Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for April 7, 2019

First Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

As Palm Sunday and Holy Week draw near, Sunday’s readings direct our thoughts toward seeking our goals with God’s help.

Mary Magdalene Anointing Christ’s Feet in the House of Simon the Pharisee. Oil painting on canvas by Artus Wolffort (1581-1641). Auctioned at Dorotheum Vienna in April 2015. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah remembers the time when the people were in exile in Babylon, defeated and hopeless, unable to get up; “extinguished, quenched like a wick.” Nevertheless, the prophet advises, “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.” 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: Psalm 126

Sunday’s Psalm mirrors 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 with shouts of joy, bringing in a bountiful harvest.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

When Paul was a zealous Pharisee, he thought he had a lot to be proud of. He was strong in his Jewish faith as he angrily persecuted the Christians, regarding them as dangerous radicals. But then he discovered Jesus and everything changed, he tells the people of Philippi (a Gentile community of retired Roman soldiers in Greece, Christian converts themselves). Forget what lies behind, he urges them, echoing the advice we hear in Isaiah’s reading: press on, as he does, toward the goal of resurrection and life.

Gospel: John 12:1-8

We turn to John’s Gospel this week, dropping in just after Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. The high priests are worried about this troublesome rabbi whose miracles are exciting the crowds. They decide to have him killed if he shows his face in Jerusalem during Passover. Of course, that’s just where Jesus is headed. But first he stops in Bethany to visit his friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. When Martha shows her love for Jesus by bathing his feet extravagantly with a costly perfumed oil, profit-minded Judas objects, but Jesus says, “Leave her alone … You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” This should not not be read as an argument against helping the poor. On the contrary, it reflects God’s explicit commandment in Torah that we must always open our hands to our poor and needy neighbors who are always among us.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 31, 2019

First Reading: Joshua 5:9-12

Fresh starts and new beginnings: These themes carry Sunday’s readings as we reach the midpoint of Lent.

Rembrandt and Saskia in the parable of the Prodigal Son (c.1635). Oil painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany. (Click image to enlarge.)

From the Israelites’ arrival at the Promised Land in the first reading to the Prodigal Son’s joyful return home in the Gospel, we hear that God stays with us through transition and change. In our first reading, the people share the joy of reaching Canaan, the land of milk and honey. With no more need for manna, they celebrate the end of 40 years in the desert with bread made from the produce of the promised land.

Psalm: Psalm 32

Who hasn’t known the anguish of doing something wrong that hurt a loved one? An angry word, a careless act, and then we see that look of pain, a sob and burst of tears, and we feel anguish and guilt. At that point, there is just one thing to say: “I’m sorry.” When this simple response brings a smile and forgiveness, everything feels better. This is the reward of repentance: When we sin and step away from God, it hurts. But then, as we chant in this Psalm, God’s forgiveness and steadfast love can make us shout for joy.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

There is tension in Paul’s second letter to the people of Corinth. The people of this Greek Christian community have been arguing with Paul and with each other. Paul, loving them in spite of it all, entreats them to be reconciled to God on behalf of Christ. Our new direction as Christians, Paul tells them, 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.

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

Everyone loves the parable of the Prodigal Son. But do we all hear it in the same way? If you are an older sibling, you may find it easier to relate to the older son’s reaction when his bratty brother came slinking home and got a feast. Like the loving father’s generous response to both sons, God’s nurturing grace is open to us all: Long-suffering good son and prodigal brother too. Page back and read the two short parables left out of the beginning of this Gospel: The shepherd who lost a sheep and the woman who lost a silver coin also rejoice when something that they lost was found. Should a father’s recovery of his lost son be any less joyful?

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 24, 2019

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

Scripture offers us scores of images and metaphors to help us visualize a God who is beyond our imagining. It is no surprise that its efforts to portray some small sense of God’s power sometimes stretch our imagination.

Moses and the Burning Bush (1642-45), oil painting on canvas by Sébastien Bourdon (1616-1671). The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. (Click image to enlarge.)

One such image is fire. God led the Israelites in the wilderness as a pillar of fire and column of smoke, and, as we hear in Sunday’s first reading, God surprises Moses by speaking out a bush that burns and burns but is not consumed. God, who is and always will be, calls Moses to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt to a promised land that flows with milk and honey.

Psalm: Psalm 63:1-8

We began the penitential season of Lent by recalling the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, defying temptation and preparing for his ministry on earth. Psalm 63 is set in a similar place, a barren and dry land where there is no water. The Psalmist seeks God with a thirsty soul, aching not only for liquid refreshment but for God, whose loving-kindness is better than life itself. Through prayer, the Psalmist’s hunger is satisfied. Upheld by God’s strong hand, the poet sings for joy under the shadow of God’s wings.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Paul, writing to the people of Corinth in a time when early Christians were still working out their relationship with Judaism, recalls Old Testament stories in which Israelites were struck down for failing to keep God’s ways. Paul holds up these Israelites who strayed from their commitments as examples for the early Christians to consider when they felt that God was testing them with hard times. Learn from them, Paul urges. Be faithful, don’t stray, and know that when hard times test us, God will provide us strength.

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

A group of people came to Jesus, worried about a group of Galileans whom Pilate had killed and 18 others who died when a tower at Siloam fell on them. Did these bad things happen because the victims had sinned? Absolutely not, Jesus says. Echoing the wisdom of Job, Jesus declares that God does not punish sin with suffering. But, Jesus goes on, repentance defeats death, bringing forgiveness and eternal life. Like the gardener who defers cutting down a barren fig tree to nurture it in hope it will eventually bear fruit, we hope for forgiveness and another chance.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 17, 2019

First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

Even in times of darkness and fear, we hold on to our hope and trust in God.

God’s promise to Abram: progeny as numerous as the stars in the sky. Woodcut (1860) for “Die Bibel in Bildern,” by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872). (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s 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 comes to Abram with reassuring words: “Do not be afraid … I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” God takes Abram outside to look at the countless stars, and assures him that he and Sarai – who we will know as Abraham and Sarah – will begin a family as countless as the stars; a family that will inherit the promised land to which God has brought them.

Psalm: Psalm 27

Pslam 27 echoes the message of God’s covenant with Abraham: Even when we feel under attack, beset with dangers and real-life fears, we place our confidence in God and ask for God’s protection. We sing of our trust in God, our light and salvation, whose strength is so great that nothing can stand against it. Yes, bad things sometimes do happen to good people. That is the way of our lives. But we ask God’s to show us the way and lead us on a level path, and we trust that God will be with us both in bad times and good.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1

The people of the church in Philippi in northern Greece had endured much to embrace the Christian way. They wrestled with fear as they faced persecution by their enemies. But Paul reassures them pastorally in words that might remind us of the Psalmist’s wisdom: Look to God, through Christ, for our salvation. Stand firm in our faith and find meaning in our lives by making every effort to live as Christ would have us live: Christ is the one who will transform us.

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

We are well into Lent now, and Sunday’s Gospel tells us of friendly Pharisees warning Jesus that King Herod wants to kill him. But Jesus, calling Herod “that fox,” presses forward in his long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and his death on the cross. In order to have the resurrection and its promise, Jesus first must die. But then, in the middle of this dark and foreboding passage, there is a magical image that we cannot overlook: Jesus describes himself as a mother hen protecting her brood under her wings! This is not the strong, manly Good Shepherd guarding his flock, but a nurturing, feminine image that’s just as loving but very different. Reflect on Jesus as a source of gentle motherly love, and expand our vision of Christ for all.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for March 3, 2019

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

On Ash Wednesday, we read in the Book of Common Prayer, all Christians are invited “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”

Christ Tempted by the Devil (1818), oil painting on panel by John Ritto Penniman (1782-1841). Smithsonian American Art Museum. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s readings, though, turn away from talk of punishment and guilt, gently guiding us into the season with reminders that God loves us, protects us, and calls us to follow God’s way. Our first reading comes from an ancient Jewish liturgy of thanksgiving for the harvest, in which the people tithed the bounty of their land in remembrance that God had led them from slavery in Egypt to a rich and fruitful land.

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

Pay close attention as we chant verses 11 and 12 of Sunday’s Psalm: This, in slightly different wording, is the source of Luke’s words in Sunday’s Gospel, “He will command his angels concerning you … On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” This promise underscores the Psalm’s hopeful message: Even when bad things happen, from plague, injury, even attacks by lions and venomous serpents, we live in God’s shadow. God will answer when we call. God is with us when we are in trouble.

Second Reading: Romans 10:8b-13

Paul’s pastoral advice to the early Christian community in Rome, a mixed body of Jewish and pagan Christians, continues the theme of Sunday’s other readings. In the Psalm we sing of our trust in God’s protection. Now Paul reminds the Romans that accepting Jesus and the Resurrection opens the pathway to salvation. In the first reading we remember that our spiritual ancestors were foreigners, slaves in Egypt. Now Paul reminds us that there is no Jew or Greek, no insider or outsider. all together in one God for all.

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

Fresh from his baptismal encounter with John the Baptist in the Jordan, Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days, a time span that is echoed in the 40 days of Lent. Famished at the end of his long fast, Jesus meets the devil, who tempts him first with food, then with visions of power and glory, if only he would turn from God. But Jesus resists each of three temptations, warning the devil not to put God to the test. The devil then leaves him “until an opportune time.” In the verses immediately following these, we find Jesus giving his first sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth (as we heard at the end of January), proclaiming good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed.