Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 15, 2015

The Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Titus.

The long Pentecost season is drawing to its close. In two weeks Advent will begin, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day. Today’s readings foreshadow a central theme of Advent: our hope of resurrection and new life. Daniel, one of the last books written in the Old Testament, reflects Israel’s 2nd century BCE persecution under Greek rule. Today’s reading begins Daniel’s lengthy “apocalyptic” vision – similar to Revelation – that envisions ultimate triumph. It introduces the idea of a physical, bodily resurrection of the dead, the first time that this theological concept is raised in the First Testament.

Psalm: Psalm 16

Just as the Daniel reading promised a heavenly reward to those who remain faithful, the Psalmist reassures the people that God will not abandon those who bless God and set God always before them. The unfaithful, those who follow other gods, may see their troubles multiplied; but God will not abandon those who do not abandon God.

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-25

We reach the end of our seven-week journey through Hebrews today, continuing with the idea of Jesus as our great high priest whose sacrifice has saved us from our sin. As we live together in unwavering hope, we are called to encourage one another with hope and good deeds as we await the day of God’s coming.

Gospel: Mark 13:1-8

Our yearlong journey through Mark’s Gospel (with occasional excursions into John) comes to its end today. 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. As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s incarnation, we remember his death and resurrection.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 8, 2015

Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.

We can hardly miss the similarities between the poor widow who feeds Elijah, and the poor widow in Mark who gives all that she has to the Temple. In this reading, the widow trusted God’s promise and fed Elijah, even though she had so little to eat that she expected herself and her son to die of starvation. With God’s help, her meager ration fed them well for many days until a long drought ended. Now here’s a surprise: The woman was a foreigner, a Canaanite from Sidon, Israel’s hated enemy. Yet she trusted God’s word and was rewarded.

Psalm: Psalm 146

This Psalm begins as a hymn of praise to God. Then its theme changes: God can be trusted, but earthly rulers cannot. We place our hope in God, our creator, 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. This is the pledge of God’s covenant with the people; these are the priorities that Jesus sets in his Way.

Second Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28

Hebrews again this week contrasts Jesus against earthly high priests and finds the latter wanting. The Temple, according to this account, is merely a copy of God’s domain, and its only-too-human high priest found it necessary to sacrifice animals on our behalf repeatedly, year after year, in a ritual that does not last. Jesus, on the other hand, sacrificed himself once for all. When Jesus returns, there’ll be no need for further sacrifice to deal with sin – that has already been done. Rather, Jesus will come to save all those who eagerly wait for him.

Gospel: Mark 12:38-44

Jesus is not impressed with the scribes’ ostentatious displays of piety and giving, and he is even less impressed by their hypocrisy or their predatory acts against widows and the weak. But the widow who gives up her two tiny coins makes Jesus happy. Why? It’s not about how much you give. It’s not about giving all that you have, even if Jesus did suggest just that approach in the parable of the rich young man. No, it’s about giving from your heart. The lesson for us is clear: It is not the quantity of our giving that matters. It is the quality of our giving that matters.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 25, 2015

‘Christ Giving Sight to Bartimaeus, 1799-1800, William Blake, in the Yale Center for British Art.

When God is with us, when God saves us, when God makes us well, we show our gratitude and joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Let’s hold this theme of gratitude and grace in our thoughts as we reflect on today’s readings. Here, the Prophet Jeremiah, in loving words and with tears of comfort and joy, tells Israel that God will bring them out of exile. The weak and the strong, mothers and children, those who can’t see and those who can’t walk, will all come back home together, praising God and giving thanks.

Psalm: Psalm 126

Surely the Psalmist had Jeremiah’s happy prophecy in mind when he wrote these lines of joy. We sing in celebration of Israel’s restoration on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, the home of the Temple. Turning to a deeply meaningful image of planting fields and reaping a harvest bounty, we sing in memory of our ancestors sowing with tears, reaping with songs of joy; going out weeping, carrying the seed, but bringing home ripe sheaves of grain, joyfully shouting out our thanksgiving.

Second Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28

Seeking to bring Jewish converts back to the infant church, the author of Hebrews compares Judaism unfavorably to Christianity in words that now sound un-generous. Jesus is a far greater high priest than the old high priests of the Temple, these verses proclaim. The old high priests were mortal, sinful humans, who had to purify themselves through sacrifices. Perhaps it’s better simply to stand with this reading’s conclusion: Jesus, made perfect forever, stands for us all through his sacrifice on the cross.

Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

Blind people in ancient times were desperate and ashamed. They had to beg for food, and their neighbors often assumed that their blindness was punishment for some grievous sin. Sadly, physical blindness has also been an enduring metaphor for willful refusal to “see” or believe. Mark’s Gospel uses this image often, telling of such healings at the beginning, and now again at the end, of his long narrative about the apostles’ inability to comprehend Jesus’ message. But blindness is not really the central point of today’s Gospel. Rather, we see God most clearly in Bartimaeus’ gratitude … and in his decision not to go away but to stay and follow Jesus.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 18, 2015

James and John stand alongside Jesus in this Orthodox icon of Jesus and the 12 apostles.

If you want to be in charge, be careful what you ask for. Throughout today’s readings we hear of servant leadership, sacrifice, and walking humbly with our God. Isaiah’s “Suffering Servant,” who we meet often in our readings (most recently only last month) may make us think of Jesus in his willing sacrifice to bear the sins of many. In its original context, though, Isaiah writes of the servant’s suffering in the past tense, remembering the sacrificial pain of Israel’s exile that was now coming to an end.

Psalm: Psalm 91:9-16

We hear only the second half of Psalm 91 today. Take a moment, though, to look up the preceding verses in the Psalter (Pages 719-20, BCP). There we learn of another servant who suffered, yet who received God’s protection against illness and enemies. In today’s verses, the Psalmist assures us that we gain protection by seeking refuge in God. Then, in a form that is quite unusual in the Psalms, God speaks directly in the first person, assuring the servant of God’s protection, honor and salvation.

Second Reading: Hebrews 5:1-10

The Letter to the Hebrews, likely written to lure backsliding Jewish Christians back to the early church, proclaims Christ’s role as the new high priest, one with a new covenant and new sacrifice. The fully human Jesus suffered “with loud cries and tears.” Learning obedience through suffering, he became the greatest of the line of priests that began with King Melchizedek, the first high priest named in Genesis. As the perfect image of God, Christ earned salvation for us all.

Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

Jesus nicknamed James and John “the Sons of Thunder,” and they do seem to be a fiery pair. We saw them a few weeks ago, complaining that other people were casting out demons in Jesus’ name. Now again they act clueless. They don’t ask but tell Jesus that they want to sit at his side in God’s kingdom. Jesus has news for them: To follow Jesus we must be servants, not those served; if we wish to be first, we must be the slave of all. Let’s not be too quick to judge them, though! When ambition prompts us to seek applause and praise, that might be a good time to reflect on Jesus’ way.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 11, 2015

Jesus and the rich young ruler, Armenian icon.

Perhaps it is only a coincidence that today’s readings come at the start of Stewardship time, but it is hard to ignore the theme of subjecting ourselves to God, caring for those less favored, and, in the Gospel, giving everything that we have to the poor. The Prophet Amos warns Israel’s Northern Kingdom that its habit of living well while “trampling” on the poor will lead to disaster. “Seek good and not evil,” urges the prophet who, a few verses later, will exhort the people of God to “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Psalm: Psalm 90:12-17

In the first part of this Psalm, the author – held by tradition to be Moses himself – has warned of God’s anger with a sinful people. He now calls on God to return, to show loving-kindness, to teach the people to be wise, and to replace adversity with gladness. Through God’s works, grace and splendor, the Psalmist prays, may the people enjoy prosperity.

Second Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

The writer of Hebrews musters surprisingly warlike images of Jesus as a frighteningly sharp two-edged sword that pierces, divides, cuts soul apart from spirit and our body’s joints from our bones’ marrow. We are laid bare, called to account before God! But he also says that Jesus, fully human, knows and understands us: As God’s response to the Psalmist’s prayer for protection from God’s anger, Jesus is the word of God and our great high priest, and through him we receive God’s mercy and grace.

Gospel: Mark 10:17-31

Jesus’ words in this Gospel might seem harsh: If the rich man can’t give all his money to the poor, he isn’t welcome in God’s kingdom. But why? This man is good. He keeps the commandments. Mark even tells us that Jesus loved him. Perhaps Jesus is still reflecting on the verses that came just before, contrasting this wealthy man with the innocent children who will inherit God’s kingdom. Or Jesus may be exaggerating for effect, as he did with his response to the Pharisees about divorce. But even if we don’t take these verses literally, we can hardly ignore Jesus’ compelling call to serve others, to care for the least of these, and to place ourselves last in order to be first in God’s Kingdom.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 4, 2015

Christ Blessing the Children, 1540s; Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1472–1553. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Today’s readings don’t seem easy. First, we hear a part of the creation narrative in that some have interpreted to diminish the status of women. Mark’s Gospel reflects those words in a rejection of divorce so strict that it has been invoked to hold people in abusive relationships. Can we read these faithfully, yet more generously? Perhaps they speak more broadly of creation and the universal call to men and women to take responsibility for our relationships with plants, animals and each other. This is a good thought to hold as we celebrate St. Francis’ day with our Blessing of the Animals.

Psalm: Psalm 8

A psalm that begins as a hymn of praise turns to a catalog of the glories of God’s creation: The heavens, the moon, the stars, all the work of God’s hands, are so great that mere humanity seems small in comparison. Yet we are given charge of all the wild and domestic animals and creatures of the sea. Surely we are called to exercise the same careful and loving stewardship over this creation as we count on God to provide for us.

Second Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12

Today we begin seven weeks with the letter to the Hebrews, a journey that will carry us to the end of Pentecost. Hebrews is thought to be an ancient letter to Jewish Christians who had returned to Judaism for fear of persecution. While it is fervently pro-Christian, we should take care not to read parts of it as anti-Jewish. Today’s verses echo Psalm 8 in recognizing humanity’s God-given stewardship over creation. We should be mindful of creation as God, through Jesus, is mindful of us.

Gospel: Mark 10:2-16

These are hard words to hear in a modern society where divorce has become acceptable, if unhappy; a difficult end to a relationship. In the patriarchal culture of Jesus’ time, though, it was even worse: A man could set aside his marriage for any reason in a world where a woman alone had no option but to beg, risking homelessness and starvation. Of course Jesus came down hard on that! Further, most modern theologians agree that Jesus quoting Genesis on “male and female” addressed relationship, rather than today’s understanding of same-gender love. Finally, when we look at the innocence of a child, we begin to grasp Jesus’ idea of God’s kingdom. Don’t judge others. Don’t be unkind.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 27, 2015

A Byzantine style fresco of Moses and the manna in the church of St. Anne in Châtel-Guyon, France.

Today’s readings cover a lot of ground! First we hear an amusing story of the people in the desert, so sick and tired of manna that they want to go back to slavery in Egypt for something good to eat. God tells a despairing Moses to assemble 70 elders to help him carry the spiritual load. Then, two men who had remained in the camp started prophesying without supervision! A young man runs to tell on them, and Moses’ assistant Joshua wants them punished. But Moses says no: He only wishes that all the people could prophesy and share God’s spirit. We’ll hear a remarkably similar story in today’s Gospel. What do you suppose these narratives have in common?

Psalm: Psalm 19:7-14

Today’s Psalm sings out praise and thanksgiving for the glory of God’s teaching. Sweeter than honey and more desirable than gold, God’s laws and commandments enlighten us and keep us on a straight path. We all too easily slip and fall into sin, so we pray that God will keep us from losing our way. The psalm concludes with a familiar prayer that we might all adopt before we speak: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”

Second Reading: James 5:13-20

James’ powerful epistle has told us to care for our neighbors, to protect the weak and to do the work that God has given us to do. Now he concludes his letter with a call to prayer. Are we suffering? Pray! Are we happy? Sing hymns of praise! Are we sick? Ask for prayer! Prayer works. When we bring our brothers and sisters back to God’s way, we save them from death. Amen!

Gospel: Mark 9:38-50

Doesn’t John’s complaint to Jesus sound a lot like Joshua warning Moses? “Hey! People are casting out demons in your name! Make them stop! They’re not authorized!” But Jesus echoes Moses’ advice: Don’t worry about it! Be glad that others are doing God’s work in God’s name. Jesus, perhaps using an old rabbinic tradition of contrasting an act with an extreme alternative, goes on with some pretty scary language about staying on the right path or else. But his point is clear: If people are with us, don’t throw them out.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 20, 2015

Christ With the Children, Carl Heinrich Bloch, 19th century Danish painter.

Doing the right thing doesn’t always make people happy. Sometimes our best efforts to be good can get us in trouble. Look for this theme today and think about how our spiritual ancestors in Scripture dealt with this tough reality. The Wisdom of Solomon from the Apocrypha, written in King Solomon’s name not long before the time of Jesus and the evangelists, poses a stark choice: If you’re wise, if you follow God’s ways, the unwise may call you a trouble-maker and try to get revenge. But they, blinded by wickedness, will ultimately pay a higher price.

Psalm: Psalm 54

This Psalm, attributed by tradition to King David, is noted with the curiously specific advice that it be accompanied by stringed instruments! It recalls a time when the young David had to flee in terror from an angry Saul who sought to kill him. This narrative resonates with the reading from Wisdom: When insolent and ruthless enemies seek our lives, God’s laws will not hold them back. This is a time to pray, to call on God who delivers us from trouble and upholds our lives.

Second Reading: James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

If we have wisdom and understanding, our lives will reflect that in our good and gentle works. Bitter envy and selfish ambition do not come from God. Greed and craving get us in trouble; coveting what others have leads us into conflicts, disputes, even murder. Rather, sow peace in order to grow peace. Draw near to God, and God will grow closer to us.

Gospel: Mark 9:30-37

Sometimes the Apostles seem almost ridiculous in their cluelessness. Today Jesus tells them for a second time that he must suffer, be rejected, killed and then rise again. Not only do they still not get it, but they are afraid to ask. Did they think long and hard about this? Apparently not. Rather, they got off to themselves and argued about which of them was the greatest. Jesus, who must have been thoroughly exasperated, showed them a small child. Following Jesus is not about greatness and power, he said. It is about welcoming the smallest and weakest among us.