Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Feb. 7, 2021

First Reading: Isaiah 40:21-31

God is very large. We are very small. God is very powerful. We are very weak.

Christ Healing Peter’s Mother-in-Law (c.1650-1660), pen drawing with watercolor wash, by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn ((1606–1669). Fondation Custodia, Paris. (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s first reading, the Prophet Iāsaiah musters striking poetic language that likens the people to grasshoppers and their earthly rulers to dandelion puffs blown apart in the wind. As the people begin to ponder the challenges of return from exile, Isaiah portrays a transcendent God who is far beyond our imagining. And yet, the prophet foretells, this mighty, eternal and all-powerful God will lift us up on eagles’ wings and give us the power and the strength to follow God’s ways.

Psalm: Psalm 147:1-12, 21c

Echoing Isaiah’s message in one of the six exultant hymns of praise that conclude the book of Psalms, the Psalmist celebrates the glory of the powerful, all-knowing God who counts and names even the stars of heaven, and who has guided the people home from exile and bound their wounds. God is unimpressed by the powerful and the strong, the Psalmist sings, but gently tends the broken and the brokenhearted. God lifts up the lowly, but casts the wicked to the ground, we sing, celebrating a liberating theological idea that we hear again in the Song of Mary and the teaching of Jesus.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:16-23

It’s tempting to argue with Paul’s message in these verses. Even for a worthy purpose, it’s not good to pretend to be something you’re not. But that’s not really what he is saying. Paul is getting at something deeper than just being a moral chameleon when he claims to have been “all things to all people.” As in last week’s discussion about eating meat sacrificed to idols when Paul warned Christians not to be a stumbling block to others, Paul urges the people of Corinth to love one another and work together. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Jewish, Gentile, strong or weak, he tells the people. Honor each other in your differences. Then unite to share the good news of the Gospel.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

The season after Epiphany is ending early this year because Easter, and Lent before it, fall relatively early. In this Sunday’s Gospel, we’ll hear another 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. In this Gospel passage, Jesus goes from the synagogue at Capernaum to the home of his friends Simon and Andrew, where he cures Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever, a scary symptom in those days before modern medicine. Restored to health and strength, she gets up to serve them. The Greek word for “serve” used here is “διηκόνει,” from which we get the word “deacon.” The same word is 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.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 31, 2021

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Hearing God’s voice. Listening for God’s call. This theme echoes in many of our readings through the season of Epiphany, as each week’s Gospel shines more light on the reality of Jesus as Messiah.

Christ heals a man possessed in the synagogue of Capernaum. Eleventh century Romanesque fresco in the former bell house of Lambach Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Austria. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our first reading brings us to Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah, the story of God’s covenant with Israel. The people have reached the promised land, and the long narrative of their travels is drawing to a close. Moses is dying, and now the people worry how they will know God’s wishes once their prophet is gone. Moses reassures them that God will raise up another prophet from among them, and that God will expect them to pay attention when this prophet utters God’s words.

Psalm: Psalm 111

The Psalms – the Hebrew Bible’s book of hymns and worship poetry of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem – take many forms. Some ask God’s favor. Others weep in lament. Some offer thanks for past blessings. And some of the most joyous, such as today’s familiar verses, exultantly sing God’s praise. All of God’s work, all of God’s majesty and splendor, all of God’s justice last forever, the Psalmist exults. God feeds us. God’s covenant redeems us, and the people shout “Hallelujah!” “Praise God!”

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

These passage might not seem to say much to us in modern times, but it offers us a fascinating insight into understanding Paul as a pastor working with his flock. A question had arisen about whether it was acceptable to eat meat that had been sacrificed in pagan temples. This was a common practice in pagan Greece, where meat from animals who had been sacrificed in the temples were made available to the public. Paul accepts the notion of Corinth’s Jewish Christians that pagan gods aren’t really God at all, so sharing temple food could be morally neutral to Christian believers who are strong in their faith. But the rest of Paul’s conclusion transcends time: Even if we do nothing wrong, our actions may influence others who are not so strong – in this case of the Corinthians, for example, recent converts from paganism. “If food is a cause of their falling,” says Paul, “I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.”

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

We are still in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, and the ministry of Jesus is getting under way. Jesus, who now has a group of followers, goes to Sabbath services in Capernaum, a small town near the Sea of Galilee where we often find him in Mark’s Gospel. Two remarkable things happen there: First, this young rabbi amazes the congregation with profound teaching that reveals him as one “having authority,” in contrast with the less authoritative scribes. 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, it shouts wisdom, declaring Jesus “the Holy One of God.”

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 24, 2021

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5, 10

Listen for these themes in Sunday’s readings: God’s love is steadfast: When we do wrong, when we repent, return and hear God’s good news, God is quick to forgive and welcome us back.

Jonah preaching to the people of Nineveh (17th century), oil painting on canvas by Andrea Vaccaro (1604-1670). Museo de Bellas Artes of Seville, Spain. Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading we hear the ancient story of Jonah, the reluctant prophet, who ran away when God called him to prophesy to the people of Nineveh, and ended up taking an unwanted journey in a giant fish. Now, spewed out on the beach, Jonah feels more cooperative. The prophecy that God commanded him to give has great effect: All the people of this great city accept Jonah’s call to fast and repent! Then God shows forgiving mercy, and decides not to destroy the people after all. (In the following verses that conclude this short book, Jonah is more than angry about this turn of events, but God’s mercy abides.)

Psalm: Psalm 62: 6-14

Wait for God, hope in God, the Psalmist sings. Trust God above all else. When all others fail, God, our strong rock and our refuge, will reward our trust in God’s power and steadfast love. Others cannot be trusted, the Psalmist tells us over and over again: “On the scales they are lighter than a breath.” But God is always there, always holding the power, always ready to repay us all according to our good deeds.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31

Much like last week’s reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul’s instructions to the Christians of Corinth sound daunting and harsh. Give up our husbands and wives? Don’t buy possessions, mourn our dead or rejoice our victories? This passage makes clear why we must be more than cautious about reading Paul’s directions to his First Century flock as if they direct our activity in the 21st. Hear these verses in Paul’s context: He was certain that this world was passing away as the Kingdom of God drew near; he was sure that Christ would return very soon, bringing a new way of life. Nothing was more important than that; not husbands and wives, not mourning or joy.

Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

The public ministry of Jesus as told by Mark has begun! On the first Sunday after Epiphany we heard Mark’s account of John baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan, when a dove came down from heaven declaring to Jesus that he is the son of God. Now in Sunday’s Gospel events are moving fast. John has been arrested, and Jesus has taken over John’s call to prophesy repentance and declare the good news of God’s kingdom. Then Jesus calls his first disciples, who follow him immediately without any discussion or question, and the long journey toward the cross and resurrection begins.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 17, 2021

First Reading: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Sunday’s Lectionary readings prompt us to think about listening for God’s voice in the world … and about taking care to discern just what we hear.

Samuel Relating to Eli the Judgements of God upon Eli’s House (1780), oil painting on canvas by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. (Click image to enlarge.)

In the first reading, the boy Samuel – who will grow up to be a prophet when Israel becomes a kingdom under Saul – hears a mysterious voice calling him in the night. He thinks that it his guardian Eli, the high priest and judge (which was the title of the Israelites’ leader in the days before kings). But Eli, who was sleeping, eventually realizes that Samuel is hearing the voice of God. Eli advises the boy to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” After Samuel reports what he has heard from God, Eli accepts it, even though it is bad news for Eli and his blasphemous sons who had corrupted the priesthood.

Psalm: Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

It may be difficult for us to discern what God asks of us, the Psalmist sings, but we can rely on God’s full and complete knowledge of our every thought. God knows us, God knows when we move forward and when we sit down; God knows every word that we speak and every word that we think. Chanting, “How deep I find your thoughts, O God! How great is the sum of them,” the Psalmist assures us that, although we can never know all that God wills for us, there is joy and hope in listening for God’s voice.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

On a casual reading, this passage from 1 Corinthians might make us groan,“Oh, no, Paul is ranting about sexuality again.” If we check the context of these verses that seem to address immorality and sleeping around, though, we find – as we often do in Paul’s letters – he is addressing pastoral advice to a loving, but sometimes troublesome, church community. The Christinas of Corinth have been arguing. They’re split into factions. Some haven’t been behaving well. Some even believe that their baptism makes it okay for them to behave immorally! Paul’s direction is simple: Listen for God’s voice through the Holy Spirit. Remember that our bodies are parts of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit, and honor God by doing the right thing.

Gospel: John 1:43-51

After his brief encounter with John at the Jordan, Jesus begins calling his apostles one and two at a time, according to the account in John’s Gospel. Andrew and Simon Peter first heard Jesus’s call. Then he called Philip, who in turn wants to get his friend Nathanael into the growing band. But Nathanael is wary at first. This Jesus comes from Nazareth? That’s not where the Messiah is supposed to come from! But when Jesus speaks to Nathanael in words that seem to echo the Psalm’s phrases such as “My body was not hidden from you.” Nathanael – who is named as an apostle only by John – hears Jesus’ call and delightedly accepts him as the Son of God and King of Israel.