Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013.
Moses. 15th century woodcut from a German Bible.
The Israelites have been wandering 40 years in the desert, according to the ancestral stories, and now they have reached the banks of the River Jordan and are preparing to cross into the Promised Land. But first Moses reminds them of the covenant they made at Mount Sinai: Love God and walk in God’s ways, follow God’s laws and you will thrive and prosper. But turn away from God and you will lose the land and God’s blessings. This simple call to follow God’s way lies at the center of Scripture, and it shapes Jesus’s message to us, too.
Psalm: Psalm 1
The opening book of Psalms restates Moses’ theme. The world is made up of two kinds of people, those who follow God’s laws and those who do not. Follow God’s laws and be happy and prosper; follow the way of the wicked and perish. Scripture is far more nuanced than this black-and-white understanding, of course. Still, “follow God’s ways and win, follow evil ways and lose,” neatly sums up the Covenant.
Second Reading: Philemon 1-21
Paul, having befriended young Onesimus, a slave, in prison, writes a letter about the youth to his master, Philemon. We might wish that Paul had taken a strong stand against slavery, offering clear guidance on this evil practice that would ring through the ages. But read it closely, and we see that Paul is gently guiding Philemon to a deeper truth: Christians should love each other as brothers and sisters, and where’s the room for slavery in that?
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Things are getting exciting as we continue following Jesus’s long march toward Jerusalem and the cross. Large crowds are gathering, and the authorities are surely getting nervous about this uproar headed toward the capital at Passover. Jesus, hammering on the point he makes so often along this journey, wants everyone to know that following him will not be easy. “Hate” your family and even life itself? Give up all your possessions? Don’t start the journey unless you’re ready to stay the course. Jesus wants us to follow him, but with our whole hearts. Not just halfway!