Author Archives: Robin Garr

Christmas 1

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 22, 2024

Saint John the Evangelist

Saint John the Evangelist (c.1624-1629), oil painting on canvas by Domenico Zampieri (“Domenichino,” 1581-1641). National Gallery, Washington, D.C. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Isaiah 61:10-62:3
The Twelve Days of Christmas continue until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. It’s hard to resist the feeling that Christmas was over on December 26, though. We’ll return to work Monday, if we didn’t have to go back already; soon we’ll pack the colorful lights, the Christmas gift boxes and the holiday music. Sunday’s reading, from near the end of the book of Isaiah, finds the people getting back to work too. Returned to Jerusalem after years in exile, they rejoice in God’s righteousness as they face the hard work of rebuilding.

Psalm: Psalm 147
One of the half-dozen resounding songs of joy that conclude the book of Psalms, this memorable hymn begins with a mighty “Praise the Lord,” a shout of exultation that the ancient Hebrews sang as “Hallelu-Yah!” We praise the Lord who is near, who heals our hearts and binds our wounds. We praise the mighty far-off God of all creation, too: The Lord of stars and clouds, winds and waters, rain and the growing grass, all the animals and all of us, too. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-25;4:4-7
In his short letter to the Christians of Galatia, a Gentile Christian community in central Turkey, Paul argues in fierce conflict against some in the early church who demanded that gentile converts follow the strict requirements of Jewish law. We should be careful, though, not to interpret these words as anti-Jewish or as suggesting that the new covenant abolishes the old. There is no controversy in his ringing conclusion to this passage, though, celebrating our joy in being adopted without restriction as God’s heirs and children through Christ.

Gospel: John 1:1-18
These spiritual and poetic words that begin the Gospel of John are so familiar that we may hear them without deep thought. But let’s stop to pay attention: Surely John had the creation story from Genesis in mind when he began with the very same words, “In the beginning.” Then he goes on to place Jesus, the Word, at the moment of creation, when God uttered the creative word, “Let there be light.” John names John the Baptist as the witness to Jesus’ divinity, and he echoes Paul’s point about Moses giving the Law while Jesus gives grace.

Christmas Day I, II, and III

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Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Christmas Day I, II, and III (Dec. 25, 2024)

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

Christmas Day I

Nativity of Jesus

Nativity of Jesus (c.1600-1610), oil painting on canvas by Alessandro Tiarini (1577-1668). Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

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

O Come, All Ye Faithful! It is Christmas again, and we gather with joy to celebrate the birth of the infant Jesus, God in human form. First we hear 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.

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.

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

If the letter of Titus seems unfamiliar, here’s why: This is the only book of the New Testament that does not appear in the regular three-year Lectionary of Sunday readings. We read passages from it only in the first two services 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 the writer 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.

Gospel, Selection I: Luke 2:1-14(15-20)

Now we come to the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’s birth, as told in the nativity account told by 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.

Christmas Day II

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 Prophet Isaiah foretells, 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.

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.

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

In this passage, the writer known as 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, Titus writes, 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.

Gospel, Selection II: Luke 2:(1-7)8-20

Here again is the familiar Gospel story of Jesus’s birth, as told in the nativity account told by 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.

Christmas Day III

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

Israel’s exile in Babylon is ending in this passage from Isaiah 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 III: Psalm 98

In a Psalm of praise filled with joyous music, we are again called to stand up and rejoice with 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 III: Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12)

The letter to the Hebrews begins with this beautifully poetic description of Jesus, chosen as the son of God, the perfect reflection of God’s glory, higher even than the angels. Indeed, the writer 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 the Letter to the Hebrews, his throne is for ever and ever, and God speaks to us no longer through the prophets but through him.

Gospel, Selection III: John 1:1-14

There is no nativity story in John’s 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. 22, 2024

Madonna of the Magnificat

Madonna del Magnificat (Madonna of the Magnificat), tempera painting on panel (1483) by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). Uffizi Gallery, Florence. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Micah 5:2-5a

God’s active, liberating preference for the poor and the oppressed is made manifest in Sunday’s readings. This theme may seem surprising at first, but it is in fact a deeply significant message for the impending birth of Jesus, who will hold up the poor, the hungry, the ill, and imprisoned and oppressed as the central focus of his good news. We begin with a reading from Micah, one of the earliest prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Micah has warned the people of Jerusalem that their injustices against the weak and the poor will bring down God’s wrath. In Sunday’s verses, Micah foretells that a new ruler was to come from the village of Bethlehem – the birthplace of King David – to reunite the surviving remnant of Israel as a shepherd leads his flock, all under God’s protection in peace.

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

The Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise, may either be sung as Sunday’s Psalm or read as the second portion of the Gospel of the day. In this beloved story as told by Luke, the pregnant Mary sings out grateful praise for God. She rejoices in all that God has done for her, celebrating a 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 – taking from those who have much and giving to those who have none.

Alternate Psalm: Psalm 80:1-7

Psalm 80 was likely written during a time of exile and destruction or recalls such a time. The place names in the second verse suggest lamentation over the loss of the Northern Kingdom – Israel – to the Assyrians. The first seven of its 18 verses resonate in sorrow as the people call on Israel’s God to come and help. The people, we hear in a memorable metaphor, have been fed with the bread of tears and given tears to drink. Though they have suffered the derision, laughter, and scorn of their enemies, including their own neighbors, the Psalmist expresses the belief that God has the power to save them through the light of God’s own countenance.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10

We return for this one Sunday to the Letter to the Hebrews, which we had visited extensively for several weeks this past autumn. Consistent with its theme of contrasting Jewish Christianity against Temple Judaism, it echoes prophecies of Isaiah and Amos, who warned of a God who “takes no pleasure” in temple sacrifices. Instead, it proposes that God’s promise to Israel at Sinai has now been fulfilled through the Incarnation of Jesus and his sacrifice on the Cross.

Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

This lovely reading includes the narrative that immediately precedes the Magnificat, the Song of Mary. The evangelist we know as Luke tells the story of Mary’s visit to her older cousin Elizabeth. Both women were pregnant – Elizabeth with John, Mary with Jesus – and both had conceived in miraculous ways after being 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. Elizabeth, suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit, declares Mary blessed among women. Elizabeth wonders in amazement, “Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” Then, in the following verses, Mary responds with the Magnificat, the revolutionary song that we heard in the Canticle appointed for this day.

Advent 3C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 15, 2024

Saint John the Baptist Preaching

Saint John the Baptist Preaching (c.1735-1745), oil painting on canvas by Francesco Zuccarelli (1702-1788). Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland. (Click image to enlarge.)]

First Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-20

This week we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath for the Third Sunday of Advent, traditionally called Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday or Rose Sunday. A common thread in the day’s Lectionary readings calls us to be joyful even in times of stress. The minor prophet Zephaniah warned that Jerusalem would be destroyed because its people had turned away from God. But then, in this passage from the third and final chapter of this short book, the prophet’s thoughts turn to hope: After an exile, a joyous time will follow, when God will gather Israel’s righteous people, restore their fortunes, and bring them home.

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

Even in modern times, a seasonal drought is a serious threat to crops, farmers, consumers, and even a nation’s economy. In biblical times, drought was even worse: A failed crop could mean life or death. Isaiah, the major prophet who foretold Israel’s destruction, exile, and return surely knew that water is one of the most important things that God gives us. This Canticle, drawn from the first portion of Isaiah before the exile, called on the people to thank God with joy whenever they draw precious, life-giving water from the springs of salvation.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-7

Last Sunday, in the opening verses of Philippians, we heard Paul express his love. Now, near the end of this affectionate letter from prison in Rome to the people of this little church in Northeastern Greece that he had founded years before, he urges them to be gentle and kind: Rejoice in God’s love and trust in God’s mercy and peace. Paul’s words to them, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” have become a familiar blessing through the ages.

Gospel: Luke 3:7-18

At first glance, it’s not easy to find the joy in this Gospel portion, which concludes Luke’s account of John the Baptist in the desert that we began last week. Luke shows us a long-haired, ranting prophet, yelling at the crowds who came to be baptized by him, declaring them “a brood of vipers.” John is no Messiah, he tells them. But he shouts that one more powerful than he will soon come to baptize with the Holy Spirit, separating the good wheat from the unworthy chaff. Get ready, John demands. Share your clothing and food with those who have none. Don’t cheat. Don’t be selfish! These are the themes that we’ll hear repeatedly in Luke’s Gospel this Lectionary year. Jesus too will proclaim them as he spreads the Good News, the joy.

Advent 2C

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 8, 2024

Saint John the Baptist preaching in the Wilderness

Saint John the Baptist preaching in the Wilderness (c.1640), oil painting on canvas by Pier Francesco Mola (1612-1666). National Gallery, London. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9

A messenger is coming to make the way ready for the Messiah! Two alternative passages from minor prophets both draw this hope to our attention in Sunday’s first reading. The first option is found in the book of Baruch, whose name in Hebrew means “Blessed.” His is one of the apocryphal books placed at the end of the Hebrew Bible. Echoing a more familiar passage from Isaiah, Baruch tells Israel in exile that it no longer needs 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 Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Luke repeat Isaiah’s verses in the voice of John the Baptist.

Or:

First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4

In this alternative first reading, the minor prophet Malachi – whose name actually means “my messenger” in Hebrew – brings a dire warning to the people living in Jerusalem generations after the return from exile: God’s messenger must cleanse the people with fire, he prophesies, an action necessary to make them pure and pleasing to God. “Who can endure the day of his coming?” the prophet sings, in words that Handel would make unforgettable 2,000 years later in The Messiah. “He is like a refiner’s fire!”

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

We sing Canticle 16 from the Book of Common Prayer – a direct quote from Luke’s Gospel – in place of a psalm. 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. Now Zechariah’s voice is restored as he holds the infant and names him John. This child, Zechariah declares, 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

The Christian community at Philippi in Greece, according to Luke’s account in Acts, was the first church formed by Paul in Europe as he traveled west from Asia Minor. This brief letter, written from a Roman prison several years later, is full of love and gratitude. In these opening verses, Paul offers greetings, love, thanks for their friendship, and prayers for their well-being. Recalling how eagerly they had accepted the Gospel, Paul prays for this congregation’s continued spiritual growth and insight, which he hopes will lead them to a harvest of righteousness and justice.

Gospel: Luke 3:1-6

Zechariah’s son John is a grown man now, and he has begun his public life as John the Baptist, a prophet crying in the wilderness along the Jordan. Beginning his account with a detailed roster of Roman and Jewish leaders of John’s time, including John’s father, Zechariah, Luke tells how John proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Then, in words we also hear in Handel’s Messiah, Luke roots John’s prophecy in Isaiah’s call to prepare the way of the Lord, making 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 Dec. 1, 2024

The Great Last Judgement

The Great Last Judgement (1617), oil painting, altarpiece, by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Alte Pinakothek, Munich, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Advent has come, and we begin a new Lectionary year centered on the Gospel according to Luke. The commercial celebration of Christmas may already be in full swing, but the quieter, gentler celebration of Advent comes as a blessing. Advent is a time to prepare, to wait for the celebration of Jesus’s birth – the Incarnation – and for the final coming of Christ’s kingdom in power and glory. Sunday’s readings begin with a prophecy from Jeremiah to Israel in exile. Jerusalem and the temple have been destroyed, and King David’s dynasty has ended after 400 years. But there is hope, Jeremiah assures the people: A new branch – a messiah – will spring up and grow in David’s line, and will restore justice and righteousness in a new Israel.

Psalm: Psalm 25:1-9

Echoing Jeremiah’s promises to Israel in Sunday’s first reading, this passage from Psalm 25 speaks of a people facing the threat of humiliation and defeat. Trusting fully in God for salvation, relying on God’s everlasting compassion and love, the Psalmist asks God to forgive the people’s youthful errors and wrong turns while teaching them the right path. The Psalmist asks God to remember us not for our sins but with all God’s compassion and steadfast love – “chesed” in the original Hebrew – an emotion-laden word that may also be translated as “faithfulness,” “kindness,” “mercy” or “grace.”

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

This short passage is drawn from the earliest of Paul’s known letters. It was written to a beloved community in Northern Greece, seeking to strengthen their hearts in holiness so as to remain blameless before God when Jesus and his saints return: an outcome that in those early days was still expected to happen at any time. Writing from far away, Paul calls God’s blessings on the lives of the Thessalonians, expressing hope that he may soon be reunited with them. In the meantime, he prays that the people of this community will love one another and everyone, just as he loves them.

Gospel: Luke 21:25-36

Jesus is teaching the apostles after they have left the Temple, not long before they gather for the Last Supper and his passion begins. In alarming apocalyptic language reminiscent of the Gospel from Mark that we heard the Sunday before last, Jesus warns of the destruction of the Temple and of hard times to come. There will be frightening signs in the earth and heavens and the seas; false prophets speaking in Jesus’s name; nations rising against nations, famines, and wars and rumors of wars. But these signs will reveal, Jesus tells them, that the world’s redemption is drawing near. So don’t be alarmed, he assures them: This is but the beginning of the birth pangs, the Kingdom of God drawing near.

Christ the King B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 24, 2024 (Christ the King B/Proper 29)

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), Christ before Pilate

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), Christ before Pilate (c. 1860-c. 1880), oil painting by Antonio Ciseri (1821-1891). Museo Cantonale d’Arte, Lugano, Switzerland. (Click image to enlarge.)

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

The six-month-long string of Sundays after Pentecost concludes this Sunday with the feast of Christ the King – sometimes called the “Reign of Christ” to set a less patriarchal tone. This reading from the Second Book of Samuel offers a poetic passage called “The Last Words of David.” A hymn of praise, likely written in David’s memory long after his death, declares that David was God’s favorite: a just ruler, the one through whom the God of Israel speaks. God has made an everlasting covenant with David, its verses declare. It is a covenant that will bring prosperity to the king’s reign and success to all the king’s descendants.

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

It might seem a little awkward for us as Americans, remembering our nation-founding revolution against the British king, to depict our God as a monarch and Jesus as a warrior king. Yet we do just that on Christ the King Sunday as we look to the culmination of history with Christ as our king. This reading from the Book of Daniel portrays a mighty God on a fiery throne. As modern Christians, we might prefer to visualize a transcendent Creator whose very nature lies beyond our ability to imagine. For early Christians living in a time of empire, though, it must have been reassuring to imagine an all-powerful God giving dominion over all nations and peoples to “one like a human being,” who they would identify as Christ.

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

Sunday’s Psalm continues in the spirit of this week’s first reading about David and God’s covenant to bless and 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, then Israel will sit on David’s throne forever.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 93

God is king! God is majestic! God is powerful! How this mighty hymn must have thundered through the ancient temple, celebrating the power and the kingship of God in metaphors of sound and fury: Roaring floods and massive ocean waves thundering, calling out the glory of God our king. Unlike earthly kings, the Psalmist sings, God’s world is certain, immovable and mighty. God’s kingdom will endure, sure and holy, for ever and evermore.

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4b-8

This greeting from the first page of Revelation gives away the simple secret of this mysterious book: It is not a strange and frightening prediction of the End Times, nor does it conceal coded information about our times, or any other time or place. It was a subversive sermon for persecuted Christians in Asia Minor, carrying 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 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

Finally, in John’s Gospel, Jesus makes his kingship clear as he stands before Pilate. Or does he? Accused of declaring himself king of the Jews, an act of treason against the powerful Roman Empire, Jesus 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 it’s “not from here,” adding that he came into the world to testify to the truth. Is he a king? “You say so,” Jesus replies to Pilate. But when and how will this kingdom come? Will it come in the future with trumpet blasts and fire and brimstone? Or do we build it every day when we act as Christ’s hands in the world?

Pentecost 26B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 17, 2024 (Pentecost 26B/Proper 28)

The destruction of the temple of Jerusalem

The destruction of the temple of Jerusalem (1867), oil painting on canvas by Francesco Hayez (1791-1882). Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

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

At the beginning of the season after Pentecost back in June, we read about the Prophet Samuel, who followed God’s commands to find the young shepherd David, who would become Israel’s king. Now, as the Pentecost season nears its end, we return to the first book of Samuel to hear the story of Samuel’s mother, Hannah, who was anguished and suffered verbal abuse because she couldn’t bear a child. She opened her heart in prayer and discovered that God remained with her in her time of trouble and pain. Her prayers were answered. She found joy, giving birth to Samuel, who became the last of the great judges who governed Israel before the time of its kings.

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

The long Pentecost season is drawing to its close. In two weeks, Advent will begin, starting a new Lectionary year. 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. 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 general bodily resurrection of all the dead, the first time that this theological concept is raised in the Hebrew Bible.

Psalm (Track One): 1 Samuel 2:1-10

In place of a psalm, this alternative Track One reading steps forward a page or two in 1 Samuel to sing the prayer of Hannah, celebrating her joy at the birth of her child Samuel. These words of hope and strength clearly foreshadow the Song of Mary, the Magnificat, that the mother-to-be of Jesus sings in Luke’s Gospel. Both Hannah’s and Mary’s prayers celebrate the God who lifts up the lowly and the poor while casting down the rich and powerful. But Mary won’t echo the strong words of vengeance against enemies that we hear in Hannah’s song.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 16

Just as the first reading from Daniel promises a heavenly reward to those who remain faithful, Psalm 16 reassures the people that God will not abandon those who always follow God. But, the Psalmist goes on, a different, harsher fate awaits the unfaithful, those who follow other gods: They may see their troubles multiplied, and God will not so much as speak the names of their gods. God will never abandon those who remain faithful, though: The hearts of the faithful will be glad and their spirits will rejoice.

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

We come to the end of our seven-week journey through the letter to the Hebrews. This passage concludes its lengthy narrative describing Jesus as a great high priest who offered himself as one sacrifice for all times, superior to the sacrifices by the priests in the Temple of Jerusalem, who had to perform sacrifices again and again. Echoing themes in Sunday’s other readings, this passage calls on its audience to hold fast without wavering, provoking each other to love and good deeds, encouraging one another all the more as they see the Day of the Lord approaching.

Gospel: Mark 13:1-8

Jesus’s words about wars, earthquakes, and famines in Sunday’s Gospel give us a taste of the apocalyptic prophecies that will draw our attention through Advent. These verses follow immediately after last week’s account of Jesus watching the poor woman giving her last two coins to the Temple treasury. Jesus, still angered by the hypocrisy of the scribes, utters his own version of an apocalypse, declaring that the Temple will be destroyed, thrown down, not one stone left upon another. As Mark’s Gospel now turns toward the cross, these words will soon be held against Jesus before the Temple’s high priest.

Pentecost 25B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 10, 2024 (Pentecost 25B/Proper 27)

The widow's mite

The widow’s mite (1876), oil painting on canvas by João Zeferino da Costa (1840-1915). Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Click image to enlarge.)

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

Ruth, a recently widowed young Moabite woman, has settled in Bethlehem with her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, who is also a widow. 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 the couple has a child named Obed. Why is this little story placed in context with the books about Israel’s evolution as a nation that bracket it in the Hebrew Bible? The final verses of this reading reveal the answer: The child Obed will become the grandfather of King David, placing Ruth and Moab in the ancestral line of Israel’s Messiah.

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

Both tracks of Sunday’s first readings introduce us to tough widows who do what needs to be done; and they foreshadow another generous widow in Mark’s Gospel. In this Track Two first reading, God commands the prophet Elijah to go to a poor widow – a foreigner, not an Israelite – who will feed him. When Elijah arrives, the widow is, quite reasonably, reluctant. She has nothing but crumbs, she says. The region is suffering a famine, and she and her son are near death from hunger. But they all trust in God, and a miracle ensues: She follows Elijah’s instructions, makes cakes from the paltry provisions, and her tiny supply of oil and meal feed everyone and last until the drought ends.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 127

Resonating with the themes In the passage from Ruth, Psalm 127 celebrates the importance of maintaining home and family. 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, the Psalmist sings. 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

Psalm 146 begins as a hymn of praise to God, but it soon turns to earthly matters: God can be trusted, but earthly rulers cannot. “Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, the Psalmist warns, “for there is no help in them.” We should place our hope in God, our creator, instead, who gives hope to widows and orphans; help for the poor, justice for the oppressed, freedom for the prisoner, and help for those who are disabled, alone, strangers in strange lands. God shall reign forever, through all generations.

Second Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28

The Letter to the Hebrews continues its extended discourse contrasting Jesus favorably as the great High Priest, against the writer’s view of the deficiencies of the Jerusalem Temple’s earthly high priests. The Temple, in this account, is merely a copy of God’s domain, and its high priests found it necessary to sacrifice animals on the people’s behalf repeatedly, year after year, in a ritual that does not last. But, it continues, Jesus sacrificed himself once for all. When Jesus returns, there’ll be no need for further sacrifice to deal with sin – that work has already been done. Jesus will come to save his faithful people who eagerly wait for him.

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.

Pentecost 24B

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Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Nov. 3, 2024 (Pentecost 24B/Proper 26)

Christ Among the Scribes

Christ Among the Scribes (1587), triptych by Frans Francken I (1542-1616). Cathedral of our Lady, Antwerp, Belgium. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading (Track One): Ruth 1:1-18

In the midst of the Hebrew Bible’s books that tell the stories of Israel and its kingdom, tucked in between Joshua and Judges, Samuel and Kings, we find the short, charming book of Ruth. These opening verses tell a love story about Ruth, a young Moabite widow, who follows her beloved mother-in-law, Naomi, back home to Bethlehem after Ruth’s husband’s death. In today’s verses – a passage often chosen for use in weddings – we hear Ruth promise Naomi that she will loyally stay with her: “Where you go, I will go; you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

First Reading (Track Two): Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Foreshadowing Sunday’s Gospel, our Track Two second reading tells of Moses giving the people the Shema, the short prayer that is central to Jewish worship in Jesus’ time and on to today: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” God commanded that the people keep this prayers in their hearts, teach it to their children, bind it to their hands and foreheads, and fix it on their doorposts.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 146

Singing the praise of God who cares for God’s people and loves us deeply, the Psalmist calls us to look beyond earthly rulers, who cannot help us in the long run. Rather, place our hope in God, creator of the earth and all that is in it, who reigns forever, the Psalmist sings. God’s caring justice favors the poor and the oppressed, those most in need: Hungry people, prisoners. those who are blind; the stranger, the widow, the orphan; those weighed down by life’s load. In caring for the least among us, as Jesus would later call on us to do, God cares for us all.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 119:1-8

Psalm 119, the longest of all the Psalms, devotes all its 176 verses to a consistent message: God’s decrees, God’s law and teaching given in the Torah, are wonderful, and following them makes us happy. The ideas that we hear today in the first eight verses of the Psalm continue throughout, and they echo the covenant between God and Moses at Mount Sinai: Those who follow God’s teaching and walk in God’s ways will be rewarded. Keep us steadfast in following this teaching, the Psalmist prays, asking in turn not to be forsaken.

Second Reading: Hebrews 9:11-14

We continue reading in the letter to the Hebrews, and the author is sticking with the theme we heard in last week’s passage: In his effort to bring backsliding Jewish converts back to the infant church, the author of Hebrews continues to lift up Jesus as a great high priest superior to the old high priests of the Temple. Jesus serves as priest in a perfect tent that is not part of this creation, we are told; he entered the Holy Place not through the blood sacrifice of goats and calves but with his own blood. Through this sacrifice, we are told, we all are purified in body and soul.

Gospel: Mark 12:28-34

A lot has happened since we left Jesus with the no longer blind Bartimaeus in Jericho last Sunday. We have skipped over Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem amid waving palms and high hosannas; Jesus has overturned the money changers’ tables and gotten into several arguments with the Scribes and Pharisees, who have started plotting to kill Jesus. But now another kind of scribe emerges. This scribe approaches Jesus kindly and asks him to name the greatest commandment. Jesus replies, as a proper rabbi should, with the Shema. Then he adds a second: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The scribe agrees, adding that all this is greater than burnt offerings and sacrifices.