and that we are all going to die should be an invitation to live our lives with exuberance and abandon, not worry about whether or not we are “doing it right.” I imagine a journey of self-examination and repentance that begins with an invitation to a banquet might bear richer, sweeter fruit. As we enter Jerusalem with Jesus and journey to the cross, let’s remember that we approach this time already forgiven and when we come to ourselves we will be welcomed at the Easter Banquet. The Rev. Rebecca Crummey oversees the Denver-based Episcopal Service Corps (ESC) program, including intern selection, placement, community building, and support. She also serves as vicar at St. Peter and St. Mary Episcopal Church, Denver. She can be reached at Rebecca@EpiscopalColorado.org.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 14:17:05 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 16, 2017

Easter Sunday

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6 ³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality,³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all.³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Worth Noting: This is an account of Peter’s speech to the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household. Peter speaks of his experience of Jesus. Most of us have no experience of a physical Jesus, not even a vision. How would you describe the action of Jesus in your life to one eager to hear the Gospel?

Worth Noting: Psalm 118 invites the individual and the community to remember the works of the LORD in the deliverance of Israel, particularly in the Exodus from Egypt. The Lectionary uses the Psalm also in the Procession of Psalms on Palm Sunday. Do you see any connections between the Hallelujahs of the procession into Jerusalem and the Hallelujahs of Easter Sunday?

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43 ¹So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Worth Noting: Colossians calls the Christian to life in the Risen Christ, the life taken on in baptism. The Christian who takes on the life of Christ becomes Christ to the world. What would that look like if all Christians acted out Christ in the world? Is there something you do to make that happen (and you can bet there are many things you do)?

Gospel: John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10 ¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.⁸Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples returned to their homes. ¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord;” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Worth Noting: This selection combines two traditions, one that Peter and the Beloved Disciple were the first witnesses to the Resurrection (burial linens but no angels; Beloved Disciple believed) and the contrary tradition that Mary Magdalene actually received the first revelation (verse 11 would follow verse 1 smoothly; two angels, no linens; conversation with Jesus). Even the Resurrection, the cornerstone of Christian life, has multiple understandings. Today, is either account “wrong”? What do we learn from each tradition and from the author’s/editor’s willingness to put them next to each other in one narrative?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES Introduction to Acts of the Apostles

During Eastertide each year, the Lectionary uses Acts of the Apostles for the first Sunday reading. This year the Lectionary focuses closely on the reception of the apostles in Jerusalem: the speech of Peter on Pentecost, practices of the Jerusalem Church, and the stoning of Stephen. On the sixth Sunday, Acts fast forwards to Paul’s speech to the Athenians. The seventh Sunday of Easter and Pentecost Sunday prepare for and narrate the descent and indwelling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Throughout Luke-Acts, the author is intent on showing how Christians are the true heirs to Israel’s promises. The birth of Jesus and his teaching are situated within Jewish Scripture and the Temple, but he is rejected by the religious Jews. In Acts, Paul’s missionary model is to first preach in the local synagogue, but there he is rejected, just as Jesus was. On leaving the synagogue, Paul reaches out to Gentiles, some of whom had been catechized by the Scriptures already. Success among the Gentiles provokes persecution which in turn stimulates further expansion. Is Acts history? Few would now say that Acts is history as contemporary readers expect – a reconstruction, based on demonstrably solid evidence, of the course of events in the past. It might be more helpfully compared with contemporary historical novels, in its use of novelistic techniques (journeys to far-off places, shipwrecks, and other trials) filling out major historical events to engage the readers. Based on the “Great Man” model of history, Acts provides Christians a framework portraying an explosive growth of Christianity through charismatic, Spirit-filled, missionaries (Peter and Paul) preaching the Gospel to eager Gentiles. The slower, more historically plausible growth of Christianity from household to household captures few imaginations.

Entering into the Scriptures

The encounter of Jesus and Mary Magdalene is curious. Clearly Mary cares for Jesus and is distraught at the absence of his body. Jesus responds to her exclamation of surprise and elation with “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17). How can we understand Jesus’ response? Perhaps it is in part a gentle rebuke to Mary and a reminder to the reader that Jesus is more than a lord or a great teacher (Rabbouni, verses 13 and 16). Even she, the apostle to the apostles (verses 17 and 18), did not yet understand that of course Jesus would rise on the third day. To her was given the gift of the first experience of the Risen Lord. According to John, a week later Jesus encouraged Thomas to touch his wounds and then said “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29). The author seems to be pointing to his own late-first century community, who are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.

Where’s the Body?

The action in a current movie, “Frantz,” starts when a young woman observes a stranger at her fiancé’s grave. We learn later that the grave is empty, that the fiancé, killed in the closing weeks of World War I, was buried in a mass grave near the site of his last battle. Despite the lack of a body, family and friends wanted a place where the dead man could be remembered. By rising and ascending, Jesus denied those who knew him and all Christians since the consolation of a body in a tomb. Other religious traditions pinpoint a place where their leader’s bones and spirit may be honored. Such a place Christians do not have, nor would they be Christians if they wanted one. They know, know to the bottom of their hearts, know to the staking of their lives, that Jesus’ body is no longer on the earth. He has ascended to his Father, to his God and to our God (John 20:17), giving us the assurance of our own resurrection to the Father. Therefore we call out to each other: “Alleluia! The Lord is risen!” “The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” There is no tomb, there is no body.

Prompting Conversations

What were the moments of death and Resurrection in your life since Easter 2016? How have those moments shaped your relationships with God and others near you and beyond?

We affirm that the Resurrection is central to Christian life, and has been since Paul wrote his first letters. How do you understand its significance? That is, why does it matter to you that Christ left the tomb empty?

Do you include among your traditions regularly visiting and caring for burial sites? Do we do it on behalf of the dead or for our personal or communal benefit?

For a PDF version of the above click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lent is a Journey; Life is a Journey

Tracy — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 16:41:55 +0000

Death is strong: It has the power to deprive us of the gift of life. Love is strong: It has the power to restore us To the exercise of a better life. The love with which Christ is loved by us Is itself strong as death, Since it is a kind of death, Being the extinction of our old life. ~ Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury 1185-1190 Lent is a journey. It is a journey from life to death to life. Actually our lives are journeys, life to death to life, ending with a life that not even death can end. Last August, a twelve-inch blood clot in my left leg, caused by a surgical procedure, decided to break into pieces and lodge in both of my lungs. One of the clots killed a large amount of tissue in the lower lobe of my left lung. I must have had two dozen people, including doctors and nurses, tell me that I could have died. Finally I began to believe them and I started to look at my life in a new and different way. Almost exactly six months later my wife Sally was diagnosed with breast cancer. After hiding for sixteen years, an old nemesis had returned. But this time it had also metastasized and had also taken a second dwelling place in her liver. It is cancer that is large and strong. The doctors say that it can be treated but that there is no cure. Sally now looks at her life in a new and different way. We can both join with the poet and say “Death is strong.” Because it is. It does indeed have the power to change our lives, to actually deprive us of life itself. The journey is not always easy. There is pain, loss, and death. But we also have experienced love that is overwhelming and transforming. It is the kind of love that has the power to restore life and to transcend death. What have we learned? Or better yet, what are we learning? Life is a journey composed of death, life, renewal, and resurrection experiences. The journey is to be cherished. Each and every moment of it holds treasures that are almost beyond belief. And it is grounded in love. As for us, we want to take this journey seriously. We want to grow. We want to pray. We want to be available to the people we love and for whom we care. We want to live in the present. We want to experience the fullness of what God’s creation offers to us. We want to know God’s love in each and every moment. We come to the end of Lent. The journey brings us to the last week where we will encounter love, betrayal, pain, death, and new life. Take the journey seriously. After all, it is our journey. The Rev. Douglas Neel is rector at St. Patrick Episcopal Church, Pagosa Springs, and serves as regional missioner for the Southwest Region. He can be contacted at fr.doug.stpatricks@gmail.com.

A World Turned Upside Down

Tracy — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 19:14:07 +0000

On Tuesday April 11 of Holy Week 2006, my youngest son was born. This Tuesday, we again celebrated his birthday during Holy Week, remembering that beautiful day 11 years ago when our world turned upside down. After opening presents and playing with his new Amazon Echo, laughing as we asked it silly questions and laughing even more at the silly answers, I was struck by how different the world seems today. When he was born, there was no IPhone, Kindle, IPad, Facebook, Twitter, or Podcasts, and I’d never heard of high fructose corn syrup. In just 11 years the world has changed so much. Is it really possible we are still enough like those people in Jerusalem 2000+ years ago for our ancient rituals of the Triduum, Easter Vigil, and Easter Day to really resonate? Surely we’ve evolved beyond some of those ancient concerns. And yet (and you knew there would be an and yet!) the world seems as broken and violent as it ever was. We are separated from each other by politics, race, violence, war…the list is endless. We still objectify those who make us uncomfortable or that don’t fit into a narrow world view. We still define those around us in terms of their shortcomings, challenges, or perceived deficits. That woman is unemployed, this man is divorced. She’s a single mom. He’s a failure. She’s an alcoholic. He’s a drug addict. He’s lazy, or depressed, or both. She’s a Muslim. He’s an immigrant. Ok, then, maybe we’re not so different. We need Lent, we need Holy Week, and for heaven’s sake we need Easter! Our ancient rituals, remind us who we really are, children of God, created in God’s image, and called to live the life Jesus taught us to live. “Love one another as I have loved you. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus’ life redefines our relationship with our Creator and teaches us through his relationship with the marginalized and outcast what God’s love and grace really look like. Jesus’ death show’s us what healing a broken world requires. Jesus’ resurrection turns the world upside down. Darkness becomes light; descent becomes ascent; death becomes life. Through the pure gift of resurrection, peace becomes possible. Reconciliation becomes possible. Hope becomes possible. On that Tuesday in Holy Week eleven years ago we welcomed our child into the world with eyes clouded with love. May Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection cloud our eyes with love and may we help turn this world upside down with His love. The Reverend Canon Ken Malcolm is the Missioner for Evangelism, Christian Formation, and Leadership Training. He can be reached at kmalcolm@coloradodiocese.org.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 16:01:09 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 23, 2017

Second Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 22-32 ¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them. . . . “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know –²³this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.²⁴But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.²⁵For David says concerning him,

I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; ²⁶therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. ²⁷For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. ²⁸You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.³⁰Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne.³¹Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’³²This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”

Worth Noting: This speech quotes Psalm 16:8-11 (see immediately below) omitting the final clause. The translation is slightly different from that used below because here Acts quotes the Greek, Septuagint, version of Psalm 16 while a Hebrew text underlies the translation below. The differences here do not change the meaning of the verses. Do you use more than one translation of the Bible in your study?

Psalm 16 ¹Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. ²I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” ³As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. ⁴Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. ⁵The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. ⁶The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. ⁷I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. ⁸I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. ⁹Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. ¹⁰For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. ¹¹You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Second Reading: 1 Peter1:3-9 ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,⁴and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,⁵who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.⁶In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,⁷so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.⁸Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,⁹for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Gospel: John 20:19-31 ¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” ²⁴But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.²⁵So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” ²⁶A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” ³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Worth Noting: Thomas could not accept the disciples’ testimony of the Resurrection. On whose testimony do you accept the Resurrection?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to 1 Peter

On the Sundays in Easter season, the Church reads 1 Peter for the second reading. A short text, yet it has its share of puzzles – about authorship, date of production, place of production, and addressees. Hence, whatever one might say about the “who, what, when, where, and why” of 1 Peter may be challenged. While recognizing the possibility of dissent, the conclusions of current scholarly work may be summarized quickly. An unknown author, using the name of the great apostle Peter, wrote the letter from Rome (equals “Babylon” in 5:13) late in the first century, probably between 80 and 100 C.E. (roughly a generation after the traditional date of the death of Peter), to Christian communities in Asia Minor (1:1). These Christians, previously followers of the local, traditional religions (1:14, 18), were experiencing persecution – probably not state-sponsored persecution but localized, ad hoc persecution or harassment because of their practices (2:11- 13; 4:12-13). To these communities, the author wrote a message of encouragement: what you are experiencing, Jesus Christ has also experienced. “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory which is the Spirit of God is resting on you” (4:14). In all of this, the author reprises the Easter message of Paul’s letter to the Romans: “if you have been baptized into the death of Jesus, surely you will also be raised with him” (Romans 6).

Entering into the Scriptures

Thomas, the Twin, remains an obscure and mysterious figure in Christian hagiography. Mentioned but once in each of the three Synoptic Gospels and Acts of the Apostles (in their respective list of apostles), Thomas takes on a larger role in the Gospel of John. This Sunday’s Gospel relates the incident that earned him the sobriquet “Doubting Thomas.” Earlier in the Gospel, when Jesus determines to go to Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, Thomas urges his fellows to go with him, “So that we might die with him” (John 11:16). He expresses bewilderment at some statements in Jesus’ final discourse (John 14:5) and meets Jesus in the last recorded earthly action of Jesus in John 21. Only in the Gospel of John is Thomas called “The Twin,” raising the question: Of whom is he the twin? Jesus? The Beloved Disciple? One of the other apostles? Post-New Testament Christian literature amplifies the Thomas tradition. Acts of Thomas, a novella and travel adventure, describes Thomas’ travel to India and his marvelous works there and along the way. The Gospel of Thomas is a compilation of sayings by Jesus spoken, so it is said, to Thomas. In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, the apostle appears not at all, and how the text came to have his name affixed is itself a mystery. From this brief review, one sees that, unlike Christians today (who focus on “Doubting Thomas”), early Christians honored Thomas the Apostle for a life dedicated to following Jesus.

On Forgiving Sins

The Gospel of John links the gift of the Spirit with the forgiveness of sins (John 20:22-23). Christians may think first of forgiveness of sins as relating to offenses against God or the divine law that endanger eternal peace. The Spirit, however, like a fog enveloping a city, permeates every nook and cranny of the Christian’s life. We are called to forgive the crazy driver who cuts us off, the ambitious, grasping co-worker who ignores the team for personal aggrandizement, and even the spouse whose verbal tic finally becomes an irritant. Sooner or later, forgiveness must extend to one’s personal history. In most instances, forgiveness is an intermediate goal, while reconciliation is the ultimate goal. The Christian heeds Paul’s insistence that “we are called to a ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Reconciliation restores relationships damaged – or even still-born – by sin. In a world with divisions so painful that people find it impossible to dialogue with each other, the grace and skills of reconciliation become paramount.

Prompting Conversations

How could one as committed to Jesus as Thomas doubt his Resurrection? Do sorrows, disappointments, and depressions sometimes cloud your better judgment? How do you recalibrate?

Do you see forgiveness and reconciliation as two steps? Have you any special skills for reconciliation?

First Peter 1:9 affirms that the outcome of faith is salvation. Is salvation an entirely post-death experience? How else might “salvation” be understood?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 14:49:27 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 30, 2017

Third Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41 ¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them . . .³⁶Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” ³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.³⁹For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” ⁴⁰And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”⁴¹So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Worth Noting: This selection concludes Peter’s speech at Pentecost. Here Peter emphasizes the universality of the call to baptism and repentance. Are you a member of a community that honors the universality of the baptismal call? How do you do that?

Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 ¹I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. ²Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. ³The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. ⁴Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, save my life!” ¹²What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me? ¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, ¹⁴I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. ¹⁵Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. ¹⁶O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. ¹⁷I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁸I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, ¹⁹in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-23 ¹⁷If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.²¹Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. ²²Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.²³You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

Worth Noting: The notion of being ransomed was a commonplace for 1 Peter’s audience. Slaves might be ransomed. For Jews, the eldest child and first fruits were redeemed through Temple offerings (see Exodus 13:12-13, for example). Here, Christ’s blood secures the ransom (from a master?) of Gentiles from their former fruitless ways of life. For modern Christians, does Baptism mark the renunciation of a former way of life in favor of a life of genuine mutual love (1 Peter 1:22)?

Gospel: Luke 24:13-35 ¹³Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” ²⁵Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. ²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Worth Noting: The events that evening – welcoming the stranger, breaking open the Scriptures, sharing bread (and wine), returning to the community to proclaim the Good News – constitute the heart, the guts, of the early Christian Eucharist. Do you participate in a community that celebrates these or similar rituals today?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

We stereotype people based on certain characteristics. The English are reticent; the Welsh great poets and singers; Minnesotans polite. If that’s true, what is the stereotype of Christians? In the modern world, could it be hospitality? Ancient peoples, almost without exception, held hospitality as a paramount virtue. Greeks and Romans believed strangers and aliens were under the protection of the gods. Ancestors of today’s Bedouins welcomed and fed strangers as part of the ecosystem of the desert. Abraham modeled hospitality and received an heir in return (Genesis 18). Hospitality formed part of the DNA of Jews and Christians. During his ministry, Jesus both exercised hospitality (feeding 5000, for instance [Mark 6 and parallels]) and “relied on the kindness of strangers,” soliciting hospitality from Zacchaeus (Luke 19) and Photi, the Samaritan Woman (John 4). It is thus hardly surprising that Paul commends hospitality (Romans 12:13), nor that the Letter to the Hebrews urges Christians to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2; see also 1 Peter 4:9). Today’s Gospel showcases hospitality: the welcome Cleopas and companion give the stranger on the road; the stranger’s willingness to educate and entertain them with an exposition of Scripture; the invitation to dine and spend the night; and finally Jesus’ revelation of himself in the blessing, breaking, and sharing of the bread. In that final act of hospitality the disciples recognized the first Christian.

“Relying on the Kindness of Strangers”

A stock question for interviewers is “Whom, living or dead, would you invite to a dinner party?” In all four Gospels, Jesus spends time eating at other people’s homes – what some call table fellowship. His continual movement around Galilee and Judea meant that Jesus could not have reciprocated those invitations. The Gospels never record that he ever brought a side dish to a pot luck. (Of course, that water into wine at Cana was not a bad wedding present.) Our point: while the lowly state of his dining companions is often remarked upon (tax collectors, lepers, and so on), more surprising may be that he received any dinner invitations – or any invitations back for sure. Hospitality is reciprocal and betokens a relationship. In relationships (if not gastronomy) Jesus clearly excelled. He must have been a great dinner companion.

Prompting Conversations

If you were holding a dinner party for four guests, whom would you invite? Would you want a diversity of people or a relatively homogenous, clearly congenial quartet?

Jesus never had a permanent home office. He met the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Early Christians were said to follow “The Way.” Is there something about a “journey” that is crucial to Christianity?

Most Christian communities pride themselves on hospitality. Do you belong to such a community? Often our welcome really extends not much beyond those who looks like us. Ask yourself a question: Who is not present in your community? Why might they not feel welcome?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 01 May 2017 13:22:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 7, 2017

Fourth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 2:42-47 ⁴²They [Jesus followers in Jerusalem] devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.⁴³Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles.⁴⁴All who believed were together and had all things in common;⁴⁵they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.⁴⁶Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,⁴⁷praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Worth Noting: In the immediately preceding verse, we are told that at the conclusion of Peter’s speech at Pentecost, 3000 were baptized. These verses then relate how the people responded to their new state. How might this passage serve as a model for Christians today?

Psalm 23 ¹The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. ²He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; ³he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. ⁴Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me. ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long. Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-25 ¹⁹For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly.²⁰If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval.²¹For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.²²“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”²³When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.²⁵For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Worth Noting: This selection, although originally written as an exhortation for slaves (see immediately preceding verse, 1 Peter 2:18 “Slaves, accept the authority of your masters . . .”) was deemed applicable to all Christians, because they are “slaves of God” (1Peter 2:16) but more importantly because the original audience were subject to the Roman Empire’s oppressive systems. Today it applies to Christian communities subject to terror and discrimination, but how well does it apply to you? Is there systemic oppression of Christians in your community or are the forces more personal? In either case, what is it like to have a “shepherd and guardian of your soul”?

Gospel: John 10:1-10 ¹[Jesus said] “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.⁵They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.”⁶Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. ⁷So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Worth Noting: Why in such a short passage does Jesus use two different images of himself? Is Jesus primarily a shepherd leading his flock, the Church (John 10:4), or is Jesus the gate which keeps bad people out and, presumably, lets good people in (John 10:8-10)?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Written some 50 years after the formation of the Jerusalem community, Luke strove to position the origins of the Christian community within the Greco-Roman culture, and to provide to his generation an aspirational portrait of the Christian community. Like many of us today, first century Christians and pagans looked back with fond nostalgia to an earlier, golden age when social relationships were idyllic. The highly influential writer and philosopher Plato portrayed earliest Athens as a golden age in which the gods controlled material possessions for the benefit of all. On top of the nostalgia factor, major philosophical movements were enraptured with a communist ideal. The Epicureans, one of the major competing philosophical communities, formed communities sharing goods and celebrating feasts together. The Stoics, of course, held that material possessions were “goods” only in so far as they promoted a unity with the will of God. A community that shares all would be laudable. Could Christian communities then, or now, truly aspire to live as this first Jerusalem community? We can note, first of all, that Luke portrays no other community in Acts in this same way and compares no other community with this ideal. (The summary in Acts 4:32-37 is of the same community, simply affirming that this utopian behavior lasted for some time.) It is unlikely that Luke expected the Jerusalem ideal to be re-enacted elsewhere. He would have observed, as many have observed since, that such ideal communities invariably falter as they attempt to grow. The major theme in Luke-Acts is the spread of the Gospel from Galilee to Jerusalem (by Jesus) and from Jerusalem to Rome (by Paul). Binding the Gospel to unrealistic assumptions about society, would serve no purpose. Nevertheless, Luke’s portrait of the Jerusalem community still provides the utopian ideal of common prayer, worship, and possessions that energizes Christians today.

“Gate of souls, refresh and bless” . . . Somehow it just doesn’t sing.

Why did Jesus call himself the sheep’s “gate”? The many jokes about Peter as the gatekeeper of heaven takes some shine from the image of Jesus as a gate. Nor does Jesus’ admission that thieves and bandits will simply climb over the wall and slip among the sheep give much confidence that Jesus an impenetrable barrier between them and the sheep. Perhaps a more helpful way to think about Jesus as gate is as an entrance into a community, here a flock of sheep or the Church, and as a way out to the nutrition needed for life, the pasture and the sustaining life of the Church. One might say that through Baptism one enters into the life of Jesus and joins the ranks of Christians; in the sharing of the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist the Christian tastes abundant life.

Prompting Conversations

The reading from 1 Peter speaks most immediately to slaves. How can you relate to it?

Since most of us live in urban settings well away from sheep and shepherds and lambs and all that stuff, what might be more contemporary images? A passport control officer? A pastor? An emergency medical technician? Or would you rather stick with a shepherd?

Does the idealized portrait of the first Jerusalem community inspire you or leave you cold? While we’re at it, how would you portray the ideal community? How would you build it?

To download a PDF of the above, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 08 May 2017 13:40:01 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 14, 2017

Fifth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 7:55-60 ⁵⁵But filled with the Holy Spirit, he [Stephen] gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶“Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” ⁵⁷But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him.⁵⁸Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.

Worth Noting: Like Jesus, Stephen dies the death of the noble and righteous philosopher, exemplified in Plato’s account of the death of Socrates. As did Socrates, Jesus and Stephen speak with kindness and mercy towards their executioners. All three maintain control of their faculties – no expressions of anguish (no “My God, my God why have you forsaken me” in Luke). Socrates, Jesus, and Stephen have words of farewell for their companions. They accepted death rather than renounce their values. They and all other martyrs raise the question: For what am I willing to die? How do I wish to die?

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me. ²Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me. ³You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me, ⁴take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge. ⁵Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God. ¹⁵My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. ¹⁶Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-10 ²Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation – ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. ⁴Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and⁵like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.⁶For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” ⁷To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” ⁸and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. ⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Worth Noting: This passage first illuminates why Christians suffer – because God chose them just as God chose Jesus, they will be rejected. just as Jesus was – and offers a powerful vision of the Christian community: “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people.” How do you see these two ideas being integrated? Do both teachings resonate in your life?

Gospel: John 14:1-14 ¹[Jesus said to his disciples] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.²In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.⁴And you know the way to the place where I am going.” ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.⁷If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?¹⁰Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.¹²Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.¹³I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.¹⁴If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

Worth Noting: John carries off something exceptional in the Final Discourse (John 13-17): He portrays Jesus speaking at one time as the Galilean Jew anticipating his crucifixion and then as the risen resurrected Christ. John affirms the unity of the human Jesus who walked through Judea proclaiming God and the glorified, risen Christ proclaimed by and dwelling within the Johannine community. Does your own image of Jesus change with your circumstances – at one time the helpless baby Jesus, at another the Good Shepherd, and still another the great king of the universe?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

How shall we understand Jesus’ statement in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life”? The Greek includes the three definite articles, “the way . . . the truth . . . the life.” How exclusively must this be understood? Do the Gospels exclude from salvation all of other religions regardless of the quality of their lives? While many trees have been destroyed and, most regrettably, much blood shed over these questions, there is a way to approach them in a non-belligerent manner. Christians have written and spoken about becoming Christian as a process leading to eternal salvation. Passages such as the Gospel selection from John give hope that Jesus will welcome the faithful Christian to a glorious heavenly dwelling. If personal salvation is the goal of Baptism and the Christian life, assurance that I am doing it right, fear that I may be doing it wrong, can lead to exclusivity of outlook. After all, if you are doing it differently, perhaps my salvation is not so assured. Many find this an overly narrow view of the Gospel message. The passage from 1 Peter affirms that Christians are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people.” Just as Abraham and his descendants were chosen to witness to the one God, so Christians are a new race, a nation of priests, called to reconcile a shattered and broken world with God through Jesus Christ. Baptism might be thought of as attesting to one’s commitment and readiness to be the “living stones” on which the house of God is built (1 Peter 2:5). We can also look more broadly and deeply at the efficacy of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Is it not possible that Jesus’ Incarnation, that his infusing humanity with divinity, has an effect well beyond Christianity? Do we need to limit the effect of Jesus’ life to a relatively select few? A popular motif for early Christians was the harrowing of hell, the belief that on the Saturday after his crucifixion, and before his resurrection, Jesus entered hell to bring out all of those who had died, waited for their deliverance, and now would share Jesus’ eternal life. Eve and Adam were portrayed leading the people out of hell behind Jesus. This tradition supports the proposition that the effect of Jesus’ life is, boundless, literally infinite, extending back in time to embrace those who never knew his name, forward to Christians of all ages and races, and across cultures and religions to those who faithfully follow their path to love, justice, and peace.

What is the Life Well-Lived?

Acts portrays the death of Stephen the first martyr as a dramatic moment in the life of the new Church (Acts 7:55-60). It was written to appeal to non-Christians who, in a violent age, asked “How shall I die?” To find an answer, they raised another question: “How shall I live?” The answer to either illuminates the other. As we live, so shall we die. And if we die with the assurance that, despite failures, disappointments, and sorrows, we have given our best to building the house of God, then we can go on, knowing our life was well lived. But the story of Stephen reminds us that our death may not be in the comfort of our own bed and home, for when we follow the Crucified One, his way leads to the cross.

Prompting Conversations

Ancient monks were encouraged to meditate regularly on their own deaths. Have you ever thought about your death and funeral? What would you like survivors to say? Does the meditation tell you anything about how you want to live?

First Peter affirms that Christians are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people.” What do you imagine goes along with this great gift? At their best, how do Christians live into their chosen-ness?

How do you see the relationship between Christianity and non-Christians? Are the latter incapable of “being saved”?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 15 May 2017 13:53:19 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 21, 2017

The Sixth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 17:22-31 ²²Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way.²³For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands,²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.²⁶From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live,²⁷so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him – though indeed he is not far from each one of us.²⁸For ‘In him we live and move and have our being;’ as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ ²⁹Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals.³⁰While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent,³¹because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Worth Noting: Paul begins by connecting his Gospel to the Athenian culture – sculpture, philosophy, and poetry. Then he demands that they repent (presumably from not identifying the unknown god as the God of Israel) or face the consequence of an imminent judgment. Were a foreign missionary to come to you, what would she identify as your god? Were you a missionary, how would you approach the people in your community? What do you think is their god?

Psalm 66:8-20 ⁸Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, ⁹who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip. ¹⁰For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. ¹¹You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs; ¹²you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place. ¹³I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows, ¹⁴those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. ¹⁵I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. ¹⁶Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. ¹⁷I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue. ¹⁸If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. ¹⁹But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. ²⁰Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-22 ¹³Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?¹⁴But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated,¹⁵but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;¹⁶yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,¹⁹in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,²⁰who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.²¹And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you-- not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Worth Noting: The Lectionary included a very similar message to slaves a couple of weeks back: Do not fear unjust oppression/rejection/disgrace. But it says little about how should Christians react. If oppression of Christians occurs anywhere in the world, what should be the response?

Gospel: John 14:15-21 ¹⁵“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.¹⁷This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. ¹⁸“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.¹⁹In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.²⁰On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. ²¹They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Worth Noting: The Gospel selection opens and closes with Jesus emphasizing the need to keep his commandments. The commandment Jesus emphasizes throughout the Gospel: Love one another (see John 13:34-35; 15:12, 17). Here we learn that loving one another, keeping Jesus’ commandment, demonstrates love for Jesus who abides in his disciples and they in him (John 14:20). The Father loves those who love the Son, and Jesus will reciprocate our loving obedience. “Love” clearly does not mean “like” here. How would you explain it? What does it entail?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Gospel of John, it has been said, contains the seeds, but not the full fruit, of the Christian understanding of the Trinity. The selection above refers to Father, Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, true, but John seems to suggest that the work of the Spirit is very much like Jesus’ own work. If so, then why was it necessary for the Spirit to come? Not an easy question to answer. How do Christians understand the way that the Trinity “works”? Do we think that because God is three persons that each person acts alone? Why else would Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, have cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” If the Trinity is indivisible, how could he be expressing a sense of separation from God the Father? With small hope of every understanding it, Christians have meditated and reflected on the mystery of the workings of the Trinity for centuries. But this is not a theological essay, but a questing comment on the Scriptures. Western Christians live in a society centered on the individual, emphasizing that each person must have an individual personality and sphere of operations. Jesus affirms that the one Spirit of truth that energized him in his earthly ministry from his baptism will abide with the community even after his death. John asserted that the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit remained with Jesus just as the Father did and continues to do. When Jesus breathed on the disciples and urged them to “receive the Spirit,” he was urging them to take on the whole of the Trinity. Therefore, those who abide with Jesus, who love him by keeping his commandment to love each other, will be united with both the Father and the Spirit just as is the risen and ascended Jesus.

The Spirit and the Departed Jesus

As the Easter season progresses towards Pentecost, the Lectionary contains more about the Spirit that will live in the Church after the physical departure of Jesus. This Thursday the Church “celebrates” Jesus’ departure. This week’s Lectionary selection from John’s Gospel offers an explanation for what must otherwise be an inexplicable departure from the community Jesus formed. Jesus left so that the community, the Church, may abide with Jesus in his resurrected, ascended state. The community of Jesus followers, a community of lovers, abide in love and in the God who is love. Jesus does not depart but abides in and through the Church’s experience of the Spirit of truth in love.

Prompting Conversations

Were you asked to speak at the National Convention of Atheists, how would you go about trying to convince some (if not all) of the conventioneers? What from the culture around you leads you to God?

Have you ever heard a convincing explanation of the Trinity? If so, please email it to dennishaugh2011@gmail.com. If not, how does the Trinity have an impact on your spirituality? (We’ll repeat these questions in a few weeks on Trinity Sunday.)

Regardless of your answer above, does the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, play an important role in your life? Can you describe its role?

To download a PDF of the readings, commentary, and discussion questions, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 22 May 2017 14:39:44 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 28, 2017

Seventh Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 1:6-14 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?"⁷He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."⁹When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.¹⁰While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.¹¹They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." ¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away.¹³When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.¹⁴All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Worth Noting: This account of the Ascension and its immediate aftermath, written for second and third generation Christ followers, illuminates the mission of Jesus and his followers. He did not come to build an empire on earth but to call disciples to witness to him to the ends of the earth. How does your community continue this witness? Regular worship? Outreach? Education? Music programs? What is most important to you?

Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 ¹Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. ²As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. ³But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. ⁴Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds – his name is the LORD – be exultant before him. ⁵Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. ⁶God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. ⁷O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, ⁸the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. ⁹Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; ¹⁰your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. ³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, ³³O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. ³⁴Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. ³⁵Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!

Worth Noting: While the Lectionary usually links the Psalm thematically to the first reading, the link for these readings is not so obvious, save the reference to God as the rider in the heavens (verses 4 and 33; originally an allusion to God’s superiority to Baal, the Canaanite god who rode the clouds). Looking more deeply, the ancient Israelites saw their God as the loving God who protected the widow and orphan, the wanderers in the Sinai desert, the same God made manifest and present in Jesus. Are there other links between the two readings?

Second Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 ¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.¹³But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.¹⁴If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. . . . ^5:6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.⁷Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.⁸Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.⁹Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. ¹⁰And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.¹¹To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. Gospel: John 17:1-11 ¹After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,²since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.³And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.⁴I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. ⁵So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. ⁶“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. ¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

Worth Noting: The so-called high priestly prayer, John 17, provides a recapitulation of both the previous three chapters of discourse and the entire Gospel of John. In it, Jesus emphasizes the identity of his followers: They belong to God the Father. For the community of John, they were not Jews, or Syrian, or Greek: They were God’s own. How do you identify yourself? Where does your religious commitment rank among your identifiers (e.g., woman, Norwegian, CPA . . .)?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

So much of Jesus’ speech in the Gospel of John reads as if he were unconnected with the people around him. We know his speeches must be important because this is the Gospel of John, after all, so we grab onto some useful, easy to remember phrases: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (from John 3:16) or “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34; 15:12). There is much more in the Gospel, clearly. The modern practice of reading silently can leave one befuddled by the swirling images. But when read aloud, the words flow around the listener. They have a rhythm. The Good News becomes less the particular words. The cadence of the sentences gives an experience of the message, of unity with Father, Son, and Spirit. It may be the experience of singing the National Anthem with 50,000 others, when we feel ourselves transformed into a larger cohesive whole. John writes poetry, or at least hypnotic prose, helping the listener go beyond the immediately sensible to a deeper reality of cosmic unity. John 17 illustrates another deliberately disorienting strategy, the remarkable movement in Jesus’ perspective from the circumstance of the present dinner with his disciples to his future and past place with the Father. In John 17:4 and 11, for example, Jesus speaks as already Resurrected; his work “finished” (verse 4), so that he is no longer in the world (verse 11). Verse 5, on the other hand, speaks of the past, reminding the reader of the glory that the Son enjoyed before the Incarnation. The Evangelist makes the point that Jesus held past, present, and future in his perspective. It is the perspective of the One in whom the Eternal Now exists. As the disciples respond to the Spirit and take on the mind of Father and Son, they too will take baby steps towards such a divine perspective.

Why do we have to do everything?

Would we be better off had Jesus chosen to remain with his disciples and continued his ministry of teaching and healing after his Resurrection? Think of the sensation among the Romans and Jews to have the Crucified One walking among them! For reasons known but to God, this was not the way things went. Instead, these readings point to God’s plan for a community to continue this work. Acts insists that the place of the Christian is in the world, building in deed and word the City of God. First Peter warns that the work will be opposed by satanic forces. The community knew that these forces came not in the form of a pitchfork-wielding horned creature but as the political and economic forces promoting other gods – Caesar and wealth – in the place of the LORD God. Jesus’ final discourse in John promises his disciples that the Spirit will bring them the wisdom and strength needed to overcome temptation and oppression in order to continue their mission. And so communities around us respond to the divine plan enunciated 2000 years ago.

Prompting Conversations

The connection between the first reading and Psalm does not jump out at the reader. A larger question: Do you see the continuity in personality of the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament? If not, how did Jesus and Mary read their Scripture?

The simple, rough language and style of the Gospel of Mark contrasts sharply with the Gospel of John’s intricate, destabilizing style. Which style generally appeals to you? When might the other style (that is, John’s if you prefer Mark’s, or vice versa) be appropriate?

Jesus gave us his commands over 2000 years ago, but we seem no closer to realization of the Christian mission. That can be discouraging. What progress, however, can you identify Christians have achieved in building the City of God?

To download a PDF version of this Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation. Dennis earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 29 May 2017 11:43:42 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 4, 2017

Day of Pentecost

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21 Alternative Numbers 11:24-30 ¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. ⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,¹¹Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.” ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” ¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning.¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

Worth Noting: In Acts, the gift of the Spirit brings with it the gift to prophesy and to dream dreams of the previously unimaginable. Do you think of the Spirit prompting us to dream dreams? What dreams might the Spirit prompt in you – for yourself, your community, and for the world?

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. ²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. ²⁶There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. ²⁷These all look to you to give them their food in due season; ²⁸when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. ²⁹When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. ³⁰When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. ³¹May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works – ³²who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. ³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. ^35bBless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!

Worth Noting: The Psalmist praises the manifestation of the Spirit of God in wisdom to form and organize the universe wonderfully. Where do you see the Spirit at work in nature?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 Alternative Acts 2:1-21 ³[Therefore I want you to understand that] no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. ¹²For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Worth Noting: If one were to proof text the value of diversity, this just might be number one on the list. Sometimes, however, I might believe that my gift is the only one with real value: My concern to care for Alzheimer’s disease is more valuable than your concern for good order in our city. How do you honor different gifts in each other?

Gospel: John 20:19-23 Alternative John 7:37-39 ¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Worth Noting: This is John’s version of Pentecost and the gift of the Spirit. Notable is the link among the Spirit, peace, and the act of forgiveness. While one might say that the Spirit is given to promote reconciliation and peace, the Christians who have received the Spirit exhibit divisions, sometimes even animosity, among themselves. Are there other places where you see the Spirit’s gift of peace?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Luke’s narrative power has resulted in the complete displacement of John’s account of the giving of the Spirit (John 20:19-23, above) in favor of the thrilling account in Acts. To be sure there are questions about the account in Acts – what’s the logic in the so-called “list of nations” (Acts 3:9-11) and why did it omit mention of Greece and Macedonia where Paul preached and worked with such success? – and the overwhelming force of the story may result in missing certain telling details. First is the choice of the Jewish pilgrimage feast of Pentecost as the setting. This festival celebrates the renewal on Mount Sinai of God’s covenant with the Hebrew people through the giving and reception of the Torah. On this first Christian Pentecost, the Spirit initiates a new covenant, embracing all the nations of the earth, through baptism in Jesus’ name in water and the Spirit. Sometimes we miss the fact that the most widespread action of the Spirit was to give listeners the power to discern foreign languages. The disciples apparently were speaking the Galilean dialect of Aramaic, but the Spirit empowered people from Persia to Rome, from Turkey to Libya to understand the Good News concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Thus the Spirit reversed the confusion that resulted from the profusion of tongues at Babel (Genesis 11). As Acts makes no mention otherwise, we assume that the translation service continued through Peter’s speech to the crowds (Acts 2:14-40, read in the Lectionary over three sections this season: April 23 and 30 and this Sunday). Moreover, the Spirit bestowed these gifts before baptism. (Indeed, there is no indication that all those who heard the disciples and Peter ever were baptized.) The Spirit, we find, may not be as particular about the sequence of rituals as modern Christians may become, nor, according to the prophecy of Joel, discriminate about who receives its gifts. By this reading, what is the message of Pentecost? At the start, the very act of the indwelling of the Spirit can make such a disturbance that it attracts throngs to Christ’s disciples. The same Spirit prompts listeners to understand the disciples’ Good News of Jesus of Nazareth, whom God has made both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36). Encouraged by success and emboldened by the Spirit, disciples turn to the whole world as their field of proclamation.

Spirit, Thy Name is Disruption

Disruptive. That’s the Spirit. Paul claims that baptism and all the other gifts of the Spirit are given for the benefit not of the individual but for the entire community (1 Corinthians 12:7). What kind of community could it be, however, in which young and old, men and women, slave and free prophecy (Joel 2:28)? In which billionaire hedge fund managers and the office cleaning crew, in which ordained and laity, men and women, Syrians and Americans all are equal, just as Paul taught (1 Corinthians 12:13)? Indeed, just the vision of such a community prompts us to rethink what it means to be “equal.” Surely equal could not mean “financially equal,” for then I must disgorge funds from my retirement funds, and vacation accounts, and even savings for college so that more may have food. And what if I am equal to the homeless person selling street newspaper? Does “equal” mean she can sit next to me at the 10:00 service?

Prompting Conversations

John’s Gospel and Acts provide very different accounts of the giving of the Spirit, highlighting the diverse ways the Spirit moves in the world. Can you relate a time when the Spirit moved in your life?

How do you understand “equality in Christ”? Is it equality of wealth, education, social position, or just “we will all be in heaven by and by”?

One minister prays “May Christ’s challenging and consoling peace be with you.” How does it sound to substitute “Spirit” for “peace”?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 13:22:43 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 11, 2017

Trinity Sunday

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis1:1-2:4a ¹In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.³Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ⁶And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”⁷So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.⁸God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. ⁹And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.¹⁰God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. ¹¹Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so.¹²The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.¹³And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. ¹⁴And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,¹⁵and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.¹⁶God made the two great lights-- the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-- and the stars.¹⁷God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,¹⁸to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.¹⁹And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. ²⁰And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.”²¹So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.²²God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”²³And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. ²⁴And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so.²⁵God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.²⁶Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” ²⁷So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.²⁸God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”²⁹God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.³⁰And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.³¹God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ^2:1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude.²And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.³So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.⁴These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

Worth Noting: Shedding blood, any blood, always comes with constraints in the Bible. In this chapter, men, women, and animals may eat vegetation (Genesis 1:30), but not meat. After the flood, God gives Noah permission to eat anything in creation, with instructions on how meat must be prepared (Genesis 9:3-4). As the primordial history (Genesis 1-11) describes the degradation of creation from its original state, Genesis implies that vegetarians are superior to omnivores. Do you think “food makes the man”? Do you think vegetarians are superior humans to omnivores? Should food stamps be used only for fresh fruits and vegetables?

Psalm 8 ¹O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. ²Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. ³When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; ⁴what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? ⁵Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. ⁶You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, ⁷all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, ⁸the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. ⁹O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 ¹¹Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.¹²Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.¹³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Worth Noting: Thus Paul closes the letter with a final exhortation and prayer. How do we close our emails and text messages, the common way to correspond today? How can we elevate our communications?

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 ¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Worth Noting: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus concludes his ministry as Moses did: on a mountain top, sending his companions off to transform the world. Christians read this story as Jesus acting as God did at Sinai, passing on the commandments to God’s people. How does your community go about making disciples?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Five Books of Moses

From now through the end of October, the Lectionary draws the first readings from Genesis and Exodus, the first two of the five books (other three: Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) attributed to Moses. It is now generally accepted that the five books were put together in their current form sometime after the destruction of the Temple and Babylonian Exile (587 b.c.e.), perhaps during the time of exile or after the return around 520 b.c.e. Most of the Lectionary readings are taken from Genesis. The 50 chapters of Genesis may be divided into two parts. The first eleven chapters (creation, Adam and Eve, Tower of Babel, Noah) describe the formation of humanity and the nations. Of this section, the Lectionary includes only this Sunday’s reading of the opening creation account. Chapters 12 through 50 focus on one small group within this world, starting with Abram and following the story of his descendants and their relationship with the LORD, the God of their family. The quests for progeny and land drive much of the narrative in the Five Books. God promises both to Abraham and renews this promise both to him and to his own sons. Infertility and infanticide threaten realization of the first promise, while the nations who already occupy the land prove daunting, until the Hebrew people themselves approach 600,000 in number. Other motifs appear with some regularity – the usurpation of rights of the first-born (Isaac of Ishmael, Jacob of Esau, and Joseph of ten of his brothers), or finding marriage partners at wells (Isaac, Jacob, Moses). As might be expected of a text published during or shortly after a national catastrophe, the Babylonian exile had its impact, perhaps inspiring a motif of the hero going away for long periods before a triumphant return. Thus, Jacob spends 20 years with his uncle Laban to marry the women he loves. And, of course, the descendants of Jacob/Israel spend 400 years in Egypt before leaving for a 40-year trek to the promised land. These five books are known as the Torah, instruction, by Jews and include the Ten Commandments (in two places) as well as other law codes for the people. Codes of law do not form the core of Torah, however, but stories about people, and how they relate to each other and to God. They answer the question “How shall we live?” with “As did our ancestors in faith, often stumbling, often lost, often in grave danger, but always with verve and ultimate recourse to our God. So shall we live.”

Entering into the Scriptures

When reading the opening chapter of a novel, we expect to learn about the principal characters. We expect to receive all the information we need to read the whole of the work (except for any major surprises, of course). So it is with the first chapter of Genesis, read in this week’s lectionary. The principal character – the overwhelmingly dominant character – is God, the one who brings order out of chaos and who fashions the universe. And it is this God who guides the life of the Hebrew people, inspires the prophets and psalmists, and sends Jesus to bring new life to creation. This God creates the first humans in God’s own image, male and female God created them. According to the Bible, this is humankind’s original, primordial nature, made in the image of God. God also has rules for humanity and all creation. The first commandment is to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28 for humans and verse 22 for creatures of the sea). As humans are in God’s image, so they are given dominion, lordship over all the rest of creation (verse 28 again). As noted above, God endorses a vegetarian diet for animals and humans. Most of all, God says that all creation is good. Humans, animals, plants, rocks, rills, and streams. All good.These form the principal theological premises of the Bible. God’s creation is good. In it, all humans are created equally in the image of a creative God. Humans, according to the Psalms, are called to praise God in creation and in creating.

How Do Humans Relate to Rhinos, Petunias, and Silica?

If humanity is to have dominion over creation, how is it to be exercised? How would we know if we are doing it correctly? Is humanity’s dominion exercised for the sole benefit of humanity? Do we take as our model dictators and CEO’s who dominate in order to amass wealth? Such a reading gains impetus because the Hebrew verb used, cabash, has an unfortunate aural affinity to the English “kibosh” (as in “to put the kibosh on”). One able to “put the kibosh on,” or stop others in their tracks, probably is out for their own profit. Such a reading ignores, however, the basic nature of humanity. If humans are made in the image of God, and if that God creates life and insists that life multiply and fill the earth, does it not stand to reason that this should be the goal of humanity’s dominion? If humanity is lord of creation, should not our goal be to nurture the whole of creation to “be fruitful and multiply”? Is this not the reason that the Words was made flesh, so that all might “have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)?

Prompting Conversations

Just to be clear: the author eats most anything put in front of him. On the other hand, what can be said in favor of a theological or ethical position of vegetarianism?

God is creative and humans are made in God’s image, so says Genesis Do you see yourself as a particularly creative type? Are you creative in building and expressing relationships with others? Have you creatively helped build families and other small communities?

Human activity leaves garbage, smog, and pollution over large swaths of planet Earth. Humans have contributed to the accelerated extinction of animal species. Does Genesis impel you to reverse these results? How?

Click here to download a PDF of this week's Journeying. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation and has published for academic and general audiences on the New Testament. Haugh earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 12 Jun 2017 13:39:38 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 18, 2017

Second Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 6

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 18:1-15 [21:1-7] Alternative Exodus 19:2-8a ¹The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.²He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.³He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.⁴Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.⁵Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on – since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” ⁶And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” ⁷Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.⁸Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.⁹They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.¹²So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” ¹³The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’¹⁴Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” ¹⁵But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh;” for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.” [^21:1The LORD dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had promised.²Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.³Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.⁵Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”⁷And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”]

Worth Noting: This story epitomizes desert hospitality – strangers appear and so we feast. Here, hospitality begets life-giving generosity and generosity begets Laughter, a rough translation of “Isaac.” How well does your community take on Biblical hospitality? Look around: Who is not there? How can you help them feel welcome?

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 Alternate Psalm 100 ¹I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. ²Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. ¹²What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me? ¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, ¹⁴I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. ¹⁵Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. ¹⁶O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. ¹⁷I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD. ¹⁸I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, ¹⁹in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Worth Noting: Psalm 116 is a thanksgiving psalm giving praise to the LORD for deliverance from evil. In such a setting, verse 15 seems out of place, with the unfortunate connotation (in the NRSV) that God somehow rejoices or benefits from the deaths of the faithful. The Hebrew makes it clear that such deaths are costly – and in that sense precious; they weigh on God; they provide no benefit at all. How do you and your community view death?

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-8 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Worth Noting: Paul asserts that faithfulness (Greek: pistis) leads to justification. Question: Whose faithfulness justifies us? Verses 2, 3, and 8 point to the faithfulness of Christ as the ground of justification (“. . . through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom . . . died for us”). What difference does it make whether it is our individual faith or Christ’s faithfulness that justifies us?

Gospel: Matthew 9:36-10:8 [9-23] ^9:36When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.³⁷Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;³⁸therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” ^10:1Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;⁴Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. ⁵These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,⁶but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.⁷As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’⁸Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. [⁹Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,¹⁰no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.¹¹Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.¹²As you enter the house, greet it.¹³If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.¹⁴If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.¹⁵Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. [¹⁶“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.¹⁷Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues;¹⁸and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.¹⁹When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time;²⁰for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.²¹Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;²²and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.²³When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.]

Worth Noting: How do you and your community honor Jesus’ commands to “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons”? Is it enough to pray at a distance for the sick and dying?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Romans

Few works have generated as much profound theological reflection as Paul’s Letter to the Romans. In the 16^th century, Martin Luther found there his gospel of “justification by faith and not by works,” an interpretation useful for both calming one’s introspective conscience and marking a boundary with Roman Catholics. Luther’s interpretation of Romans held sway for four centuries, hut has recently been challenged, notably by the late Lutheran Bishop Krister Stendahl who read Romans as Paul’s strategy for evangelizing Gentiles. In that context, Paul explains how the Law applies differently to Jews and Gentiles. Along with other Jews before and since, Paul believed that certain of the statutes that defined Jews (such as circumcision and dietary restrictions), were not meant to apply to Gentiles. Paul’s vocation was to announce the Good News that the work of Jesus of Nazareth gave Gentiles access to the family of the God of Israel. Believing h lived in the end-times, Paul looked forward to the fulfillment of the words of the prophets when the nations would come to worship the LORD, the God of Israel, in Jerusalem. While nominally addressed to Gentiles (Romans 11:13), Romans is also the most “Jewish” of Paul’s letters. First of all, in Romans Paul uses quotations and allusions to Old Testament texts more frequently than in any of his other works. Here Paul demonstrates the continuity from the Old to the New Testament and to Paul’s message of inclusion of Gentiles. The second notable feature of Romans is the significant amount of time Paul spends wrestling with a deep theological problem: Why have the bulk of Jews rejected Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah? Only in Romans does Paul express anguish over this situation (Romans 9:1-3), and only in Romans does he come to a somewhat satisfying answer. The Lectionary includes a sampling of Paul’s discussion in August. Read in this light, Paul’s letter to the Romans becomes not a text sundering Christian unity and dividing Christians from Jews, but a text encouraging exploration of differences. Perhaps, as the Koran says (5:48), God created differences in order to foster competition towards righteousness among all peoples.

Entering into the Scriptures

To be read over the course of the next two Sundays, Matthew’s chapter 10 provides Jesus’ vision for and call to the Church – first to the twelve and now to today’s communities. Disciples are to proclaim the imminence of the kingdom of heaven (verse 7) by curing the physical ills of those they, and we, meet (verse 8). Jesus demands that his disciple go, they walk without money, extra clothes, any shoes, or a staff for defense. They journey in poverty, homelessness, and powerlessness. Assuming Jesus called his disciples to live as he lived, the passage gives us the best portrait we have of Jesus on the road. Read carefully, Matthew 10 underscores the seismic changes in the Church since the time of Jesus. We notice that in verses 5 and 6 Jesus instructs the disciples to visit only Judean villages, not those of Gentiles nor of Samaritans. Things are wildly different today when the Church is overwhelmingly non-Jewish. Indeed, many Christians today, mindful of God’s eternal faithfulness to the covenant with Abraham, quite deliberately avoid “going to the Jews.” Furthermore, these verses contradict the instruction in the Gospel just two weeks ago, when the exact same disciples are told to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). No one likes to see contradictions within the same Gospel, but it is not clear that this contradiction can ever be fully resolved. Many attempts simply deny the credibility of Matthew 10:5-6. For instance, some argue they were meant for a different time (though Jesus gives no such limitation to his instruction); or Matthew 10:5-6 were meant only for the twelve but not for the entire Church (contrary to the setting of Matthew 28:19); or the problematic verses were cancelled by the later instructions, just as the Church now supersedes Israel. An explanation we prefer is that Matthew 28:19 represents the logical expansion of Matthew 10:5-6. “All the nations” may not preclude some mission to and with Jews. Then the two instructions can be understood as directing disciples of Jesus to proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom right here and right now by healing individuals, communities, and societies. This they will do alongside Jews themselves dedicated to tikkun olam, the repair of the world, together preparing for the Messianic age.

Blessed are They Who Line Parking Spaces

Christian communities often worry long and hard about building and maintaining churches, community centers, gyms, and grounds. Budgets are built around contractual debt service, utilities, and staff compensation. Vestries and parish councils, lay and ordained, spend hours and days counting parking spaces and mapping traffic flow. That’s quite a contrast with Jesus’ call for a life of poverty, powerlessness, and homelessness – exactly the life of radical, itinerant preaching Jesus himself lived (Matthew 10:9 in the tellingly optional section of the Gospel). It’s difficult to ignore this commandment when Jesus delivered the same message in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-42; 6:25-34). Itinerant preachers enacting this life probably visited Matthew’s community with regularity, but Matthew wrote this Gospel to instruct and form a settled community, composed of women and men engaged in the sorts of activities that occupy Christians today. In fact, Matthew’s community probably met regularly in a center that they needed to maintain and refurbish, struggling to apply Jesus’ message much as communities do in the 21^st century.

Prompting Conversations

Abraham practiced hospitality, Paul calls for faithfulness to Jesus’ life, and Jesus orders his disciples to heal and raise from the dead. What would a life lived in hospitality and faithfulness to a life of healing look like? How can you enact it?

How do religious institutions with which you are connected form relationships with the poor, the homeless, and the powerless?

To what end do we have our buildings? Do they draw us closer to or form a wall against Jesus’ people? Does your community aspire to greater poverty, homelessness, and powerlessness?

To download and print a PDF version of the above click here.

Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation and has published for academic and general audiences on the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 01:00:19 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 25, 2017

Third Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 7

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 21:8-21 Alternate: Jeremiah 2:7-13 ⁸The child [Isaac] grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.⁹But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.¹⁰So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” ¹¹The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son.¹²But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you.¹³As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” ¹⁴So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.¹⁵When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes.¹⁶Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. ¹⁷And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.¹⁸Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” ¹⁹Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. ²⁰God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.²¹He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Worth Noting: Ishmael will become the honored ancestor of mighty nations, but first he must journey to find his true home. Has this been your experience? Have you journeyed distances great distances? Have you journeyed spiritually or vocationally? Did you enjoy the journeys?

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 Alternate: Psalm 69:8-11, (12-17), 18-20 ¹Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. ²Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;³be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. ⁴Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. ⁵For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. ⁶Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. ⁷In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me. ⁸There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. ⁹All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. ¹⁰For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. ¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl. ¹⁷Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Worth Noting: The psalmist/petitioner shows awe and reverence to God throughout, while at the same time, daring to order God around (“incline your ear,” “answer me,” “preserve my life,” and, twice, “be gracious to me”). This is all in reliance on the very essence of God extolled in verse 5: good, forgiving, and abounding in steadfast love, echoing Exodus 34:6-10 (among others). Are you willing to order God to do your bidding? How does it feel to do so? Scary? Invigorating?

Second Reading: Romans 6:1b-11 ^1bShould we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?²By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?³Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?⁴Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. ⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.⁶We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.⁷For whoever has died is freed from sin.⁸But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.⁹We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.¹¹So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Worth Noting: This passage opens with a question from Paul’s interlocutor (who repeats it at Romans 6:15), who is dubious about Paul’s missionary strategy to the Gentiles: If Paul does not require Gentiles to be Jews – and everybody knows how sinful Gentiles can be – how can they be expected to avoid sin? Paul replies: Those who have died with Christ in their baptism, by Christ are freed from the dominion of sin and death. Is this how our communities enflesh baptism?

Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39 ^10:24[Jesus said:] “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master;²⁵it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! ²⁶“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.²⁷What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.²⁸Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.³⁰And even the hairs of your head are all counted.³¹So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ³²“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven;³³but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. ³⁴“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.³⁵For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;³⁶and one's foes will be members of one's own household.³⁷Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;³⁸and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.³⁹Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Worth Noting: Matthew puts all of these sayings of Jesus (originally not found together) into the context of his disciples’ mission. Grouped together this way, they sound much like the scary disclaimers in TV drug ads: Things will be great, and God has your back (verse 29-31) but, just in case, look out for these side effects, such as being called the devil (verse 25), or the hostility of one’s family (verses 34-37), or, ultimately, losing one’s life (verses 38-39). Have you experienced such tribulations because of your religious commitments?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

This is a hard Gospel. No one wants to hear that following Jesus will bring strife to a family. Even more, no one wants to hear that being a disciple means taking up a cross. Which raises a question: What does it mean to “take up my cross”? One thing we can be sure of, is that Matthew meant taking up a cross to be an externally observable action. At the time of Matthew and for a long time thereafter, the cross was associated with death through execution on a cross. Matthew’s first readers understood that the disciple was liable to a death sentence. Being a disciple and taking up one’s cross is neither a purely internal, spiritual practice nor is it passive. It is not, first and foremost, about improving oneself. Taking up the cross might be thought of as taking up the sufferings and deaths of the world. As the Lectionary said last week, the disciple is to “proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. . . .” (Matthew 10:7-8 see also Matthew 25:31-46). Matthew is clear that the disciple of Jesus is one who acts in the tradition of the Old Testament to care for the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant. Certainly the saints, starting with Paul, complained of their afflictions (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-9). But Paul and the others bore their afflictions because it made them, somehow, “holier.” Rather they accepted their afflictions – physical, emotional, and spiritual – as gifts meant to strengthen their ministry to others by helping them to empathize with the sufferings of others.

“Guilty as Charged!”

Why would a judge pass a death sentence on a follower of Christ? In last week’s Lectionary selection, Jesus told his apostles to proclaim the imminence of God by healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons. On conviction of doing any of these actions we should expect honor, praise, and rewards, not a death sentence. Christ followers were executed not for any of these deeds but because they refused to pledge allegiance to the gods protecting the state. Doing so, they refused to put the welfare of the state before their allegiance to the God of Jesus. For Matthew and many after him, calling oneself a Christian could be calling oneself a traitor. How does this apply to the modern reader? We have noted previously that the situation facing Matthew and his community differs radically from that in North America and Western Europe, where most of our readers make their home. Here, being a Christian is being within the mainstream of political and social life. Even in places with low and declining Church attendance, the assumption is that one is a Christian of some sort. For us, being a Christian may be nothing more than “going along to get along.” Kierkegaard addressed this situation: “Where all are Christians . . . Calling oneself a Christian is the means whereby one protects oneself against all possible inconveniences and discomforts.” We do not encourage religious persecutions – our current milieu offers plenty of opportunities for exercising religion without fear or favor. Nor are we convinced that our own commitment to being a disciple of Jesus Christ should be quite as easy as it is.

Prompting Conversations

Married couples may joke of being each other’s cross. How is any such deep, committed relationship a cross?

In Galatians 6:14, Paul offers commentary on the cross: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” How would you explain “being crucified to the world”?

Imagine it has become a criminal offense to be a follower of Christ. Absent your own testimony, what evidence would a prosecutor uncover to persuade a jury you are guilty? (Do you visit the imprisoned, cure the sick, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, raise the dead, and cast out demons?)

Christians among our readers practice with great freedom – even receiving support from the state in some regions. Is this true of practitioners of other religious traditions as well? Do Christians have any responsibility to protect those freedoms for others?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation and has published for academic and general audiences on the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 26 Jun 2017 13:13:43 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings for July 2, 2017

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 8

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 22:1-4 Alternate: Jeremiah 28:5-9 ¹After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ²He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” ³So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.⁴On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. ⁵Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” ⁶Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. ⁷Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.⁹When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.¹⁰Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. ¹¹But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹²He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” ¹³And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.¹⁴So Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide;” as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

Worth Noting: In this text, formative for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, Abraham demonstrates his unyielding allegiance to the LORD who has led him for thousands of miles with promises of land and descendants. Is this text an early example of religious zealotry?

Psalm 13 Alternate 89:1-4, 15-18 ¹How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? ²How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? ³Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, ⁴and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed;” my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. ⁵But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Worth Noting: Psalm 13, the Unlucky Psalm, may be the most poignant of the Psalms of individual lament, prayed often for the chronically ill. Is there a chronic condition from which you would pray for release?

Second Reading: Romans 6:12-23 ¹²Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.¹³No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.¹⁴For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!¹⁶Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?¹⁷But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted,¹⁸and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.¹⁹I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. ²⁰When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.²¹So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.²²But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Worth Noting: Romans 6:20 is jarring. What is Paul driving at with his claim that a slave to sin is “free in regard to righteousness”? Let’s turn it around: What would it mean to be a slave to righteousness? Paul goes on to say that those who are enslaved to righteousness experience eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Does that help make the whole paragraph and Paul’s argument hang together better? Does Paul’s thought that we must be slaves either to sin or to righteousness make sense?

Gospel: Matthew 10:40-42 [Jesus said to his disciples] ⁴⁰“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.⁴¹Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;⁴²and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Worth Noting: Until the time of the telegraph, an ambassador acted with the power and authority of the sovereign. Receiving the ambassador, with hospitality or with insults, was rightly seen as receiving the sovereign with hospitality or insults. (Refer to old movies about medieval kings and queens.) We have seen that Jesus identifies with the poor, the homeless, the powerless (see Matthew 10:9-10, read on June 18, and Matthew 25). Are the poor and homeless we encounter Christ’s ambassadors? Does your community welcome them appropriately?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The story of the sending away of Hagar and Ishmael, read last week, and today’s first reading, referred to as The Binding of Isaac, have verbal and thematic parallels that illuminate both. The narrator takes care to point out in both accounts, for instance, that Abraham rose early in the morning (Genesis 21:14 and 22:3). Was this to avoid being seen engaged in a shameful act? Abraham then placed on Hagar’s shoulders all the provisions plus her son Ishmael (Genesis 21:14). On Isaac’s shoulders, Abraham placed the fuel for his own demolition (Genesis 22:6). In both cases, an angel of God brings relief to the participants (Genesis 21:17-18 and 22:11-12). A larger theme, and one recurring throughout the Bible, is the journey to the wilderness, the physical wilderness, where the protagonist is tested before being established as the ancestor of a great people. Jacob, son of Isaac, wrestled with an angel, received a new name, and then proceeded to establish his home. The Hebrew people roamed the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. In the New Testament, Paul recounted spending time in Arabia (Galatians 1:17) and, of course, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness where he was tested (Mark 1:12 ff. and parallels).

The Binding of Isaac

The passage from Genesis read this week is distressing to fathers and mothers. “How could any parent consider killing a child?” they ask. Our God, they maintain, calls us to create and sustain life, not destroy it. They point out that it was Abraham, not Sarah, who took Isaac to the mountain and prepared him for sacrifice. Surely the LORD knew better than to ask the mother who had waited several lifetimes to take that boy’s life. Amid the anguish of the story sometimes we miss the fact that God stayed Abraham’s hand. God did not ever want the life of Isaac. Then why did God ask this of Abraham? Why did God test Abraham (Genesis 21:1)? Some say that the testing was to prove to Abraham and to his offspring the strength of his allegiance to the LORD. Even though Abraham had been assured that Isaac would be the son who would provide descendants, even though his older son Ishmael had been sent off to the wilderness, even though Abraham doubted his and Sarah’s ability to have more children, despite all of these concerns, Abraham went forward. In a larger view, from the story we learn definitively that God does not want human sacrifice. Others, like the Canaanites, and perhaps at times even the Israelites, sacrificed humans but the God of the sons of Israel would not accept such offerings. They are an abomination. How might the same story speak to our generation? One way: When and where do we sacrifice our children to the gods of our personal goals? Do we unnecessarily sacrifice time with our children for more time at work? When we are with our children, do we sacrifice paying attention to them in favor of playing with our cell phones? How often do we sacrifice the unique child before us for the imagined, idealized child we wish we had been? How often do we oppose new capital campaigns or new taxes for youth facilities and schools, sacrificing the development and opportunities for children, to preserve our life style? Have we ever supported wars that damage the souls of our youth and take their lives?

Prompting Conversations

We often speak of “freedom” as a supreme value. Paul speaks of “slavery to righteousness,” or “slavery to right relationships” as our goal. How would you explain “slavery to righteousness”?

A story as rich and powerful as the Binding of Isaac carries with it many meanings. How does it speak to you about our relationship with God?

Since children have so little power in relation to adults, they learn to be close observers of all adults – parents, teachers, parishioners, strangers. When children observe our behavior, to what god would they say we pledge our allegiance?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation and has published for academic and general audiences on the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 14:02:52 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 9, 2017

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 9

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 Alternate: Zechariah 9:9-12 ³⁴So he said, “I am Abraham's servant.³⁵The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.³⁶And Sarah my master's wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has.³⁷My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live;³⁸but you shall go to my father's house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ . . . ⁴²“I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going!⁴³I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,”⁴⁴and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also” – let her be the woman whom the LORD has appointed for my master's son.’ ⁴⁵“Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’⁴⁶She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels.⁴⁷Then I asked ‘her, ‘Whose daughter are you?' She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms.⁴⁸Then I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son.⁴⁹Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.” . . . ⁵⁸And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” ⁵⁹So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham's servant and his men.⁶⁰And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.” ⁶¹Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. ⁶²Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb.⁶³Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. ⁶⁴And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel,⁶⁵and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.⁶⁶And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.⁶⁷Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

Worth Noting: Genesis 24 introduces Rebekah, the bustling, active, willful wife of a silent, passive Isaac. Note the resemblance in their immediate, positive response to God’s call by Abraham and Rebekah: Both are sent from their family and their homeland. Rebekah accepts a more difficult call, for she will become the wife of a man she does not know. Are you one generally willing to move to a new distant home? What excites you and what raises concerns? Could such a move be part of God’s call to transformation?

Psalm 45:10-17 or Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Alternate Psalm 145:8-14 ¹⁰Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house, ¹¹and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him; ¹²the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people¹³with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes; ¹⁴in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow. ¹⁵With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. ¹⁶In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. ¹⁷I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

Worth Noting: Psalm 45 is a rare psalm that celebrates a royal wedding. This selection describes the queen, apparently a foreigner (“forget your people and your father’s house”) who now must turn her complete allegiance to the king (the king is your lord, “bow to him”). How might she react to all of this? When do your communities celebrate together? Where is God in those celebrations?

Second Reading: Romans 7:15-25a ¹⁵“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.¹⁶Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.¹⁷But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. ²¹“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.²²For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self,²³but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.²⁴Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” ²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Worth Noting: We surmise that the “I” up to verse 25 is the voice of a “God-fearer,” a fictional non-Jew representing those attempting to follow the Jewish Law without fully converting. First century Jews, including Paul, believed that non-Jews, without benefit of the covenant, could not hope to complete the requirements of the Law and lacked the means to reconcile with God in the inevitable event of transgression. Hence: despondency on the part of the speaker. In verse 25 Paul himself speaks, for through Baptism that same person may escape slavery to sin and accept slavery to righteousness (see last Sunday’s reading). Is it your experience that a law or order makes you want to do that which is forbidden? If you fail to meet your own standards, how do you reconcile with yourself, God, and others?

Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 ¹⁶“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ¹⁷‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ ¹⁸For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’;¹⁹the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” ²⁵At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;²⁶yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.²⁷All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Worth Noting: Matthew presents Jesus and John embodying two models of asceticism. Jesus acts as the artist bringing beauty to the world. John acts out the grief at the state of a world in which sin abounds. Both are meant to appeal to this generation, our generation. How does your community support and honor both styles? Which is more appealing to you? Does your answer change with other circumstances?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Ancient wisdom literature concerned itself with how to live the good life. The Book of Proverbs, for example, includes adages for young men entering adulthood on how to succeed. Indeed, contemporary self-help and personal growth books, like Lean In or The Gift of Failure, continue this rich tradition. Some speculate that Genesis 24 is an adaptation of a wisdom short story focusing on the qualities of good servant, the dominant character throughout. He discharges his duties with discretion. He is quick and determined and relies on divine guidance. In all of this he displays characteristics worthy of a wise man. In some ways, the first four verses of the selection from Matthew (verses 16-19) continue in this tradition. Jesus seems to be criticizing “this generation” for not choosing something! While traditional wisdom literature preaches moderation in everything, it also demands that one live doing something. Jesus criticizes those who neither take joy in nor mourn the state of the world. The second part of the selection, verses 25-27, presents a different, more esoteric kind of wisdom. Jesus speaks not of practical wisdom, aimed at securing the good life, but wisdom as intimate knowledge and, as the Bible equates the two, intimate experience of God. Jesus affirms that, even while a human being, he has the same experience of God the Father as the Father has of him (verse 27). Since God knows the very essence of all creation, it follows that Jesus’ knowledge of God must be of God’s essence, God’s soul. Jesus knows and experiences God as God knows and experiences God’s own self. Furthermore, Jesus reveals the Father to those whom he selects (verse 27). Is the revelation the same as the experience that Jesus has of the Father? Probably not. We understand Jesus reveals the mystery of this union between Father and Son. Later generations of Christians took this and similar passages (e.g., John 1:14, 18; 10:14-15; Colossians 1:15) and blended them with strands of Greek philosophy (principally Plato’s dictum that the goal of the human life is assimilation to God). They taught that humans should aspire to divinization, real union with God, becoming like God to such a degree that they participate in the divine life. Western thinkers have called this “holiness” or “sanctification.” No matter how it is called, it responds to Jesus’ command “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

“Me? Perfect? I Can’t Even Get My Goal Weight!”

In his letter to the Romans, Paul argues that through the Gospel we attain salvation (Romans 1:16; 13:11), life eternal, a time when “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). After another generation of reflection on the mystery of Jesus, Matthew wrote that through the Gospel, we come to learn how to take on Jesus’ attitudes and to live as Jesus lived. In this way, we come to know Jesus. As we grow in knowledge of Jesus we come to know and experience God. For Matthew, living into the Gospel meant becoming transformed, divinized, sanctified, perfected; that is, made like God.

Prompting Conversations

Where do you find wisdom? Do you read books teaching how to improve your life? How about novels, poems, or other fictional works that explore particular dimensions of life?

Many times, Jesus says that anyone who sees him sees the Father: Jesus is the personified revelation of God; Jesus makes God present. What is the characteristic of Jesus that seems most God-like to you?

Thinking of divinization, of union with God, can be dizzying, unsettling – so outside our experience as to be scary. What is your sense, or image, or picture of the process? Is it more helpful to think of music or visual art than words to describe it?

To download a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed over 20 years’ experience in the field of adult faith formation and has published for academic and general audiences on the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 14:39:15 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 16, 2017

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 10

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 25:19-34 Alternate Isaiah 55:10-13 ¹⁹These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham was the father of Isaac,²⁰and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean.²¹Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. ²²The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.²³And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.” ²⁴When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb.²⁵The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau.²⁶Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau's heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. ²⁷When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents.²⁸Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob.²⁹Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.³⁰Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) ³¹Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” ³²Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” ³³Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.³⁴Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Worth Noting: In Hebrew, Esau and “hairy” are – with a huge stretch – kind of, sort of related, while Jacob and “ankle” are closely tied (Gen 25:25-26, above). Isaac, as is well known, is very close to “he laughs,” a reference to Sarah’s reaction when told that she would bear a son in a year’s time. But what’s in a name? Why do some major Biblical characters experience a name change (Abram to Abraham; Sari to Sarah; Jacob to Israel; Simon to Simon Peter; Saul to Paul)? How did you get your name? Your nickname?

Psalm 119:105-112 Alternate Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13 ¹⁰⁵Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ¹⁰⁶I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. ¹⁰⁷I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word. ¹⁰⁸Accept my offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your ordinances. ¹⁰⁹I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. ¹¹⁰The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. ¹¹¹Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. ¹¹²I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end. Second Reading: Romans 8:1-11 ¹There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,⁴so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.⁵For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.⁶To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.⁷For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot,⁸and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.¹⁰But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.¹¹If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Worth Noting: The lament of the Godfearer at Romans 7:24 was followed by Paul’s rejoicing at the coming of salvation for Gentiles through Jesus. This passage follows that interchange closely as Paul offers reassurance that the Spirit preserves baptized Gentiles from falling victim to the “flesh.” Throughout his letters, Paul emphasizes that righteousness means right relationship, with God and with others. Does the emphasis in this passage on flesh negate that interpretation? Can “sins of the flesh” as used here mean anything but one of the seven deadly sins, ways of abusing the body?

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 ¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.²Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.³And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil.⁶But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away.⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.⁹Let anyone with ears listen!” . . . ¹⁸“Hear then the parable of the sower.¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path.²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;²¹yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.²³But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Worth Noting: This is the first of three weeks of parables of the Kingdom. Why would Jesus use parables – riddles told in stories – to describe the Kingdom of God? When it comes to eternal salvation, wouldn’t you prefer a straight forward essay (or better yet: daily email instructions) over a short story?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Bible was written in a hierarchical, patriarchal society in which men were assumed to be the only actors and women were relegated to an inferior status. Nevertheless, the tradition of smart, dynamic women integral to the history of salvation is so strong, that their stories too are told. Rebekah’s is one remarkable example. She is the only woman for whom the Bible provides a genealogy (Genesis 22:20-22) and the only woman in the Old Testament to whom the LORD speaks directly (Genesis 25:23 above). She, not Isaac, learns that the promises to Abraham will be transmitted not through the first born, Esau, but the second, Jacob, and she insures that Jacob, her favorite, receives the patriarch’s blessing from Isaac (Genesis 27). She, Sarah, Rachel, and Leah, often known only as wives of the patriarchs used their intelligence and position to preserve the promised line of descendants. Miriam and the Pharaoh’s daughter conspired to save infant Moses from the Pharaoh’s death edict and his wife Zipporah saved his life in a bizarre nighttime encounter with the LORD (Exodus 4:24-26). Rahab protected the spies come to prepare the invasion of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-21). Deborah and Judith led forces overcoming invasions. Esther negotiated the relief of the Israelite refugees in Persia. Ruth and Bathsheba play significant roles in the history of the covenant. True enough, the Bible also portrays some women as temptresses. Eve is blamed for persuading a passive Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. Delilah destroyed the strength of Samson, the great warrior. Jezebel brought the worship of foreign gods into Israel. The point is that women play important roles in the Old Testament. Later, women providing financial support were revered as “mothers of the synagogue.” This tradition carried through to the time of Jesus whose own ministry was supported by generous women benefactors (Luke 8:1-3). The New Testament, in fact, is replete with such powerful woman as Mary of Nazareth, Mary of Magdala, Mary and Martha of Bethany, the deacon Phoebe, and Priscilla, mistress of a Roman house church. Self-possessed, self-motivated women responded to God’s call. In contemporary parlance, they did “lean-in” to further the coming of the Reign of God. Is the Bible in its structure and production patriarchal? Absolutely. All the more remarkable must have been the women whose stories carried such power that they could not be ignored.

Who Else Is in the Bible?

Careful readers of the Bible have recovered and highlighted the critical role so many women played in the history of God’s actions. As a consequence, more women now see themselves in the stories in the Bible, and the Bible has become their Bible. Perhaps we can also see ourselves in two other groups. Sinners abound in the Bible, starting with Cain. The great king David could as easily be remembered as a bandit terrorist, adulterer, and murderer. Jesus’ twelve Apostles are often portrayed as grasping, ambitious, and ultimately unfaithful. Once a year we remember the Good Thief and his salvation, but he was, after all, a thief first. And then we have the lame, the halt, the lepers, and the blind who receive cures. Old Testament prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles all established their credibility with cures and resuscitations from the dead. We may look on these primarily as signs of the Reign of God, but they were also real cures of real people whose lives were transformed. Are we not sinners? Do we not suffer from mental, emotional, and physical limitations? Would reflection on these oft-ignored women and men not ultimately bring us closer to the One who cures all?

Prompting Conversations

The Gospels are one long story about Jesus. In some ways, the Gospels end enigmatically, with Jesus leaving a rag-tag group to carry on his message. Might we think of Jesus’ entire life as God’s ultimate parable?

Zacchaeus was short so he climbed a tree. Would reflection on his ingenuity and perseverance bear fruit? Are there other lesser characters in the Bible to whom you look for inspiration?

Jesus spent an inordinate amount of time with sinners and the infirm. Are you willing to search out and spend time with them? How would you recognize them?

For a PDF of this week's Journeying click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working in the field of adult faith formation for over 20 years, including lecturing and writing for academic and general audiences on the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Previous posts may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 13:58:09 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 23, 2017

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Proper 11

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 28:10-19a Alternate: Isaiah 44:6-8 ¹⁰Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.¹¹He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.¹²And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³And the LORD stood beside him and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring;¹⁴and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.¹⁵Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!”¹⁷And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.:” ¹⁸So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.¹⁹He called that place Bethel.

Worth Noting: Throughout the Bible and throughout the ancient world, people understood that God sent dreams to impart knowledge (e.g., Pharaoh of surplus and famine, Joseph of Jesus’ paternity). Could this be like the contemporary reliance on gut reactions – unconscious reactions to a situation, question, or decision?

Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 or Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19 Alternate Psalm 86:11-17 ¹O LORD, you have searched me and known me. ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. ³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. ⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. ⁷Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? ⁸If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. ⁹If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, ¹⁰even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. ¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” ¹²even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. . . . ²³Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. ²⁴See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Worth Noting: The usual definition of hell is a state or place where God is absent. But the psalmist claims that God is even in Sheol (Psalm 139:8 above)! Though the psalmist is writing poetry and not “theology,” this is an insight worth reflecting upon. Perhaps the poet started with the very orthodox thought that nothing exists if God is not continually creating it (we would cease to exist if God ceased to think of us). If that is so, is not God thinking about, holding in creation, and, therefore, with those in hell, just as the psalmist wrote? Then what can we make of the notion of hell?

Second Reading: Romans 8:12-25 ¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh –¹³for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!”¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. ¹⁸I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Worth Noting: Caesar was “the Father of the Empire.” Writing to those who dwelt in the shadow of the Imperial Power and Magnificence, Paul says “No: your God, whose name is Lord, is your Father. To Lord do you owe allegiance.” Some Christians, closely following Paul, refuse to pledge allegiance to any country. Most of us believe we can pledge allegiance both to our country and to our God. Do you? Do you see any possibility of a conflict between the two? Would you ever sever your allegiance to one or the other?

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;²⁵but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.²⁶So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷“And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ ²⁸“He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹“But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.³⁰Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” ³⁶Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;³⁸the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.⁴⁰Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,⁴²and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Worth Noting: Isn’t it standard practice for farmers to weed their fields during the growing season? Jesus and his listeners knew that, hence the questions about the meaning of the story. Even with the explanation, why doesn’t the Son of Man do some cultivating during the growing season?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Hebrew Scriptures make numerous references to Sheol, a place to which the dead are consigned. While the dead do not suffer there – they are not subject to the fires of hell – their existence is grey, joyless and they do not give praise to God (Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18). During the Second Temple period (roughly 500 b.c.e. to 70 c.e.) Jewish concepts of the afterlife developed further. This is generally ascribed to the influence of foreign religious thought (particularly Greek and Persian) and a need to justify the justice of God in a world in which the unjust flourish and the just are destroyed. Many of the texts of the Hebrew Scriptures promoted the view that evils befell the people when they had broken the covenantal relationship. A simplistic version of that belief became increasingly difficult to sustain in the face of contrary evidence during the successive occupations of Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. In the first and second centuries before the Common Era the concept of rewards and punishments in the afterlife became more common (see, for example, the speeches of the martyred seven brothers and their mother in 2 Maccabees 7). The New Testament offers examples of the ensuing conflict on the issue of the character of the afterlife between the Sadducees, who denied any existence beyond the grey of Sheol, and the Pharisees who adopted the new ideas. (For examples of the ongoing dispute, see Mark 12:18 and parallels; Acts 23:6-10.) After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the de facto establishment of Pharisaic Judaism as orthodoxy, belief in the afterlife dominated Jewish, Christian, and, later, Muslim thinking. Today, Jews hold a wide assortment of views on the condition of life after death. While many continue to hold to the traditional teaching, many others believe the questions about an afterlife to be unanswerable, a distraction from the work of repairing the world through works of justice and mercy.

Mix Two Parts Religion with One Part Politics

Paul provides a particularly challenging view of political engagement. Paul wrote first as a Jew, a proud, obstreperous people from a small nation who a few years after Paul’s letter took arms against the Roman occupiers. In his letters, Paul commends his readers for acknowledging no God but the God of Israel. Paul’s God was the God of all peoples and reigned supreme over the pantheon of Roman gods. Paul was a follower of Jesus, one called the Messiah, whose resurrection put to naught the ultimate power of Rome, to take another’s life. In Romans 13:1-7, Paul explicitly emphasizes that the imperial powers receive their authority from this one God – not from Mars, not from Jupiter, not from the divinized Caesars, and not from the Greek god Apollo. Most of the readers of Journeying live in democracies of one sort or another, systems of government we doubt Paul ever envisioned. Because democracies allow greater participation, can we ignore his teachings on imperial power? Should we think about the “will of the majority” or “the majority vote” as the contemporary equivalent of the Roman emperor? Would Paul urge Christ followers to understand that the electorate has no power except that given by God?

Prompting Conversations

Jesus consistently uses stories based on farming to instruct his followers. Today, most of our readers live in urban areas, somewhat removed from the rhythms of the land. Can you offer an urbanized version of the weeds among the crops?

Since their religious wars of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, European countries have embraced the notion of freedom of religious conscience. Is this compatible with Paul’s vision of the government being subject to the God of Israel?

Democracy, the philosopher wrote, is utilitarian – it works about as well as or better than any other form of government. Does that mean we put blind faith in it, in its workings, and in its results? Is God any more likely to work through democracies than dictatorships? How could God be working in democracies?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims publications to academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 13:10:58 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 30, 2017

Eighth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 12

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 29:15-29 Alternate: 1 Kings 3:5-12 ¹⁵Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” ¹⁶Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.¹⁷Leah's eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful.¹⁸Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” ¹⁹Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” ²⁰So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. ²¹Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” ²²So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast.²³But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her.²⁴(Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.)²⁵When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” ²⁶Laban said, “This is not done in our country – giving the younger before the firstborn.²⁷Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” ²⁸Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.²⁹(Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid.)

Psalm 105:1-11, 45b Alternate Psalm 119:129-136 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. ²Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. ³Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ⁴Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. ⁵Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, ⁶O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. ⁷He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth. ⁸He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, ⁹the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, ¹⁰which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, ¹¹saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” ^45bPraise the LORD!

Worth Noting: Muslims, Christians, and Jews may all pray this Psalm. How should the three faiths negotiate God’s eternal covenant with the descendants of Abraham to give to them “the land of Canaan”?

Second Reading: Romans 8:26-39 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.²⁷And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.²⁸We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.³⁰And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. ³¹What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?³²He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?³³Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.³⁴Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. ³⁵Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?³⁶As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.³⁸For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,³⁹nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Worth Noting: Throughout Romans 8, Paul writes poetically of creation’s mystical union with Christ and the Spirit in love. As the body of Christ, how does your community embody and enact this love?

Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 ³¹He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;³²it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” ³³He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. ⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. ⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls;⁴⁶on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. ⁴⁷“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;⁴⁸when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.⁴⁹So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous⁵⁰and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁵¹“Have you understood all this?” They [the disciples] answered, “Yes.” ⁵²And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Worth Noting: Jesus expresses appreciation for the scribes who remember and update our story. Who is the scribe, the memory-catcher, in your local, religious community? How does your community pass on its history and way of doing things to newcomers – with intentional group sessions? Mentoring?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Jesus and Matthew use parables to prod thinking, to rouse the imagination, to break old ways of thinking. While the parables in this week’s Gospel are often called “parables of the kingdom of heaven,” two of them may be said to do that while the others describe how one must react to the presences of the kingdom. The parables of the mustard seed and of the leaven in dough (verses 31-33) suggest that the kingdom of God works invisibly, silently, to transform the world. The Church is not necessarily coextensive with the kingdom of heaven but is itself silently and invisibly transformed. Who is included in the kingdom of heaven? As the mustard tree-shrub provides shelter and resting place to birds from everywhere, can we say that the kingdom of heaven welcomes peoples from all directions? The fifth parable, of the net bringing in many fish (verses 47 -50) affirms that the kingdom does exactly that, drawing in all indiscriminately. Jesus does not set out the criteria for judgment between the evil and the righteous in this parable but does later in Matthew 25:31-46, the parable of the judgment of the nations. There the criteria are clear: the corporal works of mercy (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc.). Many of all beliefs and none meet these standards. We also note that people consume the mustard plant and the leaven. Just so, humans are to use and in turn be enriched by the kingdom. Jesus emphasizes the value of the kingdom in the parables of the treasure in the field and pearl of great value (verses 44-46). Matthew could not have provided a more direct lesson than with these stories. His community would have been familiar with similar stories of suddenly found riches, stories used for general education and for legal analysis. Jesus simply assumes typical human behavior. In both of these parables, he emphasizes that both finders sell all they had in order to capture the prize. Jesus asks just such commitment from his followers, here and elsewhere in the Gospel (see Matthew 6:19-21; 19:21).

Leaving It All on the Field

Parables are meant to be mulled over, preferably in dialogue with others. We are urged to find new meanings in them as we change and grow. The observations above reflect a broad consensus on the way Matthew’s first hearers would have understood the parables. We don’t usually think about these particular parables as telling us about God and Jesus, but perhaps they do that too. Christians assert that Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, relinquished his divinity in order to dwell as a human within creation. Could not the treasure hunter and the merchant who sell everything be figures of Jesus? Is this not what Paul spoke of in Philippians 2, when he reminds us that Jesus emptied himself for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus urges his followers to sell all and follow him, he walks the talk.

Prompting Conversations

Why does it seem so important to remember our family stories? Do we make an equal effort to remember and pass down the stories of our communities?

We can “risk it all” financially, socially, and often, most frighteningly, in our relationships. Getting married represents such a move. When have you ever been willing to risk it all to achieve a major goal? What were your emotions as you did?

If in these parables, it is Jesus who goes all in, how might we understand the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims publications to academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 31 Jul 2017 19:00:37 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for August 6, 2017

Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 34:29-35 Reading for 9^th Pentecost: Genesis 32:22-31 ²⁹Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.³⁰When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.³¹But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. ³²Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.³³When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face;³⁴but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,³⁵the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Worth Noting: The passage marks the delivering of the Ten Commandments by God, through Moses, to the Hebrew people. Transmission of the whole of the Torah, including the Ten Commandments is the occasion for a major Jewish celebration (Simchat Torah). Does your community celebrate the transmission of the Law? For a secular parallel, how might Americans celebrate the completion of the Constitution?

Psalm 99 Psalm for 9^th Pentecost 17:1-7, 15 ¹The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! ²The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. ³Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! ⁴Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. ⁵Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! ⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. ⁷He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. ⁸O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. ⁹Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.

Worth Noting: The poet explores the holiness of God – God’s complete and utter otherness, a being like no other – and at the same time God’s deep engagement with the world. God executes justice and righteousness from the Jerusalem Temple. God’s otherness then includes God’s commitment to justice. Is justice one of your marks of holiness?

Second Reading: 2 Peter 1:13-21 Reading for 9^th Pentecost: Romans 10:5-15 ¹³I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory,¹⁴since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.¹⁵And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.¹⁹So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.²⁰First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,²¹because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Worth Noting: The author describes the Transfiguration as a foretaste and prophecy of the Second Coming, countering some persons’ denial of this teaching (see 2 Peter 3:1-18). Do you see creation moving (slowly or quickly) towards such a day?

Gospel: Luke 9:28-36 Gospel for 9^th Pentecost: Matthew 14:22-33 ²⁸Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

Worth Noting: Throughout the Bible, mountain tops are sacred places of divine and human encounters. Rather than a place, some encounter God in activities, whether personal or communal. Do you have a routine to encounter God?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In the Gospel scene, Peter, James, and John, having spent time with Jesus in his human, visible ministry, now glimpse divinity as Jesus’ full identity is revealed first in his transformed appearance. and then in the words from the cloud. For the witnessing apostles, the major take-away from the experience doubtless was this revelation of Jesus’ true identity. For today’s Christians, for whom the belief in the divine-human unity in Jesus is orthodox belief reinforced over many centuries, the Transfiguration may be less startling. An aspect emphasized by Eastern Christians is that Jesus’ transformation and the presence of the glorified Moses and Elijah, offered the apostles then and Christians now a brief glimpse of their own divinization, their participation in the Resurrection. With the apostles, Jesus had climbed to the top of the mountain after a day walking unpaved roads through the Judean countryside. As mountain tops rarely hold water, one can imagine that they were physically spent, hot, and grimy. Now they see Jesus post-Resurrection, in his transformed and glorified body. He is joined by Moses and Elijah, whose own radiant personas emphasize the glorification of the righteous. Life after death is life transformed. Readers rarely remark how easily Moses and Elijah converse with Jesus, while Peter, James, and John are speechless (or incoherent). Their conversation concerns the continuation and completion of Jesus’ earthly ministry. In that way, the Gospels show how Moses and Elijah share the divine perspective. Glorification and divinization, then, extend beyond the transformation of the body to include the enlightenment of the spirit. When glorified, the righteous will commune fully and easily with the divine. It is a beatific vision.

August 6

When we think about events which changed the world, perhaps nothing since the time of Christ compares with the weaponization of nuclear energy. It is an unhappy but strangely appropriate coincidence that August 6, celebrating the Feast of the Transfiguration, also marks the anniversary of the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima Japan in 1945. Why might we say appropriately linked? In many ways, they provide contrasting images of each other. With blinding light, for instance, both released enormous amounts of energy, one for destruction and one for transformation. Both provoked enormous change in the world, one evoking a fear of others not dissipated in the decades since, and the other commanding love of enemies, a change not fully realized in two millennia since. Both represent the heights of human achievement, one for killing, the other for giving life. One speaks loudly of the valley of tears in which humans labor, while the other offers God’s vision for humanity.

Prompting Conversations

We read of the handing down of the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people and later to Gentiles. How do the Commandments (in any formulation) structure our lives?

The Transfiguration gives one glimpse of the glory awaiting the righteous. How might you describe life-after-death? To what extent are you moved to transform yourself now? How do you do it?

In an ironic twist, celebration of the Transfiguration and remembrance of Hiroshima fall on the same day. Do you feel the weight of the ties between the two that we do? Is there some way Christians could celebrate or remember both together?

For a PDF version of Journeying for the 2017 feast of the Transfiguration, click here.

Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 13:11:27 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for August 13, 2017

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 14

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 Alternate: 1 Kings 19:9-18 ¹Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived as an alien, the land of Canaan. ²This is the story of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.³Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.⁴But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. . . . ¹²Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.¹³And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” ¹⁴So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. He came to Shechem,¹⁵and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” ¹⁶“I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” ¹⁷The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.¹⁸They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.¹⁹They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer.²⁰Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” ²¹But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.”²²Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him” – that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. ²³So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;²⁴and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.²⁵Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. ²⁶Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?²⁷Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed.²⁸When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.

Worth Noting: It’s a cliff-hanger! Are the Ishmaelites and the Midianites the same people? Or did the Midianites outbid the Ishmaelites for Joseph? How well will Joseph, a sensitive tattle-tale, hold up as a slave in Egypt? Tune in next week for another exciting episode of “The God of the Family of Abraham”!

Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b Alternate: Psalm 85:8-13 ¹O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. ²Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. ³Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. ⁴Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. ⁵Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, ⁶O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. ¹⁶When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread, ¹⁷he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. ¹⁸His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; ¹⁹until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD kept testing him. ²⁰The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free. ²¹He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, ²²to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom. ^45BPraise the LORD!

Worth Noting: How could the “word of the Lord” test Joseph or anyone else? Here, “word” translates the Hebrew dbr that is often translated “deed” or “action.” Of course, God’s speech created the world (Genesis 1:3), and “test” might also be taken as “smelted” or “refined.” Does that help make more sense?

Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15 ⁵Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.”⁶But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);⁹because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.¹⁰For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.¹¹The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.¹³For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” ¹⁴But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?¹⁵And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Worth Noting: If we take nothing else from the eight weeks of Romans, let it be this: Paul does not deny that those who follow the Law will live, will be righteous (Romans 10:5). He simply related to his audience that his Gospel to the Gentiles is different (because Gentiles are different) and it is his vocation to bring to the Gentiles this message (responding to the questions in Romans 10:14-15). How are Jews viewed in your community: as siblings who share a father or as derelict relatives who have rejected the path to salvation? Sometimes one and sometimes the other?

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33 ²²Immediately he [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” ²⁸Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.³⁰But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Worth Noting: The story of Peter’s walking in faith and sinking in doubt provides the perfect analogy of our own struggles. Peter experiences what we all experience, the inevitable mixture of belief and doubt. Never can there be one without the other. How do you experience this mixture in your life?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The authors of Journeying endorse the consensus of Bible scholars that the Gospel of Mark is the earliest Gospel we have and that the Gospel of Matthew drew on Mark for much of its structure and content. While using Mark, the author of Matthew made significant changes that shed light on the particular concerns of the author and the author’s community. This Gospel passage includes two significant changes to Mark’s story (you may wish to reread Mark 6:45-53). First of all, Matthew adds the incident of Peter walking on the water. Since Peter’s attempt is recorded in no other Gospel, we may surmise that it held special significance for the Matthean community. Indeed, Peter seems to hold a special place in the memory of this community, listed first among the apostles (Matthew 10:2) and serving as their spokesperson (for example Matthew 15:15; 18:21). It is Peter who speaks for the others and for the Church in proclaiming Jesus Messiah and Son of God (Matthew 16:13-19). Peter plays such an important role in Matthew that many think he may have served as one of the founders of the community of Christ followers, ancestors in faith to Matthew’s community. The second major change is in the attitude of the apostles at the conclusion of the whole incident. Mark says that the apostles were “astounded” and “did not understand” (Mark 6: 52, 53). In contrast to a state of confusion, in Matthew’s version the apostles worship Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). For whatever reason, Mark portrays the apostles as never understanding Jesus or his mission, while Matthew remembers them as being more like the members of his community – struggling but committed to following Jesus. (In this regard, you may wish to compare the versions of the story of the request by [Mark 10:35-46] or on behalf of [Matthew 20:20-28] James and John to sit one at the glorified Jesus’ right hand and one on his left.) While accepting their very human limitations, Matthew wants to avoid unnecessarily disparaging the founding fathers of this community. To ask “who was right: Mark or Matthew?” is to miss the point of the Church’s wisdom of including both texts within the New Testament. To make a larger point, the purpose of preserving all of the different competing and conflicting voices in the Bible is not to provide the reader/believer with certainty, but to generate questions that will in turn provoke further study and prayerful reflection.

Of Pop Quizzes, Finals, and Other Tests

Peter is the impetuous one with whom we all sympathize. Maybe he can’t swim but he’s out of the boat and walking on water before anyone can stop him. Then he notices where he is and splash! He starts sinking. Was this an experiment designed to test Peter’s trust in Jesus? Or was it a test of his ability to concentrate? The Bible reports dozens of times when God tests an individual or a group. Is this one of them? Besides the test of Peter, our readings include the “testing” of Joseph, or so the Psalmist refers to his captivity (Psalm 105:19). Why do we have tests? Teachers test to find out how much pupils have learned. Athletes test themselves against the clock or the yardage or the radar gun to measure their progress. But God already knows us intimately, knows our strengths and weaknesses. God knows our limits, knows when we are likely to ace the test (as Joseph did) and when we are likely to flunk (as Peter did this time). The tests tell God nothing new. The tests that life presents, then, are for us, the ones being tested. Sometimes we ace the test and sometimes we sink, but we don’t know how well we will do beforehand. What did Joseph learn from his test? First, that slaves are human too. Next that he could prosper in slavery, eventually becoming Pharaoh’s prime minister. Finally, that he loved and could forgive his brothers (giving away next week’s first reading). Would he have known all this without a test? What did Peter learn? First, he learned that when he focuses on Jesus he can walk on water. And he quickly learned that without that focus he can’t. Finally, he learned that his comrades in Christ believed Jesus to be the Son of God – though they may not share a vision of what that means.

Prompting Conversations

Mark and Matthew are very different Gospels. Which of the four Gospels is your favorite? Which could just as well be cut from the New Testament for all the attention you pay to it? Thinking about your most and least favorite, how does each portray Jesus? How about his disciples? What about the Jews? Does that help explain how you rank the Gospels? No? Oh well, never mind.

Have you ever engaged in a community project to write your own Gospel? What would be the Good News you would have for today’s readers?

Life brings us tests a plenty – we don’t need God to throw any new ones our way. Can you relate a time when you were tested, going through some crisis or other? Did the event strengthen you or did it simply make you conscious of your own strengths? How did prayer come into the process? At all? After the fact?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 22:22:07 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for August 20, 2017

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Proper 15

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 45:1-15 Alternate: Isaiah 56 1, 6-8

¹Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.²And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.³Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. ⁴Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.⁵And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.⁶For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.⁷God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.⁸So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.⁹Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.¹⁰You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.¹¹I will provide for you there -- since there are five more years of famine to come – so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ ¹²“And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you.¹³You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” ¹⁴Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck.¹⁵And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Worth Noting: It is notoriously difficult to forgive siblings or any family members really. How can you forgive those who do not or, for a multitude of reasons, cannot express remorse? How do you deal with the memory of a hurt?

Psalm 133 Alternate Psalm 67 ¹How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! ²It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. ³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life for evermore.

Worth Noting: This is usually classified as a Psalm of Ascent, for pilgrims on their journey to Jerusalem. In due course, the pilgrims realize they are family, bound together in their covenant with the LORD. Does your community sing together? Why? How do you incorporate the voices of new members, in music and other ministries, into your community?

Second Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 ¹I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.²God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. . .. ²⁹for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.³⁰Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,³¹so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy.³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Worth Noting: For Paul and Joseph, God’s ways may be inscrutable but always they point towards abundant life (see the first reading, especially verses 5-8). Even when we believe that, however, we still find it necessary sometimes to defend or explain away what seems like God’s irrational behavior. Paul sees the refusal of the majority of Jews to acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah/Christ as part of God’s plan for the redemption of the Gentiles and neither a matter of concern nor a cause for embarrassment. Paul says: No need to apologize for God’s ways! Can you recall defending God and God’s ways to others? How did that go?

Gospel: Matthew 15: [10-20] 21-28 [¹⁰Then he [Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand:¹¹it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” ¹²Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” ¹³He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding?¹⁷Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?¹⁸But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles.¹⁹For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.²⁰These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”] ²¹Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon.²²Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” ²³But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” ²⁴He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶He answered, “It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Worth Noting: Miracles are signs of God’s continued involvement in the work of the world. The Canaanite mother petitioned urgently and received a miracle. How should we pray when finding ourselves in the midst of dire circumstances: Should we pray for what we want or pray “thy will be done”?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Careful readers of the New Testament are struck by the apparent inconsistency in two sayings by Jesus Matthew’s Gospel. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). In the extended Gospel reading, Jesus apparently contradicts this by denying the application of the purity Laws when he says “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles” (Matthew 15:11). Denying the importance of the laws of kashrut that define the clean (kosher) and unclean foods denied one of the principal identity markers for first century Jews. In the first century, to be a Jew was to keep kosher. How, then, could Jesus say both that the Law must be maintained and that it was unimportant? There are several ways to look at the apparent inconsistency. One way to think about begins by noting that the dialogue with the Pharisees occurs immediately before the story of the Canaanite woman. Was the dialogue meant to be understood as a reference to the later debate in the early Church on whether Gentiles must keep the ritual and purity commandments in the Law? Perhaps. In this case, however, the first readers would have understood that the dialogue with the Pharisees was a “set-piece,” designed not to remember an actual encounter Jesus had but a dialogue like those written by Plato, one constructed years after the fact, making an important teaching point, but not necessarily grounded historically. The inconsistency arose not because of anything that Jesus actually said but from a need to put into Jesus’ mouth the teachings and practices of a later Church. Another way to look at it. Some reason that in Matthew 15 Jesus pointed out that that only the stomach becomes defiled with impure food, but something that comes from the heart comes from the whole person – body, mind, will, and emotions. More than the digestive tract, the whole person is defiled by speech. In this explanation, Jesus may not have been denying the full Mosaic Law but prioritizing the laws of charity over the laws of kashrut and, by extension, other ritual laws. Such prioritization was endorsed by many first century Jews just as it is today. A third way requires us to add some context to Jesus’ statement. Matthew 15 opens with Pharisees questioning why Jesus allows his disciples to eat without washing their hands. It gets tricky here. The Pharisees taught if a ritually impure person (and probably 99.5% of the people in Galilee including Jesus would have been) touched any food, that food itself became ritually impure. Washing hands removed the impurity from the hands and avoided soiling the food. This model of impurity transmission was not found in the Torah but was “the tradition of the elders.” In his reply, Jesus resisted the Pharisees’ attempt (which was ultimately successful) to expand the Law. Read this way, Jesus, the conservative defender of the written Law, was taking one side of an intra-Jewish argument on the application of the Law. Rather than denying the force of the Law he was defending it.

Donor Fatigue: “I Can’t Do Any More”

The story about the Canaanite woman who convinced Jesus to heal her daughter demonstrates that Jesus himself extended his ministry outside the house and family of Israel to Gentiles. Thus, the mission to the Gentiles (championed a generation later by Paul) finds its ground in the mission of Jesus. Most of us are Gentiles – non-Jews – for whom the argument of Jews versus Gentiles among Jesus followers is entirely moot. For nearly two millennia, Christians have been Gentiles. As a consequence, that teaching, so important to Matthew’s community, has lost its bite. Nevertheless, the story does pose a troubling question for our time. Implied in Jesus’ argument is that healings given to a foreigner diminished his power to heal his own people. While we see Jesus’ deliberate foolishness in that argument, do we use the same argument of limited resources when it comes to healing today’s wounds arising from health epidemics, poverty, war, racism, and religious intolerance, among other causes? How do we respond to pleas for improved funding for education, public health care, treatment for addicts and others suffering emotional wounds? For us, who are the Canaanite women and who are their daughters?

Prompting Conversations

Many Christians today think of Jesus as a non-violent agitator, constantly bucking the Jewish leaders of his day. What if instead we imagine Jesus as very much engaged with the Judaism of his day, sometimes even trying to stem the tides of change? How would that change the way your communities talk about Jesus? Would it expand or constrict your communities’ view of the world?

Jews and Canaanites probably didn’t respect each other very much. Jesus helped the Canaanite mother anyway. How does your community reach out to people not like themselves? Do you reach out to the “undeserving poor”?

Christians identify as the Body of Christ. Are Christ’s resources really as limited as we sometimes imagine? Have you witnessed the miracle of abundance when people join together to address a need?

To download a PDF of this week's Journeying click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 14:00:31 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for August 27, 2017

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 16

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 1:8-2:10 Alternate Isaiah 51:1-6 ⁸Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.⁹He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we.¹⁰Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” ¹¹Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.¹²But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. ¹³The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,¹⁴and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them. ¹⁵The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,¹⁶“When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” ¹⁷But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. ¹⁸So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” ¹⁹The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” ²⁰So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.²¹And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.²²Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.” ^2:1Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.²The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.³When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.⁴His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.⁵The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.⁶When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews' children,” she said. ⁷Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” ⁸Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child's mother. ⁹Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it.¹⁰When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

Worth Noting: Something like 400 years have passed (think landing of Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to today) since last week’s reading from Genesis, when Joseph reconciled with his brothers. The Hebrew people are in desperate straits so women – the midwives Shiphrah and Puah, Moses’ mother and sister Miriam – start turning the situation around with simple actions. Where in your community might simple actions begin to turn around an oppressive situation?

Psalm 124 Alternate Psalm 138 ¹If it had not been the LORD who was on our side – let Israel now say – ²if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us, ³then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; ⁴then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; ⁵then over us would have gone the raging waters. ⁶Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth. ⁷We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped. ⁸Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Worth Noting: Modernity promised to allow humans to control their own destiny through the application of science. Israel’s prayer acknowledged its weakness before the might of its neighbors and dependence for its existence on the LORD. Acknowledging our existential weakness, beginning with the fact that we do not create ourselves, prepares us to praise the LORD. How does your community acknowledge dependence on the LORD? How do you?

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8 ¹I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.²Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.³For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.⁴For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function,⁵so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.⁶We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith;⁷ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;⁸the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Worth Noting: Romans 12:1 introduces four chapters of exhortation and exposition of the behaviors Paul foresees among all Christians and Jews. In verses 1 and 2 Paul presents his theme: transform your body and mind to conform to the will of God so that you may exercise your gifts for the benefit of the community. How does your community encourage transformations and the development of gifts?

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20 ¹³Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.¹⁸And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Worth Noting: The role of Peter in the Matthaean community and the wider Church often boils down to an interpretation of verses 17-19. Sometimes overlooked is the promise of Jesus to be with his Church, his community to ensure that the power of death (“the gates of Hades”) will not prevail.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Matthew has inserted into Mark’s narration (Mark 8:27-30) of the confession of faith by Peter verses 17-19 recording a special blessing of Peter. While recently scholars of all Christian traditions agree that the verses come from a pre-Matthaean tradition, they cannot resolve several key issues: Should the pre-Matthaean tradition be traced back to Jesus himself or did another community develop this teaching? How do we reconcile the powers to bind and loose given solely to Peter here with the devolution at Matthew 18:18 of the same powers to all of the disciples? Was the “church” to which Jesus refers the church at Antioch (with which Peter had an obvious relation) only or does it extend to the universal Church? Were the powers delegated to Peter his alone or were they to be inherited by his successors? Roman Catholics tend to say that the tradition should be attributed to Jesus, that “church” refers to the universal Church, and that the powers were transmitted to successors. If so, the current Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis I, has the powers designated by Jesus for Peter. While recognizing the historical importance of the role of the Pope, scholars of other faith traditions answer these questions differently. It is doubtful that dispassionate, academic scholarship will ever arrive at a consensus of them. The current level of disunity among Christians, while scandalous, is hardly without precedent. Indeed, the earliest writings from the earliest days of the Church, depict many conflicts among Jesus followers over fundamental question: Who is Jesus and how does he relate to the God of Israel? It took four centuries for that question to reach any conclusion (and maybe not consensus) on that. In the meantime, the Church dealt with other questions: How could the Church operate with Gentiles and Jews in the same community? Does it matter whether a Christian is male or female in their rights and duties? Should Christians stand or kneel during a Eucharistic liturgy? Christians still wrestle with these questions. Our common hope and belief is that we explore each of these questions with a free mind and open heart to learn more about what it means to be a Christian.

The Journey is the Way

Christian communities facing declining attendance and revenues often respond organizing sophisticated marketing and communication campaigns, renewing hospitality efforts, and tweaking services and music to attract non-churchgoers. Others eschew what they consider pandering to the contemporary mentality, offering instead a rigorous form of Christianity. Both are intent on heeding Paul’s injunction that we should be in church to be transformed, to take on the will of God. We are pretty sure that God enjoys socializing, coffee, doughnuts, and catchy music, so those are aligned with the will of God (even if Jesus never drank coffee). More: seeing how Christians enjoy everyday life while following Christ can transform the perception of Christians. Then once attracted to a Christian community, how much should we worry about the pace at which neophytes move towards transforming their minds and wills, moving along the road of discipleship? What milestones should there be? Is there a deadline? When we think about it, we realize that we undergo transformation of mind and will through the creation and development of relationships. The job of pastors and church staff might be thought of as matchmakers, dedicated to finding how best to help the individuals fall in love, with Christ and with the Christian community, for just as married couples transform each other over the decades, just so the new member takes on the mind and will of Christ by experiencing just what it means to be a Christian. It’s a process and a never-ending journey of exploration of the richness of divine love.

Prompting Conversations

The readings from Exodus and Psalms highlight the fragility of human life and endeavors. How can we acknowledge that dependence in worship?

Each tradition has its own way of connecting with others around the globe. Can you draw a picture of how your community connects with the worldwide Church?

How does your community facilitate the transformation of minds and wills to conform to the mind and will of God? Is there a set process of becoming a member?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying c lick here .

For both people who care: a note on how we divide the text.

When we organize prose texts into paragraphs and poems into verses, our intent is to help our readers and especially the lectors among us to understand the rhythms of the material and to convey it in the proclamation of the Word. For prose texts, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (NRSV) begins with the limited paragraphs in the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Biblical texts. For most of the letters of Paul or others, this division is usually satisfactory. For texts that include dialogue, as in the Gospels and historical books of the Old Testament, we follow the contemporary practice of marking a new paragraph with the change of speaker. Versification of the Psalms and the divisions of the verses follows the NRSV which itself follows (but not slavishly) the 7^th-10^th century Masoretic Text of the Hebrew. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 14:00:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for September 3, 2017

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 17

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15 Alternate: Jeremiah 15:15-21 ¹Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.²There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. ³Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” ⁴When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”⁶He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. ⁷Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings,⁸and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.⁹The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them.¹⁰So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” ¹¹But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” ¹²He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” ¹³But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” ¹⁴God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.”

Worth Noting: When the NRSV uses the all capitals LORD, as in Exodus 3:15, the translators mark the appearance of the divine name. The name is considered so holy, that it is not uttered, even in prayer. To avoid its being said, the NRSV substitutes LORD for a literal transliteration from the Hebrew. Which leads us to ask: What’s in a name? Why do we take some time to use first names or nicknames of people we have just met? Why do we change names at marriage or other major points in life?

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b ¹O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. ²Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. ³Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ⁴Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. ⁵Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, ⁶O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. ²³Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. ²⁴And the LORD made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes, ²⁵whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. ²⁶He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen. ^45bPraise the LORD!

Worth Noting: The Hebrew people are so close to God that they can use his name. What name do you use when you pray? How about trying to use an especially affectionate, personal name for God? (I won’t tell you mine.)

Second Reading: Romans 12:9-21 ⁹Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;¹⁰love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.¹¹Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. ¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.¹⁶Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.¹⁸If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”²⁰No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.”²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Worth Noting: In an age and at a time when evil seems to be everywhere, Paul’s admonition “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” seems both appropriate and nearly impossible to follow. How do you overcome evil with good? How does your community go about doing it?

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28 ²¹From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” ²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” ²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.²⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.²⁶For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? ²⁷“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.²⁸Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Worth Noting: Two weeks ago, Peter almost drowned when he was distracted by a storm. Last week Jesus blessed Peter when he focused on Jesus and declared him “Messiah,” and “Son of God.” This week Jesus rebukes Peter for, once again, losing sight of divine reality. How do you keep your focus on the important things of life? Have you a regular practice that somehow helps you do that?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus, prompted by Peter’s inappropriate solicitude for his well-being, reiterates and expands the message of Matthew 10:38-39 (read June 25): To be a disciple is to take up the cross and follow Jesus. This fits surprisingly well with last week’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, when Paul urged the Romans to transform their mind and will to conform with the mind and will of God. Matthew’s recollection of the experiences of Peter provides some perspective into what it means to deny oneself and take up one’s cross. When Peter became distracted while walking on the water (Matthew 14:30; read August 13), he began to sink. We can conclude that for Matthew focusing on and trusting in Jesus is part of transforming one’s life. That’s because when we focus on another, we give up our self-consciousness, our self-regard – might one say our egos? – to join in spirit, in mind, and even in body with another. Peter was rebuked when he attempted to steer Jesus away from taking up his cross (Matthew 16:23), from pursuing his vocation. Peter, contrary to much preaching, was no dummy. Just as Jesus foresaw his own passion in Jerusalem, Peter could foresee the consequences for those who remained faithful to a disgraced, tortured, and executed Jesus; they were not good. Peter feared for the life of his beloved Lord, but in the back of his mind must there not have been more than a speck of fear for his own life and for the welfare of his family? Jesus demanded that all disciples, including Peter and 21^st century Christians, change their conscious horizon, to take on the mind of God. There is nothing in the Gospel of Matthew to suggest that Jesus was a suicidal masochist. What Jesus knew, what Peter came to realize, and what Christians through the ages have learned, is that God’s ways are not the ways of the world. Those who pursue God’s justice and righteousness, who live trusting no material goods, no matter the quantity they amass, face the death of a self-centered ego each day. As Paul also said (Galatians 6:4), they have become crucified to the world.

On Social Jiu-Jitsu

After the latest atrocity, the all-star mega-hero basketball player urges his millions of followers to focus on love to overcome the evil around us, the systems and fears and people that weigh us down. In Paul’s letter to Rome, he urged something similar, to “Bless those who persecute you” (Romans 12:14). Isn’t that just foolishness? Don’t we have to do more than sing “We Shall Overcome”? Music is one way; others have used humor, art, and story-telling to change the world. The citizens of Wunsiedel, Germany have grown famous for ingeniously turning an annual neo-Nazi march into a fund-raising operation for those leaving the same groups. Individuals and businesses pledge 10 Euros for every meter marched to a fund helping the disaffected. During the march, citizens hand out food and drink, helping the marchers complete the route and raise the maximum amount to reduce their numbers. The German artist Gunter Demnig sets memorial cobblestones, called “stumbling stones,” before the last known residences of victims of Nazi persecution – including Jews, Romas, the disabled, Christian dissidents. Since 1992, over 55,000 such stones have been placed in 22 countries. They provide a witness to the horror of state-sponsored terror and the determination to remember that horror lest it ever happen again.. What was Jesus’ model? Start small, with just a small band of women and men; start local, even in a backwater town in a backwater province of the great Roman Empire. More than anything we remember that Jesus used stories to change people’s imaginations, their concepts of the possible. And always, Jesus took the long view, God’s view.

Prompting Conversations

Moses foresaw difficulty in convincing the Israelites of the validity of his mission. How do you go about assessing the credentials of those who would lead your community? What values do you prize and how do you discern their presence?

Despite Paul’s exhortation, few Christian communities have survived long without serious conflict. How does your community manage that conflict? Do people ignore the conflict, just leave, or do they stay to resolve differences? Do Paul’s words provide any help in working through conflict?

Can you recall an incident when humor, art, or other tactic deflected and defused tense situations? Were some changes a consequence?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 13:15:22 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for September 10, 2017

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 18

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 12:1-14 Alternative: Ezekiel 33:7-11 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight.They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs.You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD.For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.”

Worth Noting: The passover of the LORD marked the start of the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. Today, the Passover meal celebrates freedom of communities to prosper in their own inimitable way. How and when do you celebrate your freedom to be yourself?

Psalm 149 Alternate: Psalm 119:33-40 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORDd a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful. Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King. Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre. For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory. Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron, to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD! Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Worth Noting: Paul urges the Romans to avoid entanglements in anticipation of the coming of the Lord. Two thousand years later, does this advice still make sense? Will our commitments keep us from the Lord or bind us more closely?

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20 [Jesus continued speaking with his disciples.] “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Worth Noting: Throughout chapter 18, Matthew proposes ways for communities to operate when the Kumbaya moments are over. This selection concerns reconciliation with those who have injured individuals and hence the community. How well would these rules work in your family? At your place of employment?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Careful readers have concluded that even if Matthew’s community did not follow the process laid out in chapter 18, this is the process Matthew hopes the community will follow. In formulating the process, Matthew drew on the wisdom and experience of the wider Jewish community. For instance, Deuteronomy 19:15 requires two or more witnesses for conviction of a crime. Leviticus 19 urges reproving erring neighbors. Closer to Matthew’s community, Dead Sea Scrolls show that the Qumran community included a similar judicial process. Matthew adds his own twists in this formulation. First of all, Matthew 18:20 – “for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” – is often associated with liturgy and prayer: where two or three Christians gather in prayer, Jesus is in their midst. While true, Matthew is making another, equally critical point. Where two or three are gathered in his name to decide on the future course of the community, there is Jesus as well, informing their spirits and, we might assume, weighing their decisions. A second twist is Matthew’s insistence that anyone who refuses to listen to the church shall become “as a Gentile and a tax collector.” This sounds like expelling the miscreant from the community without any further relationship. Perhaps the saying should not bear that connotation. It must be remembered that throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus ministers to just such as these: Gentiles (the centurion [Matthew 8:5-13]; the Canaanite woman [Matthew 15:22-28]) and tax collectors (among his apostles [Matthew 9:9; 10:3]; sharing meals with them [Matthew 9:10-13]). Even though these may not be included in the community of Israel, Jesus reached out to pull them in. Does Matthew not tell us that Jesus expects that the community will continue to minister to those who are as Gentiles and tax collectors?

“They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love”

What’s the most damning thing observers might say about our churches? How about: “Well they call themselves Christians, but they certainly don’t act like Christians!” We profess to follow Paul’s command to “Love one another” (Romans 13:8-10). Yet however much our congregations collect for disaster relief, however chic our new web site, however captivating the sermons, how we treat each other speaks louder. Often, our parish communities, like some families, are highly dysfunctional, with verbal and emotional abuse never far away. How to remedy this? Now Paul is a results kind of guy, not much interested in process. In the case of congregational controversy, the passage from Matthew gives some directions.

Due process. Jesus lays out a process for reconciliation and judgment that involves the whole community. Individual, snap judgments are excluded. Love is considerate, deliberate, formed in a community, and slow to punish. “Go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.” Love is never two-faced. Love does not engage in backbiting, shuns and halts damaging, speculative gossip, and deals forthrightly with controversies in the community. They shall be to you as Gentiles and tax collectors. Even in extreme cases, love maintains a relationship with those “expelled” from the community. Love builds bridges and tears down ramparts. Love strives to include, and sees exclusion as failure.

We may think that these admonitions are meant primarily for smaller ecclesial units – particularly smaller parishes. Indeed, it is easiest to see how they work in such a setting. On the other hand, are not all of our institutions composed of smaller units: Committees and offices and commissions? Aren’t those the settings where all the work gets done, “where the rubber meets the road”? And as we transform each parish, each committee, each office into a place of love, will we not transform the institutions we serve?

Prompting Conversations

Have you witnessed a positive transformation of a dysfunctional parish, congregation, or committee? What were the steps undertaken?

Perhaps your community does not engage in any formal excommunications or other expulsions. Are there informal ways that force persons out of the community? And in a broader view, how can we build a relationship with those “outside our community”?

What might it mean for our institutions – political, commercial, religious – to live out Paul’s command to “love one another”? Would debate cease? Would debate sound different?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:58:59 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for September 17, 2017

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 19

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 14:19-31 Alternate: Genesis 50:15-21 ¹⁹The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them.²⁰It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.²¹Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.²²The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ²³The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers.²⁴At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic.²⁵He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.” ²⁶Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” ²⁷So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea.²⁸The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. ²⁹But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ³⁰Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.³¹Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

Worth Noting: A great story, unless you were the mother of an Egyptian conscript lost in the flood. How do you deal with such a story of divine violence?

Psalm 114 or Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21 Alternate Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13 ¹When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, ²Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion. ³The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. ⁴The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. ⁵Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? ⁶O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? ⁷Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob, ⁸who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water. Second Reading: Romans 14:1-12 ¹Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.²Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.³Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.⁵Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. ⁶Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. ⁷We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.⁸If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.¹¹For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”¹²So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Worth Noting: The thrust of Paul’s argument is clear: Work to find common ground rather than points of division. Work to build a single community rather than multiple communities. Does your community express such a philosophy? How insistent can it be on theological or political purity?

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35 ²¹Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” ²²Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. ²³“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.²⁴When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him;²⁵and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made.²⁶So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’²⁷And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. ³¹When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place.³²Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.³³Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt.³⁵So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Worth Noting: Slaves in antiquity frequently had the right to own and control property, in the course of which they might incur debt. That a slave owed money would not have surprised Matthew’s community. The amount the first slave owed, however, is clearly beyond reason: In today’s terms, the slave owed about $12.5 billion to the king while being owed about $20,000 by his fellow. The first slave’s greed led further to loss of control when he choked his fellow slave, an act completely beyond the pale. But don’t we often handle the big issues in our lives with grace and aplomb, but fly off the handle at small aggravations? How do you maintain a sensible perspective on the issues you face?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Are Jesus and Matthew guilty of gross inconsistencies in the various teachings about forgiveness? In last week’s Gospel (Matthew 18:15-20), Jesus laid out a process for handling sinners within the community with a final step removing the miscreant from the community (while still maintaining a relationship). In the first two verses of this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus seems to say that one must forgive an infinite number of times. Does that mean no expulsions? And in what might be seen to be a direct contrast with the teaching to Peter, the king of the parable reneges on his previous judgment and causes the debtor/slave to be tortured until his family and friends make good his debt. Given the enormous sum required, it is, in effect, a sentence to death by torture. How can these various teachings be reconciled? First of all, isn’t there a difference between forgiveness and forgetfulness? When one is subjected to a toxic, abusive relationship, surely one must remove oneself from the situation, perhaps to the point of expelling someone from the ambit of one’s life. Forgiveness for the damage done is required, but continued exposure is not. So too with the uncontrite culprits of Matthew’s church: They must be expelled for the benefit of the health of the community. In the second place, the judgment of the lord on the first slave directly follows the slave’s lack of mercy. In Matthew 25:31 ff., Jesus make the point that anyone who does not care for the brother does not care for Jesus. The slave has removed himself from the mercy of his king and lord by denying that same mercy to his debtor. For a community that prays “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” no other outcome is possible.

“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord”

Across all books, the Bible portrays a violent God, exacting retribution for the sins of humans (examples in Matthew: 3:10; 5:22; 5:29-30; 10:34; 13:37-42; 18:34-35; 25:41) and initiating violence on behalf of God and God’s people (as in the destruction of the Egyptian army in the first reading [Exodus 14:19-31] or in Revelation 19). In the past and today, these passages have added legitimacy to state-sponsored and individual acts of violence (think crusades and the judicial and extra-judicial execution of “sinners”). In response to the historical record, serious thinkers across disciplines have struggled to develop operational rules. They ask: When can a nation declare war? When can capital punishment be justified? What limits must an individual respect in responding to aggression?

Prompting Conversations

Have you experienced giving, or receiving, unlimited forgiveness? Have you found particular rituals helpful in the process?

How has your community dealt with the questions around the legitimate use of violence? What role do the Biblical portraits of divine violence play in the process?

In any particular situation, vengeance, retribution, restitution, justice, and forgiveness may all be mixed together. How would your community prioritize these values?

Thinking on a global scale, in a world in which perhaps ten nations have sufficient nuclear weapons to make human life impossible on planet Earth, must there be limits on the use of weapons in any war?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Weekly postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 17:45:24 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for September 24, 2017

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 20

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 16:2-15 Alternate Jonah 3:10-4:11 ²The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.³The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” ⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.⁵On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” ⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt,⁷and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against us?” ⁸And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him – what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD.” ⁹Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.’” ¹⁰And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.¹¹The LORD spoke to Moses and said,¹²“I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’” ¹³In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.¹⁴When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.¹⁵When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

Worth Noting: For the last two hundred years, some have attempted to explain the manna from heaven as a natural phenomenon. Perhaps there is a natural explanation for the manna. But we think this effort misses the point of the Exodus story: God, whose name is Lord, by God’s own power, delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and fed the people in their journey to the Promised Land. For the people, this was and continues to be a divine action flowing from the close relationship between God and Israel. Is not the Exodus more deeply, literally true than the scientists’ literalist rationalization?

Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Alternate Psalm 145:1-8 ¹O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. ²Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. ³Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. ⁴Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually. ⁵Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, ⁶O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones. ³⁷Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled. ³⁸Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. ³⁹He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. ⁴⁰They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance. ⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. ⁴²For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant. ⁴³So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. ⁴⁴He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples, ⁴⁵that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the LORD!

Worth Noting: In its entirety, Psalm 105 recounts the history of the many saving actions of the Lord. This Sunday the Lectionary reflects on the Exodus experience. Does your community celebrate God’s activity in its life? How? If not, what events would you want to memorialize?

Second Reading: Philippians 1:21-30 ²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer.²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith,²⁶so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,²⁸and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing.²⁹For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well –³⁰since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Worth Noting: Paul confronts the dilemma of the Christian saint: Given the choice, should we opt to die in order to be with Christ, or to continue in a life of service? How would you answer?

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16 ¹“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.²After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.³When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;⁴and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. ⁵“When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same.⁶And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ ⁷“They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ ⁸“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ ⁹“When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.¹⁰Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.¹¹And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,¹²saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ ¹³“But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?¹⁴Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.¹⁵Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” ¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

Worth Noting: For many, this is the most difficult parable to accept as it flies in the face of ordinary employment practices: Longer productive hours are rewarded with greater pay. Is it fair to give everyone the same wages? Is it just to do so?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Unlike his Letter to the Romans, Paul wrote his Letter to the Philippians to a community that he had founded and knew well. Even in Paul’s time, Philippi was an ancient city, strategically located in northeastern Greece on the 700 mile, Roman-built Egnatian Way joining Black Sea ports across the Balkans to the Adriatic and Rome. The population was a mixture of nationalities – native Macedonians, descendants of Roman legionnaires, and immigrants from the Easter Mediterranean. It meant that Philippians were exposed to a wide range of religious beliefs and practices with a consequent blending of the different traditions. There is, however, little to no evidence that a Jewish community lived in Philippi. Thus, Paul’s congregation was composed of Gentiles. Throughout the letter, Paul displays an easy, affectionate concern for the community. He urges his readers to “rejoice” and speaks of his and their “joy,” He uses these two words more in Philippians than in any other of his letters. Paul extolls his readers as the only congregation that supported him financially in his extended missionary work (4:15-16). In other letters, Paul refers to the generosity of the Macedonians in contributions to his collection for the Church in Jerusalem. Is it purely coincidental that the Philippian Church was notable for its feminine leadership? According to Acts 16, Paul began his ministry in Philippi by meeting and baptizing Lydia (a foreigner engaged in dealing expensive purple cloth) and her household. In the letter, Paul praises Synteche and Euodia as “loyal companions” who struggled beside him “in the work of the Gospel” (Philippians 4:2-3) and hosted (the only two?) house churches. Three issues have attracted a great deal of attention. The first concerns Paul’s prison location (1:7, 12-17) while composing. Paul explains his imprisonment as related to his preaching (1:13, 16), but offers nothing on where. Some argue for Rome, the earliest tradition, others for Ephesus, Corinth, or Caesarea. No consensus exists and Journeying simply dodges the issue. Our comments will be silent as to Paul’s location. A second issue. Many argue that Philippians is in fact a composite of two or three separate texts while others affirm its integrity. Again, persuasive arguments are mounted for all positions. Journeying will assume that Paul wrote a single letter just exactly as we have it today. The final issue is the identity of Paul’s opponents in Philippi. Paul stresses the fact that he and the Philippians are alike in suffering for the Gospel. At 1:28, Paul links his imprisonment and opponents with those of the Philippians. Paul gives no hint as to the exact charges leveled against him, offering only that he has been imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel. Later (in a section not included in the Lectionary), he warns against those who would “mutilate the flesh” (3:2-3), suggesting that there are some who teach that to be Christ followers the Philippians must be circumcised. It is possible, then, that the Philippians faced two sets of opponents: one set who threaten imprisonment and another who demand that the Gentiles of Philippi fully observe the Torah prescriptions for Jews. For reasons that need not detain us here, Journeying will assume, firstly, that the Philippians were under some pressure from local civic authorities, probably over their refusal to worship the Roman gods. Secondly, any pressure to circumcise would have come from other Christ followers, intent on their conforming to the same rituals that Jesus did. In the face of these opponents, Paul wrote to the Philippians urging them to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (3:1, 4:4), a message that echoes through two millennia to readers today.

Entering into the Scriptures

Note two parts to the Gospel reading: the first a parable from Jesus (Matthew 20:1-15), and the second Matthew’s interpretation of the parable: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last” (20:16). Matthew, then, provides the first commentary on this difficult parable. While verse 16 was the first interpretation, it avoids the issues of justice and fairness the parable raises. How else might the parable have been understood? Is it helpful to note that the prior two chapters of Matthew concern intra-community relationships? Now we have a story about several groups of people all of whom have been called – all are followers of the Lord – but who react differently to the Lord’s unprincipled, extra-legal generosity. All, we note, are rewarded. None go home empty handed. The text says that those who worked the longest “grumbled” at their much lower hourly wage, but could this not have been an attempt to discover just what exactly was the mind of the Lord? The parable means to provide no direction for the practical day to day management of enterprises, commercial or ecclesial. (Follow the Lord’s practice twice and see how many workers show up before 5:00 PM on the third day.) What it does do is portray God’s justice as fixed, firm, and final. Those who labor for the Lord will receive a full day’s wages. God’s generosity abounds, especially for those who for whatever reason are prepared to work but have no employment, and who face starvation. This is the same God and the same generosity Israel experienced in the liberation from Egyptian slavery. It is the same combination of justice and generosity the prophet Hosea proclaimed to a wandering nation (Hosea 2:19). And, indeed, it is the same unprincipled, impractical generosity Jesus demanded when he said “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of” God in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45).

The Green-Eyed Monster

For Matthew’s audience, the practical import of the parable of the Impractical Lord was something like “The Apostles may have been the first called, but we who have come later will receive an equal reward.” Standing 2000 years later, today’s Christians take that message for granted. Where does the parable have some traction? Perhaps wherever we see envy and jealousy in our communities. Sometimes we envy those “no better than I” who display abundant God-given talents. Some are better looking. Some have a natural charm that draws people to them. Some have artistic talents that elicit rounds of praise. Making it worse, those same blessed people may be truly humble and self-effacing about their gifts. And as go individuals, so go communities – parishes that wonder why they are less popular than others. Like those who worked through the heat of the day, we grumble over the un-fairness of the Lord’s generosity. Of course we are gifted; why are not our gifts as well received as other’s?

Prompting Conversations

Does your community accept that while the Bible does not record events as modern journalists might, the events related (like the manna in the desert) still proclaim truths? What rules might you follow to discern the truth?

We associate jealousy with romantic entanglements. Have you experienced jealousy towards others or towards yourself in a business or church context?

The relationship between divine justice and divine generosity will always be a mystery. How do you think about this mystery?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 16:39:41 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for October 1, 2017

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 Alternate Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

¹From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.²The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” ³But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” ⁴So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.⁶I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.⁷He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

Worth Noting: Almost everyone questions God’s presence during a crisis. Jesus did it when he cried from the Cross “My God, My God: Why have you forsaken me?” In this episode from the Exodus from Egypt to Canaan, the people protest a lack of drinking water – that without which life cannot survive. How does your community react to crises?

Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 Alternate: Psalm 25:1-9 ¹Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. ²I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, ³things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. ⁴We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. ¹²In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. ¹³He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. ¹⁴In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light. ¹⁵He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. ¹⁶He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Worth Noting: Everyone knows Psalm 119 is the longest. Know which is the second longest? Correct! Psalm 78. It stands in the exact middle of the Psalter (by total verses), and instructs later generations of the LORD’s goodness to the Exodus generation. In hymns and songs does your community recall God’s graciousness to previous generations?

Second Reading: Philippians 2:1-13 ¹If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

⁶who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, ⁸he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.

⁹Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;¹³for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Worth Noting: We read this, one of the most famous of Paul’s writing, at least twice every liturgical year (which is why it may sound familiar). For the imperial forces in Philippi, it represented absolute foolishness: Who would bend a knee to and declare lord a Crucified One? Because of its familiarity, has the bite, the sense that this is radically different from popular wisdom, gone out of the images?

Gospel: Matthew 21:23-32 ²³When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.²⁵Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’²⁶But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁸“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’²⁹He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went.³⁰The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go.³¹Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.³²For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”

Worth Noting: In the debate between intention and deeds, Jesus and the Jerusalem authorities agree that it is deeds that count, not intention (assuming the second son was not just dissembling), as at Matthew 7:21: “"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Have you found yourself at one time or another reluctantly, perhaps even slowly, doing what is right? Did it feel meritorious? Was it like exercising and dieting when you really didn’t want to do either?

CONNECTING WITH TH E SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Christ hymn in Philippians 2:6-11 describes the life of Jesus as a hero’s journey. Jesus begins in an exalted position (verse 6); in the faithful following of his calling (verses 7-8b), he suffers apparent destruction (verse 8c), but in the end, he receives the ultimate affirmation from God in a return to his exalted position (verses 9-11). For 2000 years, Christians have found these verses energizing and deeply illuminating. and scholars have found rich grounds for analysis and exegesis. In any analysis, one thing above everything else must be remembered: Philippines 2:6-11 is a hymn. If a hymn, then poetry; and if poetry, then not systematic theology and potentially productive of a myriad of interpretations. We approach the hymn as we would any poetry, open to multiple meanings. For example, how should “form” (morphē in Greek) in verses 6 and 7 be understood? Philosophers used the term to refer to the true being, the unchanging reality of anything or anyone. Less philosophically, artists used the term to refer to the outward appearance of something. Which was meant here? Again, what does it mean that “Jesus emptied himself of equality with God”? Was Jesus of Nazareth no longer equal to God? Or, who was Jesus’ master when he was a slave? The Father? His parents Mary and Joseph? The Roman occupiers of Palestine? As we savor the richness of the poetry, such questions keep popping up. The answer to all of them just might be “Yes!” It is possible that the hymn plays on the various meanings of “form” so that it does not have exactly the same denotation in adjoining verses. If “form” is a visual expression, then Jesus may be said to have given up one form to take on the visual form of a slave. Then we have the precedent of God taking on all of the grief and desolation of the slave classes. If every answer is “Yes!”, then Jesus was a slave to his Father, to Joseph and Mary, and to all of humanity. Service, service to the point of losing control of his own life – a fair definition of slavery – was the reason for the Incarnation. When we engage the poetry of the earliest Church in this way, some of the possibilities support what Christians now hold as orthodox beliefs; others may be heretical. Connecting with the earliest Christians and their Scriptures fully, however, requires an openness to the workings of the Spirit in the historical community manifest in the halting words of believers. As the Apostle said, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; . . . now I know in part” (1 Corinthians 13:12; King James Version). Scriptures capture the process of clearing the glass and learning more fully.

“You Always Hurt the One You Love”

Ever notice how children can be angels in school and devils at home? One theory: children know where they are safe, where the adults won’t dispossess them, where they are confident of love. There, in that safe place, children feel free to act out, often to the annoyance of parents and siblings. We are entering into a part of Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus debates and challenges the Jerusalem authorities. The Parable of the Two Sons (Matthew 21:28-32) is the first of a triad of parables directed against “the synagogue across the street.” In this parable, the object lessons are brothers: The followers of Christ identify as brothers of nascent rabbinic Judaism. Like many estranged younger brothers, the Christ followers fight fiercely against their older sibling. Here, they use a pointed story against their own family. Elsewhere, they employ language much stronger than they might use against outsiders, the Greeks, Romans, and others who constituted the bulk of the population. After all, any similar attacks on the majority culture would be met by swift, sure, and harmful reprisals. It’s always safer to strike out at someone you know loves you – even your estranged brother.

Prompting Conversations

Does railing against God help you survive difficult situations? What does such railing say about your belief in God’s presence?

“Everything necessary for salvation can be found in Scripture. Not everything found in Scripture, however, is necessary for salvation.” Does this aphorism apply to our analysis of poetic scriptures like the Psalms and Philippians 2:6-11? Is there a willingness to accept ambiguity in the Old Testament but not the New? Why?

Paul equates humble slavery with divinity. How does your community honor those who have served faithfully?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 13:07:53 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for October 8, 2017

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Alternate Isaiah 51-7 ¹Then God spoke all these words: ²I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;³you shall have no other gods before me. ⁴You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. . . . ⁷You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. ⁸Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work. . . . ¹²Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ¹³You shall not murder. ¹⁴You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵You shall not steal. ¹⁶You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ¹⁷You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. ¹⁸When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance,¹⁹and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.” ²⁰Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin." (Exodus 20:12-20 NRS)

Worth Noting: The commandments in verses 12-20 clearly can apply to all peoples. How about the commandments in verses 2-4 and 7-9: Are these specific for People of the Book?

Psalm 19 ¹The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. ²Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. ³There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; ⁴yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, ⁵which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. ⁶Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat. ⁷The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple; ⁸the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes; ⁹the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. ¹²But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. ¹³Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. ¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Worth Noting: Starting next Thursday evening, October 12, Jews celebrate Simchat Torah, a celebration of receiving the Torah, or Law. Why would anyone celebrate receiving the Law, today or as the Psalmist did 2500 years ago?

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14 ^4bIf anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more:⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. ⁷Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.⁸More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,¹¹if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.¹²Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.¹³Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Worth Noting: “I want to know Christ . . . by becoming like him in his death.” If the Cross is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18), is not this prayerful wish even more foolish? Are Christians really “fools for Christ”?

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-46 ³³“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.³⁴When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce.³⁵But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.³⁶Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way.³⁷Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ ³⁹“So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.” ⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.⁴⁴The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.” ⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.⁴⁶They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

We all agree that Jesus was a good Jew, as were his parents and all of his closest friends. Now let me say something a bit more controversial: Everything Jesus taught and everything Jesus did was right in the Jewish Scriptures. Just as he said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). If that’s the case, then why do we have Sunday Lectionary readings from the Gospel of Matthew for almost two months of controversies between Jesus and various Jewish authorities? If what Jesus said was consonant with Jewish beliefs and teachings, why all the shouting? And why does Jesus get so angry with these authorities? Matthew’s Gospel reflects tensions between his community and some Jews. Last week we talked about the younger brother syndrome, how Christ followers may have felt the necessity to establish their own identity apart from their Jewish elder brothers. What historians of the period are finding increasingly clear, is that the “little brother syndrome” apparently only afflicted the leaders of the Christians and not the mass of the people. For at least three centuries after the Gospel of Matthew was produced, ordinary Christians continued to work and socialize with the Jews of their towns and cities, even attended synagogue services, and married Jews. We know this because Christian preachers spent the next three centuries demanding that Christians stop doing just these very things. Why should anyone today care? Because the history of Christian anti-Semitism begins in just these writings that painted Jews in the most deplorable ways. A better picture is of ordinary Jews and Christians living and working and worshipping together, marrying each other. In their common use of the Law, the prophets, and the Psalms, Jews and Christians found the spiritual sustenance to remain faithful to the one God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

“I Want to be Like Jesus”

In his letter to the Philippines, Paul expresses his spirituality, grounded in the desire to be as one with Jesus Christ. In last week’s Christ hymn, Paul presented a vision of Christ as the obedient slave, accepting what the immortal God need never accept: death, and even death on the Cross. In the reading from Philippines above, Paul expresses the foolish desire to experience the same death that Christ did, a death on the cross. This desire, Paul declares, makes all else in his life as rubbish. If one wants to die as Christ in order to experience his resurrection, how would one go about achieving that? In last week’s reading, Philippians 2:5-11, Paul reflected on the mystery of Christ’s coming as a servant, to God’s will and through God’s will to a creation oppressed by evil (see Romans 1-3, 8). If Christ serves an infinitely inferior creation, whom should humans serve if not those oppressed by evil?

Prompting Conversations

How do you see the relationship between modern day Judaism and Christianity? Does your community have relationships with communities of other religious traditions? Why?

Is there a community from your religious tradition with which your community would never have a relationship (like the neighboring parish)? Does this help explain the relationship between Matthew’s community and “the synagogue down the street”?

For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King, Jr. or the doctors without borders or any other modern prophet and healer. Like them, you are wonderfully talented and trained. Why undertake such work as they did and do?

The Philippians Christ hymn, Philippians 2:5-11, portrays Christ as serving the oppressed. Can we include among those whom Christ accompanies those devastated by self-inflicted (or self-perpetuated) addictions?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 13:00:47 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for October 15, 2017

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 23

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 32:1-14 Alternate: Isaiah 25:1-9 ¹When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” ²Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron.⁴He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ⁵When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the LORD.”⁶They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel. ⁷The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;⁸they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” ⁹The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.¹⁰Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.” ¹¹But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?¹²Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” ¹⁴And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Worth Noting: The god of the philosophers is immutable, unchangeable. The God of the Old Testament learns and often tries Plan B. Here, having just gifted the Hebrew people with the Law, the LORD rages against their idolatry, only to be mollified by Moses. When we pray to God, are we like Moses expecting to change the divine mind?

Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23 Alternate: Psalm 23 ¹Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. ²Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or declare all his praise? ³Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times. ⁴Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them; ⁵that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage. ⁶Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. ¹⁹They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image. ²⁰They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. ²¹They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, ²²wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea. ²³Therefore he said he would destroy them – had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them. Second Reading: Philippians 4:1-9 ¹Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. ²I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.³Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.⁹Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Worth Noting: The fear and trepidation of the teacher, whether preacher, professor, or parent: Our students will do as they have “learned and received and heard and seen” . . . from us. Consider one of the values your community cherishes (perhaps hospitality, or inclusiveness, or neighborliness). How does your community actively pursue this virtue, or is it more of a passive virtue (“well we aren’t inhospitable, exactly, but we don’t go out to the highways and byways inviting people in”)?

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14 ¹Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.³He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.⁴Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’⁵But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business,⁶while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷“The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.⁸Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.⁹Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰“Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.¹¹"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. ¹³“Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Parable of the Wedding Feast of the King’s Son appears in slightly different forms in three texts: Matthew 22:1-14 (above), Luke 14:16-25, and in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas 64. Matthew alone includes the final act, the expulsion of a guest without a wedding garment (verses 11-13). From a practical point of view, Matthew’s addition must have startled his community. The guest, perhaps homeless and certainly unprepared to go to a posh banquet, was pulled in from the highways and given no opportunity to change clothes (for the banquet was already prepared). Who would expect him to have any decent clothes? [In Matthew’s time, the host did not provide a wedding garment to the invitees (contrary to those German scholars who conflated 19^th century Asian practice with first century middle Eastern practices).] With this addition, the point of the parable shifts, from a parable explaining the Lord’s invitation to the Gentiles, to a parable for the Gentiles. Now Matthew warns his community that the invitation alone shall not insure participation in the heavenly banquet; something more is needed. For Matthew, this wedding guest may be comparable to the second brother in the story of the Two Sons who apparently accepted the father’s bidding to work in the fields but did not (Matthew 21:28-32, read on October 1). Matthew is telling his community that it is not enough to accept the invitation to be a Christ follower. The wedding garment serves as a metaphor for whatever marks the identity of a true Christ follower.

As Gentle as a Lamb

Stereotypes: New Yorkers are abrupt. Minnesotans are modest. Southerners are polite. What would we expect from a citizen in first century Philippi, a city whose style and ethos were influenced by retired Roman military personnel? Athenians and Corinthians probably saw them as stereotypically Roman: logical like an engineer, courageous, loyal. Civic charity might not be stressed. The unworthy – the alcoholics, the perennially homeless, the unproductive – would be urged to move on to other cities and villages lest they despoil the civic ambience. For his friends in Philippi, Paul proposes a different style, indeed a vastly different identity. He highlights a very un-Roman virtue, gentleness: “Let your gentleness be known to everyone” (Philippians 4:5a). The phrase “to everyone” may be inelegantly translated “to each and every human being.” Paul is asking that his friends, whom he loves and whom he bids rejoice, be known to family, neighbors, allies, competitors, and civic authorities for gentleness. Modeling gentleness would have been no easier in Paul’s time than today. The Roman empire was marked by fierce and unregulated competition. How could one survive, let alone succeed financially in a cutthroat world with gentleness? Paul ignores that question and responds: “The Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5b). The Lord is near, Paul claims, both spatially – near to his listeners even as they go out to earn a living – and temporally, for Paul believed Christ’s judgement of the world and each and every human being was imminent. Paul has already sung the Christ hymn, reminding his friends that Christ came in gentleness – in obedience to God and in service to each and every human being. In a word, gentleness is what it is to take on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). But beware: It is not a virtue likely to lead to wealth, but to a cross.

Prompting Conversations

The Hebrew people forgot that they belonged to the LORD God and worshipped the golden calf. What do we tend to worship when we forget that we are God’s own people? That is, what is today’s golden calf?

Matthew’s wedding garment, we claim, is a mark of Christian identity – how each and every human being would know that one is a Christian. How would you identify a Christian? What does it mean to follow Christ?

Can you think of two incidents, in one gentleness was shown while in another it was not? What were the responses? How might gentleness and justice be compatible? (Perhaps see Galatians 6:1.)

For a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. He earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 16 Oct 2017 14:11:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary and Questions for Discussion for October 22, 2017

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 33:12-23 Alternate: Isaiah 45:1-7 ¹²Moses said to the LORD, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’¹³Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” ¹⁴He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ¹⁵And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.¹⁶For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” ¹⁷The LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” ¹⁸Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” ¹⁹And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.²⁰But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” ²¹And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock;²²and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;²³then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Worth Noting: God is loving, thoughtful, and solicitous, but God is still God. No human can behold the face of God and survive. In our desire to personalize our relationship with God, have we lost a sense of God’s radical otherness? Are we too friendly with God?

Psalm 99 Alternate Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13) ¹The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! ²The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. ³Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! ⁴Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. ⁵Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! ⁶Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them. ⁷He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. ⁸O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. ⁹Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.

Worth Noting: Why call God “holy” (Psalm 99:3, 5, 9)? The Psalmist answers that God’s sovereign justice (verses 1-5) and willingness to respond to the pleas of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel (verses 6-9) set God apart from all other beings. Holiness then speaks to God’s relationship with all of creation and the particular relationship with the Hebrew people. Are there other qualities that you would add to that list? How would you define a holy person?

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 ¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.²We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly³remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.⁴For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you,⁵because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit,⁷so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.⁸For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it.⁹For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Worth Noting: What must the 50 or so Christ-following Thessalonians have done to have their reputation spread throughout Macedonia and Achaia, essentially modern Greece, in a matter of months? How is your religious community known in your neighborhood? How do you know?

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22 ¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.¹⁶So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.¹⁷Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” ¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?¹⁹Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” ²¹They answered, “The emperor's.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's.” ²²When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Worth Noting: Because Pharisees strove to preserve Israel’s purity, while the Herodians collaborated with the occupying Romans, they would have made strange partners. Ever politic, Jesus provides the one response that would not enflame one or the other party. How do you maneuver in our own highly partisan and divided world?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to 1 Thessalonians

We will work from the premise that Paul wrote this first letter to the Thessalonians in 50, within a year of his first activity with the community there. While 1 Thessalonians is judged to be the earliest of Paul’s surviving letters, it does not mean that it was the first he wrote, nor that it represents an immature appreciation of the Gospel. Paul had been a Christ follower for 15 years and had worked with communities throughout the eastern Mediterranean. He reached Thessaloniki after working with the community in Philippi (his letter to which the Lectionary has just completed), and proceeded from Thessaloniki south to Athens (1Thessalonians 3:1) and Corinth. At the time of writing, the Christian community probably numbered fewer than 50 persons, in a city of perhaps as many as 75,000. Thessaloniki was a major trading port, with the best harbor in the Roman province of Macedonia. As in most port cities, Thessalonians welcomed religious practices from around the Mediterranean. The Christ followers, as a sect within the established religion of Judaism, probably hoped to stay below the attention of any civic authorities. We compare the letter with a mother’s letter to her daughter on her own in the big city for the first time: Mother [Paul] offers encouragement and reminds her [his friends] of the message she drummed into her [he brought them]. Our mother [Paul] would hold up the example of her [his] own life of service (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12) and the experience of the older siblings [the church in Judea (2:13-16)] as worthy of emulation. This is followed by affirmations of deep affection and small glimpses of home [Paul’s] since parting (2:17-3:11). Identity and love established, now comes the instruction: First, stay holy and pure (4:1-8) and second be kind to those around you (4:9-12). The most famous part of Paul’s letter follows. In response to questions from the community, Paul teaches that on the Last Day those who have died before will not be forgotten. They will, in fact, be raised from the dead before the living are “snatched up . . . to meet the Lord” (4:13-5:10). From here, Paul winds down the letter, ending with his blessing (5:11-28).

Perspectives on the Scriptures

Rabbinic literature mentions four types of questions posed to a sage to determine his wisdom and learning. Perhaps working from the same tradition, Matthew presents four “confrontations” between Jesus and the Jerusalem authorities that closely follow the rabbinic model. The first question from the rabbis concerned the application of the Law to everyday life. Such is the question posed by Pharisees and Herodians in this week’s Gospel: Can a Jew pay taxes to the occupying power? Next week Matthew 22:34-46 presents two more of the four types of questions. The first deals with theoretical principles of behavior in the Law. In this instance, a lawyer approaches and asks about the greatest commandment (verses 34-40). Then Jesus himself poses a question (22:41-45) from the fourth category, an apparent contradiction in Scripture itself, when he asks about how the Messiah can be at the same time David’s son and Lord. The Lectionary omits the fourth question/confrontation, a “nonsense” question, aimed to demonstrate the ridiculousness of the sage’s teaching. In Matthew 22:23-33, the Sadducees raise the question of the status of the woman who dies after having marrying (consecutively and according to the Law) seven brothers. Who shall be her husband in the after-life? While Matthew remembers Jesus referring to the Pharisees as “hypocrites” and includes a scathing denunciation of them immediately after these encounters, the series of questions themselves need have no more ill intent than an attempt by the Temple authorities to establish the bona fides of the Galilean rabbi. That he passed with flying colors goes without saying.

Working with “Those People”

As indicated in “Worth Noting,” Pharisees and Herodians were Jewish groups that were about as far apart in ideology as any two groups we might propose today. Jesus, challenged by these two groups with a highly charged question, found a way to neither alienate nor please either. Instead, he threw the question back to them: If the world and all that is in it belongs to God, should all money go to God? If the Romans, on the other hand, provide needed internal and external security, are they not due compensation? For Matthew and his community, Jesus’ nimble wit was the point of the story, how no one could “entrap him” (Matthew 22:15). Does Jesus here provide a model of how to speak across the chasms in our own society? Rather than arguing the merits of one position or another, he instead reminds his interlocutors of the very first principles on which all agree: They are Jews, a people in a covenant with the LORD, God, creator of heaven and earth and deliverer from slavery. To what do they owe that God? At the same time, the Romans keep the peace, protect them from marauders, and ensure the safety of their cargoes on the seas. Does not justice require recompense for these services? People of good will may often differ over matters of particular policy. How should public education be organized, for instance. Still they agree on certain principles, such as the necessity for adequate education for all. Is it helpful to begin a conversation with agreed principles rather than particular policy proposals?

Prompting Conversations

The Abrahamic faiths affirm that God is both immanent, present here and now, and transcendent, totally different from and infinitely superior to all creation. How does your community acknowledge and celebrate both aspects of God?

Suppose you were one of a group charged with selecting a new hymnal for your religious community. What principles do you think everyone would agree to? Suppose you were engaged with a group working on education policy. What principles do you think everyone would agree to? Would agreeing on first principles facilitate those deliberations?

In final exams, teachers confront students. In addiction treatment, we hear of “interventions,” another kind of confrontation. Foot races are confrontations. Not all confrontations, then, are meant to harm. When might a confrontation be helpful? How does the Gospel confront you?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:24:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Questions for Discussion for October 29, 2017

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 25

THE READINGS

First Reading: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Alternate Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 ¹Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan,²all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,³the Negeb, and the Plain-- that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees-- as far as Zoar. ⁴The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” ⁵Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD's command.⁶He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day.⁷Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated.⁸The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. ⁹Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses. sup>10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.¹¹He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land,¹²and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Worth Noting: Who buried Moses? The use of a divine passive in verse 6 (“He was buried”) and the underlying Hebrew means that God performed the burial rituals for Moses, in a place no one has ever found. Thus ends the fifth of the first five books of the Bible. Think of all the stories we have heard over the last five months from these books: creation of the world, adventures of ancestors, deliverance from slavery, receipt of the Ten Commandments, and finally the death and burial of the great leader Moses. Why are these five books called “the Law” or Torah when they are so filled with stories? How do stories help us live properly?

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 Alternate Psalm 1 ¹Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. ²Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. ³You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.” ⁴For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. ⁵You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; ⁶in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. . . . ¹³Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants! ¹⁴Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. ¹⁵Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil. ¹⁶Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. ¹⁷Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands – O prosper the work of our hands!

Worth Noting: Written of the Babylonian exile (598-538 b.c.e.), the people pray for as many years to recover from the trauma of exile as they endured exile. Current research shows that the effects of group trauma linger for as long as it was suffered. Does sixty years seem an unusually long time for a people to recover?

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 ¹You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain,²but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.³For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery,⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.⁵As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed;⁶nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others,⁷though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.⁸So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

Worth Noting: Paul wants to distinguish himself and his message from the popular philosophers, particularly the sophists and skeptics who denied we denied humans could reach ultimate truths. How are you able to distinguish opinion and fact? How do you handle statements by religious figures?

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-46 ³⁴When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,³⁵and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.³⁶“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’³⁸This is the greatest and first commandment.³⁹And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’⁴⁰On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” ⁴¹Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:⁴²“What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ⁴³He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,^{44 ‘}The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’?⁴⁵If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” ⁴⁶No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Worth Noting: Look at Mark’s version of the same interaction (Mark 12:28-34). There the scribe (rather than the lawyer) praised Jesus’ answer and Jesus responded “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34). Why would Matthew omit these expressions of reciprocal respect? Alternatively, why would Mark add them?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

It is universally accepted that an overriding Biblical impulse is to love neighbor, including your enemy, as yourself. Matthew emphasizes this very principle in the Sermon on the Mount: “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Right about there, we have a disconnect between popular language and the thrust of the Bible. Modern English dictionaries define “love” as a positive emotion, usually reserved for those with whom one has a direct contact, such as spouse, child, parent, or God. “Enemy” hardly fits into this category, yet the Bible commands that we must love our enemies. The English word love, we submit, just doesn’t work. How can we have affection for one who wishes us harm? How is anyone abused to have affection for their abuser? Jesus, who knew human nature intimately, must have meant something else. To recognize what the Bible means requires a brief excursus into metaphors of the body. Jesus cites Deuteronomy 6:5 to speak of love as coming from the heart in today’s Gospel: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart . . .” (Matthew 22:37). What did it mean “to love with all your heart”? For the Hebrew speaker, the heart was the metaphorical site of the intellect and the will. For both Hebrew and Greek speakers, emotions were found in the guts. It’s different in English, where we ascribe intellect and will to the brain, while the heart is the site of generally irrational emotions. In other words, the Old Testament sees love not as an emotion but as an intellectually supported act of the will. A decision. Following the first century understanding of Jesus’ words, we need not “like” our enemy, but we are still called to love them. We need a word which helps us see the commandment to love all as requiring a decision to promote the best for all, including ourselves, our families, our God, and our enemies. We might speak of “benevolence” or “magnanimity” or “good will.” Paul urges just this attitude on the Romans: “. . . if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink” (Romans 12:20). Continuing the physical metaphors, while feeding you may have to hold your nose; while giving a drink, surely you will need to curb your tongue. You may not even act cheerfully. Neither Paul nor Jesus seem to care, instead they say “Love your enemies, do good to them, and pray that they flourish as loving humans.”

“Once Upon a Time . . .”

Christians claim that they are not “people of a Book,” but people of a Person, Jesus Christ. Christians celebrate his life, death, and resurrection, await his return in glory, and find Jesus’ presence in a tumultuous world. In their lives, they strive to imitate Jesus’ global compassion and divine humility. Let’s think about this: If not people of the Book, are not Christians people of the Story? The Gospels are, in truth, just one glorious story, revealing God’s message in the Story of Jesus. A story, however, might be thought an imperfect way to convey a message. It’s meaning, and the teaching it is meant to convey, may be unclear and misinterpreted. Striving for clarity, teachers in the first century, as teachers now, composed essays, gave lectures, and wrote letters. Why didn’t Jesus and the evangelists do the same? We think it’s the very ambiguity of the Gospels that allows us to return to them time and again: teaching us, consoling us, and reproving us. The Gospels demand application to life here and now. But since the particulars of lives of 21^st century Christians differ from place to place throughout the world, the application will fit the needs of that community. We barely need mention the difference between the Gospel’s first hearers and readers today. Nor can we forget the subversive message within the Story, how God became a creature and accepted the death that was a consequence of that, and how death is not the end of the Story. Death, the ultimate tool of oppression, can defeat neither God nor God’s people. That message sometimes must be whispered from one person to another; it must be hidden from oppressors, veiled in a story within the Story. It starts “Once upon a time, there was a man who . . .”

Prompting Conversations

Can you think of someone with whom you have not spoken for a long, long time because of antagonism between you? What might it mean to love that person? Loving one’s enemies gets tied up with forgiving an enemy. What do you think that should look like?

Consider one of the stories from the Bible that you learned early in life and still ruminate on today. How has the meaning and application of that story changed over the years?

We tell stories of family and country. Can you relate a story about an ancestor that you treasure? Have you passed it on to the next generation? What truth did it convey for you?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 14:42:55 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for November 5, 2017

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 26

THE READINGS

First Reading: Joshua 3:7-17 Alternate: Micah 3:5-12 ⁷The LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses.⁸You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” ⁹Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God.”¹⁰Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites:¹¹the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan.¹²So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe.¹³When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.” ¹⁴When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people.¹⁵Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water,¹⁶the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho.¹⁷While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Worth Noting: The crossing of the Jordan is a highly ritualized experience marking a new identity for the people. As the passage through the Red Sea had reconfigured the people from slaves to desert wanderers, so the passage through the Jordan has reconfigured them from wanderers into stable dwellers of cities and farms. The very term Hebrew is related to the verb “to cross over,” and the people in the land, the Hebrews, have become those who have crossed over. Have you experienced a ritual naming or renaming?

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37 ¹O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. ²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble ³and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. ⁴Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town; ⁵hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. ⁶Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; ⁷he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. . . . ³³He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, ³⁴a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants. ³⁵He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. ³⁶And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in; ³⁷they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.

Worth Noting: The Psalms thank God for all the good things in life. They acknowledge that humans are incapable of creating the universe in which we dwell, and depend totally on divine generosity for our very selves. The Psalms extol lives of gratitude. Psychologists have found the daily practice of recording three things for which to be grateful may be as effective as drugs in combatting depression. Does that make sense to you? How do you express gratitude to God for life’s bounty?

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 ⁹You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.¹¹As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children,¹²urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.¹³We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers. Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat;³therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long.⁶They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues,⁷and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.⁸But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.⁹And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-- the one in heaven.¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant.¹²All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

Worth Noting: It’s tempting to dwell on the first part where Jesus chastises the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-7) and ignore his clear command to followers: “The greatest among you will be your servant” (verse 11). Servant-leadership is often praised, but really: what is it? When we serve are we always leading? Leading whom?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Joshua and Judges

For the next three Sundays, the Lectionary provides readings from the books of Joshua and Judges. Both books describe the establishment of the Hebrew people in the land promised to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Both books are interested in boundaries – the geographic boundaries of the nation, boundaries within the nation and between the tribes, boundaries in behavior within God’s covenant, and, very troubling for modern Western sensibilities, boundaries between the Israelites and the native peoples already in the land. While the books share this theme, they do it very differently. In Joshua the people are (by and large) obedient and the conquest of the land proceeds swiftly. In contrast in Judges the people repeatedly go through a four-part cycle: (1) obedience to the LORD and national prosperity; (2) rejection of the LORD and consequent loss of sovereignty; (3) repentance of evil ways; and (4) the LORD raising up a charismatic leader, a judge, to lead the people to renewed freedom. This cycle is repeated throughout the other historical books of the Old Testament (1 and 2 Samuel; 1 and 2 Kings) ending with the conquest of Judah and the exile of the leaders to Babylon.

Entering into the Scriptures

Reformation Sunday, October 29, commemorated the 500^th anniversary of Martin Luther’s publication of a critique of the then dominant Roman Catholic Church. It quickly became a matter of competing visions of the Church: its mission and its organization. The Gospel selection from Matthew – indeed the entire Gospel of Matthew – offers Matthew’s ideas on the Church. In the selection above, Matthew holds up an ideal of an organization dedicated to service without hierarchy (Matthew 23:8-12). Over the last 50 years, the image of the servant Church has fired the imagination of many, contrasting as it does with previous images of the Church as bureaucratic, hierarchical, egotistical, and sanctimonious. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a 20^th century heir of Luther, wrote that “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others.” He envisioned a Church without wealth, staffed by ministers dependent on their congregants’ donations, sharing in the ordinary problems of ordinary people (Letters and Papers from Prison 1967, pp 203-4). This model of the Church relies less on New Testament teaching than on the example of Jesus as the one who cures the sick, heals the lame, and restores the possessed. This Jesus preaches peacemaking, reconciliation of enemies, and care for the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner in the land. This Jesus proclaimed that he had come to “bring good news to the poor . . . to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (Luke 4:18-19), fulfilling the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. This Jesus came to be the servant of the Pharisees and temple authorities – the very ones Matthew remembers conspiring to kill him (see Romans 15:8; Matthew 12:14, 26:4). Of whom is the Church the servant? While the Church is in the world, and ministers to the world, does that mean the Church is the servant of the world? No, if being the world’s servant implies the worlds lordship over the Church. As Paul spoke of Christ as being obedient to God while taking on the form of a slave (Philippians 2:5-7), so the Church must always be a servant of God’s will for the world.

“You’re Only as Good as Your Followers”

A recent article in the New York Times summarized over 500 interviews with chief executive officers of businesses of various sizes in a variety of industries (“How to be a C.E.O., From a Decade’s Worth of Them” October 29, 2017 print edition). The interviewer was interested in how a C.E.O. visualized the job and what values she brought to it. One of the few common elements in the leadership styles was respect. Not of the C.E.O. by the other employees, but of the other employees by the C.E.O. One C.E.O. said that performance of employees was directly proportional to the respect offered by the C.E.O. Jesus displayed the ultimate sense of respect for his disciples, down to today and on into the future, by the simple act of leaving. Think of the sensation had the post-resurrection Jesus walked across the Mediterranean to Rome to confront the emperor Tiberius. Would not this have advanced immeasurably the reign of God? Jesus chose another way, to respect all of his disciples to accomplish this goal, to empower them with that respect.

Prompting Conversations

It’s common now to reiterate the teaching that the Church is not the buildings but the community. Why do we gather in community? What is the purpose of the community?

Might respect be the first step towards servant-leadership? How are respect and love related? Beyond the workplace, how does respect play out in our churches, civic organizations, marriages, and families?

Next Sunday, many Christian communities will celebrate the Feast of All Saints rather than the Lectionary readings for the 22^nd Sunday after Pentecost. How does your community understand the relationship between those who have gone before us and the community in the world today?

For a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 15:49:08 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for November 12, 2017

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 27

THE READINGS

First Reading: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Alternate: Wisdom of Solomon 6:12 or Amos 5:18-24 ¹Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God.²And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors – Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor – lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.³Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. . . . ¹⁴“Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.¹⁵Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” ¹⁶Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods;¹⁷for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed;¹⁸and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.” ¹⁹But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.²⁰If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” ²¹And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the LORD!” ²²Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” ²³He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” ²⁴The people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” ²⁵So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

Worth Noting: When the people said “the LORD our God we will serve,” they meant “we will be the slaves of the LORD,” just as they had been slaves of the gods of the Egyptians. That is “inclining your hearts,” your will, to the LORD. How does giving up your will to the LORD work? How would you know the Master’s orders?

Psalm 78:1-7 Alternate Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70 ¹Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. ²I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, ³things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. ⁴We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. ⁵He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; ⁶that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, ⁷so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

Worth Noting: Common in the Psalms is the sequence “I speak” – “we listen" as here in verses 1-2 then 3-4. The “I” is a mortal, suggesting the story-teller listens to her own words. Have you ever surprised yourself by “sounding just like my mother”? That’s a case of listening to your own words. Are there words you speak that are hard to hear? Are there words you speak that surprise you with their insight?

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.¹⁵For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.¹⁶For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.¹⁸Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Worth Noting: The Thessalonians understood that at Jesus’ second coming, Jesus would bring to salvation/paradise those still alive. Now 20 years after his death and resurrection, many faithful have died. What will become of them? Paul assures his companions that Christ will raise them from the dead and restore them to life before taking up the already alive. Have you ever envisioned the second coming? Do you hope to experience it before your bodily death?

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13 ¹[Jesus spoke to his disciples] “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.³When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them;⁴but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.⁵As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.⁶But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’⁷Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.⁸The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’⁹But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’¹⁰And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. ¹¹Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’¹²But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’¹³Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Matthew seems to find weddings less occasions for joy than for instruction. Recall that on October 15, the Lectionary provided the story of the wedding banquet at which one of those dragged in from the highways and byways was bound and cast out into the darkness. Now this story of the five bridesmaids who are left out in the dark for lack of oil for their lamps. Neither parable easily fits the customs of Matthew’s time, particularly since a wedding was an occasion for a town-wide party and feast. No one should be left out. Nor do other Scriptures share the particular twist Matthew puts on weddings. Only Matthew tells the story of the five bridesmaids left in the cold. While Mark also records the parable of the wedding feast for the king’s son, he omits Matthew’s concluding detail of the man dressed improperly (perhaps because he like everyone else at the time, had never heard of a wedding garment). In the Gospel of John Jesus saves the wedding hosts in Cana from embarrassment when he turns water into wine. Not for Jesus to let a party end early. One explanation is that Matthew used the comfortable, familiar setting of a wedding banquet to capture his audience’s attention, and then overturned their expectations to make an especially arresting point. Interpreters since Matthew have identified the bridegroom with Jesus. But this is not the Jesus of the famous painting knocking on the door of the home of the Christian, the door which opens only from the inside. This is the bridegroom-Jesus who judges, and judges with rigor. After all, like the guest without proper clothes, the five foolish bridesmaids are not evil: They are foolish, bad planners, ill-prepared. They really like the happy couple. To judge their behavior harshly is to be like the college instructor who gives the term paper an F if it’s an hour late. We expect Jesus to resemble the fifth-grade teacher who reprimands but does not flunk the unhappy student.

What Time is It?

Thoughtful readers of Matthew conclude that the story of the ten maidens arose from a disagreement within Matthew’s community over the need to prepare for the Second Coming. Was the time near when Jesus would return to claim salvation for his followers? Many, looking back at the apocalyptic rhetoric that lead to the disastrous Jewish war against Rome wished to downplay talk of the Messiah’s return. Others believed that the Second Coming might be imminent and preparations should be in hand. Christians today also disagree about the timing of the Second Coming and the end of the world. Some point to “signs of the times” that presage these events. “Apocalyptic” Christians concentrate on repenting sins and purifying their lives. Even if the end of the world is not imminent, personal death and judgement are unpredictable and come “as the thief in the night” (Matthew 24:32). Other Christians believe such behavior foolishly ignores evils in the world, particularly insidiously unjust social systems. These social-justice Christians concentrate on enacting the Reign of God through actions here and now to prepare the world for the return of the Messiah.

Prompting Conversations

Matthew urges all to be prepared, and asks each Christian: What constitutes the oil of your lamp? What wedding garments shall you wear?

We have defined the extremes of “apocalyptic” and “social justice” Christians. Most of us live somewhere in between. Where are you and where is your community on the spectrum? Is the Second Coming a matter of importance for you?

Is the judgmental bridegroom-Jesus a familiar image for you? How do the art and architecture of your favorite place of worship reinforce or contradict this image?

To read or download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 16:44:11 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for November 19, 2017

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 28

THE READINGS

First Reading: Judges 4:1-7 Alternate Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 ¹The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died.²So the LORD sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.³Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years. ⁴At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.⁵She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.⁶She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun.⁷I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’”

Worth Noting: This selection presents half of the cycle of faithfulness-prosperity, idolatry-slavery, and repentance-deliverance foreshadowed in last week’s reading (Joshua 24:19-20). Deborah is the third judge whom the LORD has raised up to deliver the people from bondage, this time through destruction of Sisera and his army. What do you do with stories of God’s intervention to punish his sinful followers (verse 2, selling Israel to Jabin)? Ignore them? Then is there no punishment for sin?

Psalm 123 Alternate: Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 ¹To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! ²As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us. ³Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. ⁴Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

Worth Noting: The psalmist endured the contempt of his economic betters (those “at ease . . . proud;” see Amos 4:1; 6:4-6) and looks to the LORD for deliverance. Can you relate a time in your life when God’s mercy healed the wounds of scorn and contempt? How did that work? Is the psalmist’s God of mercy the God of the New Testament too?

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 ¹Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you.²For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.³When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!⁴But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;⁵for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.⁶So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober;⁷for those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.⁹For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁰who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Worth Noting: The prophet Joel proclaimed the coming of the day of the Lord, a time of judgment of all nations and deliverance for Israel (e.g. Joel 3:14-16). Paul applies this to the community of Christ followers. Do you see yourself as involved with a communal salvation? How do you deal with communal and personal salvation?

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30 [Jesus spoke to his disciples] ¹⁴“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them;¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶“The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents.¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents.¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. ¹⁹“After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.²⁰Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents’. ²¹“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²²“And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ ²³“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴“Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed;²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶“But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter?²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.²⁹For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Worth Noting: From the ancient unit of value has come the English “talent,” referring to an individual’s special skills or gifts. Just as coins and paper money only have value when we agree on it, we may recognize our talents only when someone else points them out. How do you highlight and encourage the development of talents of those closest to you?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In Jesus’ parable, many in Matthew’s community might have seen the third slave (the one who buried one talent) as the real hero of the story. To see why, consider that the master believes the third slave could have avoided his punishment by lending money at interest. But lending at interest is very problematic. In the first place, the Torah forbids lending at interest to a fellow Israelite (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36). Is one to assume that the slave is not in the Land, or is not an Israelite (and therefore free to lend at interest)? Further, debt in ancient times was not an integral part of capital and wealth formation. Today, companies borrow to invest in the expectation that investments will return profits in excess of the rate of interest. Homeowners borrow to buy homes in expectation that the homes will increase in value faster than the rate of interest. In both cases, modern debt is expected to lead to greater wealth on the part of the borrower. In antiquity, because the rate of innovation was very low, expected return on any investment was thought to be negligible. Instead, one borrowed to consume. Then who would be expected to borrow? Most likely are those with little current income and desperate for nourishment for themselves and their families. Perhaps those out of work because of injuries or illness. Those who borrowed often ended in slavery. Would one extracting interest in such a situation from such a person be a hero to the people hearing the story? Was Jesus’ original point not proper use of talents but a warning that righteous refusal to profit from the troubles of others leads to ostracism from the imperial favor? Should verse 29 (“For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away”) be read ironically – “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”?

“Where O Death is Your Sting?”

In the last weeks of the liturgical year, the Lectionary follows the cycle of autumnal deaths in the Northern hemisphere to direct attention to the last things. The questions that have tormented and engaged humankind for thousands of years are raised once again in these Scriptures. What happens when we die? In an afterlife, have we a body or are we pure spirits? Can we ever expect to have our souls and bodies reunited? Has the bond between the living and the dead been unalterably broken? The Bible seems generally uninterested in these questions, concentrating on how to live this life. Matthew certainly affirms the existence of both a heaven where the righteous will dwell and some form of punishment for sinners (see Matthew 5). The Bible affirms the resurrection of the dead (2 Maccabees 7:9 and elsewhere; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; John 11:24) and reception of immortality (1 Corinthians 15:21-24) while leaving other questions for Christians to work out in their reflections on a just, merciful, and loving God. In response, Christian Tradition portrays a glorious community “where death will be no more” for the Lord’s own with glorified bodies and souls.

Prompting Conversations

Parables may have many interpretations. We explored one above in “Entering into the Scriptures.” Were you already familiar with this interpretation? Have your heard others over the years? Do alternative interpretations enhance your appreciation for Scripture?

The Gospels emphasize spiritual preparation for death. How about the physical, financial, and family side of death? Have you prepared (and updated as necessary) the wills, powers of attorney, and other documents that smooth the way for those who love you?

Funerals remember the dead, pray them on the way, and offer the living rituals of hope. Reflect on the last funeral that affected you. What parts – music, sermon, eulogies, prayers, actions – most touched you? Did they strengthen your resolve to live well in preparation for death?

To read or download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 15:24:34 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for November 26, 2017

Last Sunday after Pentecost, Feast of Christ the King

THE READINGS

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 ¹¹For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.¹²As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.¹³I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land.¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.¹⁶I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. . . . ²⁰Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.²¹Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide,²²I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.²³I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.²⁴And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

Worth Noting: The largest portion of Ezekiel was written around 587 b.c.e., ten years after the deportation of King Jehoiachin and the leaders of Jerusalem to Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-25:21). In this oracle, the LORD addresses the people as a shepherd, assuring them of future glory and prosperity. How do you envision a shepherd’s relationship with the flock? Who has been a shepherd in your life, leading you to safety and nourishment? Might that be the way God acts as shepherd?

Psalm 100 Alternate: Psalm 95:1-7a ¹Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. ²Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. ³Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. ⁵For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:1-5 NRS) Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23 ¹⁵I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason¹⁶I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.¹⁷I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,¹⁸so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,¹⁹and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. ²⁰God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.²²And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church,²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Worth Noting: Drawing on the imagery of the Roman Empire, Ephesians portrays Jesus as the number 2 man in the governance of heavenly places. Is that an image of Jesus that resonates with you? What would be a comparable image from a modern, Western democracy or major institution?

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46 ³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,³³and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.³⁴Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;³⁵for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,³⁶I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink?³⁸And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?³⁹And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ ⁴⁰“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ ⁴¹“Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;⁴²for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴“Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ ⁴⁵“Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Worth Noting: Matthew evokes Ezekiel 34:20-24 (read above) in his narration of the Last Judgment. In general, it is difficult to understand the New Testament apart from the Old Testament. How do you and your community use the Old Testament in meditation, prayer, and study?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

This liturgical year ends, as all liturgical years end, with the feast of Christ the King. In the year of Matthew, the Gospel portrays Jesus as the Son of Man, judging the nations at the end of time. The portrayal follows weeks of teachings and warnings about God’s judgment, with the stories of the man from the highways who doesn’t have clothes for a wedding, the virgins who foolishly leave the oil at home, and the slave who buries the master’s talent. These are teachings directed explicitly to Jesus’ disciples, and so are meant by Jesus and Matthew to be especially important for Christians. Time and again the Church is urged to pay attention to its actions, to act as Christ would act. Does the Gospel of Matthew then move us towards a highly sensitized conscience constantly fearful of sinning – perhaps even sinning inadvertently? Not necessarily, and that for three reasons. First of all, the actions that Jesus demands in Matthew represent no more than paying attention to the surrounding world and doing what is possible to alleviate the world’s suffering. Secondly, we must remember that it is Jesus who serves as judge at the Last Judgment. This same Jesus promised forgiveness of sins in the measure that we forgive sins (Matthew 6:9-15; also 18:35), and established a covenant with his blood for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:28). Matthew has gathered all of the judgment teachings into a bloc concluding with the teaching on the Last Judgment. It seems overwhelming, especially to ears conditioned to be fearful of death and judgment. But it constitutes less than 10 percent of Matthew’s Gospel. The Christian remembers that Jesus teaches judgment within the context of divine love and mercy. Jesus speaks of forgiveness and also judgment. Finally, exactly because Jesus lists deeds corporal and not spiritual, Jesus’ words help relieve concern about the status of non-Christians. The Son of Man asks not at all about Baptism. Jesus asks: What did you do for the people with whom I am most closely connected, be you Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, or without religious affiliation?

“Eighty Percent of Life is Showing Up”

The deeds Jesus enumerates in Matthew 25 may be summarized in a few words: Show up and stand up. We know that when we show up – at weddings, baptisms, and funerals, at family and neighborhood parties, at rallies and concerts, at soup kitchens and country clubs – we deepen our connections with other people. When we show up we recognize ourselves and our God in others, including the poorest, homeless, addicts, even those who never made a good decision in their lives. When we connect, and see ourselves in others, then we feel impelled and empowered to assist them. Then we can stand up. Some of the work will be relatively easy, socially acceptable, like serving at soup kitchens, collecting clothing for the needy, or donating money to good causes. Some will be hard, like advocating for changes in political systems and religious organizations, speaking out for increased funding for social services and education, or organizing voters. Through it all, our heroes may include the Righteous Among the Nations, those Gentiles in Nazi-occupied Europe who showed up and stood up for European Jews in their most perilous time. Did they save all the Jews of Europe? Not by a long shot. Did they save the Jew standing in front of them at a particular moment? Absolutely. All together they saved a remnant, and with the remnant they saved themselves.

Prompting Conversations

Hard, hard question: How do you see grace and good works working in your life? Grace leads to good works. Can good works lead to grace? (What is grace?)

How have you experienced shepherding, as shepherd and as “lamb,” in your life?

This Last Judgment is pretty black and white. Is there no room for negotiation?

A tried-and-true way to engage the Gospels is to identify with one character and explore the emotions and attitudes of that person. With whom can you identify in Matthew’s depiction of the Last Judgment? The Son of Man? The angels? The goats? The sheep?

To download a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 15:45:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for December 3, 2017

First Sunday in Advent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-9 ¹O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence— ²as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! ³When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. ⁴From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. ⁵You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed. ⁶We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. ⁷There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. ⁸Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. ⁹Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

Worth Noting: A prayer of an oppressed people proceeds from praise (remembering the LORD’s saving deeds of old), to contrition (attributing their current dire situation to their own sins), and to petition for reconciliation (calling on God as Father for deliverance). The Father God holds the people as closely as the potter molds her clay. How do you and your community ritualize this movement from praise through contrition to reconciliation? Is it a personal or a communal rite?

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 ¹Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth ²before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! ³Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. ⁴O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? ⁵You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. ⁶You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. ⁷Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. ¹⁷But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself. ¹⁸Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. ¹⁹Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Worth Noting: In Advent, the Church petitions for the appearance and presence of the saving God in its midst. “Restore us,” we pray . . . to what? What does Advent have to do with restoration?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,⁵for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind –⁶just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you –⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.⁹God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Worth Noting: In general Paul uses “grace” to mean “favor,” as in God’s favorable attitude to those in the fellowship of his Son. That favor rests not on human deeds but on God’s faithfulness to the reconciliation brought about by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (see, for example, Romans 3:24). Fair enough: How do “you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7)?

Gospel: Mark 13:24-37 [Jesus continued speaking to four disciples:] “But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

²⁶Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.²⁷Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ²⁸“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.³³Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.³⁵Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn,³⁶or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Worth Noting: Earlier in Mark 13 Jesus describes the fate of sinners. In the opening section above, he speaks of the gathering of the elect by the Son of Man, himself. In expectation of that day, do you think Jesus wants you to stay awake (“keep alert” or “keep awake” three times)? How do you do that?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Advent

Each year we need to be reminded that the Christmas Holidays really start on December 25, Christmas Day, and not the Friday after American Thanksgiving. The Church has set aside the days of Advent (in 2017 from December 3 to December 24) in memory of the time before the Incarnation and in preparation for the celebration of Christmas. How do we remember the time before the Incarnation? The Church starts with a special focus on the prophet Isaiah, read on the first three Advent Sundays. It is Isaiah who reminds us of Israel’s yearning for a Messiah, for one who would end the exile and establish a reign of justice. The Advent Psalms reinforce Isaiah’s message, painting a picture of a world where “steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss” (Psalm 85:10, from the Second Sunday in Advent December 10). How do we prepare for Christmas? In the Northern Hemisphere, as the days rapidly grow shorter, we celebrate light – Jesus as the light of the world, and ourselves as the bearers of that light. We light our homes and offices, and enjoy outdoor lighting displays. We connect. We turn our attention outward: buying gifts, remembering in a tangible way those who serve us all year round, writing year-end checks to service agencies, and singing with gusto carols learned in youth. We gather families and friends to dine. We prepare by shattering the darkness and connecting with others in the name of the One who is all in all (1 Corinthians 15:27-28).

Entering into the Scriptures

This Gospel comes two-thirds of the way through Mark’s chapter 13 apocalypse. The chapter opens with Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the Temple (verses 1-2) that quickly broadens into a portrait of the Last Days. These will open with wars and natural disasters (verses 3-8), followed by persecution of Jesus’ disciples (verses 9-13), more natural disasters accompanied by false prophets tempting the elect (verses 14-24). Only then will the Son of Man appear to gather the elect from the farthest reaches of creation (verse 24-25). Unlike typical Jewish and Christian portrayals of the end of time (like Matthew 25 read last week), Mark makes no mention of the fate of the evil ones, no mention of eternal damnation. While in Mark 9:43-49 Jesus warns his disciples against “stumbling” (!) lest they be “thrown into hell where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched,” in general Jesus in Mark does not describe the fate of sinners – even those who commit the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Spirit (Mark 3:29). Why was there such an omission? We can speculate that Mark and his community understood the true punishment to be the eternal absence of fellowship with God. An eternity of the grey, tedious life described by the Greek and Roman poets awaits the sinners.

Attention!

Why does the Lectionary start the Advent season with yet another portrayal of the last days? Didn’t we have enough of that in November? (See Journeying for November 5, 12, 19, and 26 at http://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.) Advent serves double duty: We prepare to re-member the first Christmas, and we also prepare for the second coming of Jesus. It is for this coming that Jesus urges us to “stay awake.” (Perhaps this year he tells us “Stay woke!”) It is a mystery that the Second Coming, ushering in the Reign of God, depends wholly on God and wholly on us. As Jesus indicates, the Second Coming is at the time and the discretion of God. But Jews and Christians agree that it is their work to prepare for God’s coming by striving to realize God’s reign in the time and space given to us. The sages insist that the fact that the goal will not be achieved in our lifetime is no excuse for not engaging the work to the best of our ability.

Prompting Conversations

Have you a tradition of particular Advent practices (some secular, some spiritual)? No matter how “secular,” how do these traditions help prepare for Christmas?

What does it mean to you to “stay awake”? How do you go about it?

To emphasize the role of humans in the Second Coming, a Jewish tradition holds that the Messiah will come when all Jews celebrate two Sabbaths in a row. How does your community work to establish the Reign of God in the here and now?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 15:44:11 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for December 10, 2017

Second Sunday in Advent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-11 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. ²Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins. Landscape in northern Israel ³A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. ⁵Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” ⁶A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. ⁷The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. ⁸The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. ⁹Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” ¹⁰See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. ¹¹He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

Worth Noting: Isaiah 40 opens the second section of the book of Isaiah. Second Isaiah apparently was written to the exiles in Babylonia (c. 560 b.c.e.) offering God’s promise of liberation and return to the Promised Land. Is liberation one of the actions you expect from God? Have you experienced liberation through God?

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 ¹LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. ²You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. ⁸Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. ⁹Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. ¹⁰Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. ¹¹Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. ¹²The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. ¹³Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps. Second Reading: 2 Peter 3:8-15a ⁸But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.⁹The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. ¹¹Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness,¹²waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?¹³But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. ¹⁴Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish;¹⁵and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Worth Noting: 2 Peter focuses on “false teachers” who deny the Second Coming. Here, verse 8 alludes to Psalm 90:4 to argue that though several generations have passed since the death of Jesus, the time is as nothing in God’s eyes. Hence, be patient. Jesus is still coming. In this instant gratification society, how do you bolster your patience?

Gospel: Mark 1:1-8 ¹The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.²As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; ³the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

⁴John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.⁵And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.⁶Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.⁷He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.⁸I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Worth Noting: On death, the Roman Senate declared the emperor divine. On the basis of that, the former emperor’s son, now the new emperor, assumed (and stamped on coins) the title “son of God.” Applying it to Jesus of Nazareth could be treasonous. Is calling Jesus the Son of God treasonous in your country? Why not?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURE S

Introduction to the Gospel of Mark

As is true of all of the canonical Gospels, the author of the Gospel of Mark worked anonymously. The traditional ascription of authorship to Mark came in the second century, when Mark was said to have recorded the Apostle Peter’s sayings to the people of Rome. While this tradition still has significant scholarly support, many contemporary scholars reject it, placing the Gospel’s first audience in southern Syria. Whether in Rome or Syria, careful readers describe the first audience as a group that had suffered persecution and still felt endangered. The dating of the Gospel’s production is generally set around 70 c.e., the year of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, in the midst of a period of major upheaval both in Rome and in Palestine. Throughout the Gospel, Mark portrays Jesus as aligned with the Old Testament prophets, a portrait first emphasized in the quotations in Mark 1:2-3 from Malachi and Isaiah. In that line, Jesus often finds himself at odds with the priestly and political establishments. Just as Jesus was persecuted by the authorities of his time, so Mark’s community found themselves persecuted by the establishment of theirs. In response, we find that Mark used literary misdirection extensively to throw the uninitiated “off the scent.” To illustrate this, consider three questions that puzzle readers and preachers. First of all, if Mark really was devoted to Peter why does he portray Peter (as well as the other Apostles) as so inept when most people honor the founders of their religions? In contrast to Mark’s portrayal, by the time the Gospel was written, the work of the Apostles was bearing much fruit, with communities founded and growing throughout the Mediterranean basin. Their work had been successful. Why would Mark portray them as inept? We suggest that this portrayal of the Apostles was meant to deflect interest from the community. How could they be dangerous when their founders were so incompetent? Readers wrestle with the question of why Jesus orders those he heals to tell no one of the means of their cure? Why, in scholarly parlance, does Jesus keep the Messianic Secret – that he is the Messiah – from the crowds that accompany him (for example, Mark 7:36; 8:30)? We first recall that “Messiah” or anointed one, was the title of the king of Israel. We believe that Mark explicitly records Jesus rejecting this title and rejecting all political aspirations to ease the fears of his non-Christian contemporaries. Finally, Mark records Jesus himself using misdirection in his ministry. Jesus often speaks in parables in public to the crowds but plainly indoors to the disciples (parade example at Mark 4:10-12). Jesus models for the community the very style that Mark deploys. As a consequence, readers of the Gospel of Mark must be prepared to “dig deeper,” to look beyond the surface of the story to find its deeper meaning. Rather than being the simple story of an impoverished wandering teacher in a backwater province, surrounded by illiterate, ham-fisted fishermen, Mark portrays the inbreaking of God into the midst of a hostile and unfeeling world.

Entering into the Scriptures

The titles we confer on individuals has to do with their function in society or in an organization. “Bishop” denotes a person with ecclesial authority in a specific geographic area; “Speaker of the House” a politician leading the House of Representatives. So it was in Jesus’ day: The titles that were applied to Jesus were meant to denote his authority. The first title occurs in the first verse, Son of God. While we of the 21^st century may think that this would be the most common title applied to Jesus – based on the 20 centuries of thought on Jesus’ identity – it is not used extensively. As we suggest above in “Worth Noting,” Son of God would have an imperial or royal connotation, as the title for the Roman emperor. In a Jewish context, the term could have been applied to the king of Israel and/or the whole of the Jewish nation. (See for example 2 Samuel 7:5-17 or Psalm 89:19-27, in both God is David’s, the king’s, father.) With these political overtones, it is not surprising that the title (along with Messiah or Christ or Anointed One, referring to the anointing of the kings of Israel) is used sparingly in the Gospel. The Spirit confers divine sonship on Jesus twice during his lifetime, first at his Baptism (Mark 1:9-11) and again at the Transfiguration (9:7). Near his end, Jesus acknowledged his status before the Jewish authorities (14:61-62). During his ministry, however, Jesus attempts to silence the demons who grant him the title of Son of God (3:11; 5:7). The only human to acknowledge Jesus’ sonship is a Roman centurion at the foot of the Cross (15:39). A Roman authority, in other words, gives voice to the belief of Mark’s community in Jesus’ identity. During his ministry, Jesus chose to speak of himself as the Son of Man in thirteen incidents. This title Biblical, Hebrew, ben adam, and occurs most often in the oracles of the prophet Ezekiel where it refers quite literally to a son of Adam, a human being. The most dramatic occurrence, however, comes in Daniel 7:13 with the appearance of one “like a son of man” (Revised Standard Version and most English translations; New Revised Standard Version has “human being”) coming to judge the world. It is to this that Jesus refers before the Jewish authorities who ask “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One,” and Jesus replies “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’” (Mark 14:61-62). Mark’s audience would be expected to put great hope on the coming of the Son of Man, who will restore justice to the world and lead them from oppression. Their question: When?

Not Yet

Advent, we have said, provides a period of deliberate preparation and waiting. We prepare first to celebrate the Incarnation, the irruption of divinity into creation. We join with the Hebrew prophets looking forward to the coming of one to put things right. We also use the time to take stock, to gird ourselves for the continuing wait for the coming of the Son of Man. We know that we are in the in-between time, between God’s coming in Jesus and the final coming of the Son of Man. We learn from the Gospels that Jesus saw himself as that figure who will restore right relationships throughout creation and we learn from the Gospels what kind of a judge Jesus will be. This is an uncomfortable, unsatisfying position for Christians, and based on the selection from 1 Peter it has been uncomfortable almost since the beginning. Now having waited for 2000 years, many Christians simply dismiss the notion of a Second Coming, or at least deny its relevance in their spirituality. Even so, Christians hold fast to the values of the Son of Man. In that sense, Christians voluntarily subject themselves to the judgment of the Son of Man even before his appearance.

Prompting Conversations

The exiled Jews explained their captivity as punishment for previous sins. How does your community explain the presence of evil in the world?

Christians have developed many titles for Jesus – Babe of Bethlehem, Lord, and Savior, for instance, in addition to Mark’s Son of God, Messiah, and Son of Man. What titles are most meaningful for you? What do they say about what Jesus does?

Many Christians pray in their liturgies “We remember his death; we proclaim his resurrection; we await his coming in glory.” How do you wait for the Second Coming? How does it impact your spiritual life?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.

“Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary” © 2017 St Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/adulted/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Mary

Tracy — Wed, 06 Dec 2017 01:00:12 +0000

The beauty and joy of a new baby…and also the raging hormones. Just a couple of the thoughts that pass through my mind on Tuesday mornings as I sit in a dim and quiet chapel staring at Mary holding her baby on the reredos waiting for Morning Prayer to begin. When I imagine what she witnessed that first Christmas morning I can't help but think of the hormones…the emotions…worries…the way birth felt so closely connected to death when I experienced it. I remember one late night, sitting in the rocking chair nursing my new baby I had the thought “one day I will die and he won't have a mommy” and it felt overwhelmingly sad. There was no logical reason for these thoughts but there they were, the scary, beautiful, unstoppable thoughts of a new mother. Did Mary have these thoughts? If not, how could they have been avoided when three random people came with fancy baby gifts traditionally used for burial. The angels, the prophecies, the scriptures must have brought such immeasurable joy…but also a hint of darkness. What was to come? We know. In her book Hallelujah Anyway Anne Lamott shares an anonymous quotation she keeps on her wall: “Love is hard. Love is…seeing the darkness in another person and defying the impulse to jump ship.” Mary saw the darkness…of the world she was living in…the world that would receive and reject her son…of the human soul in need of a savior, but she never jumped ship. Every morning I read the news. If I don't have time to break open the newspaper then I scroll through my Twitter feed. I don't have to tell you there is darkness, despair, and hopelessness in the world. Everyday we face it, everyday we open our hearts, every year our Savior comes and so we don't jump ship. God comes, God does not jump ship. Emmanuel. Jennifer Williamson is an ordained United Methodist pastor currently on family leave and attending Grace and St. Stephen's in Colorado Springs where her husband is the rector. She stays home with her two boys ages three and six and also does supply preaching and volunteer work. She is originally from Youngstown, Ohio and has an MDiv from Drew Theological School. You can find more of her blog posts and sermons at pastorjenw.blogspot.com or email her at jssw220@yahoo.com.

Joseph

Tracy — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 05:30:37 +0000

We don’t pay a lot of attention to Joseph. He doesn’t seem like a major player in the Christmas story, but he played one of the biggest roles in the whole story. If he had made a different choice, if he had ignored the angel, where would we be now? Uhm, hello. My name is Joseph. I’m a carpenter and I take great pride in doing good work. I like to think I’m an honest guy who does what I’m supposed to do. I have no political goals, even though I come from a line of priests. I just want to do the right thing. I’m engaged to a sweet young girl named Mary. The next step is marriage, and I always thought we’d have a nice family, maybe pass along the carpentry business to a son or two. But I just got some troubling news. Mary is pregnant. And the baby is not mine. Now I have to decide if I’m going to stick with her, keep quiet about the adultery, and raise another man’s child; or sever our relationship. Because we aren’t married, that is the thing to do. We can get a quiet divorce and I’m good. If I stick with her, folks are going to talk about Mary and Joseph getting ahead of themselves, having a baby before the wedding. I mean, it happens, but not to folks like Mary and me. But nobody is going to kill either of us. Strictly speaking, since the baby isn’t mine, I should probably terminate our relationship. I mean, we aren’t completely married yet. I’d be completely within my rights to divorce her. In fact, it would probably save my reputation. But wait...Just now, this angel came around to tell me that the spirit of God entered Mary to make her pregnant and I should still marry her. Hey, I never thought I’d be having a conversation with an angel. Sure, there have been folks in my ancestry who talked to angels, but that's never been my expectation. Angels mean something big is going on, I think. And this angel’s message is very troubling. I’d pretty much decided to get a divorce. I care about Mary, but the adultery thing just really angered me. I can’t let it go. Now, I’ve got an angel telling me there was no adultery. I’m a common guy, a carpenter. Folks like me aren’t picked to do big things like this, like raise a Savior. Wow. This is way more than I bargained for when I entered a relationship with sweet young Mary. When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife... (Matthew 1:24)

Deborah Sampson says she's "just a gal who cain't say no." She sings in up to five choirs depending on the season, serves on the vestry for Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Centennial, and is in her second term on the High Plains Regional Executive Committee. She chairs the supervisory committee of a credit union, is copyist for three composers, and is writing a book called Games Churches Should Play, which offers some alternate ways to get at the grit of organizational development. She can be reached at sampson.dk@gmail.com.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 11 Dec 2017 14:53:14 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for December 17, 2017

Third Sunday in Advent

The Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 ¹The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; ²to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; ³to provide for those who mourn in Zion – to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. ⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. . . . ⁸For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. ⁹Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed. ¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Worth Noting: The previous chapter, Isaiah 60, includes the promises of the LORD to the nation of Israel during the economic depression following the return from the Babylonian exile. In the Lectionary selection from chapter 61, the nation responds, first with an acknowledgment of the national vocation (verses 1-4, 8-9) and then with a vision of a prosperous, joyful nation (verses 10-11). In sum, Israel finds its joy in its covenantal relationship with the LORD. When have you experienced your deepest joy?

Psalm 126 or Luke 1:46b-55 ¹When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. ²Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” ³The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. ⁴Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. ⁵May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. ⁶Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

Worth Noting: Israel identifies with “those who dream” (verse 1). Memory of a deed that moved the surrounding nations to praise the Lord anchors the faith of the nation in the Lord, and engenders the hope that future deeds will restore the people to peace. What has God done in your life or in the life of your community that give hope for the future? How do your dreams and the dreams of your community shape hope for the future? How do we share our dreams?

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 ¹⁶Rejoice always,¹⁷pray without ceasing,¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit.²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets,²¹but test everything; hold fast to what is good;²²abstain from every form of evil. ²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Worth Noting: The Latin version of the opening of this reading gives the third Sunday of Advent its traditional name: Gaudete, Rejoice, Sunday and the pink candle in our Advent wreath. Is it too early to start rejoicing? Do we have to wait to finish our gift shopping?

Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28 ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. . . . This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” ²¹And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” ²²Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. ²⁴Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.²⁵They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” ²⁶John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,²⁷the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” ²⁸This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Worth Noting: Who has served your community as the “voice crying out in the wilderness”? What was their message? How was their message received?

Grappling with the Scriptures

Entering into the Scriptures

John the Baptist appears in each of the four canonical Gospels and in independent histories of the period. The Roman-Jewish historian Josephus confirms the Gospel portrayal of John as a widely followed preacher of repentance. Josephus further reports that the ruler of Galilee, Herod Antipas, fearing a popular John would lead a revolution had John put to death (Antiquities of the Jews XVIII.v.2 §116-119). John’s impact extended beyond his death well into the time of the early Church. Acts describes an encounter in Ephesus around the year 55 c.e. between Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria in Egypt who knew only the baptism of John, and Priscilla and Aquila, originally from Rome, who “instructed him in the Way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:24-26). John preached repentance to Israelites on behalf of all Israel for sins and affronts to the God of Israel, just as did the classic Israelite prophets (like Amos and Jeremiah and Ezekiel). Two characteristics distinguished his work from theirs. In the first place John preached that baptism by him was essential for complete forgiveness. Indeed, this feature was so distinctive that John became John the Baptist/Baptizer. A second characteristic is that John told people what to do on his own authority. He didn’t appeal to reason, nor did he cite Bible verses or a direct message from God to support his claims. In the Church, John claims the position of the Advent figure. John serves as the immediate forerunner to and herald of the ministry of Jesus. His message, however, points to the Last Days: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15 and parallels). John thus prepares for both the remembrance of the Incarnation and the coming of the Last Days.

Repent? Let’s Talk Next Month

It seems almost nonsensical to preach repentance in the weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years (unless the team you coach has gone from 8-4 last season to 3-9 this). Most of us struggle (usually half-heartedly) not to put on the “Holiday Season Five” pounds. Why not wait until January 1 and the New Year’s Resolutions season to talk about repentance? To make sense, let’s start by thinking about our idea of repentance. The New Testament concept of metanoia, “changing the mind” has scant connotation of penitential fasts and flagellation. All of us change our minds hundreds of times a day. Yes, Paul and the other writers were thinking about something more serious than changing your mind about having cereal rather than eggs for breakfast. They were thinking more along the lines of a ship’s course correction. Maybe for some a correction involved a U-turn from worshipping Jupiter to worshipping the Lord, but for others maybe it involved trimming several degrees, from waiting for the Messiah to acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah. Our Advent works (including writing end-of-year Christmas letters) prompt us to look up from stoking the boilers of our lives to see whether our lives are in fact headed where we want them to go. Are we (and herewith endeth this dreadful nautical metaphor) headed for the port in which we want to dock? To guide us, we look to find those guiding stars that shine all the brighter in the darkest nights of the year. We search to see where the Star of Bethlehem will lead us.

Questions for Discussion

Who are the dreamers in your circle of friends? What are their dreams? Have you given up dreaming big?

Isn’t this supposed to be a season of joy? Do you think John the Baptist experienced joy in his life? And, by the way: Are joy and happiness the same thing?

What are the activities that most excite you during the Holidays? Does identifying them help us understand where our deepest joy might lie?

Might the season of Advent be used as a preparation for those New Year’s resolutions?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with religious and spiritual seekers for these past twenty years. To build his skills and burnish his image he earned a PhD in New Testament from the Iliff/University of Denver Program. He welcomes comments and commentary at dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2017 St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Centennial CO. Recent postings may be accessed at http://sttims.net/

The Innkeeper

Tracy — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 05:30:59 +0000

We know the story by heart. Mary and Joseph finally make it to Bethlehem only to find, low and behold, that there is no room in the inn. We see it in pageants and laugh as children, in their best grumpy voices, exclaim “I have no room, Caesar’s decree for a census has filled up my inn.” But do we actually stop and think about the innkeeper? Think about the company you have during the holiday season. You make sure the spare room has fresh bedding, that the house is clean, that the meals are planned just so, and that the inviting smell of baking cookies is wafting through the air. At least I do. Now imagine being an innkeeper during a census. There is actually no room, you are working overtime, someone is knocking on your door every other minute looking for a room and now you have a poor couple without a penny to their name asking for help because the woman is in labor?! No way. That is the last thing you need! I’d be closing the door in a hurry too. But one innkeeper didn’t close the door. One innkeeper saw the miracle, poor and meek as it was, in front of him and had mercy. Even in all of his stress and business, one innkeeper opened his heart and his stable and found room for a mother in need, not knowing the precious gift she was about to give the world. It makes me think. Do we slow down during this Advent season and make room in our hearts for the coming savior? Or do we busy about from party to party, shopping and wrapping, and close the door? Take a breath. Notice the miracle. And welcome the Lord. Elizabeth is the Director of Children and Youth Ministries for The Episcopal Church in Colorado. She finds inspiration in knitting while planning camps and retreats for children and youth. Reach her at Elizabeth@EpiscopalColorado.org.

The Donkey

Tracy — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 05:30:51 +0000

The bearer of the Christ-bearer. Seems a heavy job for such a simple animal, and yet the lowly donkey is a key player in our Nativity story. The man came out in a bit of a rush that morning. He slipped the rope over my head and led me out of the pen, right past the cart I usually pull into town for him. ”I guess we aren’t going to get lumber today,” I thought. The man threw a few blankets over a couple of saddlebags on my back then patted my rump as he headed back into the house. He led her out gently by the hand. I had seen the young girl here before, but this time something was different. She had a glow about her, and was cradling her swollen belly. She sweetly patted me on the nose before the man lifted her onto my back. Out of Nazareth, I tread as gently as I could. The woman and whatever it was she was carrying felt more important than any other load I had ever carried. We walked for days and days, so we took frequent breaks, and the man and the young girl were generous with water and food. I had always been well cared for—the man was an excellent master, and he relied on me to carry many loads—but this was all so different. There seemed to be a cloud around us as we traveled, as though our safety was ensured by something immensely powerful. After a couple of weeks on the road, we finally arrived at our destination—nothing looked familiar, and I knew I was further from home than I had ever been. I was finally led into a barn, given hay and water, and found it comforting that the man and young girl had decided to stay with me through the night. Cries of pain broke the silence of the barn, alarming me and the other animals. The man knelt in front of the young girl, a mix of terror and sheer focus on his face. Suddenly it was over, and the whole barn filled with light, radiating from the arms of the man who held the small one. The man took one of my travel blankets and lay it in the feeding trough. The small one looked up at him then through the slats of the roof. A star, brighter than any other in the sky, shone down on our simple dwelling, and a hush rushed through like a breeze. This small one who brought with him light into the world was my greatest load to carry, and on his back, he would carry the world’s greatest load. Camie Dewey is a second year M.Div. student at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX, and is a Candidate for Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate from the Diocese of Colorado. Camie misses the mountains and always looks forward to returning to Colorado when possible. When not immersed in studies, Camie enjoys eating tacos, looking up new places to try tacos, and thinking about tacos.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 14:59:50 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for December 24, 2017

Fourth Sunday in Advent

Fra Angelico: The Annunciation

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 ¹Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.” ⁴But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

Worth Noting: Solomon, David’s son, did build a temple for the LORD, what may be an early example of the effects of an “edifice complex” for shortly after its completion the nation David built was torn apart with the smallest, poorest part left to support Solomon’s structure. Why couldn’t Solomon and why can’t we go with the word of the LORD who just wants to share a tent with his people? Is it about the LORD or us?

Canticle: Luke 1:46b-55 Alternate Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 ⁴⁶My soul magnifies the Lord, ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. ⁵⁰His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. ⁵¹He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. ⁵²He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; ⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, ⁵⁵according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.

Worth Noting: Mary’s canticle (Biblical poetry not found in the Psalms) while associated with Jesus’ birth speaks of the time when the powers and structures of the world are overturned. Once again, Scripture and Lectionary link the Incarnation with the Second Coming. How can preparations for Christmas be preparations for the Second Coming?

Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27 ²⁵Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages²⁶but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith –²⁷to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

Worth Noting: Why did Paul write of “his” gospel? In Galatians, Paul wrote of being “entrusted with the gospel for the” Gentiles (Galatians 2:7). For Paul, the Romans, and all he wrote to, the Good News was that the LORD, God of Israel, became incarnate to reconcile with the Gentiles and to bring the Gentiles to the worship of the LORD. Is this the Good News for you and your community?

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38 ²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,²⁷to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.²⁸And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” ²⁹But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.³¹And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.³³He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.³⁶And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.³⁷For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Worth Noting: Words of wisdom: “When an angel appears and says ‘Do not be afraid,’ be afraid!” When you are called to do something difficult with an unpredictable outcome, how do you respond? Where do you find the confidence to proceed with the assignment? (This could occur in a religious call, a work setting, or in a family situation.)

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Editors of the Lectionary probably felt the format of the Lectionary (with poetry following the first reading) obligated them to put Mary’s canticle (Luke 1:46-55) before the account of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), when Mary was told of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. The scenes complement each other, but clearly were meant to proclaimed in the order Luke wrote them because the first scene, of Mary and Gabriel, provides bare bones accounts of elements of the Good News while Mary’s canticle expands the same themes. Regarding Mary, Gabriel declares Mary a “favored one” (Luke 1:28) and then Mary predicts “all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). All people will recognize that she is favored. In the first scene, Mary refers to herself as the “servant,” or slave, of the Lord (verse 38) and in the second affirms that the Lord has “looked with favor on the lowliness” or low social position “of his servant” or slave (verse 48). Regarding Jesus, Gabriel describes him as Son of the Most High who will receive the throne of David (verse 32). To Elizabeth, Mary describes what he will do: “scatter the proud,” “bring down the powerful,” “lift up the lowly,” and feed the hungry (verses 51, 52, and 53). When read together, the texts provide a rich summary of what we might term “Mary’s Gospel.” Together Scripture tells of the Son of God’s incarnation and restoration of righteousness in the world.

Make Your Plans and Hear God Chuckle

Sermons on this Gospel selection often trend into praise of Mary’s “submission” to the will of God. Current popular culture reflecting a century of war and attitudes of fierce competitiveness has left the term with the connotation of yielding to a superior force. But this contradicts God’s willingness to allow human free will in the divine economy. We propose “adaptability” for Mary’s accommodation to God’s request. Adaptability encompasses the quality of being able to adjust to new conditions. In a loving relationship, adaptability is the willingness to do whatever is needed so that the beloved may prosper. Adaptability characterizes Jesus’ own willingness to renounce the dignities of divinity to take on the form of a slave (Philippians 2:6-7). Paul also spoke of it when he wrote “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law . . . so that I might win those under the law” (1 Corinthians 9:20). At the Annunciation, Mary proved her love of God and of God’s people in her acceptance of motherhood of the Messiah. What had been her plans for her life? Perhaps marriage to a local boy and a pack of children raised in her home town surrounded by her family? Perhaps she wished to pursue the life of an ascetic dedicating herself to prayer and fasting like the prophet Anna (Luke 2:36-38). None of her plans, admirable as they might have been, could possibly take account of the tremendous deed God asked of Mary. Whatever her plans, she proved her love through her adaptability to the needs of God and her people.

Questions for Discussion

Advent comes during a frantic time of shopping, traveling, decorating, and partying. How do you make sure the messages of Advent penetrate your life? Have you adopted a practice (perhaps just lighting an Advent wreath every night) that helps make that happen?

Has your community faced a challenging call for help? How did you discern the proper path?

Have you or your community engaged in writing The Gospel of [fill in the blank]? Whether or not you have, how would your Gospel open? How would you outline it?

Mary’s adaptability to the needs of God and God’s people may serve as a model. How do you experience the virtue of adaptability in your life – perhaps in marriage, family life, or in your communities?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2017 St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Centennial Colorado. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Gabriel

Tracy — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 05:30:02 +0000

Imagine the angel Gabriel observing from on high the holy family in the stable with the newborn Jesus. The blessed nativity! Just as he'd revealed to Mary nine months earlier, and for which the way was made with the prior prophesy and birth of John to Elizabeth and Zechariah. Though Gabriel “stands in the presence of God,” (Luke 1:19) and brings news directly from the source, Zechariah doesn’t exactly welcome the angel. Fear and terror are his response, as well as a request for more information. Is this sometimes our response to what God is telling us? Fear, disbelief, a need for certainty? As the nativity unfolds does this divine messenger consider the possibility that the holy birth might be a turning point in how humanity relates with and trusts God? As the Word has become flesh in Jesus, does Gabriel hope for a new openness to God's messages? Does Gabriel hope this event will make the future of God-to-human communications—even the unfathomable—a little easier? I wonder too: Could we all be more curious, welcoming, and trusting of what God may be revealing in our lives (even if it doesn't come from an angel)? Could it be that as the Christ child grows there will also grow among us greater patience with God's actions and interventions in our lives? Liv Syptak is a change management consultant and coach. She watches, listens, and waits for God while hiking, skiing, cycling and just sitting on rocks in the woods of Breckenridge where she's a member of St. John the Baptist.

A Shepherd

Tracy — Fri, 22 Dec 2017 05:30:34 +0000

I’m still pinching myself about the events of last night. My friends and I were taking our usual shifts through the night, making sure that the sheep were secure in the sheepfold. Suddenly there was a brilliance in the night sky that none of us had ever seen before, and there was an angel standing among us. We were all instantly wide awake--and terrified. The angel told us not to be afraid...that this was a night of great joy for all the world, in the form of a baby born in Bethlehem. We were told this baby was Savior, Messiah, and Lord, and the angel gave us a sign: we would find the child wrapped in rags and lying in a manger. We ran to Bethlehem, which was the closest town to our campsite. We looked around, asked a few questions, and then came upon a stable. We rushed right in when we saw what was before us. Looking back on it now, I’m sure we startled them. We were strangers who smelled like campfire and sweat and sheep. Before us was a couple--Joseph and Mary were their names. And yes--exactly as the angel had said--there was a baby wrapped up in rags, and placed gently in that feeding trough. We asked the baby’s name, and Joseph and Mary looked at each other and smiled, and looked at us, and said simultaneously, “His name is Jesus.” We told them how we had encountered the angel of the Lord in the fields, what the angel had announced to us, and how the angel was suddenly joined by a multitude of angels giving praise to God. They were amazed at what we told them. They also looked relieved, as if to say, “So that’s why you all are here!” We didn’t want to overstay our welcome, and we still had sheep that needed our attention. So we returned to our sheep, but it felt like my feet never touched the ground as we walked back. We were singing and shouting “Hallelujah! Thank you, Yahweh!” And none of us slept for the rest of the night. I have been wondering why the angel came to us. Sure, we were in the neighborhood. But we are just shepherds. People either ignore us, despise us, or are afraid of us. Why didn’t the angel come to a king or a queen, or to a wealthy business owner, or to a rabbi? Why us? This is the answer I am landing on right now: We were awake, and our hearts were open to receiving God’s revelation. And maybe God sees us in a way that the rest of the world does not. I do wonder: If the Messiah and Savior is born in a stable and God’s angels are sent to announce his birth to shepherds like me...what kind of Messiah will this be? (based on Luke 2:8-20) Peter Munson is an avid hiker, preacher, and writer. He is married to Julia, a psychotherapist and relationship coach, and they have two adult children. Peter has backpacked the 500-mile Colorado Trail, climbed 47 of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, and in 2019 is planning to walk across the United States with the goal of raising $6 million for three non-profits that provide a brighter future for children. He has been the rector of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Boulder since 2001. He can be reached at petermunson3@comcast.net. You can read other reflections at facebook.com/jesusschoolreflections.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 23:19:26 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for December 31, 2017

First Sunday after Christmas

THE READINGS

Note: This week’s readings are taken from the Lectionary for the Episcopal Church.

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3 ^1:10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. ^62:1For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. ²The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. ³You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Worth Noting: The prophet assures the people that their struggles to rebuild their society, epitomized as the city of Jerusalem, some three generations after the Babylonian exile, would be successful. What is the message of today’s prophets? Are you energized by assurances of a bright future?

Psalm 147 or 147:13-21 [¹ Hallelujah! How good it is to sing praises to our God! how pleasant it is to honor him with praise! ² The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. ³ He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. ⁴ He counts the number of the stars and calls them all by their names. ⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power; there is no limit to his wisdom. ⁶ The Lord lifts up the lowly, but casts the wicked to the ground. ⁷ Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God upon the harp. ⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds and prepares rain for the earth; ⁹ He makes grass to grow upon the mountains and green plants to serve mankind. ¹⁰ He provides food for flocks and herds and for the young ravens when they cry. ¹¹ He is not impressed by the might of a horse; he has no pleasure in the strength of a man; ¹² But the Lord has pleasure in those who fear him, in those who await his gracious favor.] ¹³ Worship the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion; ¹⁴ For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; he has blessed your children within you. ¹⁵ He has established peace on your borders; he satisfies you with the finest wheat. ¹⁶ He sends out his command to the earth, and his word runs very swiftly. ¹⁷ He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes. ¹⁸ He scatters his hail like bread crumbs; who can stand against his cold? ¹⁹ He sends forth his word and melts them; he blows with his wind, and the waters flow. ²⁰ He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and his judgments to Israel. ²¹ He has not done so to any other nation; to them he has not revealed his judgments. Hallelujah!

Worth Noting: The LORD reigns supreme as creator of the universe (verses 4, 8-9), protector of Israel (verses 14-15), and disdains the power of armed forces (verses 5, 11). More than anything the LORD gives his people his word and his judgments. The LORD teaches his people how to live in right relationships. Birth family, Church teaching, and Bible lessons often form the core attitudes of Christians. What other sources are important to you? Social media? Education?

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 ^3:23Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian . . . ^4:4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,⁵in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.⁶And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”⁷So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Worth Noting: For Paul, all creation lived “under the law.” Gentiles just didn’t realize that they too were subject to the discipline of the Law. Christ brought Gentiles into God’s family, a status already enjoyed by Israel to whom the terms and conditions of the law had been revealed (see Psalm 147:20-21 above). As a child, Christians are heirs to God’s promises. What do you think is your inheritance? (Note: The new tax bill does not alter this status.)

Gospel: John 1:1-18 ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.²He was in the beginning with God.³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. ⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'")¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.¹⁷The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Close readers of the Gospel of John have long reasoned that the text is the product of a series of edits by a number of writers. Further, the Prologue to the Gospel, John 1:1-18, the Gospel selection above, stands alone as a literary work among the Gospels. Most are convinced that the Prologue includes a “Christ hymn” familiar to the Johannine community, with a number of later interpolations that introduce John the Baptist and clarify certain points. (Think of a narrator standing to the side of a choir interjecting comments during the performance of a hymn.) Since the only evidence we have of the hymn comes in this Prologue, a number of versions are possible. Set out below is one – broadly acceptable to most but specifically endorsed by none.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

The Greek term logos, translated here “Word” is notoriously difficult to render in English. It may mean a single word, or a full statement, or a dialogue between parties, a narrative, or, here, the meaning of life. The modern reader may wish to take all of these possible meanings and connotations into account when hearing this selection, for they add to the richness of the person of Jesus, the Word of God. Logos sets the table for the rest of the hymn that explains how the logos acts in the world. First, the logos is the definitive statement by God of the relationship between the divine and creation. The logos participated in the initial act of creation and provides light, meaning, to the world. As the logos lives in creation, all creation has the power to recognize the glory of the logos and to participate in it. Only indirectly can this hymn be considered a typical prologue for the Gospel of John, as it ignores important themes in the Gospel. On the other hand, its preservation by the authors of the Gospel offers readers throughout the ages an opportunity to experience insights from the earliest Church’s meditation on the person of Jesus the Christ.

“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”

How do we “do theology”? How can we express the inexpressible? Professional theologians readily, and humbly, acknowledge that to speak of God can only be done analogously – “God is . . .” they will say, while quickly adding “But not like any . . . we have ever seen.” They say “God is good, but God’s goodness is so transcendent that it is unlike any good thing or person we can ever imagine.” Enter poetry. Poets, like theologians, express truths indirectly. Struggling to express the wonder of the Incarnation, the poet of John 1:1-18 hit upon “the Word,” and expanded on what a divine Word might be like. Because best seller lists feature escape literature and not the latest works of Billy Collins or Tracy Smith (past and present poet laureates of the United States), we think that poetry is dead. But poetry lives on – notably and vigorously in rap, and hip hop, and pop songs. Powerful songs rally a nation to a cause, lead a congregation into communion, and mark the passage of the years. They give us words to express our fears, our rage, and our loves.

Questions for Discussion

What are the consequences for you of being a child of God? What does it mean to be a member of the family of God? Are only co-religionists really your brothers and sisters?

“Auld Lang Syne,” originally a poem by Robert Burns, will be sung around the world on December 31. What makes that song so special at the end of one year and the dawn of the next? What other songs stir your blood?

Greek logos, English “Word,” has multiple connotations including computation, meaning, action, statement, narrative, and dialogue. (For an exhausting list see http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dlo%2Fgos.) When thinking of your current relationship with Christ, which is most relevant for you?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Quotations from the First Reading, Second Reading, and Gospel are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Psalm 147 is taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2017 St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Centennial Colorado. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 19:46:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for January 7, 2018

First Sunday after Epiphany; The Baptism of the Lord

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-5 ¹In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. ³Then God said, “Let there be light;” and there was light.⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Worth Noting: God creates with a sentence, “Let there be light:” only two words in Hebrew. The elegance of the Biblical creation account contrasts with the messy, brutal tales other ancient peoples told of the creation of the universe. What is your creative process: carefully charted before beginning or messier, starting a project with but a vague idea of where you are going? (Both work, by the way.)

Psalm 29 ¹Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. ²Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor. ³The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, over mighty waters. ⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. ⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. ⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. ⁷The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. ⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. ⁹The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” ¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as king forever. ¹¹May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace! Second Reading: Acts 19:1-7 ¹While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.²He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John's baptism.” ⁴Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.⁶When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied--⁷altogether there were about twelve of them. Gospel: Mark 1:4-11 ⁴John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.⁵And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.⁶Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.⁷He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.⁸I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.¹⁰And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Worth Noting: Based on rituals throughout the Ancient Middle East and in the ascetic Jewish community at Qumran, confession of sins (verse 5) probably meant a public confession of communal sins – idolatry and failure to obey the Law, for example. Does your community express communal sorrow and repentance regularly? How does it differ from individual repentance?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The primitive Church remembered the power in Paul’s baptism of the twelve Ephesians: “. . . they spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul insists that to be effective speaking in tongues (glossolalia) must be accompanied by the even more important gift of interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:26-28). For Paul and the early Church, Baptism had a two-fold effect. First, like the baptism of John, the washing cleanses the individual from sin. But in addition, and in a way superior to John’s baptism, the laying on of hands endows the individual with gifts from the Holy Spirit. These gifts are not meant for the exclusive, private use and benefit of the individual, but, Paul insists, for the building up of the community. Hence, speaking in tongues is of no value unless there is someone to translate the speech.

The Mystery of Jesus’ Baptism

Early each calendar year, the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. The celebration raises the question: Why was Jesus baptized? John, Mark tells us, proclaimed a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). Christians, however, are convinced that Jesus never sinned, and therefore had no need to repent. Was it to show us the need for repentance? Was it to provide continuity from John’s baptism of repentance to Jesus’ baptism of empowerment? Taking the notion of “repentance” as a process of turning one’s life around, and not only turning away from sin. Various dates in the Gospels have lead careful readers to conclude that Jesus began his public ministry at about age 30. We assume that before then Jesus spent his time in Nazareth with mother and father. The initiation of his ministry would be a propitious time to “repent,” to renounce the comforts of his home and family life. With the endorsement and gifts of the Holy Spirit (“You are my Son, my beloved . . . [Mark 1:11]) Jesus was prepared for his ministry.

Questions for Discussion

Happy New Year 2018! Psalm 29 serves as a useful new year prayer: God, you are powerful; now give us strength and peace. For what do you pray for the coming year?

We have many and diverse gifts for the building up of the community. Who has pointed out your gifts? In what ways can they contribute to the life of the community?

As one baptized, as a sponsor at a baptism, or as a member of the witnessing community, how do you experience the two aspects of baptism (forgiveness of sins and endowment with gifts of the Holy Spirit)? What are the symbols of each?

To obtain a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2017 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 15:29:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for January 14, 2018

Second Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20] ¹Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.²At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room;³the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!”⁵and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. ⁶The LORD called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.⁸The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy.⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” [¹¹Then the LORD said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.¹²On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.¹³For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.¹⁴Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” ¹⁵Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.¹⁶But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him.” ¹⁹As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD.]

Worth Noting: Sometimes the job of the prophet is to deliver bad news: It’s as hard to give as to receive. Can you remember a time when someone gave you bad news “well” (whatever “well” means to you)? How did that go down?

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 ¹O LORD, you have searched me and known me. ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. ³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. ⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. ¹³For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. ¹⁷How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸I try to count them – they are more than the sand; I come to the end – I am still with you.

Worth Noting: The poet experiences God as present (verses 1-6), knowing the poet more intimately than can a mother (verses 13-16), and yet so far above anything human as to leave the poet breathless (verses 17-18). How do you understand this intimate knowledge of you by God? Are all the days “formed for you” (verse 16) opportunities for you to exercise your will or is your destiny already written in them?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 ¹²“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.¹⁴And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. ¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!¹⁶Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.”¹⁷But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.¹⁸Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself.¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?²⁰For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Worth Noting: Stoics, life-style coaches during Paul’s life, taught that most of the things in our lives, including food and sex, were “indifferents:” neither intrinsically evil nor good, but to be used (or rejected) by humans for the sake of their edification. Rejecting this, Paul insists that because the body is united with Christ, because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, we must maintain its purity. How do you see your body tied to your “spiritual” life?

Gospel: John 1:43-51 ⁴³The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”⁵¹And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Worth Noting: Verse 51 continues an important theme in the Gospel of John, the descent and ascent of Jesus (here identifying himself with the Son of Man) between heaven and earth. In this passage, Jesus identifies himself as the link between heaven and earth, even for the angels.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians

For the next four weeks, the second reading will be taken from chapters 6 through 9 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. First Corinthians is referred to as an “occasional letter,” meaning it was composed in response to the situation, or occasions in Corinth. Paul responds to oral reports he has received about the Corinthian community (1:11-13) and to a letter they sent to him seeking guidance on matters touching on their common life (see for example 1 Corinthians 7:1, 8:1, 12:1). While we no longer have a copy, Paul reports that he wrote previously to the Corinthians on some of the same issues (5:9). The Corinthian community was composed principally of former pagans, practitioners of the traditional, polytheistic religions (6:11; 12:2). The section from which these four lessons is drawn focuses on the practices of the Christian life. This week’s selection deals with use of prostitutes. In the following weeks, Paul cautions against making any major life changes since the world will soon be ending. In light of that, Paul enjoins his followers to always be willing servants for each other, particularly by not scandalizing them with practices that could be mistaken as continued pagan. “Do as I do,” Paul says. “Be adaptable to the needs of others for the sake of the gospel of Christ.”

Entering into the Scriptures

Some see Paul as a puritanical, body-hating, churlish prude. The selection from 1 Corinthians might be taken as an example of this: “Stay away from food! Don’t enjoy sex!” Journeying takes a distinctly different view of the Apostle. Paul, like all Jews, did not recognize a clear distinction between soul and body. A person is a unity. The whole person engages in actions and the whole person reaps the benefits and suffers the consequences. That’s why the Ten Commandments enjoin and prohibit certain actions, and not intentions. “Keep holy the Sabbath” not set your mind on the Lord. “Feed your enemies” and heap burning coals on their heads. When Christ redeemed – bought back – the Corinthians, they became his, soul and body. Soul and body enjoy the freedom of Christ. The Christian’s body, as Theresa of Avila said, is the only body Christ has in the world today. Did Paul have a 21^st century appreciation that prostitution, sexual harassment, (or even consensual casual sex) turns another person into a “thing,” objectifies another for personal individual pleasure? Perhaps not. Yet the language he knew to describe sexual intercourse – “being together” in Greek and “knowing” in Hebrew (as God knows the poet in Psalm 139) – implies a personal intimacy, a union, that a commercial transaction sullies. Rather than using others for their own pleasure, Paul encourages the Corinthians to be adaptable, to live as Christ lived, for the benefit of others (Philippians 2:5). Prostitution is exactly the opposite.

Cleaning Out the Old Year’s Prejudices

In this Gospel, Nathaniel sounds like a highly partisan talk show host: “What good can come out of Nazareth? Don’t bother me with facts; I judge him as soon as I hear where he comes from.” But Nathaniel rises from his comfort zone and went to see what Philip was talking about. While we may be vaguely aware we live in ideological echo chambers, unlike Nathaniel we do not always make the effort to leave our comfortable spots and find out the truth. Samuel had some prejudices too. In his echo chamber young boys were not the instruments of the Lord and certainly would not receive a direct message from them. Which just points out that prejudices work insidiously to limit our appreciation both of others and ourselves. There is a danger to our way of life when we dispel our prejudices. Samuel spent many days dodging an angry King Saul. Nathaniel joined a community of wandering preachers, facing persecution from authorities and (probably) derision from those who wondered why he followed a Nazarene, for “what good can come from Nazareth?” So it is today. Dispelling prejudice, striving to see the world as God does, make us fertile ground for God’s call to a new way of life.

Questions for Discussion

What has been your image of Paul the Apostle? Have you seen him as an “anti-body”?

Do you think of your body as “really you” or is your “spiritual side” the only real you?

Have you struggled with a particular prejudice in your life? What has helped you to overcome it? Or do you find yourself working around it? Or is it a bit of both: recognizing your prejudice, working to eradicate it, and in the meantime working around it?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

“Nathaniel under the Fig Tree” by James Tissot has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 15:52:52 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for January 21, 2018

Third Sunday after Epiphany

[caption id="attachment_7123" align="aligncenter" width="181"]
THE READINGS[/caption] First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 ¹The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,²“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” ³So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across.⁴Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. . . ¹⁰When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Worth Noting: The fabulous aspects of the story of Jonah (sea monsters, tremendous size of Nineveh, and so forth) may occlude its message: The God of Israel, and the God of Jesus of Nazareth, is the loving God, full of mercy, of all people. How does your community live out this message towards and about others?

Psalm 62:5-12 ⁵For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. ⁶He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. ⁷On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. ⁸Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. ⁹Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. ¹⁰Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. ¹¹Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, ¹²and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.

Worth Noting: The psalmist is quite clear: Wealth and poverty, power and oppression provide scant assurance for righteousness in the sight of God. (See Gospel below for examples of those forsaking all to follow their vocation.) How do we balance trust in God with retirement accounts? How do we decide what professions to follow, jobs to take, and what to give to charity: does trust in God enter those decisions?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 ²⁹I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none,³⁰and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions,³¹and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

Worth Noting: Paul was convinced that Jesus was coming very soon. In response, Paul counsels “keep on keeping on – don’t change anything!” Would that be your resolution were you convinced that Jesus was coming in the next six months? Why would you change anything?

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20 ¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” ¹⁶As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-- for they were fishermen.¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets.²⁰Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

Worth Noting: When the four apostles left their boats, how did they and their families survive? Perhaps relatives and friends supported them, allowing the four to pursue their vocations. How does your community call and support vocations to service?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Bible collects stories that change minds. And there is nothing that can change more swiftly than the image of God. Is God a xenophobic destroyer of the Israel’s enemies? Yes, if you read Joshua and Judges a certain way. Or does God love the enemies of Israel? Yes, if your read Jonah. The point is, the Bible is not just a collection that makes us feel better about ourselves. The Bible, when read thoughtfully, jars our sensibilities and shakes us out of our comfortable places. For instance, the story of Jonah, when it first circulated, must have stirred some ill will among the people who heard it. Jonah, it will be recalled, first rejected God’s call to be a missionary to the great city Nineveh because Jonah knew that if the people repented God would relent in his punishment of the authors of the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel and the ethnic cleansing of the ten tribes from the Promised Land. Why would anyone want to save those people from just punishment? In the New Testament, is God a mighty king (see Revelation) or a babe in a manger (as in Luke). The God of the Bible is all of these things and more. The God of the Bible changes the divine mind, and commutes the sentence of the Ninevites. The Son of God changes his mind and cures the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman after a sharp exchange. The God of the Bible is a monarch and a political rebel, a fierce warrior and a tender shepherd, the Creator and the Destroyer. The God of the Bible surprises us and refuses our confining pigeon holes.

How Then Shall We Live?

The question we pose to the Bible most often is “How shall I live?” These texts give some answers. The book of Jonah tells us “When God calls, answer!” The psalmist affirms that not money and fame but trust in the LORD will endure. Jesus gives the apostles an open-ended invitation to a new way of life: “Come follow me.” While these answers ask for change in our lives, conversion. Paul says “Keep on doing what you’re doing (because the world is ending soon anyway).” Unlike a self-help manual, the Bible never provides a definitive step-by-step process to the better life. (If you think it does, just read a bit further.) The Bible calls us to reflect on our lives using the Bible as inspiration and source book. One of the most important decisions we make, for instance, is where to settle – in what neighborhood of what city. The location largely decides the people with whom we (and perhaps our children) will interact, the amount of money we will spend on housing, where we will worship, even with whom we will rub elbows in the supermarket. The housing decision shapes a large part of our lives. We use the Bible not for real estate listings, but for images of how to live our lives – in community, sharing our talent and resources, caring for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger in our midst. We model the family of Joseph and Mary who lived in the backwater town of a backwater province earning a living and educating their children. That education extended beyond academics to the real question: How shall we live?

Questions for Discussion

Psalm 62 calls us to trust in God. How does that work when we are making tough decisions? Do we trust that God will lead us to the right decision or that God will work with our decision, no matter what it is, so we can make the most of it?

Is an image of God as unchanging as the Rock of Gibraltar important to you and your community?

If we are created in the image of a restless, changeable God, how are we to live? Does God call us in the same way at 16, 36, and 56?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The “Call of the Apostles Peter and Andrew” by Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255-c. 1320) has been identified as free of known restrictions under copyright law.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 13:28:52 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for January 28, 2018

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

THE READINGS

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 ¹⁵The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet.¹⁶This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” ¹⁷Then the LORD replied to me: “They are right in what they have said.¹⁸I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command.¹⁹Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable.²⁰But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak – that prophet shall die.”

Worth Noting: God appointed the ancient prophets – Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and all the rest – in the line established in Deuteronomy 18:15. As the voice of God to the people, they called the people to their covenant obligations. Christians proclaim Jesus Christ in the same line, calling all, Jews and Gentiles, to be faithful. Who among your acquaintances serves this function, holding you accountable to the will and values of God?

Psalm 111 ¹Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. ²Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. ³Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. ⁴He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful. ⁵He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. ⁶He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. ⁷The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. ⁸They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. ⁹He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. ¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.

Worth Noting: Psalm 111 provides a synopsis of the basis for the covenant relationship between the LORD and Israel: the mighty deeds and continuing righteousness of the LORD met by the peoples’ response of their whole mind and will (in Hebrew, the heart). How does your community respond to God’s mighty deeds? Perhaps first: What are the mighty deeds God has done for your community (not just personally)?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 ¹Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.²Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge;³but anyone who loves God is known by him.⁴Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.”⁵Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth – as in fact there are many gods and many lords – ⁶yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. ⁷It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.⁸“Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.⁹But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.¹⁰For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?¹¹So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed.¹²But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.¹³Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

Worth Noting: “You’re right: idols are nonexistent; and yes, you are right: eating meat sacrificed to idols is to eat meat sacrificed to nothing. Your knowledge is complete, but not your love.” Do you have to hold your tongue sometimes, leaving someone with imperfect knowledge uncorrected in order to maintain a relationship? Has that happened to you? Do you know “ignorant people” who have great love?

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 ²¹They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.²²They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ²³Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,²⁴and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” ²⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” ²⁶And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.²⁷They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching – with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Worth Noting: The unclean spirits wish to exercise the power their knowledge of Jesus’ identity gives (a knowledge not shared with the humans) for their benefit and not the benefit of Jesus or the community. Thus is knowledge power as in 1 Corinthians.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

In times past, the Gospel of Mark was considered a crude synopsis of the Gospel of Matthew. In recent times, however, readers have acknowledged Mark’s creative genius. In Mark 1:21-28, for instance, the author gives the listener/reader a brief summary and foreshadowing of the whole of the Gospel, with a portrait of a typical day for Jesus and introduction of key characters who will reappear throughout the Gospel. Jesus teaches, and when onlookers compare him favorably with the scribes, the listener/reader has a premonition of the conflict with authorities that will eventually dominate the Gospel. Jesus casts out an “unclean spirit,” previewing both his ministry, the ministry of his apostles (Mark 6:7-13), and the ministry of those who cast out demons in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:38 and Christ followers hearing the story). Demons commonly confrontat Jesus throughout his ministry as they recognize immediately what no humans do: Jesus is “the Holy One of God.” When the demons try to cry out in witness to him, Jesus silences them, and so Mark introduces the Messianic Secret. Right up to his trial by the Jerusalem authorities, Jesus keeps from the general public confirmation of his status as “the Holy One of God.” (The Twelve receive this teaching but are “sternly warned” not to tell anyone else [Mark 8:27-30].) At the end, the tales of Jesus’ power spread quickly throughout the region. The listener wonders: Will this popularity save him from the wrath of the authorities? The tension builds.

“Getting to Know You”

Politicians and school administrators argue for public funding of education because “we are in a global economy and need an educated workforce to compete.” Education becomes a search for knowledge in order to exercise power. The readings from 1 Corinthians and Mark contain more than a hint of this utilitarian approach to knowledge. In 1 Corinthians, Paul warns his audience against equating “knowledge” with giving free rein to act toward others without regard to their situation. Paul emphasizes that love takes precedence over knowledge. In the selection from Mark, the demons, in an effort to forestall being cast out, tell Jesus they know his identity that he has revealed to no one, the “Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). In both cases, some try to exercise knowledge to convey power over another. There is another kind of Biblical knowledge, expressing knowing and loving another deeply and intimately – communing between two people. It is the knowledge epitomized in Jesus’ knowledge of the Church (Ephesians 5). It is a knowledge of and love for the deepest identity of each other, as children of God, made in God’s image. True education, the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom, becomes an exploration into the profound mystery of ourselves and others, not for the purpose of manipulation but in a communion of love for the subject.

Questions for Discussion

When have you been a prophet for another? When does your community act as a prophet to the wider world?

Have you ever written your autobiography? How would you summarize your current life in (say) 200 words? Has that changed over the last decade?

Lovers wish us well and “demons” ill. Both observe us closely and know well our habits and foibles. How do you suppose they would summarize your typical day?

We often think of the reason for public education to be the development of an educated, economically productive workforce. How else do we benefit from a vibrant system of public education?

To download a PDF version of this week' s Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

"Knowledge is Power" by Seymour Joseph Guy has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 29 Jan 2018 14:20:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 4, 2018

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31 ²¹Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? ²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; ²³who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. ²⁴Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. ²⁵To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. ²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? ²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. ²⁹He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. ³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; ³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Worth Noting: Isaiah 40 opens with the prophet proclaiming the deliverance of God’s people from exile in Babylon (Isaiah 40:1-11). This selection follows, with assertions of the LORD’s power (verses 21-26, 28-31) and an exhortation to trust in that power (verses 26-28). How do you renew your trust in God? (Maybe by recalling past deeds in your life or experiences of peace in the midst of turmoil.)

Psalm 147:1-11, 20c ¹Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. ²The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. ³He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. ⁴He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. ⁵Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. ⁶The Lord lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground. ⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre. ⁸He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills. ⁹He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry. ¹⁰His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; ¹¹but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. ^20cPraise the Lord!

Worth Noting: This is the God of the Old Testament, who heals the brokenhearted and takes pleasure in those who hope in his steadfast love. Is this the image of the God of the Old Testament you have?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 ¹⁶If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!¹⁷For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.¹⁸What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. ¹⁹For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.²⁰To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law.²¹To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law.²²To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.²³I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

Worth Noting: Consider: Every time we enter into a relationship – with an individual, a community, or an organization – aren’t we committing to be a servant in that relationship? (In some relationships, like marriage and parenting, more deeply than in others.) Is that what Paul is talking about in the second paragraph? How do you judge the depth of a commitment to a relationship/servanthood? (Again, marriage versus homeowners’ association, maybe.)

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39 ²⁹As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.³⁰Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.³¹He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. ³²That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.³³And the whole city was gathered around the door.³⁴And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. ³⁵In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.³⁶And Simon and his companions hunted for him.³⁷When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” ³⁹And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Worth Noting: In the snapshot of a typical day for Jesus, the notice about rising early and going off to pray shows this was Jesus’ daily habit – pray before work. The practice continued up to his Passion, when Jesus prayed in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32). How does your community encourage and support regular private prayer? Do you have a way to embed regular prayer in your life?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The second part of the reading from 1 Corinthians introduces to the Corinthians Paul’s theology of adaptability (and we’ll donate $25 to your favorite charity if you can come up with a better description than “theology of adaptability). Paul emphasizes that as a slave to all he has become “all things to all people” – a Jew to a Jew, Gentile to a Gentile, and weak to the weak. In 1 Corinthians 8:13 (read last Sunday), Paul says much the same thing, allowing that he will not eat meat sacrificed to idols if others do not do so. These chameleon performances are meant to bring all people to Christ. The passages in 1 Corinthians are straight forward and unapologetic; today’s readers may find Paul’s admissions off putting, perhaps slightly deceptive. We know that politicians seeking votes adopt a similar strategy of championing redress of the particular needs of particular voter groups. Paul, however, sees more in this than just a way to woo listeners. Remember that in Philippians 2:5-11, the Christ Hymn, Paul describes how Christ did the same thing, relinquishing the privileges of divinity to take the form and life of a human. Paul goes on to say that Christ’s reward is that God exalted his name above every other name. While in 1 Corinthians Paul simply asserts his practice, in Philippians Paul urges his readers/listeners to take on the same mind that was in Christ. That is, to regard others as superior and to promote the interests of others in preference to our own (Philippians 2:3-4). It is Paul’s theology of adaptability.

“Hometown Boy Makes Good . . . Somewhere Else”

It’s the year 30 and you and your family live in an unremarkable Galilean village. Diseases of all kinds are rampant and many result in early death. Jesus has come and healed and restored. We think: If we can entice him to stay in our village, we will be long-lived and healthy, and we’ll be sure to grow rich on the medical-tourism trade that will spring up. Next thing we know: he’s gone. Off to another non-descript, unremarkable Galilean village. Soon we hear he even travels into foreign territory, teaching and healing the Gentiles. We look to have lost our chance for robust health and satisfying wealth. Is it surprising that some in the village turn against Jesus?

Questions for Discussion

Do you see continuity or discontinuity between the image of God in the readings from Isaiah and Psalm 147 and the way Jesus of Nazareth ministered?

There were major healing sites throughout the Mediterranean to which people traveled, just as they go to famous hospitals and clinics today. Besides finding travel broadening, why would Jesus choose to walk from village to village rather than stay in one place? What might it tell us about the Christian life today?

Somewhere along the line, parents learn adaptability towards their children. “Not every battle is worth fighting,” they say. Sport coaches famously treat each athlete differently (it’s called “Being a player’s coach”). Paul wants his followers to be adaptable towards each other. Does that make sense? Don’t we have to maintain certain standards of behavior and belief?

Why would God so value adaptability? For Paul, do you think it was simply a missional tactic or do you agree that Paul saw more in it than that?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 15:00:56 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 11, 2018

Last Sunday after Epiphany

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12 ¹Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.²Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.³The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” ⁴Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.⁵The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” ⁶Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.⁷Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.⁹When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” ¹⁰He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” ¹¹As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.¹²Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Worth Noting: Elisha’s request for a “double portion of Elijah’s spirit” was tantamount to asking to be the leader of the companies of prophets that followed Elijah. To begin, would you ask for a double spirit of a prophet? (Remember: Real prophets are unlikely to die of old age in a comfortable bed surrounded by friends and families.) Then, we think today of individual prophets as the norm. Are there “companies of prophets” that speak to you?

Psalm 50:1-6 ¹The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. ²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. ³Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him. ⁴He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: ⁵“Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” ⁶The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.

Worth Noting: The psalmist expects God to intervene in history to bring justice to the world. Did Jesus do this? Is our notion of “justice” too small?

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 ³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.⁶For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Worth Noting: Paul teaches that God’s wisdom and knowledge show the Lordship of Jesus and his own call to servanthood. How do we participate in the proclamation of the Gospel? Does the Gospel include our own status of slaves? What would that look like?

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9 ²Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,³and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. ⁵Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”⁶He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” ⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.⁹As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Worth Noting: If you were Peter, James, or John, wouldn’t you at least tell your wife what had happened? This incident is a fine example of what readers call the “Messianic Secret” in Mark, that Jesus did not want his identity revealed by demons or humans.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Gospel of Mark provides our earliest account of the Transfiguration, placing it on a mountain in Gentile territory, during Jesus’ journey from southern Syria back to Galilee. Mark’s Gospel devotes two of the ten chapters to Jesus’ ministry outside Galilee and Israel in southern Syria. There he engaged the Syrophoenician woman in debate and cured her daughter, fed 4000 from seven loaves and a few fish, gave the first prophecy of his passion, and was Transfigured. All outside the land of Israel. While Mark’s geographic sense is sometimes unsure, the choice to place a significant part of Jesus’ ministry among and on behalf of foreigners seems important. Jesus, to begin, is working outside his home country. He builds relationships and brings Syrians into relationship with the God of Israel. Jesus sanctifies the very land itself. Its produce provides miraculous sustenance to the 4000, and its mountains serve as a throne for Jesus and two great Jewish prophets, Moses and Elijah. Assuming Mark is written in Rome to a congregation still influenced by their Jewish roots (as Ambrosiaster, writing in late 4^th century Rome claimed) these stories provide an important underpinning to the ministry to the Gentiles. The God of Israel, the Gospel declares, is the God of Syrians and, by extension, the God of all people.

Who’s Being Transformed?

Each year, on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten celebration, the Lectionary presents the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus. It is a story foreshadowing Jesus’ coming in his glory at the end of the ages. Why tell this story at this time of the year? Two reasons come to mind. The first is to remind Christians that as dire as things may look during Jesus’ life, passion, and death, he does rise and he will come again in just this glory. The Transfiguration reminds us that the person we follow is more than just human. In another sense, the story of the Transfiguration is about us. Now it reminds us, before we start the journey, of our own goal for Lent. We enter Lent hopefully, acknowledging our need to change and looking to engage the practices of prayer, mortification, and charity that can transform us. Soon enough we realize Lent is hard work. The six weeks of Lent can be a slog, as grey winter grudgingly gives way to spring. The Transfiguration gives us an incentive to do the work of communal and personal transformation.

Questions for Discussion

Paul writes that he is a slave of the Corinthians for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4:5). How far should Christians take that statement? How should it be lived out?

Can you describe a “mountain top experience”? Was it an awareness of a very present relationship with God or just a moment of appreciating nature? Or are these the same thing?

Lenten practices are meant to shape our attitudes (how we view each other and the world) and consciences (how we judge our actions), and strengthen our wills (what we do). Practices may be silent or noisy. What do you want to accomplish this Lent? How will you go about it?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 15:13:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 18, 2018

First Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17 ⁸Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,⁹“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you,¹⁰and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.¹¹I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” ¹²God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:¹³I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.¹⁴When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,¹⁵I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.¹⁶When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Worth Noting: How often do we think of God entering a covenant with “every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (Genesis 9:13-16 above)? What might it mean that humans are part of the same covenant as (say) racoons and western lowland gorillas?

Psalm 25:1-10 ¹To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. ²O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. ³Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. ⁴Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. ⁵Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. ⁶Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. ⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD! ⁸Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. ⁹He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. ¹⁰All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Worth Noting: The poet first expresses the universal longing for the divine in our lives. And then expresses remorse – and perhaps a touch of fear – over past sins and transgressions (what might be called “youthful rebellion”). Have you ever had the experience of both longing for and fearing God’s presence?

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22 ¹⁸For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,¹⁹in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,²⁰who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.²¹And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you – not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,²²who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Worth Noting: One thoughtful commentator remarks “There is little question that these verses constitute the most difficult passage in the entire letter.” For instance: What does the author mean that “baptism is . . . an appeal to God for a good conscience”? Our commentator thinks the original Greek might mean something like “baptism is a pledge to God to keep aware of sin and justice.” Does that help?

Gospel: Mark 1:9-15 ⁹In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.¹⁰And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.¹¹And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” ¹²And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.¹³He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. ¹⁴Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God,¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Lent and Lenten Scriptures

The season of Lent comes close enough to Christmas that some homes still have Christmas decorations up, brightening the winter nights. Of course, Lent moves the Church from celebrating the Incarnation and its revelation towards Holy Week, Easter, and the Easter sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. While Lent is traditionally thought of as a dreary six weeks, with fasting and mortification, the Sunday Gospels take a different tack: The Lectionary readings focus on Baptism and the new life that it brings. We will hear Jesus speak of his own death and the need for Christians to bear their cross will. But in John’s Gospels, especially in the Gospel in two weeks (March 11) Jesus speaks of his death as his “exaltation.” Rather than a tragedy or a matter of shame, the Gospel of John focuses the reader on Jesus’ raising up, first by the Romans on Calgary, and then by the Father Easter morning. Both, Jesus tells us, are an exaltation. Baptism enables the Christian to follow this movement from death to life, as Paul proclaims at the Easter Vigil: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” and therefore we too will walk in new life as Christ did (Romans 6:3-11). There at the Vigil when new Christians are formed and all Christians renew their baptismal vows the movement from Christmas and the Incarnation to the instantiation of the Incarnation in the Christian community is complete. The work of the physically present Jesus is complete. The work of enacting the Kingdom of God is passed on to us.

Entering into the Scriptures

Mark’s literary signature is all over the Gospel selection. In Mark’s concise, no nonsense style, we have three distinct actions in the Gospel in just seven verses: Jesus’ baptism, his 40 days in the wilderness, and his initial proclamation. (Following this selection, Mark records the “typical day in the life of Jesus” we heard earlier.) Further, Mark continues to locate Jesus within the prophetic tradition. The Gospel opens with the quotations from Isaiah and Micah concerning his and John the Baptist’s missions (Mark 1:1-3). In verses 10 and 11, the Spirit endorses Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one, with the allusion to Psalm 2:7 (“the LORD . . . said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have begotten you’”). What is to be obeyed are not royal decrees, but prophetic oracles of the fulfillment of God’s plans and the need for repentance (Mark 1:15).

The Missing Years

If Lent is preparation for baptism and renewal of baptismal vows, how should Christians use the season? If we look to Jesus as a model, we note that only after his baptism did Jesus experience his 40 days in the wilderness. Do we have things backwards? Jesus’ missing years – 15 years or so from his adventure in the Temple to his appearance as a preaching healing prophet – constituted his preparation for baptism and ministry. We have some clues about this time. His father worked wood: We speculate that Jesus too earned a living as a carpenter/woodworker. Jesus and John the Baptist have some connection: Perhaps Jesus spent time with John or a similar sect in the Judean desert. Any such conjecture has some probability; all are speculative; none are sure. What we must realize is that while he spent time in obscurity, Jesus burst on the scene eminently prepared for his mission. He had spent the time well. Most of our lives echo Jesus’ missing years: putting one foot in front of another, quietly caring for each other, experiencing moments filled with love and beauty and pain and faith and doubt. Can it be that living every day well is the best preparation for baptism and ministry?

Questions for Discussion

God’s promise not to flood the world again is one side of a covenant between God and the world. What is our side?

Does it make sense to think of baptism as our pledge to God to “stay woke” to sin and justice? Would this be our side of the New Covenant?

How do the traditional Lenten practices of giving to charity, prayer, and fasting prepare us to renew our baptismal vows and to minister to each other and the world? How, in other words, do they enhance our ability to live in love?

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Ignatius of Loyola

Tracy — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 05:30:48 +0000

I nominate Ignatius of Loyola patron saint of life do-overs. Until 29, well into middle age in 1521, Ignatius lived the life of a warrior-knight, seeking the fame of Lancelot and Galahad and the storied Knights of the Roundtable. Then a cannon ball mangled his legs and destroyed his military career. During a long convalescence, Ignatius read and reread a life of Christ and lives of the saints. At 30, Ignatius found himself attracted to a new, dimly perceived life. It took another 19 years of prayer, study, and false starts before Ignatius became the first general of the Society of Jesus. By then, he was 49 years old and three-fourths of his eventual 65 years had passed. Today we face important life choices all the time: to marry or stay single; to take this or that job; to study this or that or nothing; to live here or move. We expect multiple professions during our careers. What decisions are waiting to be made? How shall we decide? Ignatius may help us. We see his construction of a new life in Christ began with a conversion of his own imagination. Books colored the way he viewed the world, so that he saw Christ as his true king, the one to serve valiantly. During this Lent, what shall I read and stream to feed my imagination, my attitude to the world, and my values? Ignatius analyzed his options carefully, and ultimately recognized both the limits of his intellect and the wisdom of his unconscious. He found that thoughts of returning to his old way of life brought sadness, while imagining imitating a Francis of Assisi brought joy, confirming this direction. These emotions he later recognized as movements of the Spirit. As I progress, how shall I form and test my choices? Finally, convinced of his decision, Ignatius took on that new way of life with gusto, finding new companions, and honoring a new Master. He acted on his convictions. Once decided, how shall I carry out my decision? Whom shall I seek out to accompany me and hold me accountable? The life journey of Ignatius tells us that it’s never too late to take a new path. It’s never too late find a new way of living. And it’s never too late to realize we made a mistake, to turn around, and to start anew. Dennis Haugh, parishioner of St. Timothy’s in Centennial and author of the diocesan blog Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary, spent eight years trying to outsmart his Jesuit teachers. Final score: Jesuits 1,053; Dennis 2. (And now he can’t remember the two.)

St. Philip Neri

Tracy — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 05:30:09 +0000

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” The prayer takes on new meaning for me in my sixth decade of Lenten seasons. Just a few weeks back, a close, humble, fun-filled friend, only a year younger than myself, went to sleep and never woke up. He and his wife loved games and probably more than games, the random topics and joking that went along with them. He and I inevitably would team up in men against women contests whose outcomes he always insisted were proof of some absurd social commentary, regardless of who prevailed. I enjoyed his company. We never agreed on anything within the secular realm (read politics), but his unique blend of humility and laughter will always be foremost in my memory of him. During our Ash Wednesday reading from Matthew 6, extolling humility in prayer, it was my memory of my friend that led me to ask another humble person of wit, Philip Neri, to be my Lenten companion. Who better to ask to accompany and guide me than Philip on the journey we are called to in the Book of Common Prayer: self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial. I am a layman living in a safe urban setting in a largely spiritually demoralized time in search of meaningful service in my last third of life. Philip was a man of the world, living in another spiritually demoralized time, and was drawn to working primarily with youth in Rome. He made meaning with his whole life and freely gave his time to anyone in need. Resisting the priesthood, Philip chose to be among the people as one of them and was casual and colloquial in his speech. He enjoyed fun and laughter in his care for the needs of others and spread his message of spiritual integrity with authenticity. He experienced a profound ecstasy, a call to Divine Love that altered his heart physically, permanently. I am drawn to Philip because I see in him characteristics of the man I want to be. He speaks to me precisely because he is an ideal within my reach, not a remote cleric or academic who sees Christian perfection reserved for a learned few. Like Jesus, he touched people directly through humility, kindness, and an ability to read their hearts. In one story, when given a church for his ministry, he immediately tears it down to build a hospital, something to better serve the real needs of the people. On my Lenten journey with Philip, I desperately want him to share what his ecstasy experience was and understand how it changed him. I will ask him for guidance on employing fun and humor in my own personal mission to create healthy and vigorous Christian community where I can. I will ask him how I can step outside my own comfort zone and, as he did, warm the often cold, impersonal scene of modern life with his virtues of humility, humor, and understanding of Christ’s burning love. Philip Neri lived 1515-1595 and is known as the third apostle of Rome after Saints Peter and Paul. James Methe is a parishioner at St. Gabriel the Archangel in Cherry Hills Village. He enjoys working with children and youth, and finding ways to bring different generations together in meaningful fun. He can be reached at jamethe@msn.com.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:38:11 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for February 25, 2018

Second Sunday of Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.²And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” ³Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him,⁴“As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.⁵No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations.⁶I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.⁷I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” . . . ¹⁵God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.¹⁶I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”

Worth Noting: After a few decades of God’s leading him around the Middle East, Abram seems ready to settle down and wants an answer: Is it too late for my wife and I to have children? God gives an emphatic no. Are there things you wish to do that you think no longer possible? How can you be so sure?

Psalm 22:23-31 ²³You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! ²⁴For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. ²⁵From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. ²⁶The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! ²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. ²⁸For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. ²⁹To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. ³⁰Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, ³¹and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Worth Noting: Psalm 22:23-31 constitutes the psalmist’s joyful proclamation of the faithfulness of the LORD. The joy of this proclamation spreads in widening circles – from the LORD’s followers (verses23- 25) to all nations (verse 27) to the dead (verse 29) and finally to those yet unborn (verse 31). (Verse 22, not included, concerns the nuclear family and local congregation.) How does your community proclaim God? Is it with joy or with deep concern or . . .?

Second Reading: Romans 4:13-25 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.¹⁴If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.¹⁵For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.¹⁶For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,¹⁷as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)-- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.¹⁸Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.”¹⁹He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.²⁰No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,²¹being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.²²Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.”²³Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone,²⁴but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,²⁵who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Worth Noting: Paul’s first point is that Abram/Abraham received the promise of descendants (Genesis 17) centuries before Moses received the Law at Mt. Sinai. Jesus fulfills the promise that Abraham will be the father of many nations when his actions bring those nations who did not accept the Law – the Gentiles – into the family of Abraham. How do you and your community recognize this kinship among Abraham and modern-day Jews and Christians?

Gospel: Mark 8:31-38 Alternative: Mark 9:2-9 ³¹Then he [Jesus] began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” ³⁴He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Worth Noting: Whooooaaaaaaaaa! That is so harsh! Satan? Really? It’s easy to focus on the dialogue between Peter and Jesus (but see Entering into the Scriptures below). Maybe it’s the last paragraph, though, that is really harsh. What does it mean to you to take up your cross? Isn’t the cross a means of execution, of death? And didn’t Jesus come to bring abundant life? Is it only eternal life that Jesus promises? Could earthly life carrying a cross be more abundant? Or will life happen anyway, and is it Christ who makes it abundant and joyful?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

It’s almost automatic when we hear Jesus call Peter “Satan” (Greek satanas), to picture a red-suited, pitchfork carrying imp, dragging us into a burning pit. The term, however, has a more ambiguous history in the Bible. The Greek word transliterates the Hebrew satan, an Old Testament reference to an opponent or adversary. Much of the time satan was a human adversary or opponent. After Solomon took multiple foreign wives, the LORD raised up adversaries, satans, against him (1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25). In Job, and elsewhere, however, “the satan” (hasatan) served in the divine household, charged with being the eyes and ears of the LORD and testing humans’ true righteousness. The Old Testament figure is always subordinate to the LORD. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness to establish an earthly kingdom. Peter. who has acknowledged Jesus as Messiah (Mark 8:29), surely looked forward to a time when Jesus reigned as the Messiah-king of Israel, presenting this same temptation to forego the hard slog of daily ministry, with Golgotha at the end, and instead pursue the goal of establishing himself as king of Israel. We can assume that Peter’s response came from love of Jesus, as a parent counsels her teenager on substance abuse. There is love, but also a sense of loss of the prosperous future foreseen when Jesus was curing lepers and restoring sight to the blind. The future Jesus laid out was likely to result in the apostles scorned for following a crucified one. Hence Jesus’ saying on shame: If you are ashamed of me now, I will be ashamed of you.

“Stay by My Side”

When first heard, Jesus’ words about mutual shame may be consoling: When have I ever been ashamed of Jesus and of his words (Mark 1:38)? Surely, I can beat that one. I imagine Jesus might be comparing us to middle-school children who want nothing more than to be anonymous when shopping in the mall with their parents: Walk ahead; walk behind; never look at them. Somewhere inside, these children really do love their parents, but (a) “They are so old and (worse) old-fashioned and (worst of all) so poorly dressed” and (b) “I’ve told all my friends how independent I am; how mortifying to be seen shopping with my parents” (who known nothing about clothes anyway). In my life have I ignored Jesus when he’s walking beside me? Maybe when I’m hanging out with acquaintances from work or the neighborhood? I know that Christ is to be found in the marginalized, but how often am I ashamed to acknowledge Christ in the dispossessed, homeless, addicted? A perennial or at least biennial question: How do I vote? My vote expresses my priorities and my friendships: have I spent time aligning my values with Christ’s or have I ignored him there too?

Questions for Discussion

Abraham displayed his faith through his obedience to God’s will – traveling to the promised land, caring for the stranger – and in his trust in God’s mercy, when he advocated for the people of Sodom. How would you define Christian faith and its works?

Can you recall a time when though you were “ashamed” of your values, you expressed them? What was the reaction?

Jesus remained faithful to his ministry, ignoring the chidings of Peter and his own family (Mark 3:21, 31). Have you had an experience of ignoring well-intentioned words of advice against pursuing what you believed to be your true call? Was that an easy time for you?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The work “Rétire-toi Satan” by James Tissot has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright laws by the Brooklyn Museum.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

St. Monica of Hippo

Tracy — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 05:30:03 +0000

I invite along for my Lenten journey St. Monica of Hippo. I would like to say that I have long held Monica in esteem and studied her life, but I will be honest. I recently found her while googling "Who is the patron saint of patience?" I wanted to know who could help me with the elusive, sometimes maddening practice of allowing God’s will to be revealed. St. Monica was the mother of the famed St. Augustine of Hippo, known for his late conversion to Christianity and being author of the well-known Confessions. One of Monica’s primary missions in life was to ensure her son became a Christian. But he was stubborn, wayward, and sometimes outright evasive—like when she followed him to Rome, only to have him secretly make off to Milan. Yet she did not write off her son! She followed him. Somewhere in my growing up I was taught that if you didn’t get your stuff together and get on the right track, you were on your own. Children lost the right to their parents’ support when they strayed. I love my parents, but wow, was that a family value, an American independent-spirit value, or what? I wonder what our world would be like if God said to us, “I’ve told you the way, shown you the way, told you the rewards and punishments, and still you don’t get it. You’re on your own!” Why would we follow him? Where is the love, grace, and presence that make us true believers, that make us know with our whole selves what is good and right to do? So, I am with St. Monica of Hippo, the one who persisted, who did not give up. Her son could not be persuaded of the truth of Christ. She was patient, not imposing her will, but also not backing down. She was constant to her beliefs, her mission, and her presence in her son’s life. Her patience was ultimately rewarded. Augustine became a follower. She will remind me that time is in God’s hands and that we can’t force the work that he does in each of us or in those we touch. And yet we don’t stand idly by either. We mirror God’s love, grace, and constancy to those we love, by standing gracefully, lovingly, constantly by. Tracy Methe works in the Office of the Bishop and is a parishioner at St. Gabriel the Archangel. She can be reached at Tracy@EpiscopalColorado.org.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 15:22:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 4, 2018

Third Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 ¹Then God spoke all these words: ²I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;³you shall have no other gods before me. ⁴You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,⁶but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. ⁷You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. sup>8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work.¹⁰But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work-- you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.¹¹For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. ¹²Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. ¹³You shall not murder. ¹⁴You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵You shall not steal. ¹⁶You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ¹⁷You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Worth Noting: What is the hardest commandment to honor? For many it must be “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.” Does your community attempt to honor the sabbath? How?

Worth Noting: Psalm 19 moves from praise of the creator’s creation, to praise for the Law, and then to prayer, the human response to God’s action and instruction. Is thanksgiving your response to God’s commandments?

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 ¹⁸For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.¹⁹For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

²⁰Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?²¹For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.²²For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom,²³but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,²⁴but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.²⁵For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

Worth Noting: Paul disparages attempts at human wisdom to deal with eternal truths. To where and to whom do you turn for wisdom in ordering your life and your values?

Gospel: John 2:13-22 ¹⁸The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.¹⁴In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.¹⁵Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.¹⁶He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!” ¹⁷His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” ¹⁹Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” ²¹But he was speaking of the temple of his body.²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Worth Noting: Jesus, the Gospels tell us, spent much time in Galilean synagogues, probably accommodating 20 or so people. This would have supported a degree of intimacy unavailable in the Jerusalem temple. How does your community balance the needs for large worship spaces with a need for personal intimacy?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

A deeply puzzling question that has engaged thoughtful readers for generations is “Just exactly what did the Roman and Jewish authorities have against Jesus?” His teachings certainly were well within the spectrum of teachings acceptable to first century Jews. It must have been difficult to justify crucifying one who healed lepers, restored sight to the blind, and even raised the dead to life. What about Jesus provoked animosity? Two possibilities present themselves in the Gospels. The first is tied to the inscription placed on Jesus’ cross: “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.” Despite the Gospel’s record of Jesus’ protestations, there may have been those who wished to make Jesus an earthly king. For instance, in last week’s Gospel, this appears to have been the intent of Peter who rebuked Jesus for foretelling an ignominious death rather than a glorious final act. If the Romans had any inkling that some Jews wanted him crowned, they would have had no compunction in eliminating that threat. The Jewish authorities, rather than risk widespread bloodshed, may have acquiesced in this execution. A second possibility is related to this week’s Gospel selection. All four Gospels recall the incident of “driving the moneylenders from the Temple.” Here was an act bound to upset all of the authorities, Jewish and Roman. Jewish authorities would have found it disruptive of the very essence of the Religion of Israel. The Romans wanted everything peaceful. Disruptions to the status quo and riots in the principle city of the province would have prompted swift and sure punishment. Did Jesus in fact drive moneylenders and sellers from the Temple? Some find it implausible that one person could ever have done this and question the episode’s historicity. On the other hand, the Gospels remember Jesus as positioning himself in contrast to the temple authorities, aligned with Israel’s prophetic strain (see, for example, Mark 1:1-4). Always there was a tension between the relatively undisciplined, Spirit-driven prophets and the Temple authorities intent on maintaining critical institutions. (Recall Isaiah 1:11-17 denouncing sacrifices unaccompanied by proper care for the widow, the orphan, and the alien.) Disparaging the efficacy of the sacrificial system established in the Torah by Moses himself would not have endeared Jesus to many in Jerusalem. Could it be that the Cleansing of the Temple was used as symbol of this antagonism between Jesus and the Jerusalem establishment?

What’s Lent About, Anyway?

A Lenten reading of the Ten Commandments seems perfectly appropriate. But a story about chasing the money lenders from the Temple – just as finance committees are gearing up for the big Easter Sunday collections – what does that have to do with Lent? Why have a reading about disregarding rules and disrupting the religious and economic life of a city? We know that people coming to the Temple needed the assistance of the money changers and sellers of sacrificial animals to fulfill the holy rituals. Were the merchants really causing any more disruption than Girl Scouts selling cookies or the church gardeners selling produce in church halls? For us, more important than the question of the historical accuracy of the “Cleansing of the Temple,” is this juxtaposition of commandments: We must both respect the legitimate demands of civil society and follow our individual conscience. Doing both has been a struggle for Christians from the start, as witnessed by Paul’s teaching in Romans 13. Some Christians, like the Amish, opt to form alternative societies as independent of the majority society as possible. Most of us, however, pay taxes to a country that both wages war and feeds and cares for impoverished families around the world.

Questions for Discussion

The Hebrew Scriptures include many thanksgivings for the Law. Contemporary people generally prefer loose or no rules. How do you set up rules for your own life? If you have children, how do you regulate (or attempt to regulate) their lives?

When would you prefer an intimate worship service and when a spectacular ritual with religious pomp and circumstance?

Are there issues for which you would engage in civil disobedience?

To dowload a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

St. Matthias

Tracy — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 05:30:42 +0000

Not much is known about Saint Matthias the Apostle. He was not one of the original twelve disciples; rather, he was one who followed them around (“accompanying” them to be more specific) during Jesus’ three-year ministry, beginning with Jesus’ baptism by John until the day of Christ’s ascension into heaven, "accompanying" them until called by the Spirit and chosen by lot to take Judas Iscariot’s place among the Apostles. Yet, although present at numerous healings, exorcisms, teachings, miracles, we hear nary a word from or about him. Did he see Jesus turn water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana? Did he bring people to Jesus, like Andrew and Phillip? Did he help in the feeding of the 5,000? The feeding of the 4,000? Did he see Jesus cleanse the lepers, bring sight to the blind, raise the dead? Was he present when Jesus calmed the storms, or walked on water, chased the money changers from the Temple? Did he hear Jesus’ teachings of the beatitudes or wonder at his parables? Was he present when Jesus was arrested, tried, convicted, crucified? While we may never know for sure, the writer of Acts seems to think so, and for an introvert like me, this is enough. My introverted self has a hard time relating to a saint like Peter or John or Paul, always on the forefront, always with an opinion, or a question, or an answer. I can identify much more with one who stayed on the sidelines--observing, listening, quietly doing the work to be done while simultaneously doing everything he can to not draw attention to himself (God forbid!). Perhaps this is why Matthias is the patron saint of carpenters and tailors--the people who work behind the scenes to make sure that everything is ready for the Peters and the Pauls of the world--much like the list of people we see scrolling at the end of the movie, people we never see or know but whose work is imperative to bring that one blockbuster to the screen. It is the quiet, dedicated and diligent work of Matthias that is needed to heal a hurting and broken world--someone who understands that to observe is the first step in understanding, to listen is the first step to healing, and to accompany someone on their journey is a sign of love. For it is when we can walk together, accompany each other, that the reconciling work of God can begin. Perhaps this is why Matthias is also the patron saint of people who need hope, such as persons struggling with addiction, as well as the caregivers. The world needs more Matthiases--people out on the sidelines and in the trenches quietly and with fervent dedication observing, listening, accompanying, all the while understanding, healing, loving, and reconciling, and bringing hope to a hurting and broken world. The Rev. William Stanton is the Associate Rector for Evangelism and Christian Formation at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, a bit (okay, a big bit) of an introvert, and an ardent fan of all those persons whose names are found at the end of the movie, who make the movie experience a joy to behold. He can be reached at associate@holycomforterchurch.net. Editor's note: Matthias is in the image on the right.

Late Have I Loved You, St. Augustine

Tracy — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 05:30:49 +0000

As we take a break from our regular Lenten essays today, we hope you enjoy this quote from St. Augustine's Confessions, in which he expresses his longing for God.

Late Have I Loved You

Late have I loved you, Beauty so old and so new: Late have I loved you. And see, you were within And I was within the external world And sought you there, And in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made The lovely things kept me far from you Though if they did not have their existence in you They had no existence at all. You called and cried out loud And shattered my deafness You were radiant and resplendent, You put to flight my blindness. You were fragrant, And I drew in my breath and now pant after you. I tasted you, And I feel but hunger and thirst for you. You touched me, And I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours. ~ St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 15:11:30 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 11, 2018

Fourth Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9 ⁴From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way.⁵The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” ⁶Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.⁷The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.⁸And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” ⁹So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Worth Noting: I always wondered “Why put a snake on a pole?” Turns out the Hebrew in verse 8 above refers to a seraph (NRSV “poisonous snake”), referencing a divine-serpent being honored throughout the ancient Near East and Egypt. The plural form, seraphim, eventually became an order of angels. Does your religious tradition include angels assisting humans? Devils tempting them?

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 ¹O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. ²Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble ³and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. . . ¹⁷Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; ¹⁸they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. ¹⁹Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; ²⁰he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. ²¹Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. ²²And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

Worth Noting: Verse 1 says it all: Give thanks for the LORD’s steadfast love. Any thanks is rooted in an attitude of humility, of vulnerability, recognizing an inability to achieve something on one’s own.

Second Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10 ¹You were dead through the trespasses and sins²in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.³All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved –⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,⁷so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God –⁹not the result of works, so that no one may boast.¹⁰For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Worth Noting: Faith is an act of trust; here, an act of trust in God. Is an act of faith a “work” in the sense of verse 9? What if the faith that is spoken of is the faith-fulness of Jesus, not the faith of any of his followers? Isn’t it striking that God has prepared beforehand the good works that are to be our way of life (Ephesians 2:10)?

Gospel: John 3:14-21 ¹⁴“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.¹⁸Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.¹⁹And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.²⁰For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.²¹But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Ephesians was probably written about the same time as the Gospel of John, and perhaps in the same general region. While they have different emphases, both hold faith to be the key to the Christian life. That puts great emphasis on what it means to “have faith.” Two weeks ago, the Lectionary included the story of the covenant between Abraham and God in which Abraham was assured that if he did trust God enough to have marital relations with his aging, apparently infertile wife, they would have children. Abraham and Sarah trusted in God, had faith in God’s covenant and gave birth to and raised Isaac. The selection from the Gospel of John comes while Jesus is dialoguing with Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees. Jesus is promising Nicodemus that if he follows Jesus he will have eternal life. John records instances when Nicodemus does stand up for Jesus, even assisting at his burial. Biblical faith, we suggest, has an action (if not works) component. We have faith and trust in God’s word that when we live a certain way we will enjoy abundant life. Perhaps one’s deepest faith holds to the idea that abundant life begins now, in the relationships that flow from the life well-lived.

“Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep”

We are accustomed to thinking of Lent as a time for penitence and humility: acknowledging sins, making amends for them as we can, and resolutely facing a sinless future. Thanksgiving does not seem to fall into Lent’s purview, but the psalm selected demands thanksgiving as our first prayer. On reflection, we realize that one of the recommended practices of Lent is the regular examination of our life. Many do an “examen” each day, typically just before sleep. In an examen, before considering one’s failings during the day, one contemplates the gifts received and the moments God’s presence was especially evident. In that way, one starts from an attitude of thanksgiving. As the author of Ephesians points out, a gift is not deserved. Through regular examens, we deepen the realization that all of life is an undeserved gift. Our talents, our shortcomings, our interests, our relationships – everything about our life is a gift. If all is gift, and all undeserved, we recognize how weak, how vulnerable, how fragile we must be and put our failures into a new perspective, the failings of a vulnerable, fragile soul.

Questions for Discussion

Do your Lenten practices include extra doses of thanksgiving?

How do you understand faith: Is it only the interior assent to a set of beliefs? How about if we considered it the willingness of a soldier to follow a general’s orders: Any difference?

Jesus says he came to give abundant life (John 10:10). How could a life following a Jesus who encouraged giving everything away and ended up crucified by the national authorities possibly be abundant?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

“Christ Talking with Nicodemus at Night” by Crijn Hendricksz Volmarijn (1616-1645) is in the public domain.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen

Tracy — Wed, 07 Mar 2018 05:30:05 +0000

I choose Saint Hildegard of Bingen to accompany me on a Lenten journey this year. She’s been a curious and persistent presence in my prayers these past few weeks. She is a role model and inspiration to me a thousand years later. It’s hard to fathom how smart, kind, and politically savvy you’d have to be to generate her creativity as a 12th-century abbess. She was famous as a Christian Mystic, formally acknowledged as a visionary by the Church, and a musical composer and writer. Her natural medicinal research is still used today. As Mother Hildegard joins me on my path, she brings many gifts. She calls me to still myself and listen. Listen to messages from myself and from God, even when they are unruly, jumbled, and difficult. Hildegard began to experience visions she couldn’t quite explain to others as a child. Her visions included dazzling brightness and sounds. She kept her visions to herself for many years, as she was a sick and weak child. [caption id="attachment_7477" align="alignright" width="259" class="align right"] Hildegard von Bingen. Line engraving by W. Marshall. Source: Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] I’ve experienced vision auras and feeling ill from sound, muscling through many migraines in my teens and 20s. A holistic approach to stress and care for my body has brought me tremendous relief in the past few years along with my doctor’s treatment. Hildegard agrees, once saying, "First the soul must heal; then the body will follow." Hildegard knew how to navigate the church’s hierarchy and find supporters of her visions, creative writings, and music, and her theological message. She transcended limits put on her as a woman and abbess. She demonstrated a new way of thinking and leadership at a time when little was expected of women. Hildegard of Bingen embraced a new life and spiritual path midlife that inspired her to be open to risk and confront her fears. I find comfort in Hildegard boldly making meaning and interpreting her visions. Her midlife awakening is an example to me that I have the power to find new meaning and understanding. I will keep walking with Mother Hildegard. I have a community and family of support to find my way. I will have the right resources when I need them. Her blessing to me: "You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God." Amanda Barker is a parishioner at St. John’s Cathedral and mentor of an Education for Ministry group. Contact her at amandabarker(at)gmail.com.

Kateri Tekakwitha's Dream Song

Tracy — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 03:48:43 +0000

On the waving hills above the river in the time of trillium and violet the women plant the corn I am "she who puts things in order" tending the fire in the longhouse mixing the sagamite working the starry beads into belts and moccasins My people killed the Blackrobes shook the deer hoofs and puffin beaks rattled the quills banged the drums while blood ran from the palisades On the waving hills above the river in the time of trillium and violets the women plant the corn I went to the woods as a child with small food and no salt walked out to greet my loneliness and returned a woman who carved on the birch the sign of the cross Now I eat of the faithfulness of trees Now I am a bark bowl for God's flowing down to wash the stained leggings of him who wields the tomahawk On the waving hills above the river in the time of trillium and violets the women plant the corn My snowshoes never sink on the whiteness of the field when I go out to hear God in the wind I sense the white man's wantonness bearing his god of noise leaving carcasses to rot Though I see but dimly as through a dark glass like Jesus' friend who saw the moving trees My fingers trace the veins on dappled leaves out lives' patterns that the heart knows even when the eye fade On the waving hills above the river in the time of trillium and violets the women plant the corn Choosing the rapids over the net like whitefish, the deer of the water, I come to the Sault retrace the path of my mother Algonquin slave, my first baptizer whose blue blanket Mary Mother wears In the time of strawberries we all caress the turtle's back the tree of peace grows from its shell The eagle will circle when the lover of war comes again I ride on the bright cloud of her nest. Kateri Tekakwitha lived 1656-1680. She is known as a mystic of the wilderness and patroness of ecology as well as peace. (From Why Not Become Fire: Encounters with Women Mystics)

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 13:39:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 18, 2018

Fifth Sunday in Lent

THE READINGS

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34 ³¹The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.³²It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.³³But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.³⁴No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

Worth Noting: The people will know the LORD because the LORD will forgive and forget their iniquity. How is forgiveness worked out in your community? Does forgetting offenses go along with forgiving them?

Psalm 51:1-12 Alternative Psalm 119:9-16 ¹Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. ²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. ⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. ⁵Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. ⁶You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. ⁹Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. ¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. ¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Worth Noting: A personal plea for assistance in repentance. This Lent have you identified the areas in your life that you need to change? Does this psalm give you words to pray for that change?

Second Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10 ⁵So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; ⁶as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” ⁷In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.⁸Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered;⁹and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,¹⁰having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Worth Noting: The author of Hebrews understood a Biblical priest to be one whose primary function is to offer sacrifice for the atonement of sins against God. Is that a function continued in your religious community? Do we need a representative to offer atonement for sins as a society?

Gospel: John 12:20-33 ²⁰Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks.²¹They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²²Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.²³Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.²⁵Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. ²⁷“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.²⁸Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine.³¹Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out.³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Worth Noting: The appearance of Greeks signals the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry among the Jews and the imminence of his death. That realization prompts Jesus to meditate first on the nature of suffering and martyrdom and then on the effect of his own death and resurrection. In what ways has the ruler of this world been driven out by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection? Are the people of the world notably better than before Jesus?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Jeremiah 31:33, above, is commonly understood to describe God infusion of God’s law, or Torah, into the hearts and minds of individuals. Frequent readers of Journeying know what’s coming next: It’s time to rethink the “common understanding.” Rather than a covenant with each individual, perhaps God promises to replace the corporate covenant broken by the nation (Jeremiah 31:31-32) with a new Law inscribed in the city where all can read it. Why say this? First, Jeremiah quite probably understood God’s promise to “put my law within them, and . . . write it on their hearts” to writing the law in the public square (“in the midst of them” rather than “within them”) and in the temple (the heart of religious and civic life). In Jeremiah 6:1 and 6:6, the prophet uses the Hebrew qereb, here NRSV “within” to refer to the middle of the city and the psalmist does the same in Psalms 45:6 and 55:11. Then, even though the NRSV and other English translations read “hearts,” plural, the Hebrew is singular, “heart.” As Times Square might be called the heart of Manhattan or Millennium Park the heart of Chicago, so the temple was the heart of Jerusalem and the heart of its residents’ life. Finally, the context of the passage lends itself to a national (or at least municipal) setting. The introductory verses 31 and 32, as well as the succeeding six verses emphasize God’s unending presence with Israel (verses 35-37) and predict the future prosperity of Jerusalem (verses 38-40). The typical interpretation as the promise representing an individual, interior repentance and new life, need not be dismissed as “wrong.” The exercise first of all points out that translations always interpret. Often translators take the received wisdom of what a passage has always meant as the basis for the next translation rather than look at the text afresh. Then too the exercise points out the change in understanding of “religion” from ancient times to now. Now we think of religion as essentially a personal, individual experience. Then religion was primarily a corporate, national expression of a nation’s relationship with the gods. This too was the understanding of the Hebrew prophets, like Jeremiah, who called the whole nation to a right relationship with the LORD, who with mighty deeds led out of Egypt the nation Israel.

No Pain No Gain

Jesus who cured the leper and raised the dead does not endorse a life of suffering as the only way to attain holiness. At the same time, Jesus recognizes that suffering is a major, inevitable part of life. In this week’s Gospel selection, Jesus calls his disciples to suffering on the cross, to martyrdom (John 12:26). Lent encourages us to reflect deeply on whether we are losing our lives so that we may gain eternal life (John 12:25). Many use a daily examen for their Lenten reflection. Last week we wrote of the first step in an examen, to recall all the moments of thanksgiving. The second step is to acknowledge when we came up short in our relationships with God, others, and indeed all of creation. This week’s Gospel encourages us to look deeply at our own sufferings. How well did we handle them? Humans are built to avoid pain and suffering. Oncologists, for instance, follow Jesus when they spend their lives working to end the pain and suffering from cancer. Are there times, however, when being a Christian involves accepting the certainty of pain and suffering? Not only physical pain and suffering, but perhaps the pain of reduced economic prospects, or suffering from broken relationships. As well, we must review our interchanges throughout the day. Were we able to ease the suffering of others or did we exacerbate it? Did we relieve some loneliness or did we ignore someone? Did we model how to confront racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression, or did we stand silent on the sidelines? When Jesus drew all to himself on the Cross (John 12:32) did he not draw all human pain and suffering up with him?

Questions for Discussion

One might think of the “heart of a city” as that place in which the community gathers in moments of great celebration (the end of war, national holiday, momentous election). Where is the heart of your community?

What laws (besides speed limits) are visible in your community? In particular, what are the unwritten laws of custom and habit (where we can live, what employment we can have, whose lives matter most)?

Does Jesus’ Gospel equate suffering with the Christian life? (Parts of the tradition say yes. During Holy Week some Christians embrace self-mutilation to unite with Jesus’ passion.) As we asked two weeks ago, again we ask: Is this the life to which Jesus calls us? Is this the life we propose to those seeking baptism this Easter?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

St. Mary Magdalene

Tracy — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 05:30:21 +0000

“Which saint would you most hope to have walk with you during Lent?” I loved the question, and Mary Magdalene is the saint I knew at once that I would choose. In the early 1600’s, Launcelot Andrewes, mystic, theologian, bishop, and preacher to the Court of King James, preached three consecutive sermons on the Gospel of John’s account of Mary Magdalene’s experience of the risen Christ. These sermons proved hugely pastoral for me when I read them, and it was through them that Mary Magdalene not only came to life, but came with the power of an Everywoman, an Everyman. From her experience, I am still learning what this blessed lady learned in a single moment for which her devoted love had well prepared her. We know this Gospel passage well. (John 20:1-18) Andrewes first two sermons pictured Mary Magdalene’s grief so compellingly the reader knows it for her own. Mary cannot leave the tomb, even though she knows it is empty. Weeping, she continues to look in, not able to believe that her Lord’s body is not there. When the Angels are suddenly present, Mary barely notices. “Woman, why are you weeping?” they ask, a question still haunting the centuries. She cannot say “Because my Lord is dead” – not to these strangers, not even to herself. Instead, she replies, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Still weeping, Mary turns and sees a man behind her. He too asks the question – and then adds, “Whom do you seek?” Hope rises—Perhaps this is the gardener. “Sir,” she begs, “If you have carried him from here, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away!” And then Jesus speaks her name, “Mary!” At the sound of his voice, Mary turns, incredulous, heart pounding, swept into sudden joy. Rabboni!” she cries. But Jesus stops her. “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” It is for the moment of this seemingly cold rebuke that Launcelot Andrewes waited for his third sermon. For this is the moment of Mary Magdalene’s transforming. Her love for Jesus had been centered and entire, but she had loved him only as teacher of God, the one in whom her spirit soared. When Jesus called her name, it was as Rabboni, teacher, that she beheld him, miraculously restored to life, ready to resume the old paths of love and teaching and service. But Jesus had not been restored to his old life as Lazarus had been. Jesus had been raised victorious from the dead, his divinity and humanity fully and inseparably united, his earthly life among us fully, wonderfully accomplished. In that single instance between “Do not touch me” and “But go and tell my brothers,” Mary Magdalene’s eyes were fully opened. In that instant, Andrewes makes clear, she saw Jesus not as her teacher of God, not as her dear, dear Master – but as God whose very Light filled every corner of her being, a seeing that for most of us is the journey of a life-time. Mary saw, and Jesus knew that she saw. “But,” the Lord now continues, “Go and tell my brothers that I ascend to my Father and your Father, to your God and my God.” With these words, Jesus proclaims our adoption complete. No longer are his disciples to be only “servants” or even “friends” – for his resurrection has made us his brothers, his sisters, the closest kinship our humanity can name. Jesus is fully our brother now “on both sides.” It was by this so-important charge that Jesus himself made Mary Magdalene “an apostle to the apostles.” For them, and for us, Good News indeed! St. Mary Magdalene is remembered on July 22. Katherine Clark is a clergy widow and mother, grandmother, and great grandmother whose daily thanksgiving is for the love and companionship that blesses and enriches this evening of her life, both God's love unfailing and the love of her dear family and the host of good friends of a life-time. She became an Associate of the Community of St. Mary in Kenosha, WI when she was 23, a relationship that continues to nourish her. After years of service to her Indiana parish and Diocese and 22 years of high school teaching, Kitty served for 17 years as spiritual programs coordinator for The DeKoven Center, a large Episcopal Retreat House in Racine, WI, a volunteer position she looks back on with particular thanksgiving. In 2009 Kitty was named an honorary canon of the Cathedral of St. James by the Rt. Rev. Edward Stuart Little, Bishop of Northern Indiana, a gift and an honor she treasures. She now lives in Greeley,where she is a well-contented member of Trinity Parish.

St. Anskar

Tracy — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 05:30:04 +0000

I've invited St. Anskar to come along with me on my Lenten journey. He was a missionary, monk, archbishop, friend of kings, and patron saint of Scandinavia, but that's not why I chose him. I chose him because he was also a failure. I first heard of Anskar when an Episcopal priest friend told me that every year he got together with other priests to celebrate the feast of St. Anskar. They toasted to the failures that did not bring them down. They acknowledged together that they will never see the fruit of many of the seeds they have sown. At the time I had just begun serving my first appointment as an associate pastor at a United Methodist Church. I was desperately trying to remember everything I learned in seminary, every story of what not to do and be the perfect pastor in every way. So I loved the story of St. Anskar. It may not be completely fair to call the man a failure because his failing is only a small part of his very impressive story. He was a missionary at a time when the world was a scary and politically crazy place. Anskar was consecrated in 831 and only 9 years later, after Louis the Pious died, everything fell apart. A raid completely destroyed his entire diocese to the point that it could not be restored. He was a bishop with no diocese and no money. But he did not give up. He kept on with his mission, working with kings through war times to get Christianity established. It's a tough story and he did not not know the end. He didn't know he would be patron saint of Scandinavia or honored and remembered all these years later. He didn't know if he would be defined by his losses or his gains. It reminds me this Lent to be ok with the mistakes, the losses, and the imperfections. It reminds me that God can do great things with people as far from perfection as I am. We named our son Oscar because we were inspired by the work of Oscar Romero, but one day my husband came across something that said Oscar is actually a version of the name Anskar. So now as I raise my son and try to be the best parent I can be, as I beat myself up for every parenting mistake or am tempted to put pressure on him to be perfect, I am constantly reminded of this great story…the beauty of imperfection and the holy power of failure. Jennifer Williamson is an ordained United Methodist pastor currently on family leave and attending Grace and St. Stephen's in Colorado Springs where her husband is the rector. She stays home with her two boys ages three and six and also does supply preaching and volunteer work. She is originally from Youngstown, Ohio and has an MDiv from Drew Theological School. You can find more of her blog posts and sermons at pastorjenw.blogspot.com or email her at jssw220@yahoo.com.

Corpus Christi, Evelyn Underhill

Tracy — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 05:30:13 +0000

Come, dear Heart! The fields are white to harvest: come and see As in a glass the timeless mystery Of love, whereby we feed On God, our bread indeed. Torn by the sickles, see him share the smart Of travailing Creation: maimed, despised, Yet by his lovers the more dearly prized Because for us he lays his beauty down— Last toll paid by Perfection for our loss! Trace on these fields his everlasting Cross, And o’er the stricken sheaves the Immortal Victim’s crown. From far horizons came a Voice that said, ‘Lo! from the hand of Death take thou thy daily bread.’ Then I, awakening, saw A splendour burning in the heart of things: The flame of living love which lights the law Of mystic death that works the mystic birth. I knew the patient passion of the earth, Maternal, everlasting, whence there springs The Bread of Angels and the life of man. Now in each blade I, blind no longer, see The glory of God’s growth: know it to be An earnest of the Immemorial Plan. Yea, I have understood How all things are one great oblation made: He on our altars, we on the world’s rood. Even as this corn, Earth-born, We are snatched from the sod; Reaped, ground to grist, Crushed and tormented in the Mills of God, And offered at Life’s hands, a living Eucharist. Evelyn Underhill was an English novelist, poet, pacifist, and mystic. She lived 1875-1941.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 16:11:35 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for March 25, 2018

Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

THE READINGS

Worth Noting: The third of the four Servant songs. Readers debate the identity of the Servant: many Christians argue Isaiah foretells Jesus Christ while Jews argue Israel itself; some argue King Cyrus of Persia, others Moses. Important questions for today: How are we Servants of God? How do we ease the troubles of our own Servants of God?

Worth Noting: The poet has been shamed, a fate equivalent to death (verses 9-13); the cause is not given. Despite that, the poet expresses trust in the LORD with whom the poet has an intimate relationship (verses 14-16). Has your relationship with God ever eased and/or enhanced your relationships with others? How?

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11 ⁵Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

Worth Noting: An incredibly important text for Christians, scarcely a word left undebated endlessly by scholars. The import, however, is beyond debate: Be like Jesus Christ who humbled himself for the benefit of others, even to the point of dying. How do you understand the virtue of humility? Is it always self-abasement?

Gospel: Mark 15:1-39 Full Gospel Mark 14:1-15:47 ¹As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. ²Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” ³Then the chief priests accused him of many things.⁴Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” ⁵But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.⁶Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked.⁷Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.⁸So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. ⁹Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”¹⁰For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. ¹¹But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. ¹²Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³They shouted back, “Crucify him!” ¹⁴Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” ¹⁵So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.¹⁶Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort.¹⁷And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him.¹⁸And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”¹⁹They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him.²⁰After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. ²¹They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.²²Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).²³And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. ²⁴And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.²⁵It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.²⁶The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”²⁷And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left.^{28 29}Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days,³⁰save yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.³²Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him. ³³When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.³⁴At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” ³⁶And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” ³⁷Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God's Son!”

Worth Noting: Maybe Roman soldiers were mocking Jesus when they did him homage and maybe not. Mark seems to think the centurion was the first Gentile to acclaim Jesus “Son of God” (verse 39). Perhaps we could consider the Roman legionnaires the first Christian converts. Whom do you know, though not nominally Christian, who acts like Christ?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Portrait of the Jews in Holy Week

Palm Sunday and Good Friday readings of Jesus’ Passion include implicit condemnations of “the Jews.” The Gospel language can be so provocative that in centuries past Holy Week, the period from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday, was a period of special horror for the Jews of Europe. In that week, the Christian majority, venting their angers and frustrations, rampaged against the minority Jewish community. As a consequence of this history and in the face of continuing acts of antisemitism, each year Journeying dedicates one essay during Holy Week to the question of the responsibility of “the Jews” for the death of Jesus. The bare facts of Jesus’ execution – that it was a form of Roman torture and execution not used by Jews, that the Jewish authorities had no power to execute anyone, and that throughout his time in Palestine Pontius Pilate exhibited no compunction in brutally quelling any form of dissent – provides prima facie evidence that the Romans, not the Jews, bear responsibility for Jesus’ death. The inscription on the Cross – Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews – provides all the cause for a Roman execution: elimination of one who some took to be a revolutionary. Why then would the Gospel writers accuse the “the Jews” of responsibility for the death of Jesus? First, perhaps some Jewish authorities did indeed conspire with the Romans, hoping to forestall a mass revolt that would lead to Rome destroying the nation (as happened thirty years later). More importantly, Gospel writers would have wanted to downplay the role of the Romans in the execution of this religion’s founder. Emphasizing the role of “the Jews” deflected attention from the fact of Jesus’ execution as a political criminal by attributing his death to jealousy or an arcane religious dispute within Jewish life. In the latter context, the first Christ followers then identified as a persecuted minority within the larger religion of Israel. The real point of the Crucifixion is that the one who follows Christ must expect to be shamed (as in Psalm 31), to be oppressed (as the Servant in Isaiah 50), and to be tried and falsely convicted (as in the Gospels). It comes with the hope that in the final extremity one like Simon of Cyrene will step forward to bear the cross with us and with the sure knowledge that those who follow Christ to Calvary will rejoice with him in the Resurrection.

Entering into the Scriptures

At Mark 15:34, as Jesus is about to die, he recites the first half verse of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” For the first audience of Mark’s Gospel, steeped in the Psalms, this would not have been the first reference to Psalm 22, and far from the first reference to any Psalm. Between Mark 15:24 and Mark 15:34, there are at least four easily recognizable references to Psalm 22 (e.g., dividing cloak by casting lots: Psalm 22:18 NRSV and Mark 15:24). The parallel incidents included many features common to a Roman crucifixion (mockery of the crucified one, for example [Psalm 22:6; Mark 15:29, 32]). With Psalm 22 and such other references as 69:21 (giving vinegar to drink; Mark 15:23), Mark provided a bridge between the horrific execution of Jesus and the Old Testament. With that move, Mark gives the audience a language with which to talk about the Crucifixion. Christians could read the psalms of lamentation, and such other texts as the Suffering Servant canticles as exemplars of the life and death of Jesus, their Messiah. With the explicit quotation of the first line of Psalm 22 it may well be that Mark invited his audience to rise and recite the whole of the Psalm as a congregation. (To conserve pen and ink, Jewish writers in antiquity routinely quoted the opening of a Scripture passage with the sure expectation that the audience would fill in the rest.) For the audience, the concluding verses of Psalm 22 would give hope, for there they psalmist affirms that

²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. ²⁸For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. ²⁹To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. ³⁰Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, ³¹and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Congregations of Christ followers throughout the world would see in themselves the fulfillment of these words. They would be assured that death, even the most ignominious death, is not the end. God will be victorious.

Looking to the Future

Recitation of Psalm 22 shifts the focus from the horrors of the past and present towards the future. In that movement, it mirrors the daily examen, which begins in thanksgiving, moves to reflection on failures during the day, and, in the third stage, considers what can be improved tomorrow? There may be important ways to improve our behavior in the morning, or there may be relatively small items. Perhaps we need to reconcile with an estranged family member or tip a server more generously. Whatever the action, when done just before sleep, we close our day not with thoughts of failure but with resolutions for improving the future. We rest in anticipation of making a better tomorrow.

Questions for Discussion

How would you describe a Servant of God like the one portrayed in Isaiah 50:4-9? Who has been a Servant of God in your life? When have you acted (maybe imperfectly) as a Servant of God?

Where and when have you witnessed anti-Semitism? Could you detect its foundation? In what other ways were the bigots biased?

Have you a practice of regularly and intentionally reflecting on your life? Do you include thanksgiving, reflection on shortcomings, and resolutions for the future? When do you do this?

To download a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The icon of the Crucifixion is free for any use under a Commercial Commons license.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

St. Julian of Norwich

Tracy — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 05:30:20 +0000

“All shall be well. And all shall be well. And all manner of thing shall be well.” - The Lady Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love This phrase, coupled with the image of the hazelnut that (to paraphrase Julian) “God made, God loves, and God keeps,” is such a simple and strong affirmation that’s applicable to a lot of situations in life. It’s been proclaimed to me by friends. I’ve proclaimed it to my teenage daughter, and I’ve whispered it to myself with heavy spirit and racing heart. Sometimes, I embrace this message whole-heartedly, and sometimes I doubt. In my mind, I travel back, then, to just outside the window of the solitary and intimate space that Julian lived in several centuries ago, and spend a few minutes with her and this love story she has shared with her Christian brothers and sisters throughout the centuries. Tugging at the homespun curtain separating her cell from the world outside, I chirp a greeting, sure that she must be resting in contentment while I struggle now in the modern world. But here she comes to the window and peers into my searching eyes. Her simplicity humbles me, her joy encourages me, and her honesty makes me wonder: Can I slow down, even as Lent draws to a close, and savour “every hour, every day as it passes” (in a prayer of Jane Austen’s), content in the joy of God’s love for simple me? And sure in the hope that all is well, now and always, as God’s gaze rests on me? More importantly, will I infuse “all shall be well” with new compassion and lovingkindness towards everyone in my path, regardless of belief, circumstance or reciprocal kindness? Can I resolve to share, however I’m called to do so, with another being that “God made, loves, and keeps” every single one of us? Tess Vonfeldt-Gross is a member of St. Gabriel the Archangel in Cherry Hills Village. She is an armchair Medieval historian, hobby calligrapher, and lover of old manuscripts. So many of the saints and mystics from the Middle Ages tend to reach out to her from several centuries ago, sharing their unique world perspective and wisdom.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 13:53:26 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 1, 2018

Easter Sunday

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 10:34-43 Alternate Isaiah 25:6-9 ³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality,³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ – he is Lord of all.³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Worth Noting: Peter is summarizing here, in a highly compressed version, the Gospel of Luke for the centurion Cornelius and his household. Have you ever given a two-minute summary of your beliefs? How did that go? Have you thought about how best to do that?

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 ¹O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! ²Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” ¹⁴The LORD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. ¹⁵There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the LORD does valiantly; ¹⁶the right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.” ¹⁷I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD. ¹⁸The LORD has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. ¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. ²⁰This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. ²¹I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. ²²The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. ²³This is the LORD's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. ²⁴This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Alternate Acts 10:34-43 ¹Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand,²through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you – unless you have come to believe in vain.³For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,⁴and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,⁵and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.⁶Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.⁸Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.⁹For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-- though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.¹¹Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Worth Noting: Paul tells us many people witnessed the risen Christ. What have we gained because Jesus Christ did not remain to minister and guide us today?

Gospel: John 20:1-18 Alternate Mark 16:1-8 ¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.⁸Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.¹⁰Then the disciples returned to their homes. ¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Worth Noting: Hearing this Gospel every year reminds us that Mary Magdalene was the first evangelist, announcing to the other disciples the good news of the Resurrection. Who first proclaimed the Good News to you? How do you proclaim the Gospel?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Careful readers have long recognized that the Gospel of John is a composite text, edited and expanded over decades. It includes disparate (perhaps even conflicting) traditions about the life of Jesus. The Easter morning Gospel, John 20:1-18, includes two such traditions: that of women at the Empty Tomb and of Peter’s encounter with Christ. Mark, the first Gospel (c. 70 c.e.), relates that Mary Magdalene and other women first witnessed the Empty Tomb. In the likely earliest version of Mark, the women did not encounter the risen Jesus. Paul, in the selection from 1 Corinthians above (c. 55 c.e.), relates that Cephas/Peter was the first witness to the risen Christ. For Paul and many in the early Church, witness to the risen Christ established authority within the Church: the earlier someone saw Jesus the greater the authority. Thus, affirmation of Peter’s first encounter went along with Peter’s preeminent position in the early Church. The Gospel of John combines the two traditions but gives precedence to Mary Magdalene over Peter or the Beloved Disciple. She first witnesses the Empty Tomb (John 20:1) though Peter and the Beloved Disciple are the first to enter the tomb and the Beloved Disciple is the first to believe (verses 6-8). John goes on to say that not only was Mary the first witness of the Empty Tomb, not only did she proclaim the Good News to the other disciples, she was also the first witness to the risen Lord (verses l4-18). Contemporary scholars see in the various accounts of the Empty Tomb and the first witness a contest for authority in the early Church. Did the women first meet Jesus as Matthew (Matthew 28:9) and John claim, or did Peter, as Paul claims (1 Corinthians 15:5)? The community that produced the Gospel of John allowed both of the various traditions to lie side by side, as if to say “Neither is wrong and both are right.”

The Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed!

All the Empty Tomb accounts in the four Gospels agree: Faithful women, determined to bury Jesus properly, first arrived to find the tomb empty. Like the male apostles, the women did not comprehend Jesus’ foretelling his Resurrection and so went expecting to care for his body in the tomb. They differed from their male counterparts, however, in that they let neither sorrow and despair at Jesus’ death nor fear of further violence keep them from venturing out to anoint Jesus’ body and to fulfill faithfully the commandment to honor the bodies of the dead. Perhaps not all the women who followed Jesus went to the tomb. Some stayed to offer emotional and physical solace to the little company. These women went out. Like Martha (Luke 10:40 and following), they saw a need for something to be done and went to take care of it. In their action, they encountered the mystery of Jesus: his life, his death, and his Resurrection. There they earned the title First Apostles.

Questions for Discussion

How does authority work in your religious community? Is it based on seniority? Education? Gender? A combination of all? If there are clergy, how do they work with and relate to lay leaders?

How does your community react to differences? Are you willing to put different ideas and understandings alongside each other? If so, then what?

Experiencing the risen Christ empowered and authorized the first Christians. Where and when do you have experiences of the risen Christ? At church? In service? In study? In music?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The work “Christ appearing to Magdalene” by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319) is in the public domain.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 15:35:48 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 8, 2018

Second Sunday of Easter

The Readings

First Reading: Acts 4:32-35 ³²Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.³³With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.³⁵They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Worth Noting: Many thoughtful readers think Acts’ depiction of the Apostolic Church in Jerusalem is itself an idealized portrait constructed for third and fourth generation Christians. It serves the same purpose today, as contemporary Christians strive to build communities modeled on these portraits. Does your religious community accept such depictions as normative for their common life?

Psalm 133 ¹How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! ²It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. ³It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

Worth Noting: Living together in a faith community can be as rich and sensual as oil on the beard and dew on the ground. At baptism, the newly baptized is marked with oil. Tradition demands lots of oil: on the head and hair so that the scent lasts for a week and reminds us all of the new life in Christ. Does your community emphasize the sensual aspects of religion? Do you hug and hold hands and breathe in incense? Bellow the hymns and break out the plants and flowers?

Second Reading: 1 John 1:1-2:2 ^1:1We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life – ²this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us – ³we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.⁴We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. ⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.⁶If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;⁷but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.⁹If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.¹⁰If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. ^2:1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;²and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Worth Noting: Contemporary Christians have trouble with the concept of sin. Sometimes we want to attribute any evil deeds to environmental, sociological, or genetic factors. Other times we want to ignore our own complicity in evil, especially in perpetuating environmental and sociological factors. How does your community view sin? Is it something for which you are responsible?

Gospel: John 20:19-31 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” ²⁴But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.²⁵So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” ²⁶A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you."²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” ³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to Acts of the Apostles

The Lectionary reads Acts of the Apostles throughout the Easter season and on Pentecost Sunday. Acts presupposes the reader is familiar with Luke’s view of three historical epochs: the time of the religion of Israel, the time of Jesus, at the center of history, and the time of the Church. Acts describes the time of the Church, taking the story from Jerusalem, a provincial capital, to Rome, the capital of the Empire. Acts itself may be divided into three sections. The first seven chapters constitute the portrait of the earliest, Jerusalem Church, ending with the stoning of Stephen as the ultimate rejection by “the Jews” of Jesus’ Gospel. Acts 8:1 through 11:18 shows the transition of the community from close ties to the laws and rituals of the Religion of Israel to a mission of reaching out to Gentiles. From Acts 11:18 to the end (Acts 28:31), Acts spotlights the ministry of Paul, evangelizing first in the eastern Mediterranean and then journeying, in captivity, to Rome. Along the way, Acts records the decisions at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-31) that relieved Gentiles from the obligation of following the Jewish laws of circumcision, dietary restrictions, and Sabbath observance. History, any history, is written to influence a current audience. The history related may be a cautionary tale of human folly (for example, histories of a military debacle), or, very often, a portrait of a near-idyllic time past with which the contemporary time is unfavorably compared (for example, popular portraits of the 1950’s). Acts falls squarely within the second category. The author wants his third or fourth generation audience (Acts was written 80 to 100 c.e.) to rededicate themselves to the principles that informed the earliest apostles. Its truth, then, lies in the ideals.

Entering into the Scriptures

John 20:31 is widely understood to represent the logical conclusion of the Gospel of John (chapter 21 provides an appendix). Then this final scene includes many important actions, beginning with the sending of the disciples (who surely included Mary Magdalene and the other women who stood at the foot of the Cross, as well as men like Joseph of Arimathea who followed Jesus “though secretly”) just as the Father sent Jesus. As Jesus went with the Spirit, and came to loosen the bonds of sin, so the disciples are given the Holy Spirit and the same capacity to relieve sins. The stage is now set for the disciples to take up Jesus’ mission, and the Gospel could end here (as Matthew ended his Gospel), but the evangelist has more to say. For that, he uses Thomas, the apostle who first expressed willingness to die with Jesus (John 11:16). Thomas, like the other disciples, has not understood Jesus’ prophecies of his resurrection and, perhaps not surprisingly, also does not take the word of his fellows. So the appearance of Jesus elicits a dramatic climax to the scene in Thomas’ confession of belief: “My Lord and my God,” the very title the Roman Emperor Domitian most enjoyed. The Gospel has come full circle. With Thomas’ declaration, the Word, Jesus, is proclaimed God, harkening back to the Gospel prologue, John 1:1-14. The infusion of the Spirit invokes the breath of God ordering creation (Genesis 1:2) and even more directly the breath of the Lord infusing Adam in Genesis 2:7. The disciples are charged with restoring creation to tis original state of sinlessness. The last two verses, John 20:30-31, turn the attention of the narrator from the actions of Jesus and his disciples to the very group attending to his words – the fourth generation Christians, and us, for whom the Gospel was written. We receive the same gift of the Spirit and the charge to do as Jesus did. We are to believe without seeing the signs that Jesus performed, for a simple reason: We know what Jesus continues to do in and through us.

The Skeptic

. Doubting Thomas, Thomas the Apostle needs no defense from Journeying’s editor. Churches that trace their origins to his missionary work (recounted in “Acts of Thomas”) extend from Syria to India. And really, was his disbelief any greater than that of Mary or Peter or the Beloved Disciple? None of them accepted Jesus’ own words but needed to see the Empty Tomb and the burial linens and to hear the voice of the Lord. Thomas, instead, prefigures the faith of many contemporary Christians. Like Thomas, we are skeptical of God’s continuing presence in a world of turmoil, strife, and death. We demand signs of the miraculous and ignore the everyday signs of God’s Spirit working to restore creation by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, attending the sick, and visiting the imprisoned (Matthew 25:34-36). In these actions, we witness the loosening of the bonds of sin and

Questions for Discussion

Have you read any history recently? Was the author clear in his objectives? What did the history say about the current situation?

Faith and doubt are commonplace in the Christian life. What raises doubt in your mind and what restores faith?

If your religious community accepts the existence of sin, does it hold that individuals are responsible for it? How are individuals forgiven their sins? Is there a way to publicly acknowledge responsibility and attain forgiveness?

For a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com. Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. The 18^th century icon of Thomas the Apostle is reproduced from Transfiguration church, Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia. Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:40:16 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 15, 2018

Third Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 3:12-19 ¹²When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?¹³The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him.¹⁴But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you,¹⁵and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.¹⁶And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. ¹⁷“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.¹⁸In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.¹⁹Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”

Worth Noting: This speech comes immediately after Peter cures a man crippled from birth. Luke portrays the conversion process as proceeding from powerful speeches. Is that your experience? To Francis of Assisi is attributed the statement “Preach always; if necessary use words.” Which is the more powerful form of testimony?

Psalm 4 ¹Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer. ²How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? ³But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. ⁴When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. ⁵Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD. ⁶There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!” ⁷You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound. ⁸I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.

Worth Noting: The LORD commands right sacrifices. What right sacrifices do we offer?

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-7 ¹See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.²Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.³And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. ⁴Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.⁵You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.⁶No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Worth Noting: Here are mysteries we may never fully grasp but can contemplate forever with profit, for what could be better than being a child of God? “To be like God,” says the author. Is not the child like the parent? Is there something about our DNA that will be changed when God is revealed?

Gospel: Luke 24:36-48 ³⁶While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish,⁴³ and he took it and ate in their presence. ⁴⁴Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,⁴⁶and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day,⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things.”

Worth Noting: The Gospel of Luke is filled with stories of Jesus eating (Luke 5:30; 7:36; 14:1; 15:2), here with his disciples. In an important sense, all of these meals are Eucharists, thanksgivings for the presence of Jesus. Do we eat all of our meals with a sense of Thanksgiving?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Around the time that Luke wrote, a notion began to develop that Jesus of Nazareth was not really human, and so did not really die – it just seemed that way. Any resurrection, then, would be simply the same spirit reappearing. Luke 24:37b may be giving voice to this belief – “they thought they were seeing a ghost or spirit.” Countering this, Luke insists on the physicality of Jesus’ resurrection. Luke and the Fourth Gospel both recount how Jesus displayed his wounds and urged the disciples to touch them, to prove he really had a body (Luke 24:39-40; John 20:27). Luke goes further, giving an account of Jesus eating fish (Luke 24: 42-43). Having Jesus eat was significant since in first century popular culture, spirits were known to not be able to eat anything – the food would just fall on the ground or something. Describing Jesus doing so lends heavy credence to his bodily appearance. One more thing about this Gospel. Did you notice what Jesus tells his disciples to preach? There is nothing about Jesus’ famous teachings – the Beatitudes or Lord’s prayer, for instance – and nothing of his miracles. The disciples are to proclaim the Paschal Mystery, Christ’s Passion and Resurrection and then repentance and forgiveness of sins. In the first part, Luke closely followed Paul’s preaching about Jesus. Paul concentrated on Jesus’ death and resurrection, with no reports of his miracles and the barest minimum of his teachings. Preaching repentance continues the proclamation of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1:77; 3:3; 5:32). Jesus’ offer of forgiveness was repeated many times (Luke 5:20; 7:48) but perhaps never so powerfully as in the story of the Good Thief, Jesus’ last act before his death (Luke 23:40-43).

Disbelieving Joy (or Joyful Disbelief)

The post-Resurrection appearances of Jesus provoked strong, mixed feelings. We might paraphrase Luke 24:41, by saying “the disciples disbelieved from joy.” They met Jesus on Easter evening, after a series of spectacular events: Women breathlessly announced the Empty Tomb (Luke 24:1-10); Jesus walked, talked, and ate with two disciples on the rode to Emmaus (verses 13-32); Peter witnessed the Empty Tomb (verse12) and saw Jesus (verse 34). Would it be possible after all of these events that the disciples would disbelieve? Long-suffering Chicago baseball fans well understand their reaction. Their White Sox went 88 seasons (1917 to 2005) between World Series wins while the other team in Chicago took even longer (1908-2016). When it finally happened, fans were delirious with joy AND stood around saying “I can’t believe it! I just don’t believe it! Did they really do it?” A fan’s identity had changed, from hapless loser to world champion, disturbing the universe in which she lived. How could that not engender many feelings? In a similar way, the disciples had gone from chastened, fearful followers of a failed, crucified man to the vanguard of a whole new movement, led by the first to rise from the dead. The future was not obvious, but it would not include the family fishing boat.

Prompting Conversations

Sometimes we find it difficult to imagine Jesus experiencing a real human body: sweating, falling ill, suffering sore feet and knees, and glowing from a good meal. Do you find such experiences demeaning for the Son of God? Do you find they elevate the human experience?

When have you experienced great, disbelieving joy? Falling in love? At birth of a child? Do we not trust such joy to be real?

Let’s pretend: A dear friend has asked you to tell them what the Gospel is all about in just thirty seconds. (Jesus did it in two verses: Luke 24:46-47.) What would you say? Would forgiveness be part of that message?

Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 13:41:21 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 22, 2018

Fourth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 4:5-12 ⁵The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,⁶with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.⁷When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” ⁸Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,⁹if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed,¹⁰let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.¹¹This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’¹²There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”

Worth Noting: Peter speaks truth to power and accuses accusers. Have you experienced such a moment in your life? (You may have called out the hypocrisy of a church or business leader. Or a child or spouse may have called out your hypocrisy.)

Worth Noting: To be in the care of a shepherd is to be a part of a flock so that, while usually thought of as a psalm of personal trust and piety, Psalm 23 maintains the conviction that the deliverance of the individual occurs only within the community. It was the LORD that provided manna in the wilderness, who escorted the Hebrew people for forty years like a shepherd with his flock, who prepared food for them as they traversed the lands of their enemies. Would you rather be part of a flock or a single sheep?

Second Reading: 1 John 3:16-24 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.¹⁷How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God;²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Worth Noting: Does verse 17 mean that God’s love no longer abides in one who refuses another help or does it mean that one who refuses another help displays a lack of God’s love? If the former, is God’s love contingent on helping others? If the latter, is it a corollary that all who help others demonstrate that they abide in God’s love, regardless of their faith?

Gospel: John 10:11-18 ¹¹[Jesus said] “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹²The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.¹³The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.¹⁶I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.¹⁷For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

It is usually assumed that Jesus told the parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18) to prepare his disciples for his death and resurrection. Careful readers note, however, that the metaphor fails when it praises a shepherd who dies in the defense of the flock and thereby exposes the now defenseless flock to greater danger. Perhaps more importantly, the application of the parable would seem to imply that only the reader who dies in the place of another is a good shepherd. John’s Greek is more ambiguous than this. In both 1 John 3:16 and in the Gospel “lay down a life for” could as easily and more naturally be translated “give a life for the sake of others.” In other words, Jesus asks us to dedicate our lives to the service of others. This would also be in accord with John’s understanding that Jesus came down to devote his life to others. It is also in accord with the high value that Paul put on the adaptability of Jesus, who did not consider divine honors something to be held onto but accepted a life of a mortal (Philippians 2:6-11). For the contemporary reader of the Gospel, the difference in emphasis makes the image of the Good Shepherd at once more realistic and, just because it is more realistic and because it requires a life-time commitment to other people, more difficult. The Good Shepherd does not succeed in one-time battles with the wolf, but in the day-to-day care of a flock, guiding them to green pastures, nursing them through illness, and watching them grow. That is, sharing her life with the flock.

Breaking Down Our Silos

Many issues have been addressed recently about the proper use of social media. One of the implications may be that because of the proliferation of ways we learn about the world – including digital media, cable news, radio talk shows, newspapers, news magazines – we experience over stimulation of our senses and our brains. Is it a wonder that so many of us live in media silos, reading papers, listening to programs, and associating with those who already agree with us? We wish that this were not so, but often are reluctant to bring up for discussion the issues that really concern us with people in a different silo. Enter the Bible. Journeying believes that group reading and reflection on the Bible can make a start in getting us out of our silos and into the acres of produce that fill the silos. (Okay, so that image didn’t work all that well.) To the Biblical text, each of us brings our hopes and fears. Reading together a text like the Good Shepherd gives us an opportunity to explore – tentatively, gently, honestly – the emotions the story elicits and the attitudes beneath those emotions. Some of us, at some point in our life, may recoil at being called “sheep.” At other times, we will take great comfort in the image of a God who protects us from the “wolves” of the world. Or we may be inspired to ourselves be a good shepherd for those unable to defend themselves, as a teacher, parent, priest, first responder, social worker, politician. And we may wonder whether a shepherd who risks his own death, and thereby exposes his flock to even greater danger respects the virtue of prudence. Or does lay down one’s life mean to dedicate one’s life to the benefit of the flock? One caveat: The Bible does not have a single, unalterable meaning. The Bible contradicts itself. The Bible is filled with open-ended stories whose meaning we are left to discern. The Bible presents many images of God and many examples of human-divine relationships. And as we experience changes and growth in our lives, the Bible speaks differently, the stories take on new meanings. But it helps to remember: It’s never fake news when two or three gather to explore their common identity – humans, concerned citizens, children of God.

Questions for Discussion

Who has served as a shepherd in your life? When have you been a shepherd?

There aren’t many real live shepherds (who actually care for sheep) left these days. How would you rewrite the parable of the good shepherd today? Would your model be a farmer? teacher? parent? work supervisor? cleric? first responder? soldier?

Do you regularly have important discussions with people who vote differently than you do? What are the circumstances that permit that kind of conversation to take place when it is hard to do so with other people?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The image “Shepherds moving their sheeps, between Khoy and Pasak-e Sofla, north-western Iran” was made by Fabien Dany. www.fabiendany.com.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 12:04:51 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for April 29, 2018

Fifth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 8:26-40 ²⁶Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) ²⁷So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship²⁸and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” ³⁰So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. ³²Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.³³In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” ³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.³⁶As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” ^{37 38}He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Worth Noting: This story prefigures the move of the early Church to welcome of impure Gentiles like the Ethiopian eunuch. Modern Christian communities take pride on their hospitality. Are there some who are not welcome in your community? How would you know? Do the art work, music, and rituals of your community fully welcome anyone?

Psalm 22:25-31 ²⁵From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. ²⁶The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever! ²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. ²⁸For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. ²⁹To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. ³⁰Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, ³¹and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

Worth Noting: This is the Psalm Jesus recited on the cross (verse 1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? . . .”). What helps you to move from despair to praise? Does prayer?

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21 ⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.⁹God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him.¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God.¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world.¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.¹⁹We love because he first loved us.²⁰Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. Gospel: John 15:1-8 ¹[Jesus told his disciples] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The verb “abide” appears 14 times in the above selections from 1 John and Gospel of John. Do you think it might be an important concept for the author(s)? In fact, the Greek verb menō appears 40 times in the Gospel of John and another 27 times in the three short letters ascribed to the same author, together more than half the 118 in the New Testament. Jesus calls the disciples to “abide in me” (John 6:56; 15:4-7; 1 John 4:13, 16), to “abide in love” (1 John 4:16), and to “abide in his word (John 8:31 [NRSV “continue”], 15:7). In Biblical use, “to abide” is to establish a permanent relationship. John expands this sense in two ways. First, he portrays a three-way relationship among the disciples, Jesus, and the Father. In some ways, this echoes and further illuminates the Pauline image of the Christian community as the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). The second thing John does is to emphasize the immanence of these relationships. Greeks might strive to be “like the gods” at some point in the future. Jesus speaks of an intimate relationship in the life of the disciple. The Johannine literature claims disciples build this relationship through love towards others, Jesus, and Jesus’ father (1 John 4:20). Jesus equates love for him and for his Father with keeping his and the Father’s commandments (John 14:15-31; 5:10; 1 John 5:2). Since one of Jesus’ commandments is to love one another, this begins to look like a circular argument – to abide in love is to keep the commandment to abide in love. Most of the references to the commandments, however, infer keeping the commandments of the Old Testament as well – the Ten Commandments, certainly, but also such as to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28), and to care for the widow, the orphan, and the alien (Deuteronomy 24:17 and numerous places elsewhere). Taken in this light, Jesus is not necessarily calling everyone to a life of mysticism but to a life engaged with others, immersed in their well-being.

“Love is Just a Four-Letter Word”

The Gospel and letters of John may be thought of as being highly mystical, not as down to earth as other New Testament writings (like the Gospel of Mark). Perhaps they are even more practical, more directed at our lives than we imagine. The author claims “God is love” and “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:8, 20). A couple of ideas. Firstly, as imperfectly as we know and express love, these statements tell us something about God. If God is love, then God is an action, for we know love is expressed in acts; God is relationship, for we know love is relational; and God is communication, for we know love communicates itself to the beloved. Secondly, we learn something about ourselves. If God is love, then the universe is created in love and expresses God’s love. Then love, God, creates the forces of the universe that bring us together in this moment. As we wish each other well and assist each other and the world around us to flourish, we are suffused with and awash in the love of God that creates us and brings us together to experience God’s encompassing love in this moment. In this way, we learn that loving each other is abiding with God and abiding in God is loving God. As the philosopher Mr. Dylan said: “I can say nothing to you but repeat what I heard/That love is just a four-letter word.”

Questions for Discussion

Is hospitality universally valued? Why is it valued especially among modern Christian communities (or is it)?

How does your community express love for others? Who are the others?

Let’s agree that when writing about love John means wishing the best for each other and acting on that wish. Are there conditions or boundaries that you place on your love? (For instance: Would you do as much for a homeless person two continents away as you would for a parent? Your next door neighbor?) Is it a matter of “seeing” the other person? We want to steward our resources properly. How does that fit with “unconditional love”?

To download a PDF of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

“Honor Your Father and Your Mother” by One Way Faith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 13:37:48 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 6, 2013

Sixth Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 10:44-48

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said,⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”⁴⁸So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Worth Noting: This time the normal liturgical order was disrupted: The Spirit came before the water, confirmation before baptism. We get uncomfortable when liturgies diverge from the prescribed order. What happens in your community when things get out of order? Is the unexpected the normal? Do you hear crying babies and restless toddlers as the voices of the Spirit?

Psalm 98 ¹O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. ²The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. ³He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. ⁴Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. ⁵Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. ⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD. ⁷Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. ⁸Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy ⁹at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Worth Noting: The psalmist proclaims that all nations can celebrate the victory God won in liberating the Hebrew people. Why would that be? Wasn’t that a very particular event?

Second Reading: 1 John 5:1-6 ¹Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.³For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,⁴for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.⁵Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

Worth Noting: The hearers of this letter recognize the reference to water and blood as the baptism in water and death in blood of Jesus. Some traditions also see reference to the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. Are there moments in our lives that water and blood symbolize? Sorrow and joy? Feast and famine?

Gospel: John 15:9-17 ⁹[Jesus said to his disciples] “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ¹²“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.¹³No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you.¹⁵I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶“You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.¹⁷I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

Worth Noting: The last two verses cram many thoughts into one place. First, despite what they might think, Jesus’ disciples were chosen, they did not choose. Then, Jesus’ disciples are to bear fruit (and what does that mean?) so that the Father will listen to them. And, finally, all of this is said so that Jesus followers might love one another. Which of these has the most meaning for you?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

When Jesus calls his disciples “friends” (John 15:13-15), he, they, and we the readers enter into a millennia long discussion of what friendship means. For Jesus and his disciples, friendship had many connotations. A nation could be a friend with Rome, meaning the nation would receive some military protection from the Roman army in exchange for being an ally for Rome in any of its contests. These international relationships simply mirrored the client-patron system of friendship representing a mutually beneficial economic and social relationship. The notion that friendship represented a mutually beneficial relationship extended to interpersonal friendships as well. But at the personal level, the popular thinkers of the first century taught that one could be a friend only as long as one was virtuous (principally honest, just, and loyal), and one could only have a friend who was also virtuous. Friends supported each other (through encouraging and frank speech) in the mutual search for virtue. About the time the Gospel of John was written, Plutarch added another element to friendship, that a consequence of friendship was complete likeness of one to the other. This would be less a matter of imitation than of mutual attainment of higher levels of virtue. In John’s Farewell Discourse (John 13-17), Jesus emphasizes a three-way unity among his disciples, Jesus, and the Father. In the language of friendship, such unity is possible because the disciples, Jesus, and the Father, all three, are virtuous. The disciples would have understood that such friendship depended on their remaining virtuous and rendering to Jesus and the Father the honor and glory justly theirs. The disciples would understand that as this friendship deepened, as the disciple offered the proper honor and glory, so the disciple would become more like Jesus and the Father, more godlike.

“Now If I Had My Way . . .”

May 10 marks forty days after Easter, the traditional day to celebrate the Ascension of Jesus. Every year I wonder why we celebrate Jesus leaving us. Wouldn’t it have been much easier if he had stayed around to lead the Church physically? Why didn’t he just appear once or twice in front of Tiberius Caesar in Rome to establish his credentials? Maybe even take over the running of the Roman Empire. Surely the Son of God could have done that in his down time from managing the universe. That’s the plan the disciples wanted Jesus to adopt, the Romans feared he would, and the one I would have adopted. God chose a different strategy. The gardener, the physician, and the teacher – not the emperor and not a legion of soldiers – carry the Word into the world. Granted we live in a world that often finds it easy to deny God’s presence, but all the more we appreciate the moments God is revealed in our midst: moments of unrestrained joy, of overwhelming grief, of unimagined beauty. The moments we know with body, mind, and spirit what it means to abide in love and to abide in God. Could we have those moments with Jesus in our midst?

Questions for Discussion

The first reading (Acts 10:44-48) and Psalm 98 contemplate diverse nations acknowledging the God of Israel. How does your religious community welcome ethnic diversity?

In your experience, can parents/children be friends with their children/parents? If not, can they love each other? What’s the difference?

Jesus claimed that unless he returned to the Father the Spirit would dwell neither with the disciples, nor with us. Do you think Jesus was bluffing? What does the Spirit bring to you and to your community?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The artist who created “Hands United in Friendship” has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Sun, 06 May 2018 21:24:15 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 13, 2018

Seventh Sunday of Easter

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 ¹⁵In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said,¹⁶“Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus--¹⁷for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. . . ²¹“So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,²²beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us – one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.” ²³So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.²⁴Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen²⁵to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Worth Noting: If this passage does nothing else, it generates lots of questions. Why does Acts include the selection of Matthias, who lived in obscurity until his selection and promptly returned to obscurity afterwards? Why didn’t Jesus, who had forty days with the disciples to reorganize the group after his Resurrection, name Judas’ replacement before his Ascension? Why was selection by lots (a method never used again)? Now that’s an effective passage!

Psalm 1 ¹Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; ²but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. ³They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. ⁴The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; ⁶for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Worth Noting: What might it mean to you to meditate on the law day and night? Don’t you have other obligations that would interfere? Were the good people of the psalmist’s day less occupied than you?

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9-13 ⁹If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.¹⁰Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.¹¹And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Worth Noting: This letter references the name of Jesus, Son of God, three times (1 John 2:12; 3:34; 5:13). The Gospel reading references the name of the Father. Acts of the Apostles describes the apostles acting in Jesus’ name, announcing the forgiveness of sins (for example, Acts 2:38) healing (Acts 3:6; 16:18) and suffering (Acts 5:41; 9:16). Jesus’ name has power. What is it to “believe in the name of the Son of God”? What is it to use the name of the Son of God?

Gospel: John 17:6-19 [Jesus said “Father] ⁶I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.⁷Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;⁸for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.⁹I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.¹⁰All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.¹¹And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. ¹²While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled.¹³But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.¹⁴I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.¹⁵I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.¹⁶They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.¹⁷Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.¹⁸As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.¹⁹And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Worth Noting: In verse 19, Jesus “sanctifies himself,” placing himself exclusively in the service of God. Then he asks that his disciples be sanctified in the same way, that they and all his followers, including those in the 21^st century, be devoted exclusively to the service of God. Is that what discipleship requires? Is that what people sign up for in baptism?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Gospel of John relies on one word, “world,” to express at least three concepts. First of all, John refers to the entire created universe as in John 1:10 “he was in the world and the world came to be through him.” The world may also be the object of God’s love and Jesus’ ministry, as in 3:16 “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that everyone who believes in him might not be destroyed but have live everlasting” (Journeying translation). In the current selection from Jesus’ final discourse, the world represents everything that rejects Jesus and his teaching. In this last sense, the world stands opposed to the City of God, right relationships among God, humanity, and all creation. Why would Jesus not pray on behalf of the fallen world? Does this not contradict what Jesus says in other Gospels that he came not for the sake of the righteous, those already saved, but on behalf of sinners (Mark 2:17 and parallels)? Consistency, we are told, is the hobgoblin of small minds, and we would not be accused of being small-minded Christians, but still: Isn’t the Gospel of John supposed to be the Gospel of Love? Consider for whom Jesus was praying. The community of John, without doubt saw the references to those whom the Father gave to Jesus as applying to themselves. As a community seeing itself besieged, they may have brushed aside any attempt to broaden the category to include their neighbors, some following Mithras or other deities, and some gathering each Saturday in the synagogue down the street. Need we be so exclusive? Earlier in the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks of his sheep who do not belong to this fold (John 10:16). Might Jesus be including those as ones given him by the Father?

Working at Starbucks

May I tell a story? I often work in public places – especially cafes and coffee houses – usually with titles like The Greek New Testament on the table around me. Once in a while someone takes note and initiates a conversation (Note: most people avoid “Bible thumpers”). One man engaged me in conversation with the obvious intent of “saving my soul.” Our conversation did not go well, but, as it drew to a close, he asked if we could pray together. I declined. From my standpoint, his prayer was not an expression of our communion but of our division, of his judgment that I was among the unsaved. With hindsight, maybe I was the one who was too judgmental and maybe I was too self-righteous. Nevertheless, could it be that Jesus, politely respecting the conscience and free will of “sinners” here let them be? Christians believe that sinners and a sinful world could not exist without the presence of God’s love. Jesus loves sinners, those who choose to reject him. Might they rebuff his prayers for them, seeing this as one more imposition on their own personhood?

Questions for Discussion

How often does the name of Jesus come up in your daily experience? How do you react?

Do you pray for unbelieving friends and relatives? What is it you hope will happen?

When your community talks about “the world,” what do they most often mean – the natural world? the web of human institutions? popular culture? Does your community judge the world essentially evil, neither good nor evil, fallen but redeemable, or something else?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail. com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 14 May 2018 13:31:28 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 20, 2018

Pentecost Sunday

THE READINGS

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21 Alternative Ezekiel 37:1-14 ¹When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. ⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,¹¹Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power.”¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"¹³But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.” ¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning.¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ¹⁷In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. ²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. ²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Worth Noting: The enumeration of home countries of Jews visiting Jerusalem, from Iran to Libya, captures the geographic scope of the task to which the disciples were called and the eventual breadth of the Christian community. Does your religious community reflect the kind of diversity in this first congregation?

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b ²⁴O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. ²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. ²⁶There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. ²⁷These all look to you to give them their food in due season; ²⁸when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. ²⁹When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. ³⁰When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. ³¹May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works – ³²who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. ³⁴May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD. ^35bBless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!

Worth Noting: The psalmist is overwhelmed with creation’s order and abundance, reflecting God’s wisdom, creativity, and boundless love. God created the great sea monster Leviathan, feared by the agrarian Hebrews, to sport and frolic on the deep. Today many religious communities engage natural creation in their community gardens and stewardship of material resources. How does your community do this?

Second Reading: Romans 8:22-27 Alternative Acts 2:1-21 ²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. ²⁶Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.²⁷And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Worth Noting: Paul the mystic. While the Roman poets may have seen creation rejoicing at the rule of the Emperors, Paul the mystic hears all creation, itself suffused with the Spirit, groaning to birth the Reign of God. How does modern culture view creation: an unmitigated good? fragile? resources to be exploited? How does your community view creation?

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 ^[Jesus said to his disciples] ²⁶“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.²⁷You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. . . . ^4b“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.⁵But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts.⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.⁸And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:⁹about sin, because they do not believe in me;¹⁰about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;¹¹about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. ¹²“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.¹⁵All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Worth Noting: Jesus teaches that his physical presence is of less value than the indwelling of the Spirit. How does that work? What would it be like if Jesus were here but not the Spirit? Would we need the fruits of the Spirit?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Pentecost, the Christian celebration of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit among the first disciples, occurs 50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus and usually roughly coincides with the Jewish festival of Shavuot (this year sunset to sunset May 19 to 21). Shavuot, “weeks” in English, probably originated as an agricultural celebration dedicating the first fruits of the spring grain harvest (see Leviticus 23:15-21) before acquiring a religious significance celebrating the giving of the Torah to the Hebrew people on Mt. Sinai. It is celebrated seven weeks (a week of weeks) after Passover and is the Pentecost (fifty days) in Acts 2:1 above. The ancient sages noted particularly that the feast celebrates the giving of the Torah, not its reception, since each day the faithful are to receive the Torah and live into its covenantal relationships. For Christians, the two feasts have certain similarities. Jews celebrate first the liberation from slavery and then the giving of the Torah. Christians celebrate the liberation from death to eternal life and the bestowal or the Spirit. As is said of the gift of the Torah, so Christians may mark the gift of the Spirit which then must be received each day. Christians logically must see the gift of the Spirit fulfilling the promise and purpose of the gift of the Torah, in bringing the Good News to all nations.

Spring’s New Life

Springtime provides nature’s setting for beginnings. Jews celebrate Shavuot as the beginning of the Jewish religion in the gift of Torah at Mt Sinai just as Christians celebrate Pentecost as the beginning of the Church with the gift of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ disciples. In their ways, both Shavuot and Pentecost celebrate God’s abundant generosity and the response of God’s people in accepting a new way of life. From Sinai, the Hebrew people formed a nation worshipping and glorifying the LORD. From Pentecost, disciples see the world as the site for proclaiming, in word and deed, the Good News that Jesus reconciled the world to God. At Shavuot and Pentecost, some Jews and Christians celebrate a rite of confirmation for teenagers, marking their accession to the duties and privileges of adults and the renewal of the community. In an increasingly urbanized world, however, it can be difficult to see the links between the Church’s liturgical year and the cycle of the seasons. One symbol of Pentecost brings the two together: the strawberry. Its color reminds us of the fire of the Spirit. Its shape reminds us of the tongues of fire and the human heart the fire touches. Strawberries bring the flavors of spring, hint at the warmth of summer, and in shape and color remind Christians of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Questions for Discussion

Each year, communities of Christians, Jews, and Muslims celebrate Passover together. Could they also celebrate Shavuot? What might it look like? (Some Jews stay up all night reading and studying Torah. Ready to pull an all-night Bible Study?)

Creation themes are prominent in these readings. What do you think: can creation – the natural, non-human world – groan? Is Paul simply using metaphorical, poetic language to express what is really a deep, human longing for redemption?

Isaiah 11:1-3 enumerates the traditional seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Were Jesus to be physically present still, these gifts, at least in their fullness, presumably would not have been given to the Church. Which would be most missed today? Which seems in shortest supply?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Andreas F. Borchert photographed the stained-glass window of Christ Church Cathedral, High Street Dublin depicting the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and licensed the work under the Creative Commons License.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 21 May 2018 13:58:11 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for May 27, 2018

First Sunday after Pentecost; Trinity Sunday

THE READINGS

First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8 ¹In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. ² Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ³ And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” ⁴ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” ⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷ The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Worth Noting: Just as the Spirit comes with fire on Pentecost, so on the inauguration of Isaiah’s vocation his sin is burned away with a live coal from the altar of the LORD of hosts. Purified, Isaiah can now prophecy for the LORD. Do you think one must undergo trials to speak credibly for God?

Worth Noting: Enthusiastic readers of ancient poetry suggest that Psalm 29 was written taking images and themes from the Baal worship of the Canaanites and turning them to praise the LORD. On what images and themes would a modern poet draw? National anthems? Consumer ads?

Second Reading: Romans 8:12-17 ¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – ¹³ for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Worth Noting: The element of explicit choice in adoption highlights the need to choose to be parents in a meaningful way for others. It is a choice both birth and adoptive parents must make. Paul reminds his audience that God has deliberately, explicitly, formally, and eternally chosen them to be God’s daughters and sons. What does it mean to be joint heirs with our Brother Jesus Christ?

Gospel: John 3:1-17 ¹Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ² He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³ Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹ Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷ “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Worth Noting: How does your community view the claim that Jesus came not to condemn but to save? Are condemnation and salvation only about life hereafter? If not, what does salvation in Jesus look like?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Mystery of the Trinity, that the one true God is one God with three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, took centuries to develop in an even rudimentary form. Scripture describes this mystery not in terms of God’s essence or personality, but obliquely in describing God’s actions. The Hebrew Scriptures are so focused on affirming the oneness of God, that it is difficult to see even a hint of the Trinity in them. In chapter 8 of his letter to the Romans, Paul refers to the mystery: the Father adopting Christ followers, the Spirit bearing witness to this adoption, and adoption making the chosen joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-17). In its final edition, the Gospel of John set out the belief in the eternal divinity of Jesus (John 1:1-14) but also Jesus’ subordination to the Father (for example, John 3:16-17) as well as the benefit to the world if Jesus leaves and the Spirit comes (John 16:7). The Church thus had Scriptures’ witness to three distinct beings and an emerging consensus that Jesus Christ was divine. Trying to hold this revelation together with a belief in one God surely caused many sleepless nights among the earliest Christians. The formulation in the creeds of the 4^th and 5^th centuries offers a framework within which to explore the meaning of the Trinity.

“Give Me Love/Give Me Peace on Earth”

Throughout the Eastertide Scripture readings, the Lectionary chose the Gospel of John and the epistle 1 John to proclaim that God is love and we abide in God’s love. It is that insight that gives meaning to the Trinity. In our reflection on the mystery of the Trinity we contemplate a God who exists as a dynamic, loving relationship. Creation abides, resides, exists within this relationship. Holding that they are created in the image of this Triune God, Christians also know that they, like God, are themselves both products and producers of this loving, dynamic relationship: products in so far as they are created; producers in so far as they participate in the love of God, and in that participation somehow add to the love that is God. Christians see themselves living within an eternal web of love. It is a web that encompasses and supports all creation. As they respond to love or not to love, all creatures strengthen or weaken that web. As a consequence, Christians view rampant individualism as inimical to their belief and way of life, for individualism denies the very nature of God and God’s creation of a web of life-giving love.

Questions for Discussion

Psalm 29 sees the work of God in all creation. How (if at all) does the natural created world speak to you of God’s love and providence?

Christian preachers shy away from sermons on the Trinity, fearing accusations of inadvertent heresy. Do you recall ever hearing an adequate description of the Trinity? Does the doctrine of the Trinity have any purchase in your life?

We at Journeying are fearless about accusations of heresy (with nothing to lose, why not?). How does your community express belief in a God of loving relationship?

Ramadan Kareem! Have an abundant Ramadan! In the North America, Ramadan, the month Muslims devote to fasting (including fasting from road rage), prayers, and works of charity, began Tuesday May 15 and runs to the evening of Thursday June 14. How can Christians participate in this month of heightened spiritual energy? While Muslims do not profess belief in the Trinity, do their Ramadan practices align with the Christian mystery of the Trinity?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 28 May 2018 13:57:58 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 3, 2018

Second Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 4

THE READINGS

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20] Alternate: Deuteronomy 5:12-15

¹Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. ²At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room;³the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!”and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. ⁶The LORD called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.⁸The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy.⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.¹⁰Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” [¹¹Then the LORD said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.¹²On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.¹³For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.¹⁴Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.” ¹⁵Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.¹⁶But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, "It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him.” ¹⁹As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD.]

Worth Noting: Spiritual counselors help discern our gifts, as Eli did for Samuel. Who has been important in your life for identifying your gifts? Is that person still in your life?

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 Alternate Psalm 81:1-10 ¹O LORD, you have searched me and known me. ²You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. ³You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely. ⁵You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. ¹³For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. ¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. ¹⁷How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ¹⁸I try to count them – they are more than the sand; I come to the end – I am still with you.

Worth Noting: The psalmist sings of God’s foreknowledge of her existence and activities. Is that a matter of rejoicing?

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 ⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.⁶For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ⁷But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;¹⁰always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.¹¹For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh.¹²So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Gospel: Mark 2:23-3:6

One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.²⁴The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” ²⁵And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?²⁶He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.”²⁷Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath;²⁸so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” ^3:1Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.²They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.³And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.” ⁴Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.⁵He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.⁶The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Worth Noting: In stories of controversy between Jesus and Pharisees, we can ignore Jesus’ willingness to engage those with whom he disagreed. How does your community handle differences in viewpoints: Are they ignored for the sake of harmony? Are they aired respectfully? Do people simply avoid those with whom they disagree?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to 2 Corinthians

For the next seven weeks, the Lectionary continues reading from 2 Corinthians. Corinth at this time was a major seaport linking trade from as far as India in the east to Rome in the west. As an international city, Greeks, Romans, Jews, Egyptians – really, just about anybody from anywhere – could be found in Corinth. In 51 C.E., just when Paul was working there, Corinth hosted the biennial Isthmian games, an All-Greece festival and athletic competition every bit as important as the quadrennial Olympic games. Corinth was, in other words, a happening place. Historians conclude Paul founded a community of Christ followers in Corinth about 50 or 51 C.E. Sometime after Paull left Corinth, he wrote to the community, in response to questions they had on the proper behavior of Christ followers (1 Corinthians 7:1) and in response to reports from “Chloe’s people” about certain bad behaviors (1 Corinthians 1:11-12). According to 2 Corinthians 12:14 and 13:1, Paul is preparing for this third trip to Corinth, sending this letter to Corinth with Titus and a second unnamed delegate while Paul finishes work in Macedonia (perhaps Thessaloniki or Philippi). He writes to accomplish three things. First of all, in a previous letter, probably not 1 Corinthians but now lost, Paul treated the shortcomings of the community harshly (2 Corinthians 2:1-4). One could not say that in 2 Corinthians he actually apologizes for the language, but he writes to assure the Corinthians of his care and compassion. He writes as well to urge the community to be generous in their collection for the benefit of the Jerusalem community (2 Corinthians 9:1-8). In fact, he is coming to Corinth with representatives from the Church in Macedonia whom he wishes to impress with the Corinthian generosity. These matters he treats in chapters 1 to 9. In chapters 10-13, Paul’s language changes abruptly as he fulminates over the Corinthians acceptance of the teachings of so-called “super apostles.” Paul never gives his opponents the benefit of directly quoting them. One can only surmise from Paul’s comments that they are missionaries for Christ who rely on credentials that include a rich Jewish heritage and impressive rhetorical skills. Paul asserts his own Jewish heritage and considers rhetoric (and good looks) false credentials: Because of the abrupt change in tone and substance between chapters 9 and 10, and because of other abrupt changes elsewhere in the letter, readers have been wrestling for the last 350 years with the question of whether 2 Corinthians is composed of two or more letters. A majority would now say that it is composed of at least two letters, chapters 1 to 9 and 10 to 13. As the Lectionary readings are to a great extent “stand alone,” the divisions are not particularly apparent and have little bearing on the interpretation of the readings themselves. As a consequence, Journeying will ignore this particular academic imbroglio.

Entering into the Scriptures

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus debates Jewish practices with Pharisees, including practices to honor the Sabbath. In the selection above, two issues arise: Is it legal to pluck food from growing wheat on the Sabbath to maintain nourishment? Is it legal to heal on the Sabbath? Questions about Sabbath practices have been common throughout Jewish history – probably since Moses brought the two stone tablets down from Mt Sinai. How should we “keep holy the sabbath”? In Mark, Jesus takes one side of this very Jewish debate while the Pharisees take another. First of all, the teaching from centuries before Jesus’ time to today is that any Sabbath prohibition may be broken to preserve life. Women in labor may be driven to the hospital to be met by a medical team mandated to work for the safety of mother and child. The principle of preserving life extends to taking medicine when ill or when the medicine prevents serious conditions. It may be that Jesus could have argued that this same rule justified his apostles’ plucking and eating wheat on the Sabbath. The tricky part comes with the healing of a non-life-threatening condition. Healing can involve lots of work – preparing medicines, carrying them great distances, and so forth. In general, this kind of work was discouraged. Would the specific healing Jesus accomplished in Mark – simply asking a man to stretch out his arm fall within this prohibition? Since no one did any work, the answer is no. But the precedent of healing on the Sabbath could have troubled the bystanders. Here, Jesus takes a stand uttering a principle that legitimate needs of humans take precedence over the Sabbath regulations. What were the prohibitions on healing on the Sabbath

“Suffer the Little Children”

Do adults tend to give short shrift to the spiritual gifts of the young? Often the young express easily and intuitively the love of God; often they display rare insight into the motives of their elders. Even so, their place in the community is to receive adult wisdom. In these readings, Samuel received his divine vocation as prophet while still a boy. The Psalmist acknowledges that God created her in her mother’s womb. Children, young people, actively participate in the kingdom of God. Is it not therefore, incorrect to say “you are the Church of the future”? Should we not say “you are the Church”?

Questions for Discussion

What are the gifts that young people bring to your community? Do they complement gifts of older generations? Are they limited to acting in youth groups? Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man. How so? How does your community honor the Sabbath rest? Is it (in fact) possible to honor the Sabbath in a community that does not? Paul seems to equate his death in Christ with life for the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 4:12). Does this make sense? Is Paul referring to anything but death through Baptism? What deaths have you experienced that brought life to others?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 14:08:03 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 10, 2018

Third Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 5

THE READINGS

First Reading: 1 Samuel 8:4-11, [12-15], 16-20; [11:14-15] Alternative Genesis 3:8-15 ⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,⁵and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” ⁶But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the LORD,⁷and the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.⁸Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you.⁹Now then, listen to their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” ¹⁰So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.¹¹He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; [¹²and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.¹⁴He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.¹⁵He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers.]¹⁶He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work.¹⁷He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.¹⁸And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” ¹⁹But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us,²⁰so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” [^11:14Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship."¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the LORD, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.]

Worth Noting: Does a story that portrays humans replacing the rule of the LORD with an arbitrary, grasping tyrant ring true to you?

Psalm 138 Alternative Psalm 130 ¹ I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; ²I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. ³On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. ⁴All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth. ⁵They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD. ⁶For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away. ⁷Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. ⁸The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Worth Noting: Israel praises the LORD, the God of Israel, before the gods (verse 2) and kings (verse 4) of the nations, for the LORD has delivered Israel from danger.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 ^4:13But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture – “I believed, and so I spoke” – we also believe, and so we speak,¹⁴because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence.¹⁵Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. ¹⁶So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.¹⁷For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,¹⁸because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. ^5:1For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Worth Noting: The Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 b.c.e.) described the material world as an impermanent shadow of what is reality, unchangeable forms that only the mind can apprehend. Our senses, he claimed, deceive us into believing that what we see is reality. Jewish thought, in contrast, affirmed the ultimate reality of the world God created (Genesis 1-2). Where is Paul falling on the continuum from Greek to Jewish?

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35 [Jesus came home] ²⁰and the crowd came together again, so that they [Jesus and his disciples] could not even eat.²¹When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” ²²And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” ²³And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?²⁴If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.²⁵And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.²⁶And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come.²⁷But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.²⁸"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter;²⁹but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” – ³⁰for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” ³¹Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him.³²A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” ³³And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”³⁴And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!³⁵Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Worth Noting: Careful readers of the Gospels cite the criterion of “embarrassment to the Church” as proof that an incident or saying can be traced to Jesus. The incident with the family fits into this category: The early Church would be hard-pressed to explain why Jesus’ own family thought he was insane. Does the incident ring true to you? Why wouldn’t Jesus’ family be all for his traveling and teaching and healing?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to 1and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings

During the summer, the Lectionary provides a history of the transition from the system of calling up Judges to lead the people in a time of crisis through the first three kings of the united kingdom, Saul, David, and Solomon, and concludes with the dedication of the first Temple by Solomon. Probably compiled and finally edited in the decades after the return from the Babylonian exile (527 b.c.e.), these texts represent part of the autobiography of the people of the LORD: Who they are in relationship to their God, first of all, and their neighbors next. More than anything, the soul searching that went into the writing meant to address the question “What went wrong? Why did the LORD permit our exile to Babylon?” To arrive at an answer, no institution and no individual was spared. The people rejected the LORD as their king. The LORD selected and then rejected Saul. The myriad sins of David and Solomon are carefully chronicled. Hence the answer: the people and their leaders bore responsibility for the destruction of the exile. Was this an early example of blaming the victim?

Entering into the Scriptures

When Paul arrived in Corinth, the entire city center proclaimed the glory and divinity of the Julian family (Julius Caesar [second founder of Corinth], Caesar Augustus his nephew and first emperor, and Tiberius, Augustus’ son, heir, and emperor). Roman religion, architecture, and literature/propaganda worked together seamlessly to portray Imperial Rome as not just invincible but also the savior of the world. Indeed, so Rome told the world, with the period of peace inaugurated by Caesar Augustus around 30 b.c.e., a new age of prosperity had begun and indeed it was an age of reduced warfare and increased prosperity. Of course, the principal beneficiaries of this pax Romana (“Roman peace”) were the international merchants linked, one way or another, to the emperor. Jews, wishing to subvert this imperial propaganda, developed their own competing literature, restating the traditional faith that the LORD, the God of Israel, would restore Israel in its fullest glory and inaugurate a period of peace and justice dominated by the restored Israel. While the Romans proclaimed a new age had arrived, Jews pointed towards a future when all would be righteous. In this view, history has a goal and human endeavor can have meaning as it prepares creation for the Reign of God. Paul followed a third path when he proclaimed that with the death and resurrection of Jesus, a new age had indeed dawned. Unlike the pax Romana, the benefits were available to everyone and all would be co-heirs in Christ’s riches. While the pax Romana proclaimed a new, perfected age, Paul recognized that there was an element of the unfinished about the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Unlike the Jewish vision of a future of justice and peace, Paul claimed that the new age had begun, though the world had not yet been truly transformed into that kingdom of which Jesus spoke. Paul’s “eschatology,” or understanding of the Last Days, therefore had a “now but not yet” element to it. In the selection from 2 Corinthians above, Paul describes the resurrection of Jesus as our guarantee of eternal life. The current time, between the resurrection and the return of Jesus, is a time of work, struggle, and affliction. Like Plato, Paul looked to a better time when reality would be transformed. Like his Jewish contemporaries, Paul looked to his own efforts to hasten that time.

"We've Always Done It This Way!"

The readings from 1 Samuel and Mark illustrate how hard we find it to recognize the benefits of new ways of doing things. Israel wanted a king so that they “could be like the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:20). Jesus’ family, perhaps embarrassed by his vagabond life, wanted to corral him, to bring him back to a conventional career path – perhaps as a local healer, doing good but contained in a respectable profession. Neither Israel nor Jesus’ family acknowledges the magnitude of the inbreaking of God’s Spirit in the world. Looking back, we wonder why humans seem to make choices contrary to their best interests. What is difficult to measure are the ways each of us prioritizes the values that we all share. At the moment at least, Jesus’ family prioritized good family reputation and the safety of staying below the radar of the occupying Romans over the possibility of immense changes in their world. The Israelites prioritized having a single “Big Chief” to represent them in war and international affairs over a messy but more democratic and God-centered political system. We can only sympathize. For us all, choosing the unusual, the unconventional, the new way of prioritizing and organizing things – in a word, choosing change – is hard!

Questions for Discussion

Do you, like the Jewish writers of the Old Testament, believe that actions have long term consequences? How has your community’s history impacted the life of the community today?

Would Jesus have been as effective if his family had joined his ministry? Do we need to break family and neighborhood bonds to reach our potentials?

Are their vagabonds in your community, those who ignore the stereotype of the successful life? Do you know someone who does? Is it the Church’s vocation to nurture these souls? If so, how?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:32:38 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 17, 2018

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 6

CORRECTED

THE READINGS

First Reading: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 Alternate Ezekiel 17:22-24 ³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.³⁵Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel. ^16:1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” ²Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’³Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” ⁴Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” ⁵He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord.” ⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”¹¹Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” ¹²He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Worth Noting: With the anointing, David became, quite literally, the Messiah, the anointed one, the host of God’s Spirit. Christian. Does your community include an anointing in its baptism ritual? If so, what does the ritual signify?

Psalm 20 Alternate Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 ¹The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! ²May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. ³May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. ⁴May he grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your plans. ⁵May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. ⁶Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. ⁷Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. ⁸They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright. ⁹Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.

Worth Noting: The Psalm raises the prudential and political question of the degree of reliance to be placed on the Lord. Verses 6 through 9 affirm that victory is the Lord’s, that an enemy’s reliance on chariots and horses will fail (just as they failed when the Egyptians pursued the Hebrew people). Should politicians be urged to foreswear the use of arms in the expectation that the Lord will deliver the people? How would citizens know on whose side God is fighting? (See Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address: “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God and each invokes his aid against the other.”)

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 [11-13], 14-17 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord –⁷for we walk by faith, not by sight.⁸Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.⁹So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.¹⁰For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. [¹¹Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences.¹²We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart.¹³For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.]¹⁴For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.¹⁵And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.¹⁶From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

Worth Noting: Either this is a dense passage or we’re dense. For instance: Does Paul say here that the death of Christ has an impact on all creation (verse 15: “one has died for all; therefore all have died;” verse 17 “everything old has passed away . . . everything has become new”) regardless of what and how one believes?

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34 ²⁶He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground,²⁷and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.²⁸The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” ³⁰He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?³¹It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth;³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” ³³With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it;³⁴he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

Worth Noting: Why would Jesus speak to the crowds in parables – deliberately and often frustratingly ambiguous stories and sayings – but explain everything in private to his disciples? Why not speak plainly to everyone? Was it favoritism?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

What do people mean when they say “For the love of God, do it!” Are they urging some action impelled by God’s love that inspires us to take action, or are they referring to our love for God? When Paul refers to the love of Christ, is he talking about “Christ’s love” or “our love towards Christ”? I think it makes a difference. Certainly, there is a difference of kind and degree; Christ’s love has to be infinite while ours finite, limited, conditioned. (2) Christ’s love makes all new – and just maybe Christ’s love makes exactly everything new, even those things and people that do not recognize Christ’s role in creation.

“Love Changes Everything”

One effect of Christ’s love, is that those who respond to it, those who choose to follow Christ, see the world differently. In his second letter to the Corinthians, quoted above, Paul talks about the one in Christ has become a new creation. Thus, Paul says that “from now on” he will “regard no one from a human point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Now Paul sees the world with God’s eyes – and expects his friends in Corinth to do the same. In the last verse of the reading from 2 Corinthians, Paul proclaims a transformation of the individual as a consequence of living in the love of Christ. Christ followers looking at creation – humans, animals, vegetation, rock formations, stars and the universe – through and with Christ’s eyes, become lovers and seers. Perhaps no one has personified this transformation better than Francis of Assisi who like Christ saw himself as one with creation.

Questions for Discussion

When reading the Bible, are you always able to keep straight what style of literature (poetry, history, short story, and so forth) you are reading? How does that help you make Scripture relevant to your life?

The current description of the universe – expanding at an accelerating rate for 14 billion years, and composed of 4 percent matter that we can see, and 96 percent mysterious and invisible dark matter and energy – shatters our mind, leaves us in awe of the Creator’s powers and ingenuity, and certainly forces us to see the world anew. Do such insights help you to see the world in a new way? Are you more taken by the world seen with the naked eye?

Paul says that in Christ’s love he no longer sees others “from a human point of view” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Isn’t that really the only point of view we can have? What would be the point of view of one immersed in Christ’s love?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

“Wheatfield under Thunderclouds,” by Vincent Van Gogh (1890) may be found in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:42:23 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for June 24, 2018

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 7

THE READINGS

First Reading: 1 Samuel 17: [1a, 4-11, 19-23], 32-49 or 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16 Alternative Job 38:1-11

[^17:1Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim . . . ⁴And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.⁵He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.⁶He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.⁷The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. ⁸He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.⁹If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. . . . ¹⁹ Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.²⁰David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry.²¹Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.²²David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers.²³As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.] ³²David said to Saul, “Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” ³³Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” ³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock,³⁵I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.³⁶Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.”³⁷David said, “The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you!” ³⁸Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.³⁹David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them.⁴⁰Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.⁴¹The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.⁴²When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. ⁴³The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.⁴⁴The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” ⁴⁵But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.⁴⁶This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,⁴⁷and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hand.” ⁴⁸When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.⁴⁹David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Worth Noting: To wow friends at your next BBQ, some arcane Bible and related sports trivia. According to the NRSV, Goliath was six cubits and one span, or 9’9”. According to the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint) and one Dead Sea Scroll, Goliath was a more believable four cubits and one span or 6’9”, about the same as most NBA forwards. David? Probably around 5’6”, the same as all star and league MVP José Altuve, second baseman for the Houston Astros and actor Jennifer Aniston. Now aren’t you glad you read Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary?

Psalm 9:9-20 or Psalm 133 Alternate Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 ⁹The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. ¹⁰And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. ¹¹Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples. ¹²For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. ¹³Be gracious to me, O LORD. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death, ¹⁴so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance. ¹⁵The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught. ¹⁶The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. ¹⁷The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. ¹⁸For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever. ¹⁹Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you. ²⁰Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 ¹As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.²For he says, At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! ³We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,⁴but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,⁵beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;⁶by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love,⁷truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;⁸in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;⁹as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed;¹⁰as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. ¹¹We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you.¹²There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours.¹³In return – I speak as to children – open wide your hearts also.

Worth Noting: Paul asks the Corinthians to open themselves to his message (2 Corinthians 6:13) because he is a model sage, having experienced hardships (verses 4-5), received divine gifts (verses 6-7), but remained indifferent to the opinions of others (verses 7-10). What are the personal qualities for you of a good teacher and preacher? For a preacher, how much bearing does personal history have?

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41 ³⁵On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”³⁶And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.⁴⁰He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Worth Noting: Is it fair to judge the disciples faithless? Didn’t they do exactly what was sensible, namely to rouse Jesus to deal with the bad weather (or at least help bail out the boat)?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Readers might note whenever Jesus has something to do with boats on the sea. We have a theory that Mark used mentions of Jesus on a boat (going across the Sea of Galilee, teaching from a boat) to punctuate his collections of teachings, miracles, controversy stories, and organizational notes (naming disciples, organizing them, sending them on missions, and so on). At Mark 3:7; 4:35; 6:45; and 8:14, Mark situates Jesus on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The use of the boats gives Mark the opportunity to have Jesus perform two of his most impressive miracles (stilling the storm, Mark 4:35-41, above, and walking on the water, Mark 6:45-52). It also moves Jesus between his Jewish homeland in Galilee to Gentile territories (the Decapolis in Mark 5 and perhaps Syria at Mark 7:24) and back again. For the community Jesus taught and the community for which Mark wrote, the sea was mysterious and dangerous. Mythical sea monsters held the imagination of the people, while sailors knew too well the real hazards of winter storms on the Mediterranean. The stories of Jesus calming the sea and walking on water proclaim his dominating control of the sea. This was power reserved for the gods, and Jesus’ demonstration of divine power puts an exclamation point on all the deeds and teachings that preceded.

“Pray as if Everything Depends on God”

In the first eight verses of Psalm 9, omitted from this week’s reading, the psalmist thanks God for the mighty deeds in the past that delivered the people of God. In the section from the Lectionary, the psalmist switches to petition: “As you did in the past, now deliver your people again.” Perhaps the psalmist was even thinking of the deliverance of the Israelites from Goliath through the essentially miraculous intervention of the boy David. Memory of past beneficences heightens confidence in the efficacy of present petitions. What happens when our memory is not of successful petitions but of no obvious response to our needs? The Jewish people prayed Psalm 9 for long centuries of occupation by foreigners, from the Assyrians to the Romans. Why continue praying after centuries of no apparent response? Why do we continue to pray after our friends have died of cancer anyway? After all the great jobs went to someone else? After our kids made really poor choices in their lives? Some say that God always answers our prayers, but not necessarily as we think they should be answered. Some that God has a plan and we should just follow it. Some say that random things happen in the world randomly and there is no point praying to God anyway. Some that God doesn’t intervene in the world’s natural order, but our prayers raise our consciousness of God’s present and sustaining love.

Questions for Discussion

Whether Goliath was a foot taller or two feet taller than David may not seem critical to your spiritual life. You will find similar discrepancies in the texts of the New Testament. The disputed facts may not seem important but it demonstrates that the texts of what we consider Scripture today have been decided in a process over many centuries. Is that a matter of concern to you? Where was the working of divine inspiration?

Who stands out as preachers (for better and for worse) in your life? Were their lives in synch with their words? Did they “Walk the talk”? How could you tell? What about those around you who counsel you. How do you judge their wisdom (or lack thereof)?

Do you pray for particular results – healing, favorable outcome of your efforts, help for someone else? Do you pray to solicit God’s action, somehow to alter directly the natural world, to align yourself with the outcome, or to accomplish something else?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

“Jesus Calming the Storm” was produced by an unknown medieval artist and is located at the Hessische Landes- und Hochschulbibliothek.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 12:14:32 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 1, 2018

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Proper 8

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Alternate Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15, 2:23-24 or Lamentations 3:22-33 ¹After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. ¹⁷David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan.¹⁸(He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:

¹⁹Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen! ²⁰Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.

²¹You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor bounteous fields! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.

²²From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, nor the sword of Saul return empty.

²³Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

²⁴O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

²⁵How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. ²⁶I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

²⁷How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Worth Noting: While the LORD rejected Saul, the poet did not, remembering Saul’s victories and the national wealth that came from them. How does your community remember its founders? Do you gloss over the faults or highlight them?

Psalm 130 Alternate Psalm 30 ¹Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. ²Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! ³If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? ⁴But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. ⁵I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; ⁶my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. ⁷O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. ⁸It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Worth Noting: The implication of verses 1-4 is that from forgiveness of sin the poet moves to worship and praise of the LORD. Forgiveness precedes a right relationship with the LORD. The psalmist may be compared with a child whose parents offer forgiveness before the child is willing to seek it. (See the Prodigal Son.) Have you experienced forgiveness before asking for it? Have you offered it?

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 ⁷Now as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you-- so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. ⁸I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others.⁹For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.¹⁰And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something –¹¹now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means.¹²For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has – not according to what one does not have.¹³I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between¹⁴your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.¹⁵As it is written,

“The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.”

Worth Noting: Paul is urging generosity on the part of the Corinthians for his collection for the poor in Jerusalem (see Galatians 2:9-10). How does your community connect with others elsewhere in the world?

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 ²¹When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. ²²Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet²³and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” ²⁴So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. ²⁵Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years.²⁶She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,²⁸for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”²⁹Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’”³²He looked all around to see who had done it. ³³But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.³⁴He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” ³⁵While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader's house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” ³⁶But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.³⁸When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.³⁹When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” ⁴²And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement.⁴³He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Worth Noting: We have written in the past on the story of the woman with a flow of blood. We will summarize: Mark has no interest in whether or not the woman was unclean. That she was in the midst of a crowd indicates that the crowd also had little interest and never ostracized her. That’s right: No ostracism by the Jews. Yes, Jesus healed her – unconsciously, without touching her, and without any indication that he found her unclean.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

Paul speaks of the collection from his communities on behalf of the church in Jerusalem in his letter to the Galatians (2:10), his first and second letters to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 16:1ff.; 2 Corinthians 8, 9), and his letter to the Romans (15:25-28). The genesis of the collection was the agreement among Paul and the Pillars of the Jerusalem church that Paul, in his ministry to the Gentiles, would remember the poor (Galatians 2:9-10). While we take for granted today the principle of Christian charity, that each local and national community has responsibility to assist others in need, it is not clear how this collection would have been rationalized for these diverse communities. One way, if we assume that Paul’s communities were composed largely of “Godfearers” (Gentiles affiliated with the Jewish community but not formal members), and Jews then a collection for Jerusalem may have been understood as the equivalent of the annual Temple tax. Indeed, some students of Paul reason that the leaders of the Jerusalem Church wanted to establish a relationship of dependence of the Gentile Churches on the Jerusalem Church similar to the relationship between the diaspora Jewish communities and the Temple and Temple authorities. While this may (and we stress “may”) have been the thinking of the leaders in Jerusalem, Paul’s communities, heavily influenced by their experience of Greco-Roman patron-client relationships, would have seen a payment to Jerusalem as expressing the opposite: The Jerusalem Church would be the inferior, a client to the Gentile Churches as financial gifts flowed only one way, from patron to client. In his correspondence with his communities, Paul gives no particular reason for taking up the collection, having spoken of it when he visited them in person. His letters were concerned with the administrative parts of the collection, but even so his language tells a great deal about how he viewed the collection. We note first that Paul used the word for a monetary collection or tax, logeia, in only one place, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2. Paul uses a variety of words with more theological significance, including diakonia, a “[relief] ministry,” eulogia, “blessing,” charis, “grace,” leitourgia, “priestly service,” and most especially koinonia, “partnership.” For Paul, the relief work is simultaneously a blessing, a moment of grace, and an expression of the fellowship among the Gentiles and the Jews. It was another sign to all, particularly to those in Israel, that the time of the Messiah had come, marked by the incoming of the Gentiles to Jerusalem (see Isaiah 2:2-3; 60:5-6; Micah 4:1-2).

“. . . So that Their Abundance May be for Your Need”

Does Paul contradict himself when in 2 Corinthians 8:13-14, he first writes that the Corinthians should share their abundance of material goods with the saints in Jerusalem but then rationalizes this behavior by saying that the Corinthians will share in the abundance of the same saints? How do a people in need share in their abundance? Is there such a thing as an abundance of poverty? Then we ran into the lines an English poet wrote a few years back.

The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act IV scene 1.

Are Shakespeare and Paul saying the same thing, that mercy, charity, grace – call it what you will – rebounds to the benefit of the one who shows mercy and shares widely and graciously? Is that why Paul uses so many words to describe what sounds like passing the plate for people hundreds of miles away? Just as, from the abundance of their needs, the saints of Jerusalem offered the Corinthians an amazing opportunity to open their souls to fellowship with many, so now the poor of the world call to us: To put aside our fear of the other, to retire from the exhausting work of building walls to protect ourselves from the poor, to enlarge our hearts, our sensibilities, our awareness of the pain, suffering, and especially the goodness in the world. And finally they call us to admit “We are all human; we all need mercy; and we all need each other.”

Questions for Discussion

David’s hymn in the first reading shows forgiveness and forgetfulness of the trials Saul imposed on David. How does that work for you? When can you both forgive and forget? Unlike David, do you need to have the person show remorse and ask forgiveness before offering it?

The Hebrew for mercy is related to the Hebrew for womb. God’s womb quivers with mercy. Is mercy a virtue particularly linked to parenthood?

Look around your community and ask yourself “What barriers keep out the poor?” Restrictive zoning laws? Lack of public transportation? Police profiling? How can I help break down these barriers?

Have you had the experience of getting back more than you gave when sharing your time, talent, and treasure? Of those three, which is the hardest to share? The most meaningful?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to engage academic and general audiences for the New Testament. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Rohingya children playing at UNICEF child friendly place inside Batukhail refugee camp in Bangladesh; photo by Anna Dubuis, United Kingdom Department for International Development.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 13:24:36 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 8, 2018

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 9

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Alternate: Ezekiel 2:1-5 ¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh.²For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The LORD said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.⁵At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. . . . ⁹David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward.¹⁰And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

Worth Noting: The “stronghold” in verse 9 was the Jebusite city of Jerusalem and the Millo was a fortification somehow built into or coordinating with the wall surrounding the city. And were the elders like the US Electoral College?

Psalm 48 Alternate: Psalm 123 ¹Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,²beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. ³Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense. ⁴Then the kings assembled, they came on together. ⁵As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic, they took to flight; ⁶trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor, ⁷as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish. ⁸As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. Selah ⁹We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. ¹⁰Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory. ¹¹Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments. ¹²Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers, ¹³consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation ¹⁴that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.

Worth Noting: The psalmist proclaims without qualification the real presence of the LORD in the Jerusalem Temple. How does your community manifest God’s presence?

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 ²I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows.³And I know that such a person – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows –⁴was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.⁵On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses.⁶But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,⁷even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.⁸Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,⁹but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.¹⁰Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

Worth Noting: Paul argues that his success in attracting converts and building communities despite his disability (whatever it might have been), demonstrates that it was Christ, and not Paul, who accomplished the work. Do you see your own shortcomings, infirmities, or disabilities as places to boast about Christ’s power living in you?

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13 ¹He [Jesus] left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands!³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. ⁷He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.⁸He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts;⁹but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place.¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent.¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Worth Noting: The selection covers two stories: the rejection of Jesus by his neighbors and the sending of the Twelve. Mark’s Gospel documented the progression of those who rejected Jesus’ mission: last month his family; here his neighbors. At the end, of course, even the twelve deserted him. Who do you suppose did support Jesus? Who is one person who has always supported you? (And have you expressed your thanks lately?)

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke make it clear that the Holy Spirit, and not Joseph, was the biological father of Jesus. This teaching was memorialized in the Apostles’ Creed (probably formulated in the early 2^nd century) and the Nicene Creed (first draft in 325). In both creeds Christians affirm that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. The recital in Mark 6:3 (parallel in Matthew 13:55) of at least six siblings (four brothers and at least two sisters) of Jesus raises the question about Mary’s virginity. To begin, the Gospels and creeds affirm that at the time of Jesus’ birth Mary was a virgin. They are silent on whether or not Joseph and Mary had more children after Jesus’ birth. Later Christians placed a high value on female virginity, in part because the virginal body came to symbolize a pure and undefiled Church. Further, Jesus’ own legitimacy was attacked, leading Christians to defend Mary’s purity. In this debate, Christians found themselves arguing an extreme view: Not only was Mary a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth, she remained so all of her life. From the second century comes the Protoevangelion of James (also known as the Infancy Gospel of James). The text, widely disseminated in antiquity, explained that the High Priest chose Joseph, a middle-aged widower with children from his first marriage, to wed Mary and protect her virginity. On this basis, the siblings mentioned in Mark 6:3 are Joseph’s sons and daughters. Though lacking official status within any tradition, the substance of the narrative has been embraced by many Christians. Another way to deal with this text is to say that the Greek used for brothers and sisters, adelphoi and adelphai, can as appropriately be translated “relatives,” perhaps “cousins.” While such a translation is possible, none of the major English translation uses such language (including English versions produced by denominations teaching Mary’s perpetual virgin).

“The olive tree is surely the richest gift of heaven.” Thomas Jefferson

The readings provide a brief lesson in the range of uses of olive oil in the Bible. Then, as now cooks used olive oil to prepare and season food, but as evidenced in this week’s readings olive oil signified kingship (2 Samuel 5:3), promoted healing (Mark 6:13; see also James 5:14), and showed hospitality (Luke 7:38, 44-46). Today’s Christians anoint with olive oil (usually too sparingly!) in baptism, confirmation, healings, and ordination. The oil marks first a transformation of the individual (into Christian discipleship, into health, into special ministry) and then Christ’s presence in the moment and abiding in the transformed life of the individual. The oil’s lingering perfume reminds the individual, friends, and passersby of these realities.

Questions for Discussion

We have always found Mark 6:5 puzzling: “And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them.” What’s the difference between deeds of power and healing sick people?

Here’s a hard question: How do ideas not found in the Bible shape your beliefs, prayers, and practices? The first might be: How shall we interpret the Bible?

How does your community mark the stages of life? Do you use materials like oils in the rituals? How do they signify Christ’s presence?

Just about every community includes people who march to their own drum and whose rhythm disrupts the status quo. People like Jesus of Nazareth, Paul of Tarsus, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King of Birmingham, and Mother Theresa of Calcutta. They have a vision of how the world should be organized that upends the status quo. Do such visionaries flourish in your community? How well does your community welcome, encourage, and integrate such folk?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to promote meaningful discussion around the texts of the Bible. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any comments, questions, or criticisms at dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Photograph of Garden of Olives on Mt. Gethsemane in Jerusalem

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectonary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 13:00:59 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 15, 2018

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 10

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Alternate: Amos 7:7-15 ¹David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.²David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim.³They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart⁴with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark.⁵David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. . . . ^12bSo David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing;¹³and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.¹⁴David danced before the LORD with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod.¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷They brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the LORD.¹⁸When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts,¹⁹and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.

Worth Noting: This has to be an account of one of the most elaborate and expensive parades in history. It celebrates the connection between the people of Israel and the LORD, God of hosts. Medieval Christians established feast days to encourage community celebrations of their religion. Does your community celebrate together a lot? Ever? What’s Sunday like?

Psalm 24 Alternate: Psalm 85:8-13 ¹The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; ²for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. ³Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. ⁵They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation. ⁶Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah ⁷Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. ⁸Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle. ⁹Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. ¹⁰Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah

Worth Noting: The LORD, whose creative actions conquered chaos (verses 1-3), abides now in the Temple (verses 7-10) where those of right actions and intentions may worship (verses 4-6). If the earth and all who live in it belong to the LORD, what use do we make of earth’s resources? What level of allegiance do we owe to nation-states and earthly authorities?

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14 ³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,⁴just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.⁵He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,⁶to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight⁹he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.¹¹In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,¹²so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.¹³In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;¹⁴this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

Worth Noting: In the original Greek, this selection includes two sentences of over 60 words. Have a bit of pity for the lector chosen to read this.

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29 ¹⁴King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” ¹⁵But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” ¹⁷For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her.¹⁸For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.”¹⁹And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,²⁰for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. ²¹But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee.²²When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” ²³And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” ²⁴She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” ²⁵Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ²⁶The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her.²⁷Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,²⁸brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.

Worth Noting: Probably John condemned the marriage of Herodias and Herod Antipas because their first spouses were still alive. We surmise that since their separations were not in accordance with Jewish divorce laws, their relationship was doubly adulterous. John believed that an adulterer could not rule in Israel. Does it make sense to judge public officials on the basis of their private lives?

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Introduction to the Letter to the Ephesians

Over 60 percent of a group of Pauline scholars question Pauline authorship of Ephesians. Their skepticism is based on (among other aspects of the letter) the lack of any particular questions or issues related to the community; the inference in Ephesians 3:2 (“for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you”) that the people do not know Paul, when Acts reports Paul spent three years in ministry there; the lack of a specific address to Ephesus (1:1) in the earliest and best manuscripts; the reliance on long sentences (see Worth Noting above); and the use of words and phrases unknown in other Pauline letters. If not genuine Pauline, then a student of Paul’s work would have composed the text late in the first century and circulated it among communities in Asia Minor (Ephesus, Colossus, etc.). While authorship is debated, the text has been accepted as Scripture from the earliest days of the Church. In contrast to Paul’s letters, there is no hint of any confusion or contest between Paul’s message and that of competing missionaries. In the first three chapters, the author reminds his readers that the work of Jesus removed the barriers between them and Jews, and reconciled them to the God of Israel. It is not that Gentiles have become Jews or Jews Gentiles, rather the author claims that there is but one people under the one God (Ephesians 2:1-22). The second half of the letter (chapters 4 through 6) contains exhortations on the proper life of Christians – in the Church, in the surrounding society, in their households, and in their battle with demonic forces disrupting the common life.

Entering into the Scriptures

Most of us know that the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem was built by Herod. Many remember that Herod was responsible for the slaughter of the innocents, Herod married his brother’s wife Herodias, and Herod put James to the sword and persecuted the Christians in Judea. All of these events are related in the New Testament. What the writers neglect to tell us is that these were three different Herods, members of a dynasty that dominated Palestine and Middle Eastern politics for a century and a half. (Think US Civil War to today.) To begin, remember that Jesus is reckoned to have been born during the reign of Herod the Great (Matthew and Luke). As a client king of Rome, with excellent relations with Caesar Augustus, this Herod ruled the land from his ancestral homeland of Idumea in the south to Galilee in the north (see map).

He is remembered positively for rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem and negatively for executing three of his sons (along with some in-laws and a few of his ten wives). The execution of the sons may have inspired Matthew’s story of the slaughter of the innocents (Matthew 2:13-18). On the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C.E., Caesar Augustus appointed Herod Antipas, a surviving son, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. The Gospels and the historian Josephus chronicle his dismissal of his first wife and marriage to Herodias, wife of Herod Philip, his brother, and subsequent execution of John the Baptist (as above, Mark 6:14-28). Herod Antipas and Herodias ended their days in exile in France. Herodias’s daughter Salome married first her half-uncle, Philip the Tetrarch, another son of Herod the Great and later Aristobulus, a cousin and grandson of Herod the Great. The third New Testament Herod is Herod Agrippa (usually referred to as Agrippa I), son of Aristobulus, one of the sons Herod the Great did execute. In 41 c.e., the Emperor Claudius appointed Herod Agrippa king of the whole kingdom of Herod the Great. Acts 12:1-23 describes how Herod Agrippa persecuted Christians and died miserably after failing to deny the divinity acclaimed by his subjects. Finally, there is a second Agrippa son of Herod Agrippa. Acts 25-26 describes Paul’s appearance before him at Caesarea. Though he supported Rome and the future emperors Vespasian and Titus during the Jewish revolt (66-73 c.e.), this Agrippa held only a piece of the kingdom his father and great-grandfather ruled. The Herodians held power through shrewdly picking the winners in Rome’s battles and insinuating themselves in the families of the emperors. Most of the males, for instance, were sent to Rome (perhaps as hostages) to be educated alongside the future emperors and the Agrippas in the family were named in honor of one of Caesar Augustus’s favorite generals. With the patronage of Rome secured, they could often prove cruel and arbitrary rulers. Some of that behavior provided the background for Jesus’ parables about kings and rulers and landlords.

Who Claims Your Allegiance?

John the Baptist’s confrontation with Herod and early Christians’ refusal to worship the gods of the Romans exemplify early “Christian” resistance to immoral political authorities. For their fidelity, Christians were martyred as, of all things, atheists. Inspired by that history, 80 years ago the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany and 60 years ago the Church-based civil rights movement in the Unites States stood against immoral policies. Today, many Christian leaders throughout the world – in the Philippines, Poland, throughout Latin America, and in the United States – loudly contest unjust policies. Some find this a laudable continuation of an important Christian tradition. Some an un-Christian blending of religion and politics. Still others simply find it ludicrous that Church leaders would sully themselves with the “dirty world” of politics.

Questions for Discussion

Liturgists debate the use of music and dance in liturgical services. How exuberant is your community in its worship service?

If current days seem turbulent, imagine living at the time of the Herods. Have things improved since then? What role has religion played in any improvement?

At the time of Jesus, no one distinguished religion from politics, so John condemned Herod for adultery. We see things differently today. How much should politicians be rewarded for exemplary personal lives and penalized for personal sins?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

14th century icon of John the Baptist from Republic of Macedonia.

Map of the kingdom of Herod the Great from page 157 of The Holy Land in Geography and in History [With maps and plans.], by MACCOUN, Townsend. 1899. Original held and digitized by the British Library. Copied from Flickr.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.

Lectionary Commentary

FaithFormation — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 16:48:50 +0000

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary

Readings, Commentary, and Discussion Questions for July 22, 2018

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 11

THE READINGS

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Alternate: Jeremiah 23:1-6 ¹Now when the king was settled in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with you.” ⁴But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the LORD: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle.⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel;⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly,¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

Worth Noting: The Davidic monarchy lasted about four centuries. Is that consistent with God’s promises, particularly at 2 Samuel 7:13 (“. . . and I will establish . . . his kingdom forever”)?

Psalm 89: 20-37 Alternate Psalm 23 ²⁰“I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him; ²¹my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. ²²The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him. ²³I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. ²⁴My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him; and in my name his horn shall be exalted. ²⁵I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. ²⁶He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!’ ²⁷I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. ²⁸Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him, and my covenant with him will stand firm. ²⁹I will establish his line forever, and his throne as long as the heavens endure. ³⁰If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances, ³¹if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, ³²then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with scourges; ³³but I will not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness. ³⁴I will not violate my covenant, or alter the word that went forth from my lips. ³⁵Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. ³⁶His line shall continue forever, and his throne endure before me like the sun. ³⁷It shall be established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies.”

Worth Noting: This section of Psalm 89 takes 2 Samuel 7 and its traditions for inspiration. The ideology of kingship added credence to the much later European concept of “divine right of kings.”

Second Reading: Ephesians 2:11-22 ¹¹So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” – a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands –¹²remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.¹⁴For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.¹⁵He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace,¹⁶and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.¹⁷So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;¹⁸for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God,²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.²¹In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord;²²in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 ³⁰The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.³²And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.³⁴As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. . . . ⁵³When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat.⁵⁴When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him,⁵⁵and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.⁵⁶And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Worth Noting: You may find this reading disjointed because it is. In the verses 35-52 omitted from the Lectionary, Mark relates the feeding of the five thousand. For the next few weeks, the Lectionary picks up John’s version of the event and the following Bread of Life discourse.

CONNECTING WITH THE SCRIPTURES

Entering into the Scriptures

The people of Israel, sometimes referred to as People of the Book, might more accurately be referred to as People of the Covenants. The Old Testament records three major covenants between God and the people. Each covenant establishes a particular aspect of the relationship between God and Israel. The first occurs in Genesis 12 when God directs Abraham to pack up his things and travel to a new land. In return, God will make of Abraham and his descendants a great nation and give them land. This covenant is later renewed (Genesis 15 and 17) and, to mark the covenant, Abraham and his male descendants will be circumcised. (The cutting of a covenant is matched by the cutting of skin.) At Sinai, after redeeming the Hebrew people from Egyptian slavery, God and the people enter a covenant that sets out the people’s communal obligations to God and to each other. At Sinai, God repeated the promise of land and descendants in exchange for the Israelite’s faithfulness to the Torah. The Abrahamic covenant was adequate for a family – even an extended family – and the Sinai covenant provided the constitution for a nation to be holy in the sight of God. In 2 Samuel 7, God makes a covenant with David, again promising land to all of Israel and this time kingship to David’s descendants. In this, God established a special relationship with David and his family. Of note is that this appears to be an unconditional covenant: God has chosen David’s line to rule over God’s people for all eternity without any expressed obligations on the part of David. Especially during the cataclysm of the Babylonian exile, the prophets in Israel re-emphasized the intimate relational features of a covenant. Jeremiah 31, for instance, describes the restoration of the nation and, rather than return to the former system of written laws, speaks of a new covenant written in the core of one’s being, the heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34). In this new world, the people would be identified by their intimate relationships with God and not by the laws under which they lived. In a sense, this represented a realistic appraisal of the prospects before the people: No longer would they have the independence to establish the laws of their nation. Not unlike Christians six centuries later, post-exilic Jews lived under legal systems not of their own making from their Persian, Greek, and Roman occupiers. God’s promised sovereignty had been lost, but the relationship endures.

“On My Honor, I Will Do My Best . . .”

How do covenants work today? Friendship serves as the basic covenant. Mutual respect and support form the structure within and around which the friendship can flourish. Some speak of “covenantal marriages” as creating a relationship that may not be broken. Less often do we think of those who take solemn oaths of office, as legislators, judges, executives, police officers, soldiers, and sailors as entering a covenant. Do not these rituals express the formation of relationships of mutual dedication to the common good and mutual support? Rarely might we think of employment arrangements as being covenants. In a “gig” economy, the relationship formed is minimal and completely transactional: Do this job and I will pay this much. Gone is the sense of an employer-employee relationship that is expected to last for years, into retirement years and beyond.

Questions for Discussion

Jesus saw the people as leaderless, lacking a clear sense of purpose and milling about not only on the shore but also in their communal life. Who are the leaders, the shepherds in your community who maintain a sense of unity and common purpose?

Consider the relationship between elected legislator and voter. The duties of the legislator are fairly clear. What is expected of the voter?

The communal dimensions of Israel’s covenants are clear. Is the Christian covenant simply a relationship between one individual and God?

For a PDF version of this week's Journeying, click here. Dennis Haugh has enjoyed working with adult seekers for over 20 years. He aims to promote engagement with and reflection on the Scriptures. To hone his skills and burnish his credentials, he earned his PhD in Biblical Studies in the University of Denver/Iliff School of Theology joint program. He appreciates any correspondence: dennishaugh2011@gmail.com.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all quotations from Scripture are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

The image “Hi Shaking Hands” is made available by Pixababy under Creative Commons CCO.

Journeying through the Revised Common Lectionary © 2018 Dennis Haugh. Recent postings may be accessed at https://www.sttims.net/journeying-through-the-lectionary/.