Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 13, 2016

Roman depiction of the destruction of the Temple.

Here, near the end of Isaiah, God speaks through the prophet after the people’s return to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. Now, as they face the big job of rebuilding the city and its temple, they are assured that God’s plan will come as a joy and a delight. There will be no weeping and no distress in the new Jerusalem. There will be no death in childbirth, no pain; all may expect joyous lives of 100 years of youthful strength! The city will be a holy place of peace, where people will enjoy the fruits of their own labor; the wolf, the lion and the lamb will live peacefully together, and none shall hurt or destroy.

First Reading (Track Two): Malachi 4:1-2a

The book of Malachi, the last of the prophets, falls at the very end of the Old Testament. In bibles that exclude the Apocrypha, we go directly from the end of this short book to the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. The prophet speaks to a people newly returned from exile, warning in apocalyptic terms that the great day of the Lord is coming. The prophet warns that God will separate evildoers from the righteous and destroy them; but those who revere God’s name will have healing and joy.

Canticle 9 BCP (Isaiah 12:2-6)

In place of a Psalm today we chant these verses from earlier in Isaiah, a passage that should be familiar as Canticle 9, “The First Song of Isaiah,” that we often read in Morning Prayer. Hard times lie ahead for the people at this point, but the prophet reminds us that God will be with them. Even in threatening times, even when we feel frightened and vulnerable, God will be our stronghold and our sure defense.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 98

Mirroring the prophet’s vision of God as great judge, today’s Psalm envisions God as fair and just judge of the world and all its people. God’s coming to judge the earth is a time to sing a new song, to lift up our voices, to express our joy so abundantly that even the sea, the lands, the rivers and the hills will jump up and join the celebration; for God’s righteousness has become know to all the nations.

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

“Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” We must take care not to read this through a lens of 21st century politics. These verses were meant for an early church community living in the spirit of Acts: “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Cheating would have been unfair and corrosive to a community that lived by sharing. But in no way does this negate Christ’s call to give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, or any of the other ways in which we are called to show love to our neighbors.

Gospel: Luke 21:5-19

It is tempting, but wrong, to interpret scary readings about apocalyptic events and final judgement as prophesies about our present time. As the long season of Pentecost ends and Advent draws near, we will be hearing more of these in our Sunday readings. The evangelist we know as Luke wrote this Gospel around the end of the first century, some 70 years after the Crucifixion and 30 years after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. He is framing these events as a lesson from Jesus, bearing a truth for all times: God is with us. Even when we’re betrayed, scorned, hated and hurt, “By our endurance we will gain our souls.”

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 30, 2016

Zacchaeus and Jesus. Orthodox icon.

Does Habakkuk’s name sound familiar? If not, that may be because this year marks its only appearance in the three-year Lectionary cycle of Sunday readings. Only three chapters long, this book is both unusual and fascinating. Unlike most of the prophets who hear God’s word and pass it on to humanity, Habakkuk shouts out his own warnings, then turns to God with frustration because he feels that God doesn’t seem to be listening, leaving Habakkuk alone to make prophetic warning to the people without God’s assistance. God then responds, directing Habakkuk to write his vision down so clearly that a runner can read it while racing past.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 1:1, 10-18

Isaiah’s great book of prophecy gets off to a fiery start, beginning with five chapters filled with God’s angry wrath before we even get to God’s call to the prophet. First we must clearly hear God’s anger over the people’s failure to keep the covenant that their ancestors made through Moses at Mount Sinai. We hear that wrath in today’s reading, as God likens Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah, a people so vile that God hates them and their works. But, as always, there is a way to restore God’s love: “Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

Psalm 119:137-144

Psalm 119 turns up fairly often in the weekly Lectionary. The longest of all the Psalms, fully 176 verses long, we hear portions of it a dozen times through the three-year lectionary cycle. While it offers different poetry in every section, it remains true to its course as a long, loving celebration of God’s law. Today’s verses may have come as good advice to the people who heard Habakkuk’s prophecy: When trouble and distress come on God’s people, God’s law and teaching are our delight.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 32:1-8

Rebounding from the horrific notion of a God too angry to hear the people’s prayers or sacrifices, too outdone to give them even the least attention, our Psalm sings the joy that comes when the separation from God that results from sin is ended, replaced with the utter joy of knowing God’s forgiveness. No longer groaning with pain that feels like withered bones, the repentant sinner is now guarded against trouble and surrounded with shouts of deliverance.

Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Today we begin a short visit with the second letter to the church of Thessalonika in Northern Greece. This letter probably came a generation after the first letter to the Thessalonians, perhaps around 100 CE, and it was probably written in Paul’s name by a follower long after his death. These early Christians were facing severe Roman persecution, and the letter opens with hearty thanks and gratitude for their steadfast faith despite all that they have had to endure.

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

What’s this? Another tax collector? Last week we saw Jesus praising a tax collector for his humble prayer; and Jesus even called a tax collector, Matthew, as one of his apostles. The Pharisees often criticized Jesus for hanging around with prostitutes and tax-collectors – the most insulting occupations they could think of – because they traitorously sold their services to the hated Roman occupiers, and often used this position to enrich themselves. and now today we find Jesus shouting out to another tax collector, the diminutive Zacchaeus, who had climbed a tree the better to see him. Then Jesus invites himself to dinner at Zacchaeus’ house! Like the praying tax collector in last week’s Gospel, Zacchaeus earns salvation by following Jesus. The message, perhaps, is that if the worst person we can think of can earn redemption by walking in Jesus’ way, surely we all can.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 23, 2016

The Pharisee and the Publican, baroque fresco in the 18th century Rococo Basilica at Ottobeuren, Bavaria.

We hear a consistent message of hope in our readings today. We hear it in the words of the Prophet Joel, whose short by poetic prophecy probably came after the people returned home from exile. His words of beauty offer comfort and hope: God is with us. Feast will follow famine. God loves us and the spirit will pour out on us. Even his scary prophecy of blood and fire and columns of smoke, darkened sun and bloody moon – apocalyptic images that New Testament writers would adopt to describe the last days – hold no fear for those who call on the name of the Lord.

First Reading (Track Two): Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22

From Moses to Jonah, Job and beyond, the prophets are not loath to argue with God. The idea of mere mortals pushing back against the Divine might seem strange or even disturbing, but it is a powerful way to emphasize the importance of the prophet’s argument. Ultimately we hear a consistent message of hope in our readings today: Jeremiah acknowledges that the people have done wrong, but mounts a powerful argument that the God who made permanent covenant with the people should bring them back home even after they wandered and sinned.

Psalm 65

This Psalm of thanksgiving for earth’s bounty serves us doubly in this autumn season: It echoes Joel’s assurances that God will provide us life-giving rain and bountiful harvests even after times of trouble and sin. It musters beautiful images of nature and the harvest to depict God’s great bounty. These are words to hold in our hearts as autumn, Thanksgiving and the holiday seasons draw near.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 84:1-6

In poetic metaphors of birds finding safety in their nests, the Psalmist writes a hymn of trust and praise in a loving God who will protect the people and lead them home. God will watch over, favor and honor those who trust in God. As God provides nests for the small birds, so will God provide for us. As God makes pools of water available for thirsty travelers, so will God hear our prayers.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18

The author of Timothy writes Paul’s last testament in beautiful, poetic words that ring through the ages. Knowing that Paul fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith through trials and imprisonment would have been a source of strength to the people of a young church facing Roman persecution. Even when some believers were deserting the cause, this letter called the first Christians to stand strong, proclaim the good news to all the nations, and count on God’s strength and God’s protection.

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

To clearly hear the message in today’s Gospel, remember that it follows immediately after last Sunday’s narrative about the corrupt judge and the persistent widow who would not leave him along until justice was served. It is good to read the two parables together to get a clear picture of what Jesus wants us to know about prayer. Like the powerful but corrupt judge who fails to prevail against the honest widow, the Pharisee in today’s Gospel fails to exalt himself, while the sinful tax collector went home justified … because his prayer was sincere. Pray without ceasing, but pray honestly, from the heart, and we follow in Jesus’ way.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 16, 2016

The Judge and the Persistent Widow, Jan Luyken, 17th century woodcut.

Hear this call through Sunday’s readings: Place your hope in God, and even in the face of challenges, be persistent. Jeremiah again reassures Israel and Judah in exile: Yes, they fully deserved the hard times – the “sour grapes” that have befallen them. But, the prophet foretells, God will forgive the people, make with them a new covenant, and return them home, just as God led their ancestors out of slavery in Egypt.

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

Hear this call through Sunday’s readings: Place your hope in God, and even in the face of challenges, be persistent. In today’s strange narrative from Genesis, Jacob fights to a draw in a night-long battle with an angel who doesn’t fight quite fairly, yet turns out to be God. This was shocking, because the mere sight of God’s face was believed to be fatal to humans. Not even Moses was allowed to see God face-to-face, but Jacob, now Israel, did.

Psalm 119:97-104

The longest of all the Psalms, Psalm 119 devotes all of its 176 verses to a long, loving celebration of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. The ancients understood Torah as God’s “teaching,” but in translation it is usually rendered God’s “Law.” These verses speak of the people’s persistent efforts to study and learn until God’s teachings are written on their hearts in words as sweet as honey.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 121

This is one of the many Psalms that we love to hear when we or a loved one or friend is in trouble, afraid, looking for help, uncertain where to turn, seeking protection. The Psalmist, not afraid to call on God, cries out, “From where is my help to come?” We look upward, up to the hills, and find comfort in the sure protection of the Creator, who stands on constant watch, never sleeping, protecting us by night and day.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

Written decades after the life of Jesus, this late New Testament letter offers hope and firm advice to a Christian community faced with persecution. It calls the people of the young church to “be persistent” about proclaiming the kingdom of God. In good times and hard times alike, they are to “convince, rebuke, and encourage” in the name of Jesus. Does this remind us of the persistent widow we meet in today’s Gospel?

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

Luke often shows us Jesus slamming the rich and powerful with parables that burn: The dishonest steward! The rich man who died too soon to enjoy his barns full of treasure! The rich young man who couldn’t give away his property, even to save his soul! The rich man who burned in hell while the poor man he wouldn’t help in life now reposes in heavenly comfort! And now we see a corrupt and scheming judge confronted by a persistent widow who will not stop demanding until he finally caves in. What does this mean to us? Jesus tells us at the beginning and the end of today’s Gospel: Pray always and do not lose heart. God will grant justice to the chosen ones who pray by day and night.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 9, 2016

“Jesus Healing the Leper,” Jean-Marie Melchior Doze, 1864

Whether our lives are going well or whether things are going badly, trust in God. Trust, and be thankful for God’s blessings. This is the theme that runs through all our readings today. We hear it in Jeremiah, as the prophet turns from anguish over Jerusalem’s destruction to quiet acceptance now that the worst has come. Don’t give up hope, he tells Judah in exile. Confront your new reality and try to flourish; bear children and multiply, and pray for your new home, because its welfare is now your welfare.

First Reading (Track Two): 2 Kings 5:1-14

Whether our lives are going well or whether things are going badly, trust in God. Trust, and be thankful for God’s blessings. This is the theme that runs through all our readings today. Naaman, a proud commander of the Aramean army, risks going to Israel, now an enemy nation, to visit a prophet who might cure his disfiguring disease. The Prophet Elisha wouldn’t even see Naaman. He sent a servant with advice that sounded too simple to be true. But when Naaman’s servants urged him give it a try, Naaman was cured; and through his cure he finds faith in Israel’s God.

Psalm 66:1-12

This resounding hymn of praise for God’s power and glory recalls God’s mighty deeds: God led the people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and onward to the Promised Land. But then it takes a turn: God tests us, too, just as a jeweler tests silver with fire to prove its purity. As Judah learned through exile, God’s people may be conquered, but God will eventually restore and refresh us.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 111

The 150 Psalms, the hymnal of the ancient Temple, consist of many genres, from lament to complaint to petition to thanksgiving and praise. Today we hear a powerful song of praise and thanksgiving, applauding God’s many acts of power and majesty, God’s righteousness and justice, and, at the end, our praise and gratitude for God’s gifts to us.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

The young, growing Christian movement faced frightening persecution by the Romans at the time of this letter. It was written in the names of Paul and Timothy as a call to faith. Recalling Paul’s suffering in chains in prison and facing death, the writer reminds us that God’s word cannot be held in chains. Remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus, we know that through dying with Jesus, we live in Christ.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

The Gospels give us a sense that Samaritans are bad, yet Jesus keeps showing us good Samaritans: In addition to the memorable parable of the Samaritan who stops to help the injured stranger, we have Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well; and today we read about the single leper out of ten – a Samaritan, again – who returns to thank Jesus for his healing, and whose faith saved him not only from his affliction but opened for him the doors to the kingdom. There are fascinating parallels with the story of Namaan here: Jesus cures the lepers at a distance, without touching them, and his actions bring a despised foreigner to faith in God.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 25, 2016

Illustration of Lazarus at the rich man’s gate by Fyodor Bronnikov, 1886.

Imagine yourself in a terrible situation of war and destruction, with enemies rounding you up with your family and friends. They’re destroying your city and your temple and preparing to transport you all to a distant city where you must live in exile among people who do not even worship as you do. Wouldn’t going down to the real estate agent to buy an agricultural field be just about the last thing you would do? Who would plow it, plant it, guard it, harvest it? But Jeremiah uses just this image as the people face exile, a powerful and visible sign that they will return home some day. Look up the rest of this chapter, and you’ll find beautiful Scriptural assurance that God remains faithful even in the worst of times.

First Reading (Track Two): Amos 6:1a, 4-7

Today’s readings hammer home a powerful message: The bible does not go easily on the rich! The Old Testament prophets consistently preached against those who “trample on the needy and bring to ruin the poor of the land.” As we heard from Amos last week, those who broke their covenant with God through failing to be just and righteous would not fare well. Today Amos warns that the idle rich – with emphasis on the “idle” – will be the first to go into exile when their greed comes home to roost. Amos is outraged because the rich don’t care about “the ruin of Joseph,” the ordinary people of Israel. As Jesus will teach in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, we are commanded to love and take care of our neighbors.

Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16

Today’s Psalm seems perfectly suited to today’s Jeremiah reading. It is also a favorite for reading in chaplaincy, eucharistic visits, and any time we pray with a sick or suffering family member or friend. It assures us of God’s protection and mercy. God is our refuge and our stronghold, our shield and buckler and protective wings, guarding us by day and by night, delivering us because we are bound to God in love.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 146

Today’s Psalm shouts out praise for God’s desire for justice for the oppressed, just as Amos had scorned Israel’s rich for failing to be just. Don’t trust rulers – the wealthy – who cannot help us and thus do not earn eternal life. Rather, we are called to follow the example of a God who feeds the hungry, sets prisoners free, heals the blind, and loves the righteous who offer justice to their neighbors. We hear all this again in the words of Jesus, who shows us the image of God in human form.

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-19

The rich are commanded to care for their neighbors, as the prophets preached and Jesus calls us to do. “You can’t take it with you,” the author of Timothy reminds us, setting out this ancient wisdom: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” It’s appropriate for all to want food and clothing, but we get in trouble when we’re tempted by more luxurious pleasures. Don’t count on your riches but on God, the author urges. Do good, be rich in good works, and share, and new life in God’s Kingdom awaits.

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

This Gospel appears at first to be a simple story with a clear point: The selfish rich man would do nothing to help his neighbor Lazarus; not even offer him table scraps or shoo the dogs who licked at his sores. He ignores Torah’s command and the prophets’ warnings to be just. When he dies, he burns in fiery torment in Hades, while Lazarus enjoys an afterlife of comfort in Abraham’s arms. But as so often happens in the parables, Jesus leaves us questions to ponder. Considering how the rich man treated Lazarus in life, why would he expect Lazarus to help him now? More mysteriously, why can’t the rich man’s brothers be warned of his fate so they can avoid similar punishment? Do today’s readings shed any light on this?

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 18, 2016

The Unjust Steward, etching by Jan Luyken in the Bowyer Bible (1791-1795), Bolton, England.

The prophet Jeremiah grieves, because the people are breaking God’s covenants: They’re not being righteous; they’re not caring for the poor, widows, orphans, or strangers in their land. And Jeremiah knows this will lead them to destruction and exile. In beautifully poetic words of sadness, the prophet mourns deeply, imagining God’s own mourning. “Is there no balm in Gilead?”

First Reading (Track Two): Amos 8:4-7

If any one message resounds loud, clear and consistently through all the prophets, it is this: The people made covenant with God to deal fairly with the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, aliens and and all in need. If we try to cheat on this agreement, trample the needy and ruin the poor in pursuit of profit, Amos warns, God will grow righteously angry, and the people will not like the consequences.

Psalm 79:1-9

Today’s Psalm mourns for desolate and shattered Jerusalem after the Exile, echoing Jeremiah’s weeping prophesy of the destruction that he saw coming. Jerusalem is rubble. The unburied bodies of martyred faithful are food for birds and beasts; their blood runs like water around the city. The people are the objects of scorn, and they feel only God’s fury blazing like fire. The Psalm ends with prayers for God’s mercy and forgiveness, but we don’t hear God’s answer here.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 113

Today’s Psalm of praise for God’s glory seems to answer the question that Amos raised in the First Reading: The Lord looks down from a seat high above the nations, sees humanity and gently reaches down to lift up the needy, the poor and the disappointed. Take care, however, not to read this as reason to leave the weak and the oppressed to God’s efforts. Amos has already told us what God thinks of that!

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

These verses tell us that there are four different ways to pray: Supplications (specific requests of God through Jesus as mediator between God and humankind); prayers (simple conversation with God); intercessions (calls for God’s help in urgent need); and finally, thanksgiving (expressing our gratitude for favors received). We should pray for everyone, family, friends and neighbors, and kings and leaders too, for high and low alike need God’s help, and God desires to bring everyone to the truth and salvation.

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13

Jesus’ parables often seem confusing, and that may be their point: Jesus does not spoon-feed us but rather makes us think; so when we finally get the point, we’ve learned something. In today’s Gospel, it might seem that Jesus is telling us that the dishonest steward’s trickery is a good thing. After all, the rich man rewards him! But remember that Jesus does not admire the rich. He usually holds them up as bad examples. Indeed, he hammers home his simple point: If you’re dishonest about wealth, you can’t be trusted with truly valuable things. We must choose between God and wealth. In Jesus’ mind, we can’t have both.