Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Oct. 27, 2013.

The Pharisee and the tax collector.

Psalm: Psalm 65
This Psalm of thanksgiving for earth’s bounty, one of the Psalms that tradition attributes to King David, serves us doubly in this autumn season: While it echoes Joel’s assurances that God will provide us nature’s bounty and rich harvests even after times of trouble and sin, it also paints a lovely word picture of God’s great bounty that is worth holding in our thoughts as the Thanksgiving and holiday seasons draw near.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
While this appears to be Paul’s last testament, we should remember that this book was actually written in his name by a later follower, at a time when the church faced Roman persecution. Through that lens we can see the young church’s call to stand strong even when your supporters are deserting the cause. Proclaim the good news, and count on God’s strength and God’s protection.

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14
Bear in mind that this parable follows immediately after last week’s story about the corrupt judge and the persistent widow, and it continues Jesus’s discussion about prayer. Right in line with the widow whose persistent prayer won her quest for justice over the powerful but corrupt judge, the Pharisee – a professional pray-er – doesn’t come off so well in Jesus’s eyes, while the sinful tax collector “went home justified” because his prayer was sincere.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. 

Jacob Wrestles with the Angel

Psalm: Psalm 119:97-104
The Psalmist exults in the study and understanding of God’s law, declaring the joy of unity with God through studious meditation and prayer. Let’s think of this song of praise in the context of today’s First Reading, in which Jeremiah understands God’s law as central to God’s new covenant: “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Surely these words were sweeter than honey to a people in exile, longing for their home.

First Reading: (Track Two) Genesis 32:22-31
Jacob wrestles all night with an angel who turns out to be God! Jacob, remember, the grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac, and father to Joseph, is a key figure in the first testament’s Ancestral Legends. Perhaps the lesson in this strange story is about persistence, as Jacob won’t surrender to this powerful stranger who injures his hip but can’t take him down: Stay the course, even when it’s hard, and you may earn God’s blessing.

Psalm: (Track Two) Psalm 121
One of the traditional “songs of ascents” thought to have been sung by worshippers as they processed toward the Temple in Jerusalem, this “Assurance of God’s Protection” is one of the Psalms’ most comforting hymns of hope and trust. Always awake, always watchful, God protects us by day and night, watching us come and go, keeping us safe today and forever.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5
Does this lesson call us to be bible-thumpers, lecturing unbelievers and rebuking them if they won’t listen? Probably not. This late New Testament document was written when the young church was fighting persecution. Know your scriptures, the writer advises the troubled flock. Even if it’s hard, even if you have to suffer, spread the good news. This message, written for a particular time and place, sounds different in modern America, when Christians hold the majority and wield power. Of course we are still called to spread the good news! But let it be the Gospel that Jesus taught us: Love God. Love our neighbors. Let the oppressed go free, and bring good news to the poor.

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8
In the patriarchal world of the ancient Near East, widows were helpless, vulnerable and weak. This widow in Jesus’s parable, though, is tough. She won’t quit pounding the corrupt and shiftless judge with her demands until he finally gives her the justice that she seeks. At first glance, we might wonder why Jesus is comparing God to a sleazy judge who won’t do his job. But Jesus makes a better point: Pray day and night, and God will listen and quickly respond.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013.

Jesus healing the 10 lepers. Ancient icon.

Psalm: Psalm 66:1-12
At the beginning, this seems like many of the Psalmist’s hymns of praise for God’s glory, power and awesome state. It recalls the Exodus, God leading the people out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and toward the Promised Land. But then its message takes an interesting turn that’s worth our attention: God tests us, too. We may groan under burdens, as Judah learned in exile in Babylon. God’s people may be conquered, may suffer fire and flood. Yet still there is joy at the end, and praise.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15
Our readings continue this week in the Second Letter to Timothy, one of the “pastoral epistles” near the end of the New Testament, written by a later follower around the year 100, speaking in the name of Paul in prison shortly before his death. The young church faces persecution at this time, and the writer, recalling Paul’s suffering in chains and Jesus’s death and resurrection, may be addressing a specific pastoral situation with advice that’s always good for people working in church community: Avoid wrangling, and study the word of God.

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
In Jesus, A Revolutionary Biography, John Dominic Crossan makes a fascinating point: In contrast with most Gospel accounts of Jesus touching and healing lepers, Luke here portrays Jesus as a properly observant Jew who keeps his distance from the afflicted 10, does not touch them, and sends them to the Temple, just as the law requires. And then the miracle happens! All 10 are healed! But only the solitary foreigner in the group, a hated Samaritan, comes running back to thank Jesus. All the lepers were healed, but it was only the foreigner whose faith saved him.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013.

Weeping Angel statuary in Cementiri del Sud-Oest on Montjuïc, Barcelona.

Psalm: Psalm 137
This ancient hymn of lamentation places the poet in exile – “by the rivers of Babylon” – weeping over Jerusalem and vowing (in words that remain a vivid part of the Passover Seder) never to forget. It is at the horrifying end of this Psalm, though, that we react with visceral shock at the idea of Judah’s warriors joyously smashing innocent babies on the rocks. What can we possibly gain from recalling these awful verses? Perhaps we are meant to see ourselves at our worst, and recognize how badly we can behave when hurt and frustration tempt us to lash out in anger.

First Reading (Track 2): Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Pay attention, as this is the only passage that we will hear in the three-year Sunday lectionary cycle from Habakkuk (“Ha-ba-kuk”), one of the 12 “minor prophets” in the First Testament, who lived nearly 700 years before Jesus and who foresaw the destruction and exile of jerusalem. The prophet tells of his frustration that God doesn’t seem to be paying attention to his prophecy. God responds: Write it down. Make it so plain that a runner can read it passing by. Then be patient, be just, and wait for God.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 37:1-9
Today’s Psalm fits Habakkuk’s call, beautifully summoning our faith to keep us living in hope even when things aren’t going well. When the world appears dark and it seems that evil surrounds us, the Psalmist reminds us, we can put our faith in God and wait for God with patience and confident trust. Don’t lash back or strike out in anger. These things only lead to evil. But wait patiently, follow God’s ways, and we’ll be rewarded.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14
Written decades after the death of Paul, this short letter fondly imagines the evangelist writing from prison to his beloved disciple Timothy. It likely came at a time when the young church was suffering persecution, and in that way it mirrors our Lamentations reading and Psalm. Hold onto our faith, even when times are hard; rely on the grace of God given through Jesus.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10
In Luke’s long story of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem that we’ve been following for weeks, Jesus seems to throw us one challenge after another. Perhaps these verses are best understood in the context of the verses that come before it, which reinforce Luke’s consistent emphasis that it is not easy to follow Jesus. This short lesson about faith seems to urge us to be humble, be vulnerable, and, metaphorically at least, to be as obedient as slaves when we are called to live and work as Jesus would have us do.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Lazarus and Dives, illumination from the Codex Aureus of Echternach

Psalm: Psalm 146
Today’s Psalm bursts out with loud shouts of praise. “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!” Now hear why God earns our high hosannas: God brings justice to the oppressed and lifts up the depressed. God feeds the hungry. God sets prisoners free, heals the blind and loves the righteous, those who offer justice to their neighbors. Does all this remind us of anything that Jesus said?

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-19
This letter to Timothy reiterates the duty of those with riches to care for their neighbors. Indeed, the first verse could be restated as the familiar, “You can’t take it with you!” and the second sets down familiar wisdom: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” It’s fine to want food and clothing, the author assures us. But we get in trouble when we’re tempted by more luxurious delights. Don’t count on your riches but on God, the author urges. Do good, be rich in good works, and share, and you’ll be ready for God’s Kingdom.

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31
First, a bible trivia point: This Lazarus is not Jesus’s friend Lazarus, brother of Mary and Martha, who he brought back from the dead. “Lazaros” is Greek for the Hebrew “Eliezer” which means “God helps,” and the choice of names is important in this parable because Genesis names Eliezer as the servant of Abraham! At first glance, this appears to be a simple story with a moral: The selfish rich man wouldn’t help Lazarus. Now he’s scorching in Hades, Lazarus is comfortable in Abraham’s arms, and justice seems served. But like so many of Jesus’s parables, there is deeper, richer texture here. Why does the rich man even think Lazarus should help him? Why won’t Abraham let Lazarus warn the rich man’s brothers of his fate? In light of today’s readings, what do you think?

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013.

The Dishonest Steward

Psalm: Psalm 113
If we the people won’t help the poor and the needy, the Psalmist sings, then God will. God is blessed, God is huge. God sits high above all nations and above the heavens. Yet God also looks down and sees humanity … and God reaches down to gently lift up the needy, the poor and the disappointed, giving them seats at the tables of royalty.

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
This short lesson seems to offer simple advice: Pray for everyone, including kings and leaders of the community, as low and high alike need God’s help, and God desires to bring everyone to the truth and salvation. Remember also that God is one and that Jesus, who was not only divine but also human like us, gave himself for our salvation, the author tells us. As we reflect on this lesson, consider a fascinating detail: The author specifies four different kinds of prayer: specific requests of God, or supplications; simple petitionary prayer, asking for help; urgent requests, intercessions; and thanksgiving, expressing gratitude for favor received.

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13
This Gospel puzzles us because, on the surface, it seems to hold up dishonest behavior as a good thing because it gets results. But when we read the parable in context we recognize that Jesus, who rarely speaks well of the rich, is not really holding up the rich man’s approval of his servant’s trickery as a good thing. If you cheat in small things, he says, who will trust you with serious business? In short, “What goes around, comes around.” What’s more, if you think Jesus has suddenly gone easy on the rich, just wait for next week’s Gospel about the rich man and Lazarus! Don’t miss it …

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013.

Jesus and the lost sheep, ancient icon

First Reading: (Alternative Reading) Exodus 32:7-14
It is surely no coincidence that we have this reading at the time when our Jewish sisters and brothers celebrate Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Rabbinical tradition teaches that Yom Kippur falls on the date when Moses brought the second set of commandments down from the mountain, showing that God granted atonement even for such an idolatrous act as the Israelites’ worship of the golden calf. The lesson is one for the ages: No matter how grave our offenses, when we are truly sorry and we humbly repent, God has mercy on us and forgives us. Every single time.

Psalm: Psalm 14
This Psalm is well chosen to underscore Jeremiah’s vision of God’s patience as being less than infinite just now. Jeremiah’s language of stupidity and foolishness echoes here in scorn for fools, corrupt people and doers of abominable deeds. In contrast with the unrelenting anger of today’s Jeremiah reading, though, the Psalm, at least, ends on a note of hope for those who seek refuge in God.

Psalm: (Alternative Reading) Psalm 51: 1-10
Speaking of sins that seem so awful as to be unpardonable, today’s Psalm recalls the story of King David, who sent his loyal soldier Uriah into harm’s way and certain death in order to cover up David’s adulterous affair with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. Then the prophet Nathan accused David, shocking him into recognizing his great sin. The Psalmist, assumed by legend to be David himself, imagines the king’s anguished repentance and hope for God’s forgiveness.

Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
The short Pastoral Epistles toward the back of the New Testament, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, appear to be letters from Paul offering pastoral advice to two of his associates. Modern bible scholars, though, believe that these letters were actually written by a later Christian leader in Paul’s name, in a time when the early church was becoming institutionalized and cautious. But there’s no debate over today’s reading, which continues this week’s lectionary theme of God’s abundant love and neverending forgiveness.

Gospel: Luke 15:1-10
Stop. Take another look at this familiar parable, but this time see it in a new way: Would a solitary shepherd, alone in the wilderness with predators all around and a flock to care for, really leave 99 sheep unprotected to go out alone into a scary place in search of just one? Well, maybe. Perhaps Jesus would. But perhaps Jesus is spinning a memorable story to make sure that everyone gets the point: God does not just forgive us when we go astray. God actively comes after us, looking for us, bringing us back, every single time.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013.

Moses. 15th century woodcut from a German Bible.

Psalm: Psalm 1
The opening book of Psalms restates Moses’ theme. The world is made up of two kinds of people, those who follow God’s laws and those who do not. Follow God’s laws and be happy and prosper; follow the way of the wicked and perish. Scripture is far more nuanced than this black-and-white understanding, of course. Still, “follow God’s ways and win, follow evil ways and lose,” neatly sums up the Covenant.

Second Reading: Philemon 1-21
Paul, having befriended young Onesimus, a slave, in prison, writes a letter about the youth to his master, Philemon. We might wish that Paul had taken a strong stand against slavery, offering clear guidance on this evil practice that would ring through the ages. But read it closely, and we see that Paul is gently guiding Philemon to a deeper truth: Christians should love each other as brothers and sisters, and where’s the room for slavery in that?

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33
Things are getting exciting as we continue following Jesus’s long march toward Jerusalem and the cross. Large crowds are gathering, and the authorities are surely getting nervous about this uproar headed toward the capital at Passover. Jesus, hammering on the point he makes so often along this journey, wants everyone to know that following him will not be easy. “Hate” your family and even life itself? Give up all your possessions? Don’t start the journey unless you’re ready to stay the course. Jesus wants us to follow him, but with our whole hearts. Not just halfway!

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013. 

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

First Reading: (Alternative reading) Proverbs 25:6-7
When Jesus offers his simple advice to banquet-goers in today’s Gospel from Luke, might he have been remembering this more ancient wisdom from Proverbs? Both Luke and Matthew sum up this idea in almost identical words, “… all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Psalm: Psalm 81:1,10-16
The theme of this hymn seems to flow naturally from today’s Jeremiah reading. The Psalmist shouts in joy for God’s strength, and like Jeremiah, imagines God speaking of having brought the people out of slavery in Egypt, fed them and protected them, only to see their stubborn hearts turn to their own ways and ignore God’s commands. “O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!”

Psalm: (Alternative reading) Psalm 112
Understood in the context of today’s lessons, the lesson in this Psalm is clear, and it clearly restates God’s covenant with the people: Follow God’s commandments and be blessed, and remember that the sum of that commandment is to be righteous and just, serve your neighbor, share your wealth and provide for the poor. Secure in God, there is no need to live in fear.

Second Reading: Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Love one another as God loves us, and remember to do good, to share with one another, and to show hospitality (as we are told that the patriarch Abraham hospitably received visiting angels). Today’s reading from Hebrews offers simple pastoral advice on living as God would have us live, and we might hear it as reflecting Jesus’s call in Matthew 25, “just as you did it to one of the least of these … you did it to me.”

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14
At first this reading seems like useful social advice from Jesus: Don’t assume that the seat of honor is saved for you, or you’ll be embarrassed when the host tells you to move down. Better to take a humble place and then bask in a happy glow as the host comes and escorts you upward. But the words, as Jesus’s teachings so often do, prove to have a deeper meaning: Next time, give a banquet for the poor, the disabled and the oppressed. They can’t repay you as your rich friends might, but your reward from God will be plentiful. So again Jesus commands us to care for “the least of these.”