Author Archives: Robin Garr

Easter Sunday B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 1, 2018

The Resurrection

The Resurrection (1665), oil painting by Luca Giordano (1634-1705). Residenzgalerie, Salzburg, Austria. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading or Alternate Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43

Christ is risen indeed! On Easter we celebrate Jesus’ victory over death through resurrection. In this reading from Acts, Luke’s story of the early church, Peter is visiting the home of the Roman Centurion Cornelius, who is considering becoming a Christian. Peter has just had a vision in which God told him that he should join the Roman family at table. No food is now to be considered unclean, a signal from God that salvation through Jesus’ life, death on the cross and resurrection is meant for everyone, not just Jewish Christians. God’s Good News in the Gospel shows no partiality, Peter tells Cornelius’ family. Forgiveness of sin through God’s saving grace is available to every nation, to Jew and Gentile alike: Jesus is Lord of all.

Alternate First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-9

The Prophet Isaiah imagines a sumptuous feast, a table loaded with rich food and fine wine, set out for all God’s people as a celebration of victory over death. Isaiah foresaw this as a national feast in the context of Israel’s dream of return from exile. It echoes through the ages for us as an image of God’s saving grace through Jesus. “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; Therefore let us keep the feast.” Amid the joy of the Resurrection and Easter Day, this affirmation that we repeat at Eucharist resonates for us as we praise God in gladness and rejoice in God’s salvation.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

This hymn of exultation in God’s goodness and mercy may have originally served as a processional hymn as the congregation came up the steps surrounding the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, singing out their gladness. Celebrating the people’s triumph as God saved them from slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand at the first Passover, it is filled with both joy and gratitude. We, too, are overjoyed at our salvation. We are delighted at our victory over death. We are grateful for God’s goodness and mercy. As with ancient Israel, God has heard our prayers, laying a new cornerstone for a just world. This is the day that the Lord has made: Let us rejoice and be glad!

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Near the end of Paul’s first long letter to the Christians of Corinth, he offers thoughts that serve well for our contemplation on Easter Sunday. Paul points to the central place of the Resurrection in Christian belief: Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised on the third day and seen by the Apostles and by hundreds of followers. Everyone who saw the risen Christ, he writes – including Paul himself, forgiven despite his unfitness as a former persecutor – now proclaims to the whole world that God’s saving grace comes to us through the crucifixion and the resurrection.

Gospel: John 20:1-18

Like four witnesses discussing a memorable event, each of the four Evangelists tells the story of the first Easter morning in a slightly different way. John’s Gospel gives particular weight to Mary Magdalene, describing her in beautiful, tender verses as the one who discovered the empty tomb and then, after the excited men had come and left, remained there and thus became the first person to witness the risen Christ. In a narrative similar to other Gospel accounts of the risen Christ’s mysterious appearances, Mary did not recognize Jesus until he called her name. Then she became the one sent to proclaim the good news of his resurrection to the rest.

Alternate Gospel: Mark 16:1-8

Mark, the earliest of the Gospels, tells of the events of Easter morning in brisk, concise language, as is the style of Mark. The sun has risen, and three grieving women get up early to take spices to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ beloved body. When they arrive, worrying about who will move the heavy stone that bars the door, they find to their amazement that it has already been rolled away! A young man dressed in white tells them, “He has been raised; he is not here. … he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” It’s not surprising that they were terrified: They ran away and told no one. And there the original version of Mark’s Gospel ends without another word, leaving us to wonder what comes next.

Palm / Passion Sunday B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 25, 2018

Procession: Liturgy of the Palms B

Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem

Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem (1320). Fresco by Pietro Lorenzetti (1280-1348). Lower Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi. (Click image to enlarge.)

Gospel: Mark 11:1-11

Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday were once celebrated on separate Sundays, but the celebrations were brought together in the time of ecumenism that followed Vatican II. As a result, we take a quick and startling turn in the course of one Sunday’s worship. First we hear of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, riding a donkey and greeted as a King by throngs spreading their cloaks and leafy branches in his way, shouting “Hosanna!” But then, later in the liturgy, we undergo a dramatic change of tone when we hear those same crowds angrily shout “Crucify him!” This contrast sets a tone for Holy Week as we follow Jesus to the cross: God is with us in joy. God is with us in sorrow.

Alternate to the Palm Sunday Gospel: John 12:12-16

All four Gospels tell of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, riding a modest mount and hearing the acclaim of crowds; as is always the case, each Gospel narrative tells a slightly different story. John’s version, for example, is the only one that explicitly declares Jesus the King of Israel, and the only one that tells us the disciples did not understand what is going on. But all four versions share the triumphantly waving branches – here explicitly described as palms – and the joyous shouts of Hosanna.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

As we sing this ancient hymn of celebration and praise, traditionally titled “A Song of Victory,” imagine a joyous crowd approaching, the Temple, clapping hands and singing out as they celebrate the Lord their God, whose steadfast love endures forever. Its words of joyous praise for God’s works and God’s mercy foreshadow the words we sing in the Great Thanksgiving as our Eucharistic Prayer begins: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! … Hosanna in the highest.”

Liturgy of the Passion B

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a

These familiar verses from Isaiah introduce us to “the suffering servant.” Written about the people in exile in Babylon, it prophesies a servant leader who who would receive the enemy’s blows for the people in exile, and, eventually, guide them back home. While we respect the original intent, Christian readers can hardly encounter these verses without seeing parallels with Jesus, our messiah and king, who suffered for us and taught us to give our backs and turn our cheeks to those who strike us.

Psalm: Psalm 31:9-16

Perhaps the Psalmist had Isaiah’s Suffering Servant in mind as he wrote this Psalm of lament, with its litany of sorrow, distress, grief, sighing, misery, scorn, horror, dread and more. He suffers, his neighbors scheme; they plot his death. Have you ever heard a plaint more pitiful than “I am as useless as a broken pot”? Yet amid all this misery, hope glows like the sun breaking through clouds: Trust in God, place our faith in God’s love, and wait to be saved.

Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11

Might Paul have been thinking of the Suffering Servant, too, as he wrote of Jesus’ death on the cross? We understand Jesus as both fully human and fully divine, and all the Gospels show us glimpses of a Jesus who knew his stature and God-sent mission. Yet in this relatively early letter of Paul, perhaps quoting an even older Christian hymn, Paul tells of a Jesus who willingly set aside his divinity, his equality with God – “emptying himself” – to bear the horrific pain of crucifixion as a vulnerable, frightened human. Jesus took on the full weight of all that suffering to show us the true exaltation of God’s love, calling us only to respond with love for God and our neighbor.

Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:47

And now we come to Mark’s account of Jesus’ passion and death. The palm branches and hosannas are only memories now. We hear the dark, painful way of the Cross as we prepare to walk through Holy Week with Jesus. Watch closely as we see first Jesus’ followers, and then even his friends, slip quietly away, deserting him, leaving at the end only those few most close to him – and a Roman centurion, a pagan, a soldier of the hated empire, whose faith showed him the light and thus opens the way to us all. (This Gospel reading may be reduced to Mark 15:1-47 or even to Mark 15:1-39.)

Lent 5B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 18, 2018

Jeremiah on the ruins of Jerusalem

Jeremia op de puinhopen van Jeruzalem (Jeremiah on the ruins of Jerusalem). Painting (1844) by Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Amsterdam Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

The consistent pattern of our Lenten Lectionary readings continues: In the Gospels we are following the life of Jesus and his disciples from the Jordan to Jerusalem. The Old Testament readings tell us about God’s series of covenants with the people. In Sunday’s first reading, from the Prophet Jeremiah, we hear that the chosen people broke the covenant promise to walk in God’s way that their ancestors made at Mount Sinai. Now Jeremiah tells of a new covenant that is to come. This one will be permanent, for it is not just written on stone tablets but directly on our hearts. Even when we struggle, we will remember the commandment to love God and our neighbor.

Psalm: Psalm 51:1-13

This familiar Psalm’s powerful narrative imagines King David wracked in repentant guilt as he confronts the great sin of sending his general, Uriah, into harm’s way in battle so he could take Uriah’s beautiful wife, Bathsheba, for himself. In poetic words that mirror the promises of the covenants, we hear of David’s shame and grief. He acknowledges inborn wickedness ad makes no excuses for that, but begs for God’s mercy and forgiveness. “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” David begs: A new heart, a clean slate upon which God can write a new covenant of love.

Alternative Psalm: Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119, the longest of all the Psalms, carries a message of covenant throughout its many verses: Those who follow God’s laws and teaching, modeling their lives on Torah so as to walk in God’s ways, will reap rewards. Today’s verses follow a Jeremiah reading well. Its verses addressed to God, “With my lips will I recite all the judgments of your mouth,” seem to reflect Jeremiah’s first conversation with God: “Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy,” to which God responded, “you shall speak whatever I command you. … Now I have put my words in your mouth.”

Second Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10

Hebrews is not a letter to a specific congregation but a broad appeal to formerly Jewish Christians who had returned to their original faith late in the first century to avoid persecution aimed at Christians by Rome. Its author argues that Jesus, as Christ, follows in the great tradition of Jewish high priests, a line that goes back through millennia to Melchizedek, the ancient king and great high priest who had blessed Abram before God offered the first covenant to Abram and Sarai. As Jesus has become the source of eternal salvation who intercedes on our behalf forever, there is no longer need for priestly sacrifice.

Gospel: John 12:20-33

In the verses just before these, Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem, riding a young donkey while joyous crowds wave palm leaves and shout loud hosannas. Now a group of Greeks, curious to meet Jesus after all this, ask Philip to arrange a meeting, and Philip and Andrew take the request to Jesus. Jesus responds by launching into a message for the world and the ages: Just as Jesus must first die in order to bear the fruit of salvation through his resurrection, we are the seeds of faith and must grow in discipleship like kernels of wheat. Do we lie fallow and die, or do we grow and bloom where we are planted, bearing fruit as we follow and serve Christ?

Lent 4B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 11, 2018

Moses and the Brazen Serpent

Moses and the Brazen Serpent (1640). Oil painting on oak panel by Adriaen van Nieulandt the younger (c,1586–1658). Dayton Art Institute. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9

Our Sunday readings begin with the strange account of poisonous snakes sent by God to punish an ungrateful people, and the bronze serpent that God directs Moses to create to heal the deadly snakebites. We may be tempted to laugh off this ancient legend, but note that the metaphor, and its teaching, continues through the day’s readings, concluding in John’s Gospel where it sets the context for the famous words of Jesus in John 3:16! This makes the serpent story a little more difficult to ignore. Here’s one way to view it: When you think you’re surrounded by snakes, look up. Remember that God is with us.

Psalm: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22

The message that we hear in Sunday’s Psalm offers soothing balm after the shock of venomous snakes and bronze serpents in the first reading. Now we are invited to repent, to turn, to give thanks for God’s mercy with shouts of joy. Even when we are foolish, when we rebel, when we sin, when we are afraid, as soon as we cry out for God, God will respond to us as beloved children, granting us healing and salvation.

Second Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

This letter, likely written to the people of Ephesus and other communities by a later Christian leader writing in Paul’s name, does not actually invoke deadly serpents, but it imagines something just about as frightening and potentially deadly: A shadowy spirit, a “ruler of the power of the air,” stands ready to lure in those who prefer passion and the flesh to a saving life in Christ. Like those healed by gazing at Moses’ bronze serpent, those who follow Christ are saved by God’s mercy and raised up by the gift of grace through Jesus. We are saved by grace only, not by anything that we do to try to earn salvation.

Gospel: John 3:14-21

“… God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” For many Christians, this week’s lessons could start and finish right there. But wait! Did Jesus just begin by comparing himself to Moses’ bronze serpent? This passage is part of Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisee Nicodemus, who came to visit him by night. Surely Jesus is teaching from the Torah, with which they are both intimately familiar; Numbers is his text. We cannot yank John 3:16 out of its context without reading the verses that precede, and those that follow and make clear that we all have power to choose between darkness and the light. Just as God provided the Israelites a way to repent and be healed, so God offers us healing grace through Jesus.

Lent 3B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 4, 2018

Mosè (Moses) with the Ten Commandments

Mosè (Moses) with the Ten Commandments, 17th century painting by Pietro Novelli “Il Monrealese” (1603-1647). Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo, Sicily. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17

So far in Lent we have read the ancient stories of God’s covenantal promises to Noah and Abraham. Now we come to the great covenant with Moses and the people in the desert at Mount Sinai. God promises that the people will become a holy nation, living and prospering in the promised land. The people agree to walk in God’s way, living in accord with the familiar commandments that they now hear told for the first time in God’s thunderous voice that shakes the mountain. These ten simple principles sum up the way in which we are to live, loving God and loving each other.

Psalm: Psalm 19

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” This memorable poem of praise and thanksgiving has been arranged as a popular 18th century hymn by Isaac Watts, although it’s regrettably not in our 1982 Hymnal. In beautiful poetic language the Psalm celebrates God’s gifts to all the people of the world and to all the span of the universe. Within that bountiful creation, the Psalm continues, God’s laws and statutes – the great commandments – grant us wisdom and joy and lead us to righteousness.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Paul first great pastoral letter to the people of Corinth opens with a simple but important pastoral issue: The community is splitting into factions, each following a different leader. Stay united by following the Cross, Paul urges the people. Never mind if their Jewish and Gentile neighbors mock Christians as “foolish” for worshiping a man who was brutally executed on the Roman cross. Outsiders may view the cross as a symbol of pain, shame and degradation when they were expecting a powerful warrior Messiah; but their opinion doesn’t matter, says Paul, because we prefer God’s “foolishness” to mere human wisdom; God’s “weakness” far outweighs human strength.

Gospel: John 2:13-22

For the remaining Sundays of Lent we turn to John’s Gospel, beginning with the familiar story of Jesus throwing the money-changers out of the temple. This narrative appears in all four Gospels, but curiously, while Matthew, Mark and John all place it at the beginning of Holy Week, in John we find it near the beginning of the Gospel, during an earlier trip to Jerusalem for Passover that none of the others mention. Moreover, John alone tells of Jesus not merely throwing over the money changers’ tables but fashioning a whip of cords to lash them in his anger at their exploiting the poor in the name of God. Then Jesus foreshadows his own passion and death, likening his own body to the temple and declaring that he will “rise up” three days after his body’s destruction.

Lent 2B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 25, 2018

Abraham's Journey from Ur to Canaan.

Abraham’s Journey from Ur to Canaan. Oil on canvas (1850), by József Molnár (1821-1899). Hungarian National Gallery. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Our first reading this week turns to another great Old Testament covenant: God’s promise to Abram and Sarai, whom God calls to go to a new land at a great age. They are given new names – Abraham and Sarah – and receive God’s promise that they and their offspring will yield a great multitude of nations and that God will be with their offspring forever. This seems surprising, considering that Abram is 99 and they have had no children yet. Unlike God’s unconditional covenant with Noah that we heard last week, this covenant is reciprocal: In order for their offspring to gain the Promised Land (a promise made in the verses that our Sunday reading skips over), they and their descendants must “walk before God and be blameless.”

Psalm: Psalm 22:22-30

The theme of God’s covenant with Abraham and Sarah, through their grandson Jacob, the son of their son Isaac, echoes in Sunday’s Psalm portion. The Psalmist exults in the eternal nature of that covenant with Jacob (whom God later renamed Israel), and calls on all of Israel’s offspring to serve God, because as a result of Abraham’s covenant they will be known as God’s own forever. Even now the priest repeats those words in every baptism, while those being welcomed into the household of God are anointed with blessed oil, sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own for ever.

Second Reading: Romans 4:13-25

Paul, too, evokes the eternal nature of God’s promise to Abraham’s descendants, but he adds something new: Paul reaches out to include Gentile Christians within God’s promise, too. While Abraham’s descendants received God’s covenant through the law, Gentiles who become Christians now receive it through their new faith. Seeking to reconcile a faith community in Rome that included both Jewish and Gentile Christians, Paul assures them that all are now children of Abraham and Sarah, too, through our faith in Jesus’s death and resurrection.

Gospel: Mark 8:31-38

Our Lenten Gospels are bouncing around in Mark, taking us to important points on Jesus’ journey to the Cross rather than following strict chronological order. Here Jesus is telling the disciples things that they do not want to hear. In the verses just preceding these, Jesus asked them who they think he is, and bold Peter blurted out, “You are the Messiah!” Now, Jesus warns, the road ahead will not be easy. He will face rejection, punishment and death before rising again after three days. Now Peter argues with Jesus, taking him aside to challenge that approach. Jesus’ quick response to Peter is startling: “Get behind me, Satan!” If you want to follow me, Jesus tells them, you must deny yourself. Take up your cross. You will have to give your life if you wish to save it.

Lent 1B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 18, 2018

Landschaft mit dem Dankopfer Noahs (“Landscape with Noah’s Thank Offering”)

Landschaft mit dem Dankopfer Noahs (“Landscape with Noah’s Thank Offering”), c. 1803. Oil painting by Joseph Anton Koch (1768-1839). Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17

During Lent, all Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” Our readings throughout the 40 days of Lent will often focus on these practices. Our First Readings through the season will recall God’s covenants, binding agreements between God and God’s people that call us to love God and our neighbors. We begin with God’s covenant with Noah after the Flood, hearing God’s promise never again to send a flood to destroy all living creatures, a promise marked by a rainbow in the clouds.

Psalm: Psalm 25:1-9

This Psalm of praise, one of many that tradition attributes to King David himself, asks for deliverance and protection from enemies and scheming foes, a plea that may reflect Israel’s and Judah’s hard-won status as a tiny nation. As we sing this Psalm, we expresse the joy of holding up our hearts and souls with willing trust in God’s compassion and love. Even in the face of triumphant enemies, it sings of praise, not fear, and the hope of God’s faithfulness to those who have made covenant to follow God’s ways.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

Building on the themes of today’s Genesis reading and Psalm, the author of the first letter of Peter reminds us that we are now saved in the water of baptism, just as Noah and his family were saved in a world covered by water. Both saving acts are the work of God, but baptism is no mere bath that washes away dirt. It is rather an appeal to God, like a covenant, that gives us a new beginning through the resurrection of Jesus, who now sits at God’s right hand as lord of all creation.

Gospel: Mark 1:9-15

Yes, we did hear part of this same Gospel just a few weeks ago, on the first Sunday after Epiphany: Jesus is baptized, and then he sees the Holy Spirit coming down as a dove and he hears a voice from heaven declaring him God’s beloved son. Today we move quickly onward to hear much more in two quick paragraphs: First, the Spirit immediately drove Jesus into the wilderness for 40 days, where he was tempted by Satan and served by angels. Then we learn that John was arrested, so Jesus came to Galilee to proclaim the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent, and believe in the good news.” The time is now. The kingdom is here.

Last Epiphany B/Transfiguration

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 11, 2018

Transfiguration of Jesus

Transfiguration of Jesus (1800s), oil painting by Carl Bloch (1834-1890). (Click image to enlarge)

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12

Elijah’s fiery chariot. The rising sun and consuming flame of God’s justice. God’s light to the world. The Transfiguration of Christ! This week’s readings glow with the light of God revealed in shining glory. Throughout Epiphany we have found the light of God shining in the darkness. In Sunday’s first reading, we hear the ancient story of Elijah taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot. We stand with Elisha, his young successor who hopes to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, looking on in mourning and awe.

Psalm: Psalm 50:1-6

Our short Psalm passage, a resounding hymn of worship and praise, calls the people who have joined in Covenant to come together in worship. Come near, the Psalmist shouts, and hear the God of gods speak, revealed in glory, calling the earth together from sunrise to sunset. God will speak and not keep silence, standing before a consuming flame and surrounded by a raging storm, calling the heavens and the earth to witness God’s judgment.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

God brought light into the world, and God shows us the glory of God’s image in Christ. In his second letter to the people in Corinth, Paul tells them that because they believe, they see the light which those who do not believe do not see. For those who don’t believe, the light is veiled by worldy concerns. Christians are called to proclaim Jesus, not ourselves, Paul declares. We are to serve others humbly in service for Jesus’ sake.

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

The season after Epiphany ends with the Transfiguration. Jesus, his clothes suddenly glowing an unearthly dazzling white, meets the patriarchs Elijah and Moses on a mountain top while his friends Peter, James, and John look on in awe. Remember when we saw John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan on the first Sunday of Epiphany, and Jesus heard God’s voice saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”? Now Jesus is revealed as Messiah on the mountain top as God’s voice rings out again: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Epiphany 5B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 4, 2018

Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife

Christ Healing the Mother of Simon Peter’s Wife by John Bridges (1839). Oil painting on canvas by John Bridges (1818–1854). Birmingham (Alabama) Museum of Art. (Click image to enlarge.)

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

We are approaching an early end to the season after Epiphany because Easter, and Lent before it, fall early this year. In Sunday’s Gospel, we’ll hear one more of Mark’s accounts of Jesus healing, throwing out demons, and telling the Good News before we move along to the Transfiguration, Ash Wednesday and Lent. (After Pentecost we’ll get back to the three Gospel readings from Mark that we skip over for now.) In our first reading, we hear the Prophet Isaiah reassuring the people in exile that though God may seem far away, they are not forgotten. The prophet poetically portrays a transcendent God who is far beyond our imagining. And yet this mighty, eternal and all-powerful God lifts us up on eagle’s wings and gives us the power and the strength to follow God’s ways.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

Sunday’s Psalm, one of the six exuberant hymns of praise that bring the book of Psalms to its end, sings harmony with our Isaiah reading as it celebrates the glory of a God who is powerful and all-knowing. God is large enough to count and name even the stars of heaven, yet God is close to the people too, guiding them home from exile and binding their wounds. God is unimpressed by strength and might, yet cares deeply for the weak and lowly, gently tending the broken and the brokenhearted. In a liberating idea that we also hear when we read the Song of Mary, “The Lord lifts up the lowly, but casts the wicked to the ground.”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Let’s be frank: Even for a worthy purpose, it’s not good to pretend to be something you’re not. But Paul is getting at something deeper than just being a moral chameleon when he claims to have been “all things to all people,” presenting himself in a voice separately tuned to the ears of Jews and Gentiles, believers and pagans, the strong and the weak. As in last week’s advice to take care not to be a stumbling block to others, Paul urges the fractious, often battling believers of Corinth to get over their divisions, loving one another and working together in spite of their differences so they can share the Gospel’s blessings.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

Jesus and his friends have left the synagogue at Capernaum to go to the home of his friends Simon and Andrew, where they find Simon’s mother-in-law sick with a fever, a serious and possibly life-threatening concern in that time. Jesus lifts her up, healing her with a touch. She promptly gets up to serve them, which might appear to be an instance of early gender roles. Take note, though that the Greek word for “serve” used here is “διηκόνει,” or “deacon,” the same word later used in Acts to name those who came forward to support the Apostles who were busy spreading the Gospel. Just as Simon’s mother-in-law served Jesus and the apostles, deacons vow to serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely.

Epiphany 4B

Posted on by
Reply

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 28, 2018

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit

Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit (Mark 1:21-28), from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (c. 1412-1416), a French Gothic illumination for the Book of Hours by the Limbourg Brothers, Herman, Paul and Johan, now in the Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. (Click image to enlarge.)

The ongoing theme of listening for God’s voice and trying to discern what God is calling us to do continues in our readings during the season of Epiphany. Sunday’s first reading turns to Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah. The story of God’s covenant with Israel is drawing to its close as Moses, who will not live to enter the Promised Land, is in his last days. How will the people know God’s wishes once their longtime prophet is gone? Moses reassures them that God will raise up another prophet like him from among the people: a prophet who will speak God’s words and whom God will hold accountable.

Psalm: Psalm 111

Psalms, as you’ve surely noticed, take many forms. These hymns and worship poetry of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem serve as a variety of kinds of prayer. Some ask God’s favor. Some cry out in lament. Others sing thanks for blessings. Yet many of the most joyous Psalms – today’s familiar verses as one splendid example – exultantly sing God’s praise. God’s work, God’s majesty, God’s splendor, God’s justice, it all lasts forever. God feeds us. The fear (or awe) of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

At first glance this question – whether Christians may eat meat that had been sacrificed in pagan temples – might seem meaningless to us in 2018. Listen closely, though, and recognize that its broader significance reaches across the ages. First, Paul points out that pagan gods aren’t God at all, so pagan sacrifices are irrelevant to Christians. In principle, then, sharing this food – which the pagan temples sold to the public after sacrifice – would be morally neutral to believers who are strong in their faith. But, Paul adds, even if we do nothing wrong, our actions may be a stumbling block to others in the community who don’t understand. We must not cause them to fall into idolatry.

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

We continue following Mark’s account of Jesus’ early ministry in Galilee. Baptized, returned from his time in the wilderness, and having chosen his disciples, Jesus now steps up and speaks for the first time during Sabbath services in Capernaum, the small Galilean town where he was active. Two remarkable things happen: First, this stranger amazes the community with bold teaching that revealed him as one “having authority.” Then Jesus further astounds the people by commanding a noisy unclean spirit to come out of a troubled man. Unclean though the spirit may be, though, note that it shouts wisdom, declaring Jesus “the Holy One of God.”