Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 23, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Exodus 1:8-2:10



Joseph and his family came to Egypt to escape famine, but over the generations things changed. The Hebrew people increased in numbers, but now they must toil as Pharaoh’s slaves.

Christ’s Charge to Peter (1515-1516), painting by Raphael (1483-1520). Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Click image to enlarge.)

Evil Pharaoh, fearing this community because it has grown to threatening numbers, decides to kill all the Hebrew baby boys, a threat that scripture will later echo in Herod’s decision to kill Bethlehem’s babies after the birth of Jesus. But the baby Moses escapes in a floating basket. Moses will go on to become the next great figure in the bible’s ancestral legends, who will lead the people out of Egypt on a long trek toward the Promised Land.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 51:1-6



Using a metaphor that might remind us of Jesus’ response to Peter in Sunday’s Gospel, Isaiah tells the people that they were hewn from rock and dug from a quarry in their descent from Abraham and Sarah and their children. God promised to bless Abraham and make his offspring as numerous as the stars, and that promise has been fulfilled. Even though they remain in exile now, God will deliver them; God’s justice will be a light to the people, and their deliverance will come soon. Earth may eventually wear out like a used garment and the heavens will vanish like smoke, but God’s deliverance and salvation last forever.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 124

The Psalmist remembers the people’s deliverance from slavery in this hymn of thanksgiving to the God who carried them through the frightening exodus from Egypt. As we sing it we remember the people’s passage through the Red Sea. Then, in striking poetic imagery, the Psalm likens the people to a bird pursued by a hunter, escaping from a broken snare. The hymn concludes with joyous thanksgiving: “Our help is in the name of the Lord.”

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 138

Echoing the hope for return from exile and eventual salvation that we heard in the Isaiah reading, Psalm 138 thanks and praises God’s love and faithfulness. When we called, the Psalmist sings, God answered us and gave us strength. The litany of praise goes on: Although God is high, God cares for the lowly; God keeps us safe when we walk in the midst of trouble. The love of the Lord endures forever and will not abandon the works of God’s hands.

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8



Having made his case to the Christians of Rome to live and worship together in love, Paul enters the closing chapters of this, his last letter. He urges the people to devote their minds and bodies as a living sacrifice in spiritual worship: Do not live according to the customs of this world but discern and follow what is good in the will of God. Working out a beautiful metaphor that we also hear in 1 Corinthians, he imagines the church – like our bodies – as an organism made of many parts. Every part has its purpose, and they all must function well together to make the body work. Some lead, some teach, some give, some learn, some listen; some offer compassion. All together we make up one body in Christ.

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20




This key Gospel passage appears in similar form in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It is a major turning point in all the Gospels, an important moment in which Jesus first acknowledges that he is the Messiah, the son of the living God. Perhaps the disciples have already begun wondering if Jesus is the Son of God. They worshipped him after he walked on the water and stilled the storm, for instance. But this is the first place in the three Gospels, just as Jesus and his followers begin their journey toward Jerusalem, when Jesus responds and agrees with Peter’s assertion that God has revealed him as the Messiah. Jesus then declares Peter “the rock” upon which he will build the church, and sternly commands the disciples not to tell anyone about this. His time has not yet come.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 16, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 45:1-15


Now in mid-August we approach the midpoint of the long season after Pentecost, and we see our lectionary narratives begin to turn.

Christ and the Canaanite Woman (c.1500), oil painting on panel by Juan de Flandes (1450-1519). Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s first reading marks the last in a series of ancestral stories about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph; and Sunday’s Gospel shows us Jesus and the apostles leaving Galilee for the last time as they begin their journey toward Jerusalem and the cross. In our Track One first reading, Joseph has been through a lot since last week’s reading, when his jealous brothers sold him into slavery. He went to Egypt, did well, fell from grace, was sent to prison on a false charge, but bounced back to become Pharaoh’s chief governor. Now his brothers have come to Egypt fleeing famine, and they meet Joseph. As you can imagine, they fear his revenge! But Joseph forgives them in a tearful reunion, and the ancestral line of the Bible’s patriarchs will live on.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 56:1,6-8


Sunday’s Track Two first reading turns to the closing chapters of Isaiah’s long book of prophecy. The people have returned home to Jerusalem, and now they face the arduous task of rebuilding the city and the temple. Isaiah reminds the people that, just as they lost the land for their failure to be righteous and just, they may no longer keep the holy city for themselves alone, even though they “maintain justice and doing what is right.” The covenant that God made with Moses is now for all people, for all the nations. Even foreigners and aliens who hold fast to the covenant principles will be gathered in, welcomed in the temple and made joyful. Hear Jesus echo this principle in Sunday’s Gospel when he recognizes the Canaanite woman’s faith.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 133

Mirroring the joy of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers, the Psalmist celebrates the blessed state of brothers and sisters abiding together in unity. Just as Joseph’s family came back together in love, and as Paul will urge the Jewish and Pagan Christian communities in Rome to rejoin in friendship, we hear again how good and pleasant it is when families and friends live together in blessed unity.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 67

In one of those small mysteries of the Lectionary cycle, we hear again a Psalm that we sang just three months ago during Eastertide. It fits in neatly with Sunday’s readings, though: In its joyous call to all the nations of Earth to sing together in peace and praise, it reinforces what we heard in the Isaiah reading and foreshadows Paul’s words from Romans. Let all the nations praise God and pray for God’s blessing, the Psalmist sings, for through God the earth gives forth its bounty, and all the earth sings out its praise.

Second Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32


Paul continues his exhortation to Rome’s Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian communities to restore the unity that they enjoyed before the Jewish portion was sent away on a short exile. Paul points up his own Jewish heritage, placing himself in Abraham’s direct line as a descendant of Benjamin, the youngest of Joseph’s brothers, whom Joseph loved. Paul assures us that God’s promises to Israel and to the Gentiles are equally irrevocable, regardless of our disobedience. We all earn God’s love, regardless of our sins, regardless of our ancestry. God is merciful to all.

Gospel: Matthew 15:10-28


Sunday’s Gospel offers us two separate short stories. Their placement joining Jesus’ last encounter in Galilee and his first in Gentile territory as he and the apostles begin their journey to Jerusalem may be more than just a coincidence. It seems to express that for the first time that Jesus’ way is not only for Jews but Gentiles as well. First, Jesus mocks a group of Pharisees who had challenged his disciples for ignoring ritual traditions. He speaks a blunt and rather earthy criticism: Neglecting to wash our hands before eating doesn’t defile us, but the words that come out of our mouths may do so. Then, Jesus shocks us with a fiercely unkind insult, likening a Canaanite woman who sought help for her daughter to stray dogs scrounging for crumbs. Really, Jesus? Really? But the words from the mother’s mouth clearly come from her heart. The encounter seems to change Jesus. He praises her faith and heals her child.

What are “Track 1” and “Track 2”?
During the long green season after Pentecost, there are two tracks (or strands) each week for Old Testament readings. Within each track, there is a Psalm chosen to accompany the particular lesson.
The Revised Common Lectionary allows us to make use of either of these tracks, but once a track has been selected, it should be followed through to the end of the Pentecost season, rather than jumping back and forth between the two strands.
For more information from LectionaryPage.net, click here.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 9, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28


Faith can be a source of strength in the face of fear. We hear this twice in Sunday’s readings about Joseph and about Peter.

Saint Peter Attempting to Walk on Water (1766), oil painting on canvas by François Boucher (1703-1770). Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Versailles. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our Track One first readings about the bible’s dysfunctional first family continue into the fourth generation! Israel, formerly known as Jacob, loved Joseph more than any of his other children. This, not surprisingly, makes his brothers jealous. They briefly consider murdering Joseph, but decide to sell him into slavery instead. As it so often does, scripture shows us again that even the patriarchs weren’t noble people but flawed, broken, sometimes downright bad. Yet still God loved them, as God loves us. Joseph will eventually forgive his brothers, as God forgives us.

First Reading (Track Two): 1 Kings 19:9-18


In Sunday’s Track Two first reading, the Prophet Elijah is fleeing for his life from an angry Queen Jezebel, and he feels alone and afraid. No one else is on his side. He despairs. But he hears the wish of the Holy One – through an angel, a messenger – inviting him to go stand on a mountain to meet God. Soon a great wind shakes his world. Then an earthquake and finally a fire shatter the scene. But God is not in any of those. It is in the silence which follows the cataclysms that God’s voice is finally heard. God reassures Elijah, promising that he will go on to appoint Israel’s kings and prophets.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b

Holding up Joseph as an example that God remains faithful even in hard times, these verses from Psalm 105 recall Joseph’s life as a slave in Egypt, his feet bruised in fetters and his neck choked in a heavy iron collar. But God was faithful to Joseph. From a beginning as a foreigner and a slave, Joseph gained the Egyptian king’s trust and eventually rose to a place of power in Pharaoh’s court. God has done marvelous things for the people, the Psalmist exults. Sing praises! Glory in God’s holy name!

Psalm (TrackTwo): Psalm 85:8-13

The reassurance that we hear God giving to Elijah amid his lonely fear in the first reading is echoed in this beautiful Psalm portion: God has forgiven our iniquity and blotted out our sins. Heaven and earth meet in truth and righteousness; righteousness and peace share a tender kiss, according to the Psalm’s beautiful poetry. God grants prosperity and a fruitful harvest, and all shall be well.

Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15


Paul continues addressing Rome’s Gentile Christian community and its Jewish Christians who have recently returned from exile, urging all to live in harmony and love one another. Salvation is for all through Jesus, Paul writes. He emphasizes that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile): God is God of all, and is generous to all who recognize Jesus as Lord and call upon God’s name. Don’t judge our neighbors, Paul says, but proclaim the good news of the Gospel so that all may be saved.

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33


The striking image of Jesus walking on the stormy waters of the Sea of Galilee makes this one of the most familiar Gospel stories. Jesus had sent the apostles ahead to cross the sea without him so he could take some time to pray alone. His grief at the beheading of his cousin John by Herod had been interrupted by the huge crowd that had to be fed with a few baskets of loaves and fishes, and now he sought solitude again. Meanwhile, the apostles, alone on the boat, are terrified when wind and waves rock the boat. Suddenly Jesus appeared, calmly walking across the stormy sea! Peter, first to believe that it really is Jesus, steps out onto the water to meet Jesus. But Peter’s faith isn’t strong enough to keep him from sinking without Jesus’ hand extended to save him. Then the wind eases, they get into the boat, and the awed disciples now worship Jesus as the Son of God.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Aug. 2, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 32:22-31


We catch up with Jacob one more time in the continuing series of Track One first readings that we’ve been following for several weeks.

The Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fishes (early 1600s); painting by Bernardo Strozzi (1581-1644). Private collection. (Click image to enlarge.)

Again the trickster confronts a force that proves stronger than he is, and yet, he wins. Or does he? Jacob, who saw God in a dream of angels going up and down a heavenly ladder at Bethel, now meets God’s angel in another dream. He struggles mightily against this mysterious foe, and earns a new name, Israel – “who struggles with God.” Jacob, now Israel, comes of age in the understanding that God is not just somewhere out there in a distant universe but can be found right here with us in our daily lives, where we ask hard questions and even struggle with God.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 55:10-13



In Sunday’s Track Two first reading we hear some of the final verses written by the second of the three ancient prophets whose work bible scholars believe is consolidated in this memorable book of prophecy. The overall narrative of Isaiah tells of the chosen people’s loss of Jerusalem and the Temple, their exile to Babylon, and their eventual return home to Jerusalem, where they build a restored temple. In these verses, having assured the people that God has forgiven their failures of justice, Isaiah in these verses paints a beautiful image of God as the giver of life and sustenance and all that is good.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 17: 1-7, 16

God remains faithful to the people of Israel, even when they struggle, even when they fail; so the Psalmist celebrates God’s faithful, steadfast love. This special kind of love is so sure and certain that there’s a specific Hebrew word for it, “chesed,” a word rich with connotations of faith, loyalty, care and grace. The Psalmist reminds us that God loves us and will protect us when we seek refuge.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 145:11-18

The Psalms incorporate a wide variety of genres: hope, lament, petition and praise, a diverse anthology that seems appropriate for all the ways that God’s people approach the divine in worship and song. The last group of Psalms, though, conclude the book with songs and shouts of praise..The two segments chosen for Sunday’s Track Two reading celebrate the graciousness and compassion of God, who satisfies every living creature’s needs and stands near to all who call.

Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5


Having emphasized in last week’s reading that nothing can separate us all from God’s love through Jesus, Paul now looks back to God’s faithfulness to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-become-Israel. Paul, like all Israel, inherits God’s covenant and commandments “through the flesh” of family heritage. But, in this letter calling on Rome’s Gentile and Jewish Christians to love and accept one another, he reminds us that we, too, become children of God through the Spirit.

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21


The story of Jesus feeding the multitude is so beloved that it’s repeated in varying forms in all four Gospels: The multiplying loaves and fishes. How did Jesus do that? The notion that many dug into their own supplies to supplement the feast rings true to anyone who’s ever indulged in a church potluck. So does the simple symbolism of God’s faithful abundance … and of Jesus taking bread and feeding the community. But look closely at these words: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” Can we hear an echo of Jesus saying, “I was hungry and you gave me food … just as you do it to one of the least of these, you do it to me”?

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 26, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 29:15-28


The concept of “biblical marriage” gets complicated in Sunday’s Track One first reading.

Parable of the hidden treasure (c.1630), painting, possibly by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) or by Gerrit Dou (1613-1675). Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. (Click image to enlarge.)

First, tricky Jacob gets tricked in his turn by Laban, who puts him to work for seven years to earn Laban’s daughter Rachel as his bride. But then, much to Jacob’s consternation, Laban switches his older daughter, Leah, for Rachel on their wedding night. Only after working for Laban another seven years does Jacob eventually marry Rachel, too. When we consider scripture’s seemingly casual acceptance of arranged, polygamous marriages, with the women given no opportunity to participate or object, it makes little sense to hold up Scripture as the example of a marital ideal. What remains timeless is the celebration of God’s faithfulness, shown in the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their descendants who will go on to populate all nations.

First Reading (Track Two): 1 Kings 3:5-12


Known in tradition for his great wisdom, King Solomon may be most often remembered by the story – just a few verses after this one – of how he revealed the real mother in two women’s dispute over a baby by proposing to cut the infant in half. Here in Sunday’s Track Two first reading we meet Solomon – the son of King David and Bathsheba – as the young, new king, uncertain and uneasy. Dreaming of God asking what he would like to be given, Solomon chose not long life, riches or power, but only wisdom to govern the people well. Pleased by this choice, God grants Solomon a wise and discerning mind greater than any earlier or later king.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 105:1-11, 45b

This Track One Psalm, a ringing hymn of praise to God and God’s works, offers thanksgiving for just the reward that the story of Laban’s daughters foretells: God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God promises that their children would inherit the Promised Land for a thousand generations, in return for their covenant to follow God’s teaching and obey God’s laws.

Alternate Psalm (Track One): Psalm 128

Available as an alternate to the Track One Psalm, this reflects similar ideas without specifically expressing the ancestral covenant. Still, its poetic cadences celebrate the joy and the rewards that come to those who follow in God’s way, the fruits of their labor, the happiness and prosperity that they will inherit. Thanks to God’s blessings from Zion, the Psalmist sings, they will be rewarded with secure homes and long and prosperous lives.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 119:129-136

The longest of all the Psalms, Psalm 119’s celebration of love for God’s law and teaching – Torah, the first five books of the Bible – is repeated often in brief selections through the Lectionary year. A different passage was used in Track One just two weeks ago. These verses celebrate the love of Torah in almost sensuous terms of open-mouthed, breathless longing. God’s statutes are so wonderful that the Psalmist sheds streams of tears at the recognition that some people do not follow the law.

Second Reading: Romans 8:26-39


Our extended journey through Paul’s letter to the people of Rome reaches a high point in this passage, as his long discussion contrasting life in the flesh against life in the spirit now comes to its conclusion in a burst of poetic words: If God is for us, who is against us? God’s abiding faithfulness was made manifest through God’s gift of God’s own son. If God gave him up for all of us, nothing in all creation – not hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword – can separate us from the love of God through Jesus.

Gospel: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52


What is the kingdom of heaven like? Jesus offers us quick, thought-provoking glimpses in a quick series of short parables this week. The kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that grows into a mighty tree! Or yeast that leavens bread! Or wait, is it like buried treasure? A merchant with an expensive pearl? Fishers with a full net? And there’s that scary threat of the fiery furnace again, with the weeping and gnashing of teeth that awaits evildoers. Parables don’t tell us the whole story – they only offer ideas that flash through our consciousness – but every one of them sparks our imagination about God’s kingdom.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 19, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 28:10-19a


Signs of God’s abundant love and the gift of grace shine through Sunday’s readings.

Jacob’s Dream (1639), oil painting on canvas by Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652). Museo del Prado, Madrid. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our Track One first reading, Jacob, a conniving trickster, got himself in trouble and now is on the run. He fears the murderous wrath of his angry older twin Esau, whom Jacob tricked out of his inheritance and their father’s blessing. Now Jacob stops to rest. Sleeping in the desert on a stone pillow, Jacob has a remarkable dream of angels going up and down a celestial ladder. Then he hears God’s voice repeating the promise that God gave to his grandfather Abraham and to his father Isaac: God is with him, and his offspring will fill the Earth. Why would God reward such a sneaky cheater? God knows that no human is perfect, but God still loves and protects even broken, troubled people.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 44:6-8


Isiah’s short, poetic prayer of praise in our Track Two first reading assures the people that their exile in Babylon will eventually end and that they will return home to Jerusalem. The prophet imagines God speaking in the first person, declaring God’s own power and majesty. Whatever beliefs their captors may hold in other gods and other prophecies, Isaiah makes clear that Israel need not fear or be afraid. As they have known since days of old, God is the nation’s rock, redeemer and leader, the first and last of all creation, beside whom there is no other god.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 139:1-11, 22-23

When Jacob ran from angry Esau, he might have prayed something like this Track One Psalm. God loves us and knows everything about us, the Psalmist sings. We may run from God, but we can’t hide. In heaven or in the grave, in darkness or in light, up in the sunrise sky or down in the deepest part of the sea, no matter where we go or how we try to hide, God knows where we are and what we are thinking, God will lead us, hold us and keep us. Even when we are wicked, God will lead us in right paths.

Alternative to the Psalm (Track One): Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19

The Wisdom of Solomon is a short book in the Apocrypha. It was written in the name of King Solomon not long before, or even possibly during or after, the time of Jesus and the evangelists. These verses harmonize with the faith expressed in Psalm 139 above in their ringing praise for a powerful, righteous God who reigns over all creation, yet judges the people mildly and with forbearance, teaching us that to be righteous requires us to be kind.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 86:11-17

The Psalmist expresses gratitude for God’s abundant love shown in protection against the violence and threats of enemies. Like the people in exile in today’s Track Two first reading from Isaiah, he faces difficulties – even being trapped in the “nethermost Pit” and pursued by a band of violent men. Nevertheless he turns to God with faith and trust, calling on God to respond out of grace and compassion, kindness and truth, to turn to him and have mercy, shaming his foes with a sign of God’s favor.

Second Reading: Romans 8:12-25


We are following Paul through his letter to the Romans for three full months in this season after Pentecost as he talks about what life in the Spirit of Christ looks like. Summing up his argument in today’s passage, he reiterates: If we live by our own selfish desires, we die. But if we live in the Spirit through Christ, loving God and our neighbor even as we suffer with Christ – as the Roman Christians had suffered through persecution – we are glorified with him and become adopted children and heirs of God. Hope for what we do not yet see and wait for it with patience, he concludes.

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43


Jesus was a carpenter, not a farmer, but he sure did tell a lot of parables about farming, planting, and growing things. Continuing in the spirit of last Sunday’s parable about the sower, he moves on to a discussion of weeds in the wheat field. In this parable the soil is good, and so is the seed. The sower is planting wheat in the rich soil of his own field, only to have an enemy sneak in at night and plant weeds among the good wheat. Now the sower can’t uproot the weeds without disturbing the wheat, so it all has to grow together until harvest, when the weeds can finally be torn out and discarded. Jesus’ explanation to the apostles may seem disturbing with its talk of hellfire and damnation for the weeds; but it’s clear that those who live righteously will enjoy God’s kingdom.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 12, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 25:19-34


God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. But the ancestral legends of the chosen people show us that this outcome won’t be easy.

Landscape with the Parable of the Sower (1552), oil painting on panel by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1526/1530-1569). Timken Museum of Art, San Diego, Calif. (Click image to enlarge.)

Abraham and Sarah had to wait until she was 90 years old before the miracle of Isaac’s birth. In Sunday’s Track One first reading we recall that Isaac and Rebekah, too, prayed for 20 barren years before their twins, Esau and Jacob, were born. Jacob, a notorious trickster, talks his moments-older sibling, in a moment of hunger, into giving up his rights as firstborn in trade for a bit of bread and a pot of lentil stew. Jacob’s tricks reveal once more that God does not choose unbelievably perfect people, but works through flawed and sinful humans.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 55:10-13


In Sunday’s Track Two first reading we hear the concluding verses of second Isaiah. This is the second of the three ancient prophets who bible scholars believe participated in writing this memorable book. Overall, the three writers tell of the chosen people’s exile to Babylon and their eventual return home to Jerusalem, where they build a restored temple. In these verses, having assured the people that God has forgiven their failures of justice, Isaiah in these verses paints a beautiful image of God as the giver of life and sustenance and all that is good. His image of seeds and the sower and Earth’s bounty sets the stage for Jesus’ parable of the sower that we hear in Sunday’s Gospel.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 119:105-112

We hear parts of Psalm 119 a dozen times during the three-year cycle of Lectionary readings, so it will probably come as no surprise to hear that its 176 verses make it the longest of all the Psalms. All of those verses are devoted to a long, loving celebration of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. “Torah” is usually translated in this context as “law,” “ordnance” or “decree” throughout the psalms, but it might be better expressed as “teaching,” a point of view that reveals God’s loving desire for us to live in good relationship with God and each other. Following God’s decrees – God’s teaching – brings joy even in darkness and time of trouble, the Psalmist sings.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14

This psalm of praise and thanksgiving beautifully reflects Isaiah’s portrayal of God as the generous creator who made the world and all that is in it, and who provides bountiful water and grain, pastures and flocks. Perhaps originally sung as a harvest thanksgiving, it chants praise for the overflowing richness of God’s abundance and for the joy it provides to those who receive it. This abundant seed has fallen on good soil and yielded a hundredfold.

Second Reading: Romans 8:1-11


Paul, a proud Pharisee who considered himself righteous and blameless under the law, the teaching of Torah, now tells the Romans that Christ’s resurrection has freed us from the law of sin and death. If we follow the ways of the world, he warns, we are subject to sin and death. But when we accept God’s Spirit through Jesus, we gain life and peace. Our mortal bodies gain life because the Spirit dwells in us.

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23


For the rest of the season after Pentecost we will follow Matthew’s account of Jesus’ final journey with the apostles from Galilee to Jerusalem. In many of these Gospels Jesus will teach by using parables, colorful, attention-getting metaphors. Sunday we hear the parable of the sower, the first parable that Jesus tells in Matthew’s Gospel and the only parable that Jesus explains. It is tempting to look for specific instruction in the fates of the seeds that fall on the path, on rocks, among thorns, and on fertile ground. Perhaps the message is this simple: Sow God’s word extravagantly, everywhere, and rejoice when it falls on good soil and the harvest is rich. Or are we being told to decide what kind of soil we will choose to be when we hear God’s word? The parables of Jesus don’t come straight at us. They make us think.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for July 5, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67


Rebekah’s response to Abraham’s servant in Sunday’s Track One first reading reminds us of Abraham’s response to God’s call: Hearing God’s voice, both respond with faithful trust.

Portrait of a Couple as Isaac and Rebecca, “The Jewish bride” (c.1662-1666), oil painting on canvas by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. (Click image to enlarge.)

Abraham uproots his family and moves to a new land. Rebekah leaves home and family to marry Abraham’s son, Isaac, a man she has not yet met but who will come to love her. Abraham heard God’s promise that his offspring would become “a great and mighty nation.” Rebekah hears that her children will become “thousands of myriads.” Rebekah’s faith, it appears, is no less strong than Abraham’s.

First Reading (Track Two): Zechariah 9:9-12


Zechariah, one of the last of the dozen so-called minor prophets, celebrates the people’s return from exile and their hope of restoring the Temple. In this Track Two first reading, he envisions a humble yet powerful king who will come to reign in peace and restore the nation’s prosperity. Matthew later will find Jesus so vividly foretold in these verses that he adopts the wording precisely, including the poetic repetition of Hebrew verse, “riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey,” in his portrayal of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on two animals on Palm Sunday.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 45:11-18

Psalm 45 is a wedding blessing, a love song addressed to a princess bride of Tyre (an ancient island kingdom and occasional rival to Israel), who has come to Israel to be joined in a royal marriage. These verses chosen for the first of two options for Sunday’s Track One psalm celebrate the pomp and joy of her coming wedding. They also highlight the Psalmist’s hope that the bride will be remembered and praised in future generations, a wish that reminds us of God’s promises of myriad descendants to Abraham and Rebekah.

Alternate to the Psalm (Track One): Song of Solomon 2:8-13

The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, is a lyrical collection of ancient Hebrew love poetry. Curiously, this book and the book of Esther are the only books in the Bible that do not explicitly mention God. Rather, we are invited to find the image of God in the joy of giving and caring love. These verses are understood as a rhapsodic song of springtime, but their metaphorical evocation of love in the midst of an awakening springtime Earth speaks to our hearts even during summer’s heat.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 145:8-15

Like many of the psalms, this hymn of praise is traditionally if not historically attributed to the hand of King David. It serves well to echo today’s Track Two first reading from Zechariah in its vision of a humble, powerful king who reigns in peace and prosperity. This kingdom of glorious splendor is clearly understood not only as a kingdom for here and now, but one that is known in glory to all people, an everlasting kingdom that endures through all the ages.

Second Reading: Romans 6:12-23


We have recently heard Paul’s assurances to the ancient Christians of Rome that through baptism we “die” to our old lives enslaved to sin only to be “born” to a new life freed from sin through the free gift of grace from God. In today’s reading, though, using himself as a bad example of a “wretched man,” Paul points out that it’s not necessarily easy to leave sin behind, even when we want to do the right thing. He tries, but he can’t get rid of the sin that lives within him. He can’t fight sin on his own – and neither can we – without God’s help through Jesus, who frees him from the slavery of sin.

Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30


Jesus seems frustrated and even angry in the beginning verses of Sunday’s Gospel. Preaching to crowds around Capernaum in Galilee, he calls them “children.” He may be irritable because some of the same people who considered ascetic John’s call for repentance crazy and judgmental are now criticizing Jesus’ joyous embrace of life as evidence that he is a glutton and a drunk. But then, after we skip over five additional angry verses not included in Sunday’s reading, Jesus pauses and thanks God. His words of hope for Israel’s children and infants turn gentle as he invites all who carry heavy burdens to come to him and find rest for their souls.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for June 28, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 22:1-14


We reflect on sacrifices as small as the gift of water to a child and as serious as the death of a child in Sunday’s Track One readings.

Sacrifice of Isaac (c.1603), oil painting on canvas by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610). Uffizi Museum, Florence, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

Having sent his son, Ishmael, into the desert with his mother to die, as we heard in last Sunday’s reading, Abraham now receives an even more shocking command: God tells him to slay his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. What in Heaven’s name is going on here? Perhaps the easy answer is to recognize that these are these are ancient legends, difficult for us to understand in our own context, and not intended to be taken literally even in their original setting. For the ancients, perhaps this narrative showed that God does not desire human sacrifice. It reveals a compassionate God who, having subjected Abraham to a harsh test, then ultimately says “no” to death.

First Reading (Track One): Jeremiah 28:5-9


To understand this Track Two first reading, it is helpful to have the context of the verses just preceding it. Jeremiah had warned the priests and people of Israel in exile that their sojourn in Babylon had a long way to go, and that any prophets who told them otherwise were liars. Then the young prophet Hananiah stood up and challenged Jeremiah, prophesying that God had in fact broken the yoke of the Babylonian king and would bring all the exiles home within two years. Now in this short passage, Jeremiah responds. He agrees that God will indeed end the exile some day, but that will happen only when peace prevails and war, pestilence and famine come to an end.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 13

At first glance, this Psalm might not seem the best choice to read to someone who is grieving or afraid. The Psalmist speaks from the depths of fear and loss, suffering deep pain. Has God’s face turned away, leaving him alone and defenseless? But even in this dark place, hope remains; for God’s love is steadfast and abiding. God has been just and fair, and the Psalmist trusts that God will remain so.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 89:1-4,15-18

These two excerpts taken from a longer Psalm celebrate God’s covenant with King David, a royal lineage that God established to last forever as a sign of God’s righteousness and never-ending rule. Those who walk in God’s way and rejoice in the divine name will be full of joy, knowing that God is their ruler, the Psalmist sings: The Holy One of Israel is everlasting king.

Second Reading: Romans 6:12-23


Paul uses the idea of slavery to make his point in Sunday’s passage from his letter to the Romans: Through Christian baptism we have been spared from the slavery of sin, freeing us to joyously embrace a better kind of slavery, the “enslavement” of willing submission to God through Christ. In this way, Paul writes, we receive the free gift of grace that brings eternal life.

Gospel: Matthew 10:40-42


This is the third and final Sunday Gospel passage from Matthew’s account of Jesus teaching his recently commissioned apostles. In the first two readings we heard him warn about the challenges of discipleship. Now Jesus tells them about the rewards of following his way. Immediately following his troubling warning that those who follow him must leave friends and family behind, Jesus now echoes the Psalmist’s promise that God will be just and fair. Jesus promises that those who practice justice in his name – even in such small ways as offering water to a child – will receive God’s justice.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for June 21, 2020

First Reading (Track One): Genesis 21:8-21


Sometimes we turn to scripture for reassurance, looking for readings that bring us comfort and joy. Sunday’s readings are different: They challenge us, jolt our assumptions, and at the end, make us think about how our spirituality works.

Hagar in the Desert, oil painting on canvas by Giambattista Pittoni (1687-1767). Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice. (Click image to enlarge.)

The Track One first reading offers a particularly troubling story about Abraham, the patriarch of the chosen people. Abraham followed God’s commands with exemplary faithfulness, yet here we see him doing something disturbing as he sends his slave, Hagar, and their son, Ishmael, out into the desert to die. Happily, God intervenes, saving Ishmael and promising them a bountiful future parallel to that of Abraham and Sarah’s son, Isaac. (Indeed, while Jews and Christians recognize Abraham as our patriarch through Isaac, the world’s Muslims trace their Abrahamic line through Ishmael.)

First Reading (Track Two): Jeremiah 20:7-13


In Sunday’s Track Two first reading, we find the prophet Jeremiah angry and upset. God has called him to prophesy to the people that their failure to be righteous and just will bring destruction upon them, but they will not listen. Worse, they laugh and deride him when he shouts about their impending peril. Anger builds up in his bones like a burning fire, and he cannot hold it in. Even his close friends wait for him to stumble. But Jeremiah knows that it is his persecutors who will stumble, for God is with him like a warrior at his side.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

Like Hagar with Ishmael in the desert, the Psalmist in Sunday’s Track One psalm suffers in misery. He suffers in distress despite his faith and trust in God. Recognizing that God is a God like no other, the God of all nations, who loves us even when we aren’t happy, he cries out his prayer, trusting in a good and forgiving God to answer him and make his heart glad.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 69: 8-11, (12-17), 18-20

The tone of lamentation in Sunday’s Track Two psalm rings in harmony with Jeremiah in the first reading. Like Jeremiah, the Psalmist spoke for God only to become the subject of scorn and reproach from his own friends and family. Even drunkards at loiterers at the city gate made up mocking songs about him! The Psalmist begs God to save him from their hatred, to turn to him in compassion and rescue him from his enemies.

Second Reading: Romans 6:1b-11


Everything in our lives changes in Baptism. This reassuring theme runs like a thread through Paul’s letter to the Romans. Baptism unites us with Christ so that we share in his death and resurrection, Paul writes. In Baptism we symbolically die to our old life that was enslaved by sin, and through God’s abounding grace become alive to new life through Jesus.

Gospel: Matthew 10:24-39


How can we read a difficult Gospel passage like this? We love to imagine Jesus as the Prince of Peace, but now we hear that he did not come to bring peace but a sword, to set family members against each other, and to call us to leave our families behind when we follow him. These disturbing verses, continuing Jesus’ stern instructions to the apostles in last Sunday’s Gospel, may reflect the difficult times when the evangelist we know as Matthew was writing his Gospel. The Roman Empire had crushed a Jewish rebellion, leaving Jerusalem shattered and the Temple in ruins. Jewish Christians were breaking away from Rabbinic Judaism amid angry rivalry over Jesus’ status as Messiah. Under those circumstances, it would have been not only hard but dangerous to follow Jesus’ Way. From those times to ours today, Jesus calls us to give, not to take.