Author Archives: Robin Garr

Christmas 1

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Thoughts on the Lessons for Christmas 1 (Dec. 26, 2021)

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3

Rejoice! Joy to the world: The Word of God that brought the world into being now comes to us in Jesus, the light through which we can see God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and now lives among us.

Announcement to the shepherds

Announcement to the shepherds (c.1600), painting in the manner of Abraham Bloemaert (1564-1651). Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah sings out the joy and exultation that mark the end of the people’s exile in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem. Furthermore, Isaiah’s song expresses hope that God will restore the city and the temple as a light of the world, a new Zion that will spring up like a garden to show God’s righteousness and justice.

Psalm: Psalm 147:[1-12]13-21

Christmas has come: Rejoice! Joy to the world. The Word of God that brought the world into being now comes to us in Jesus, the light through which we can see God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and now lives among us. In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah sings out the joy and exultation that mark the end of the people’s exile in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem. Furthermore, Isaiah’s song expresses hope that God will restore the city and the temple as a light of the world, a new Zion that will spring up like a garden to show God’s righteousness and justice.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

In this early letter to the Christian community in Galatia, Asia Minor, Paul reminds us that God sent Jesus, born of a woman and fully human, to make us all the children and heirs of God. In its original context, Paul was offering advice to a mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians who were struggling between accepting God’s free gift of grace through faith and returning to the works and discipline of the old law. Paul’s arguments here, and in his later letter to the Romans, fueled a great debate over justification by faith or works centuries later in the Reformation.

Gospel: John 1:1-18

“In the beginning … ” The first words of John’s Gospel exactly mirror the first words of Genesis: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,” God’s Word, “Let there be light,” opened up creation. The Word of God that brought the world into being comes to us now as Jesus, the light through which we can see God. The Word was with God, and now lives among us.

Lessons and Carols

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Thoughts on the readings for Lessons and Carols (Dec. 26, 2021)

Lessons and Carols is a service of worship that celebrates the birth of Jesus with readings from Scripture, carols, and hymns.

King's College Chapel, Cambridge, England.

King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, England. (Click image to enlarge.)

Lessons and Carols originated at the Church of England’s Truro Cathedral in Cornwall in 1878, and since World War I has been famously presented (and broadcast) every December for the past century by King’s College, Cambridge, England, and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The original service has since been adapted and used by other churches all over the world, not only in the Anglican and Episcopal traditions but in many other denominations as well.

The original liturgy consisted of nine scripture readings from Genesis and the Prophets. The current Episcopal liturgy in our Book of Occasional Services permits as many as nine readings, plus a Gospel.

These are the readings that St. Matthew’s Episcopal will use in Lessons and Carols on Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021.

Genesis 3:1-23
The happy time of Adam and Eve’s stay in the garden comes to an end in the ancestral origin story told in these verses: The serpent tempted them and they ate fruit that God forbade. When they heard God walking in the garden in the evening breeze, they realized that they were naked, and they hid, because they were afraid. When God found them, they blamed each other, and then they blamed the snake. Yes, God cast them out. But God came out with them, clothed them, and stayed with God’s people of free will and belief through the ages.

Isaiah 7: 10-15
Isaiah tells of God’s warning to David’s descendant, King Ahaz: His land will soon be conquered, but God will give the people a sign. A young woman will bear a child called Immanuel – “God With Us” – a child who will eventually show the world how to refuse evil and choose the good.

Luke 1: 5-25
In this passage we hear the back-story to Canticle 16, which we sang on the second Sunday of Advent: John the Baptist’s father-to-be, Zechariah, a priest of the Temple, refuses to believe an angel who came to tell him that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, had become pregnant after an angelic visitation. God struck him mute for his disbelief. He would remain unable to speak until eight days after the child’s birth, when Zechariah regained his voice to name the baby John.

Luke 2:1-20
We heard this familiar story of Jesus’s birth on Christmas Day. Now we hear again the unforgettable stories of Mary giving birth, wrapping the child in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger in Bethlehem – the City of David – because there was no room in the inn. Here we have the beautiful scene of baby Jesus and his parents suddenly surrounded by shepherds and their flocks. Angels sing gloriously overhead while the Lord’s angel tells them that the baby is a Savior and the Messiah.

Hebrews 1:1-12
This poetic description of Jesus opens the letter to the Hebrews. Jesus, chosen as the son of God, is the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. When Jesus was born, multitudes of angels appeared in the heavens to worship him. Because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, his throne is for ever and ever, and God speaks to us no longer through the prophets but through him.

John 1:1-18
“In the beginning … ” The first words of John’s Gospel exactly mirror the first words of Genesis: “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,” God’s Word, “Let there be light,” opened up creation. The Word of God that brought the world into being comes to us now as Jesus, the light through which we can see God. The Word was with God, and now lives among us.

Christmas Day I, II, and III 

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Thoughts on the Lessons for Dec. 25, 2021 (Christmas Day, I, II, and III)

(Lectionary Selections I, II, and III are suggested for use for Christmas Eve midnight, Christmas dawn, and the main service on Christmas Day.)

First Reading, Selection I: Isaiah 9:2-7

The Adoration of the Shepherds

The Adoration of the Shepherds (c.1645), oil painting on canvas by Georges de La Tour (1593-1652). The Louvre, Paris. (Click image to enlarge.)

O Come, All Ye Faithful! We gather to celebrate the joy of Christmas and the birth of the infant Jesus, hearing Luke’s familiar story of the census, the angels, and the manger. In our first reading for Selection I (Christmas Eve), we begin with the prophet Isaiah’s verses that would inspire the composer George Frideric Handel in “The Messiah.” The prophet foretells a glorious future when the oppressor’s yoke will be broken and a child will be born for us, a son given to us, a Wonderful Counsellor will take the throne of David: Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

First Reading, Selection II: Isaiah 62:6-12

In the first reading from Isaiah for Selection II (Christmas dawn), we listen in as the people’s exile in Babylon nears its end. Through the power of God’s strong right hand and mighty arm, the people will return to Jerusalem. Prepare the way, build up the highway toward home and clear it of stones, the prophet calls. No longer shall enemies harvest Zion’s grain and drink its wine; God will bring a glorious future of redemption and salvation that will last until the end of time.


First Reading, Selection III: Isaiah 52:7-10

Israel’s exile in Babylon is ending in the Isaiah passage for Selection III (Christmas Day). God’s messenger brings good news of peace and salvation: When God leads the people back to Zion, the temple on the mountain, Jerusalem, even the ruins of the devastated city will break into song. Such is the joy of God’s return to the holy city: God reigns, the people are comforted, and all the nations shall see the power of God’s holy arm and the salvation that it brings.


Psalm, Selection I: Psalm 96

All the earth sings a new song, blessing God’s name in this joyous psalm of praise. There is fascinating theology here, ideas that we may see reflected in the New Testament: We are called to proclaim the good news of God’s salvation; we are to go out and declare God’s glory, a great commission to show God’s majesty to all the nations. The whole earth, the heavens, the seas, the forests and all that is in them rejoice before our God.


Psalm, Selection II: Psalm 97

God is king, and all creation rejoices. This Psalm praises God in an image of power and might that echoes the fearsome God who led the Israelites through the desert and protected them there, surrounded by clouds, lightning and fire. This psalm shows us a God over all other gods, over all other nations, but it also reveals a God who loves the righteous, provides light for them, and cares for those who live justly.

Psalm, Selection III: Psalm 98

Again we are called to stand up and rejoice in a Psalm of praise filled with joyous music, harps, trumpets and horns. We sing a new song of praise for the victory won by God’s mighty right hand and holy arm. All the nations, not only Israel, shout with joy. Even the sea, the land, the rivers and the hills will rejoice when God comes to judge all the world with righteousness and equity. Lift up your voice! Rejoice and sing!

Second Reading, Selection I: Titus 2:11-14

Here’s a Bible trivia fact: Titus is the only book of the New Testament that does not appear in the regular three-year Lectionary of Sunday service readings. We read in it only on Christmas Day. Much of Titus’ short letter is spent warning the people of Crete to rein in their sinful behavior, an instruction that leads to a worthy conclusion: We should live well and renounce bad actions as we wait for the grace of God through Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us and make us God’s people.

Second Reading, Selection II: Titus 3:4-7

In this passage, Titus emphasizes that Jesus is God, our savior, the perfect manifestation of goodness and loving-kindness. Jesus saved us not because of any good that we had done, but entirely because he is merciful, giving us God’s grace through baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. Justified by God’s grace, we become heirs to eternal life through Jesus.

Second Reading, Selection III: Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12)

The letter to the Hebrews begins with a beautifully poetic description of Jesus, chosen as the son of God, the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. Indeed, it tells us, when Jesus was born into the world, multitudes of angels appeared in the heavens to worship him. Because Jesus loved righteousness and hated wickedness, says Hebrews, his throne is for ever and ever, and God speaks to us no longer through the prophets but through him.


Gospel, Selection I and II: Luke 2:1-14(15-20) and Luke 2:(1-7)8-20

Now we come to the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’ birth. Today we read the nativity according to Luke. This is the Gospel that gives us the memorable stories of Mary giving birth, wrapping the child in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger in Bethlehem – the City of David – because there was no room in the inn. Here we have the beautiful scene of baby Jesus and his parents suddenly surrounded by shepherds and their flocks. Angels sing gloriously overhead while the Lord’s angel tells them that the baby is a Savior and the Messiah.


Gospel, Selection III: John 1:1-14

There is no nativity story in this Christmas Gospel. Luke and Matthew, each in his own way, give us the familiar story of the newborn baby born in Bethlehem. But John introduces us to Jesus in a completely different way: It’s a poetic and spiritual passage instead, celebrating the unimaginable glory of God’s own word becoming flesh and living among us, lighting up the world. The Word that was in the beginning with God, when God said, “Let there be light,” is now, will be, and in God’s time always has been, incarnate as human flesh, Jesus, Messiah, God with us.

Advent 4C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 19, 2021

First Reading: Micah 5:2-5a

God’s liberating preference for the poor and the oppressed is made manifest in Sunday’s readings. This may seem to be an unusual theme for the last week in Advent, with Christmas drawing near.

The Annunciation

The Annunciation (c.1590-1603), oil painting on canvas by El Greco (1541-1614). Ohara Museum of Art, Kurashiki, Japan. (Click image to enlarge.)

In reality, though, it is a deeply significant message for the impending birth of Jesus: Jesus will go on to care for the poor, the hungry, the ill and imprisoned and oppressed as the central focus of his good news. Our readings begin with Micah, one of the earliest Old Testament prophets. In previous verses, Micah has warned the people of Jerusalem that their injustices against the weak and the poor will bring down God’s wrath. Now we hear the prophet foretell that a new ruler is to come from Bethlehem – the birthplace of King David – to reunite Israel’s remnant as a shepherd leads his flock, under God’s protection in peace.

Psalm: Canticle 15 (Luke 1:46b-55)

Mary’s song of praise, The Magnificat, may either be sung as a psalm this Sunday, or it may be read as the second portion of Sunday’s Gospel. In this beloved song as told by Luke, the pregnant Mary sings grateful praise for God. She rejoices in all that God has done for her. She celebrates the powerful yet merciful God who loves us and calls us to acts of mercy and justice. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly, she sings. God has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. God’s justice is restorative – God will take from those who have much and give to those who have none.

Alternate Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7

We sing the first seven of Psalm 80’s nineteen verses on Sunday. The Psalm was probably either written during a time of exile and destruction or recalls that time. The place names invoked in the second verse suggest that this hymn recalls the loss of the Northern Kingdom, Israel, to the Assyrians in 722 BCE. In tones of sorrow, the Psalmist calls on Israel’s God to come and help, to restore the people who, in a memorable metaphor, have been fed with the bread of tears and given tears to drink. Although the people have suffered derision, laughter and scorn from their enemies, including their own neighbors, the Psalm expresses confidence that the light of God’s own countenance can save them.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

The Letter to the Hebrews, modern biblical scholars say, was probably written late in the first century, after the Temple was destroyed. At that time, early Christianity was separating from rabbinical Judaism amid anger and pain on both sides. Because Christianity was suffering persecution at the hands of Rome, many Jewish converts to Christianity were returning to the safer confines of Judaism. Much of Hebrews seems intended to reach backsliding Jewish Christians by comparing Judaism unfavorably to Christianity. Sunday’s reading declares that that God abolished the “empty” sacrifices of the Jewish Temple, replacing them and sanctifying us once and for all with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We would do well to discard this view of Judaism as “abolished,” hearing instead the hopeful message that God’s promise to Israel at Sinai continues for us too.

Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

This lovely short reading from Luke’s Gospel comes immediately before the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, which we heard earlier. Here we are told of Mary’s visit to her much older cousin Elizabeth. Both women are pregnant – Elizabeth with John, Mary with Jesus – and both conceived in miraculous ways, visited by angels with the news that they would give birth. When the women meet, Elizabeth feels her child leap in her womb with what she perceives as joy. Suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth declares Mary blessed among women. “Why has this happened to me,” Elizabeth wonders in amazement, “that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” Then, in the following verses, Mary responds with the Magnificat.

Advent 3C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 12, 2021

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20

Our Lectionary readings for the Third Sunday of Advent shout out in joy and exultation as we light the pink candle on our Advent wreaths.

The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist

The Sermon of Saint John the Baptist (1566), oil painting on oak by Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c.1526/1530-1569). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest . (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading is taken from the minor prophet Zephanaiah, who came before Isaiah and Jeremiah. Like the more well-known later prophets, Zephaniah foretold Jerusalem’s coming destruction and the people’s exile. These verses, though, anticipate a joyous time when God will restore Israel, rejoicing with its people in gladness and love. The prophet declares God’s favor for the oppressed, a theme of liberation that John the Baptist will echo in this week’s Gospel.

Psalm: Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12:2-6)

“Surely it is God who saves us. We will trust in God and not be afraid.” We often read this passage from the Prophet Isaiah in Morning Prayer. In these psalm-like verses, the prophet relates salvation with drawing water from a well, a striking image for people in desert lands. In biblical times, drought meant death and flowing water brought joy. Thank God with joy when we draw God’s precious, life-giving water from the springs of salvation, Isaiah tells us. Sing out your joy and praise, knowing that you are safe under God’s protection.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” In these brief verses, Paul tells the people of Philippi that they should rejoice, for the Lord is near. Pray and give thanks, he tells the people, and even in difficult times, “the peace of God, which passes all understanding” will fill their hearts and minds. In our world of stress and tension, what a blessing it is to enjoy a moment of peace. Imagine God’s peace, a peace so wonderful that we can’t even comprehend it!

Gospel: Luke 3:7-18

Picking up where last Sunday’s Gospel left off, the long-haired, ranting prophet yells at the crowds. He calls them “a brood of vipers,” and warns that God might chop them down and burn them up if they don’t repent. This does not sound like rejoicing! But John shouts an urgent message: Prepare the way for Jesus, the one to come whose sandals John is not worthy to untie. Prepare for the coming of Jesus: Share your clothing and your food with those who have none. Don’t cheat. Don’t be selfish! Jesus’ mother, Mary, also sang of filling up the hungry with good things; and Jesus himself will remind us, “When I was hungry, you gave me food …” This is Jesus’s way. We are called to make it our way …joyfully.

Would you like to browse through more of our Illuminations?
Click this link to browse more than two full three-year cycles of these weekly Lectionary reflections, online in our Illuminations archive.

Advent 2C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 5, 2021

First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9

In the second week of Advent, we turn from apocalyptic expectations of fear and foreboding to a more hopeful theme: A Messenger is coming to make the way ready for the Messiah.

St John the Baptist

Detail from the Ghent Altarpiece: St John the Baptist (c.1425-1429l). Oil painting on panel by Jan van Eyck (c.1390-1441). Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s first reading from the prophet Baruch (one of the apocryphal books at the end of the Hebrew Bible) gives us his version of a more familiar Isaiah passage: He declares that Israel in exile will no longer need to mourn, for God will lower the mountains and fill up the valleys to make level ground upon which the people may walk safely home. In the Gospel, Luke will repeat the Isaiah verses in the voice of John the Baptist.

Or:

First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

God’s Messenger is coming, and the people will delight in them, foretells the minor prophet Malachi, whose Hebrew name literally means “my messenger.” But it’s not going to be easy, Malachi warns the people. Because of their sins and their failure to walk in God’s way, the Messenger will have to cleanse the people with fire and strong soap, making them pure and pleasing to God. In words that Handel would make unforgettable in The Messiah two millennia later, the prophet sings, “Who can endure the day of his coming? He is like a refiner’s fire!”

Psalm: Canticle 16 (Luke 1: 68-79)

In place of a Psalm we sing a Canticle taken from Luke’s Gospel. These verses tell the story of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, a priest of the Temple. When Zechariah had refused to believe that his elderly wife, Elizabeth, had really become pregnant after an angelic visitation, God struck him mute. But his voice returned when he held the infant and named him John. This child, Zechariah declares, in words that we often read in Morning Prayer, is to be a prophet like Abraham, the Messenger who will “go before the Lord to prepare his way.”

Second Reading: Philippians 1:3-11

In affectionate words reminiscent of his letter to the Thessalonians in last week’s second reading, Paul starts his letter to the people of Philippi in Macedonia, Greece, with greetings, love, thanks for their friendship and prayers for their well-being. Writing from a Roman prison, Paul remembers their eager acceptance of the Gospel. He prays for this little congregation’s continued spiritual growth and insight, and he prays that this will lead them to a harvest of righteousness and justice in God’s love through Christ.

Gospel: Luke 3:1-6

In Sunday’s Gospel, Luke introduces us to John the Baptist, who we had met in the Canticle/Psalm as an infant in the hands of his father, the Temple priest Zechariah. The reading begins with a detailed roster of Roman and Jewish leaders of the time, a practice that we also see in the introduction of Hebrew Bible prophets like Ezekiel, placing the prophet in a specific time and place. Luke tells us that John, traveling in the regions along the Jordan, proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Then Luke likens John’s prophecy to Isaiah’s call to “Prepare the way of the Lord … make his paths straight,” filling every valley and making every mountain and hill low so that all humanity may see God’s salvation.

Advent 1C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 28, 2021

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16

The wheel of the seasons has come around to Advent. A new liturgical year begins.

Triptych of the Last Judgement

Triptych of the Last Judgement (c.1486), oil painting on oak panel by Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516). Groeningemuseum, Bruges, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

While much of the world is already celebrating Christmas with carols, parties, and serious shopping, Advent invites us to move toward the celebration of the Incarnation in a quieter, more meditative way. Sunday’s readings look toward the fulfillment of God’s promise to humanity and our desire for forgiveness as we wait for the coming of the Messiah. Israel in exile understood the prophet Jeremiah’s words in our first reading to be a promise that the people would return safely to Jerusalem, protected by God’s righteous justice. Christians must honor that understanding, while also imagining in the prophet’s words an image of Jesus as our righteous king and savior.

Psalm: Psalm 25:1-9

Just as the Jeremiah reading calls for hope and trust in a time of pain, Sunday’s Psalm portion asks us to put our faith in God’s love. The psalmist, speaking in the imagined voice of King David, repeatedly calls for God’s compassion using the Hebrew word chesed. This, said to be Thomas Merton’s favorite biblical word, represents an emotion-laden idea that may also be translated as “faithfulness,” “kindness,” “mercy” or “grace.” Yes, it is reassuring to place our hope in God’s compassion, faithfulness, kindness, mercy, and grace when things look dark.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

So many of Paul’s letters are directed to beloved communities from afar. He expresses hope to be reunited with them, and calls for God’s blessing on their lives. This short letter to the people of Thessalonika in Northern Greece is believed to be the earliest authentic letter from Paul. He prays that, with God’s help, they will love each other and love everyone! He prays that God will strengthen their hearts in holiness so they may be blameless before God at the coming of Jesus with all the saints.

Gospel: Luke 21:25-36

In this passage from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching the apostles after they have left the Temple, not long before they gather for the Last Supper and his passion begins. Jesus is giving the disciples dire warnings, in apocalyptic language, of hard times to come. The Temple will be destroyed and Jerusalem fallen to its foes, and people will faint with fear as even the heavens are shaken. These signs will signal that Jesus’s return and the world’s redemption are drawing near, and everyone should pray that they have the strength to escape all the things that will happen. Yes, Luke makes Jesus’s coming sound scary – when I was a little boy, these Advent readings used to scare the bejabbers out of me. That may be the Evangelist’s point: The people of God should live good lives and be ready, so Jesus’ coming won’t be a surprise.

Christ the King B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 21, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 2 Samuel 23:1-7

After six months, the long season of Sundays after Pentecost, with the focus of its Gospels on Jesus and his life and works, comes to its end with the feast of Christ the King, a feast also sometimes less patriarchally called “The Reign of Christ.”

Christ Before Pilate Again

Christ Before Pilate Again (1308-1311), detail of tempera painting on wood by Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255-1319). Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana del Duomo, Siena, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s readings appropriately focus on kings and kingdoms. Our Track One first reading, which may have been written in David’s memory long after his death, declares David God’s favorite: a just ruler through whom the God of Israel speaks. God has made an everlasting covenant with David, we hear, a covenant that will bring prosperity to his reign and success to all David’s descendants.

First Reading (Track Two): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Sunday’s readings all shine a light on ideas of God as King, from the mighty celestial ruler imagined in the Track Two first reading from Daniel to John’s Gospel vision of the Jesus on trial, king of a very different realm. Daniel portrays an Ancient One, hair and gown in snowy white, seated on a fiery throne and served by thousands, judging all humanity. This transcendent figure sends out a human messiah to rule as king over all the nations, holding everlasting dominion that shall never be destroyed.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 132:1-13 (14-19)

Sunday’s Track One Psalm echoes the spirit of the first reading about God’s covenant to bless King David and to bring prosperity to him and to his descendants. Remembering the hardships that David endured in keeping his oath to God, the Psalmist vows not to rest until Israel builds a temple on Mount Zion, a dwelling place on earth where God can rest. If Israel’s children keep the covenant that their kingly ancestor made with God, the psalm goes on, then Israel will sit on David’s throne forever.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 93

Written in an age when earthly kings held real and ultimate power over their people, this mighty hymn of praise portrays God as a king among kings from time before time: God is king! God is majestic! God is powerful! Unlike earthly kings, the Psalmist sings, God’s world is certain, immovable and mighty. God’s kingdom will endure, sure and holy, forever and evermore.

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4b-8

This, the first page of Revelation, reveals the secret of this mysterious book: It is not a strange and frightening prediction of the End Times. It does not conceal coded information about our times, or any other time or place. Nope! It was a subversive sermon intended for persecuted Christians in the seven cities in Asia Minor (now Western Turkey). It carried this simple message: God our King, who was with us at the beginning and will be with us at the end, loves us and frees us from our sins through Jesus Christ. In words that echo the Daniel reading, we hear that Jesus our Savior, God, ruler of all the kings of the earth, will come back with the clouds to deliver justice.

Gospel: John 18:33-37

Jesus, facing the final hours before his death by crucifixion, has been handed over to Pilate, the Roman governor. Soon Jesus will wear a mocking, painful king’s crown made of thorns. But Pilate’s concern is political: Has this rabbi declared himself king? That would be an act of treason against Rome’s all-powerful emperor: a capital offense. When Jesus finally answers, clearly and firmly, “My kingdom is not of this world,” Pilate remains puzzled. Jesus stakes his claim to a kingdom and claims his kingship, but “not from here,” adding that he came into the world to testify to the truth. In following verses, Pilate will wash his hands of this troubling matter, but the crowds will have their way.

Pentecost 25B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 14, 2021

First Reading (Track One): 1 Samuel 1:4-20

Almost six months ago, as the long season after Pentecost began, we heard several readings about the Prophet Samuel, who followed God’s commands to go out and find the youth – the shepherd David – who would grow up to become Israel’s king.

Destruction of Jerusalem

Zburzenie Jerozolimy (Destruction of Jerusalem, 1750s), oil painting on canvas by Johann Georg Trautmann (1713-1769). Tarnowskie Góry Museum, Silesia, Poland. (Click image to enlarge.)

Now, as the Pentecost season approaches its end, we return to the first chapter of Samuel time to hear the story of Samuel’s mother, Hannah. Troubled in her heart because she is unable to bear children, Hannah is also verbally abused by a friend over her barrenness. She prayed constantly, and her prayers were answered: She gives birth to Samuel, who will become the last of the judges who governed Israel, and who would anoint Saul to be its first king.

First Reading (Track Two): Daniel 12:1-3

The long Pentecost season is drawing to its close. In two weeks Advent will begin, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day. Sunday’s readings foreshadow a central theme of Advent: our hope of resurrection and new life. Our Track Two first reading is from the book of Daniel, one of the last books written in the Old Testament. Its narrative reflects Israel’s persecution under Greek rule in the 2nd century BCE. This reading begins Daniel’s lengthy “apocalyptic” vision – a genre similar to Revelation – that envisions ultimate triumph. It introduces the idea of a physical, bodily resurrection of the dead, the first time that this theological concept is raised in the First Testament.

Alternative to the Psalm (Track One): 1 Samuel 2:1-10

In place of a passage from the Psalms this week we sing the prayer of Hannah, in which she celebrates her joy over the birth of her child in words that are mirrored in the New Testament in Mary’s song, the Magnificat. Both prayers sing of God lifting up the lowly and the poor while casting down the rich and powerful. But Mary, bearing the child who will become the Prince of Peace, will not repeat the words of vengeance, battle, and judgment of enemies that we hear in Hannah’s song.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 16

The reading from Daniel promises a heavenly reward to those who remain faithful, and the Psalmist reassures the people that God will not abandon those who always follow God. A different fate awaits the unfaithful who follow other gods: They may see their troubles multiplied, and God will not so much as speak the names of their gods. But God will never abandon those who remain faithful, the Psalmist sings in reassuring tones: The hearts of the faithful will be glad and their spirits will rejoice.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25

Now we reach the last of our seven Sunday readings from the letter to the Hebrews. Two chapters remain in the full letter, but this passage concludes the extended narrative that we have been following: Jesus is the great high priest who offered for all times a single sacrifice superior to those of the old priests in the Temple of Jerusalem. This passage calls on its readers to hold fast without wavering, to provoke each other to love one another and do good deeds, and to encourage one another all the more as they see the day of God’s coming draw near.

Gospel: Mark 13:1-8

Our yearlong journey through Mark’s Gospel comes to its end Sunday. These concluding verses follow immediately after last week’s account of the poor woman who gave her last two small coins to the Temple treasury. Jesus, still angered by the hypocrisy of the scribes, prophesies the destruction of the Temple, declaring that all the great buildings on the Temple Mount will be destroyed, thrown down, not one stone left upon another. These are the words that the high priest will hold against Jesus, but we will set that narrative aside now as we approach Advent and prepare to celebrate the Incarnation, Jesus as God with us.

Pentecost 24B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 7, 2021

First Reading (Track One): Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17

Ruth, the young Moabite widow introduced in last week’s first reading, has settled in Bethlehem with her widowed Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi.

Le denier de la veuve (The Widow's Mite).

Le denier de la veuve (The Widow’s Mite). Watercolor painting on graphite (1886-1894) by James Tissot (1836-1892). The Brooklyn Museum.(Click image to enlarge.)

In the tough world that widows and orphans faced in those times, one of them needs to find a husband to save the family from poverty. Through a bit of trickery suggested by Naomi, Ruth persuades her kinsman Moab to marry her. It works, and they have a child named Obed. Why is this little story placed in context with the books about Israel’s kings? The final verses unveil the answer: Obed will be the grandfather of King David, and thus he and his parents are in the genealogical line of Israel’s Messiah.

First Reading (Track Two): 1 Kings 17:8-16

Our Track Two readings start with the story of a poor widow who answers a difficult call from the Prophet Elijah. Both Lectionary tracks conclude with Mark’s story about another widow, the poor but generous woman who, in Jesus’ parable, gives all that she has to the Temple treasury. In this first reading, we hear of a widow who trusted God’s promise and shared her meager fare with Elijah, even though she had so little to eat that she believed she and her son would soon die of starvation. God provided, and her tiny portion of oil and meal proved sufficient to feed them all until the drought and famine ended.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 127

Psalm 127 delves into ideas of maintaining home and family that resonate with the story of Ruth. In the ancient Near East, it was difficult for a family to survive without strong sons to build the home, grow crops, and protect the family from invaders. Sons like these are gifts that can come only as a blessing from God, says the Psalmist. God builds the house, watches over the city like a watchman keeping vigil, and provides children as a gift to God’s people, a quiver full of God-given arrows to help protect against enemies.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 146

“Praise God, O my soul!” This ringing hymn of praise begins the first of the final five Psalms, a collection that concludes the book with powerful tones of exultation in God’s greatness. But after the first joyous verse its tone shifts to a theme of caution: Take care, for while God can always be trusted, earthly rulers cannot. We can count on God, our creator, to give hope to widows and orphans; help for the poor, justice for the oppressed, freedom for the prisoner, and help for those who are disabled, to those who are alone, and to strangers in strange lands.

Second Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28

The letter to the Hebrews continues in its extended elevation of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus, as opposed what its writer sees as the more transient sacrifices of the old Temple’s earthly high priests. The earthly high priest had to come back to the sanctuary every year to atone for his sins. This animal sacrifice was repeated over and over again “with blood that is not his own.” But Jesus, the letter goes on, having borne the sins of many, will appear a second time. He need not come to deal with sin – that has already been done in Jesus’s sacrifice once and for all – but to save his faithful people.

Gospel: Mark 12:38-44

Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem on his final journey, and he is challenging the religious and political establishment in ways that will turn them angrily against him. First he scorns the scribes for their arrogance and hypocrisy. He mocks them for flaunting their wealth and power with ostentatious dress and prayer while they “devour widows’ houses.” Then, as Jesus sits near the Temple treasury, watching believers make their donations, a poor widow appears. She has little, but in contrast with the scribes, she gives two small coins: all that she has. Jesus praises her, not for giving all that she had, but because she gave it from her heart. It was not the quantity but the quality of her giving that mattered.