Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for March 13, 2016

Mary Magdalene, Jan van Scorel, c. 1530. Oil on panel, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam‎.

As Palm Sunday and Holy Week draw near, today’s readings touch on the theme of moving toward a goal with God’s help. Isaiah envisions the people in exile, defeated and hopeless, unable to get up; “extinguished, quenched like a wick.” But in God there is hope for new ways. God will make a path in the wilderness and create rivers in the desert, protecting God’s chosen people and bringing them home.

Psalm 126

Today’s Psalm echoes the hope that we heard in the Isaiah passage, as seen from a future joyous day when all things old have been made new again. God has restored Israel’s fortunes, filling the people with laughter and shouts of joy. Those who left the holy city, weeping under burdens that seemed too great to bear, now return in joy, bringing in a bountiful harvest.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

Once a proud Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, Paul thought he had a lot to boast about. But now that he knows Christ, everything has changed. That which was old is now rubbish to him; having gained righteousness from God through faith in Jesus, his new hope rests in the resurrection. As Isaiah advised Israel, so Paul urges the Christian converts of Philippi in Greece: Forget what lies behind. Press on toward the goal of resurrection and life through God’s call in Jesus.

Gospel: John 12:1-8

To grasp the powerful context of this familiar narrative, re-read John’s verses just before and just after the story of Mary weeping as she anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. Jesus has just raised Lazarus from the dead, causing such an uproar that the chief priests and Pharisees decided to kill Jesus to keep the Romans from stepping in. Just after today’s verses, the temple authorities decide to kill Lazarus, too, because his miraculous return from the dead is inspiring people to follow Jesus. Jesus is at risk of death. He warns his friends that they won’t always have him with them. But don’t mistake the meaning of Jesus’ words, “You always have the poor with you.” This is not an argument against helping the poor. On the contrary, it is a direct quote from Torah, God’s explicit commandment that we must always open our hands to the poor and needy neighbors in our land.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for March 6, 2016

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spanish, 1617 – 1682. Oil on canvas, The National Gallery

Themes of fresh starts and new beginnings unite all of today’s readings. From the Israelites’ arrival at the Promised Land to the Prodigal Son’s return home, we hear that God is with us through transition; God stands at our side in time of change. In our first reading, the people share the joy of reaching Canaan at last. After 40 years in the wilderness, their slavery in Egypt is now only a memory, and they will begin to enjoy the fruits of the land’s bountiful harvest.

Psalm 32

We don’t always do the right thing. In our hearts we know this, even as we feel the pain of knowing that we have wronged another, or hurt a loved one. When we step away from the God who loves us and who always stands ready to forgive, our guilt piles up, and we groan in sorrow. When we repent – literally, when we stop being stubborn and turn back from our wrongful ways to trust in God – then we feel the comfort and joy of knowing God’s forgiveness.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Our new direction as Christians, Paul says, comes when we recognize Jesus not only as human but as Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah. In Christ everything old has passed away. Everything has become new! Through Christ God forgives all our trespasses and reconciles the world to God. In making this point to a community that has been quarreling with him and with each other, Paul reminds them to forgive and be reconciled, just as God has done with us through Jesus.

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Just about everyone remembers the parable of the Prodigal Son, and it’s easy to grasp its meaning: God forgives us when we stray and then return. Even if we have been prodigally sinful, God welcomes us home with a father’s joy and abundant celebration. But wait! There’s more: Look at both ends of the story. At the close, the older brother, hurt because his good behavior won him no praise, is reminded of his father’s loyal, long-standing love. And at the beginning, we hear that Jesus told this story to remind the scribes and Pharisees that a sinner’s return deserves as much celebration as the recovery of a lost sheep.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Feb. 28, 2016

Moses before the Burning Bush, Domenico Fetti, 1613-14.

God is beyond our imagining. Scripture tells us this over and over. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and our ways are not God’s ways, says Isaiah. It’s no surprise, then, that Scripture stretches our imagination with images that try to capture some sense of God’s power. One such image is fire. God led the Israelites in the wilderness as a pillar of fire and column of smoke. There’s fire, too, as God speaking to Moses from a burning bush. God, who is and always will be, calls Moses to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey.

Psalm 63:1-8

We hear a voice crying out in the wilderness, alone and thirsty yet nevertheless trusting in God. Even in a barren and dry and probably scary place where there is no water, the Psalmist’s soul thirsts not for mere liquid refreshment but for God, whose loving-kindness is better than life itself. Even in hard times we trust in God, finding comfort under the shadow of God’s wings, held in God’s strong right hand.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

In verses that link our First Reading, Psalm and Gospel, Paul recalls that many of the Israelites died in the wilderness, arguing that this happened because God was not pleased with them. Recalling lessons from Exodus, Paul urges us not to practice idolatry or immorality; don’t put Christ to the test; don’t complain. These things happened to our ancestors to serve as an example to us, reminding us to be faithful when hard times test us, knowing that God will provide us strength through our faith.

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

Pilate killed a group of Galileans, and more people died unexpectedly when a tower fell. Sometimes bad things happen. Were these people punished because of their sins? Jesus, responding to the crowd’s questions, tells us that God does not punish sin with suffering. But repentance – turning away from bad behavior – brings forgiveness and eternal life. Just as the gardener gives the barren fig tree one more year of nurturing in hope of fruit, we hope for God’s forgiveness … and another chance.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Feb. 21, 2016

Christ Lamenting over Jerusalem 1846 Sir Charles Lock Eastlake 1793-1865 Presented by Robert Vernon 1847

Today’s readings speak to us of hope in God, even in times of darkness. In our first reading, Abram is worried because he and his wife Sarai remain childless in old age. Will they have to adopt a slave child to receive the inheritance that God has promised? But God guides Abram through a dark and terrifying night and, in the new day, assures him that he and Sarai – who we will know as Abraham and Sarah – will begin a family that will inherit the promised land; a family as countless as the stars.

Psalm 27

As we listen to this Psalm, notice its pattern of trust, hope and petition. First it simply declares our trust in God, our light and salvation, whose strength is so great that nothing can stand against it to make us afraid. But then it takes a darker turn as we hear an earthly king – King David, according to tradition – imagining frightening possibilities, from flesh-eating evildoers to camps full of enemy warriors. Yes, terrible things might threaten us, but the Psalm carries on, trusting God, calling on God to have mercy and keep us safe.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1


Is Paul telling the Philippians to imitate him, as though he were a stand-in for Christ? Not at all. Rather, hear in these verses a pastor reassuring a congregation that has endured much to embrace the Christian way, and now fears persecution. ‘Do as I do,” he suggests, calling them to follow his example and try to live in Jesus’ way, anticipating salvation through Christ.



Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

As we move into Lent, Jesus has turned his face fully toward Jerusalem, the Passion and the Cross. King Herod is angry, and Jesus’ life is in danger. Even some Pharisees, who often argue and scorn Jesus, seem concerned and warn him to protect himself. But Jesus – perhaps echoing his responses to the tempter in the desert in last week’s Gospel – won’t alter his chosen course, even if it will lead to death in the “city that kills the prophets.” Jerusalem may threaten his life, yet he speaks his love for the city in the nurturing, motherly image of a hen and her chicks.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Feb. 14, 2016

Temptation of Christ:, 12th-century Tympanum, Church of Errondo, Spain.

Now we enter Lent, a season that many consider a time for sacrificial contemplation of sin and repentance. Look closely at today’s readings, though, for they offer a different narrative, speaking not of punishment and penitence but of God’s love and protection and of our call to follow God’s way. Our first reading recalls an ancient harvest liturgy, when the people would tithe the land’s bounty in thanksgiving to God who led them out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to a rich and fruitful land.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

Today’s Psalm, too, offers grateful thanksgiving to God as our protector and provider. In a striking catalogue of many bad things that can happen to good people – evil events, plague, injury, even attacks by lions and venomous serpents – we remember that we live in God’s shadow. We recognize God as our refuge and our stronghold. God will help us because we are bound to God in love. When we call on God, God will answer.

Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13


Paul’s verses here are often read as a call for sinful humans to gain individual salvation by accepting the resurrected Christ as personal savior. In the context of Paul’s letter to the Romans, though, this is not an individual altar call but a message calling on an entire community – the mixed Jewish and pagan Christian congregation in Rome – to come together in Jesus’ name. God makes no distinction between Jew and Greek. God through Jesus is Lord of all and gives generously to all who call on God’s name.

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

We have spent five weeks of Epiphany walking with Jesus as the people of Galilee discover him through a series of epiphanies that gradually reveal him as son of God, Messiah. Now, as Lent begins, we go back to the beginning of his public life, as the Spirit leads him out to fast in the desert and to wrestle with the temptations of a Satan who, you’ll notice, quotes today’s Psalm! Jesus stands strong, good wins over evil, and our Gospel narrative in Lent will now move on to Jerusalem and toward the Cross.