Pentecost 6B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for July 5, 2015

he prophet Ezekiel, 1726-1729, fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770)

The prophet Ezekiel

First Reading: Ezekiel 2:1-5

What is it like when we want to share something that’s important in our hearts, but people won’t listen … or, worse, make fun of us for expressing our heartfelt opinion? It doesn’t feel good, does it? Each of today’s readings touches in a way on this spiritual challenge. In our first reading, Ezekiel, receiving God’s call to prophesy to a rebellious people, hears that he must speak truth, whether the people listen or not.

Psalm: Psalm 123

This Psalm is taken by tradition to be a “song of ascent” as the priests and people go up the hill toward the Temple in formal procession. It calls on a merciful God to hear the prayer of a people whose voices have gone unheard by Israel’s “1 percent,” the contemptuous and scornful rich and proud.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10

This passage is full of mysteries! Even bible historians and theologians aren’t sure what Paul means about the “third heaven” or the “thorn” that troubles him but that he does not describe. Perhaps the third heaven describes his own spiritual experience, and the thorn an unnamed illness or disability, or even a sexual temptation. In any case, there is no ambiguity in his point: Through prayer and reliance on God’s grace through Christ, he can endure hardships that come from within and without … and so can we.

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13


Jesus’ neighbors aren’t impressed. Who is this, the carpenter’s son, to be so high and mighty? Then Jesus sends out his followers, two by two, to tell the good news, but he warns them to expect more of the same. Don’t dress up, he says. Don’t act special. If people won’t welcome you for the word you bring, move on down the road until you find people who will. This may sound harsh, but it contains an important message to them and to us: Not everyone will listen when we tell Jesus’ story, but we’re still called to work in community with others, urging all to love God and our neighbors as Jesus taught.

Pentecost 5B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for June 28, 2015

Jesus healing the bleeding woman, ancient drawing in the Roman catacombs.

Jesus healing the bleeding woman, ancient drawing in the Roman catacombs.

First Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24

The Wisdom of Solomon, often called simply “Wisdom,” comes near the end of the Old Testament among the “Deuterocanonical” (apocryphal) books. Did you notice that it seems to start in the middle of a thought? The previous verses are given as advice to an earthly ruler, culminating in a warning to the king not to invite death or destruction by behaving badly. The two snippets from Wisdom that we read today move on to remind the ruler – and us – that God’s creation celebrates our life, not our death. God’s creation is a thing of beauty, and righteousness lives forever. Death and destruction are not God’s desire for us.

Psalm: Psalm 30

Like the Wisdom passage, today’s Psalm – traditionally understood as a hymn of thanksgiving upon recovery from illness – contrasts the joy of life in God’s favor against the grief of death under God’s wrath. Happily, God’s anger endures only for seconds, while God’s favor lasts a lifetime. “Weeping may spend the night,” the Psalmist memorably exults, “but joy comes in the morning.” We praise God, who turns our weeping into dancing and clothes us with joy.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

To understand Paul, it is often helpful to recognize him as a pastor who loved the people of his little church, but who often found them cranky and difficult to persuade. Knowing that his congregation in Corinth included both hungry poor people and comfortable rich members who sometimes didn’t want to share, he urges them all to live by the generous example of the churches in Macedonia (mentioned in the verses just before this): Do your work, earn what you deserve, but give according to your means so all may have enough.

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Jesus and the apostles have come back home from their trip across the Sea of Galilee. Now Jesus performs two surprising healings, encountering one on his way to attend to another. The woman with the 12-year hemorrhage was ritually unclean, poor and rejected by her neighbors, but she had great faith in Jesus. The 12-year-old child was the daughter of a leader of the synagogue, an important person; when Jesus said he could waken their seemingly dead child, they laughed at him. Jesus did not care about status. He healed both without question.

Pentecost 4B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for June 21, 2015

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633.

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633.

First Reading: Job 38:1-11

It isn’t difficult to find a common theme in this week’s readings: In times of chaos and fear, God is with us. In beautifully poetic language, God reminds Job that God created all things and remains in control of nature’s most powerful forces, including the winds, the waves and the sea.

Psalm: Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32

This hymn of praise gives us vivid images of a loving God who protects us from peril and delivers us from distress. It stands in striking parallel with today’s Gospel reading from Mark. Sailors on their ships stagger in stormy winds and huge waves that leave them afraid and helpless, until God comes in to still the storm and calm the waves. Their song of thanksgiving for God’s mercy must have been heartfelt indeed, reminding us of the apostles’ relief when Jesus stilled the storm.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

There’s been trouble and anger in the church in Corinth, and Paul aches to restore good relations. Following Jesus’ way has taken Paul and the church through chaotic events from beatings and prison to hunger and sleeplessness. If he doesn’t mention storm and shipwreck, we know that Paul endured those trials, too. Through all difficulties, he urges the people to remember that God is with us; open wide our hearts and accept God’s love.

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

Jesus has been preaching to Jewish crowds on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and now he is leading the apostles across the broad lake to Gentile territory. Along the way we encounter one of those beloved Gospel stories that most of us remember from childhood Sunday school. As children, though, we might not have focused on the apostles’ reactions. First they fear that Jesus doesn’t know – or doesn’t care – that they are in deadly danger, scared out of their wits. Then, catching their breath when all is calm again, they seem shocked to discover that Jesus actually has the power that they had just called on him to use.

Pentecost 3B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for June 14, 2015

Parable of the Sower (Biserica Ortodoxă din Deal, Cluj-Napoca), Romania)

Parable of the Sower (Biserica Ortodoxă din Deal, Cluj-Napoca), Romania)

First Reading: Ezekiel 17:22-24

Can it be only a coincidence that today’s readings all point us toward planting, growing, new life from old, just as summer comes near? The prophet Ezekiel celebrates the noble cedar, a lofty tree that provides a nesting place for the birds and shade for all manner of creatures. Ezekiel is speaking of Israel, reminding the people that God may bring down the mighty nations and raise high the lowly. But the prophet’s words can serve us, too, as an inspiring reminder that with God’s help, a mighty tree can grow from a mere sprig. See God’s beautiful creation, and know that God is good.

Psalm: Psalm 92:1-4,11-14

This Psalm of praise and thanksgiving shows us mighty trees, too, cedars of Lebanon and tall palm trees, as metaphors for the people who grow and flourish under God’s nurturing care. Through righteousness – the practice of justice – and faith in God’s loving kindness, we may remain ripe and fruitful our whole lives long.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-17

The notion of growing things and fruitful harvests may not be as obvious in this passage from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, but we can find it in the closing verses. When we choose to live in Christ, everything in our life changes. Just as the leaves fall in autumn and our flowers and gardens die, only to return full of life in the spring, everything that is old passes away in Christ’s creation. Everything becomes new for us in the life we gain through Jesus.

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Here are two more of Jesus’ parables about planting seeds that yield food from the earth. But there’s something else going on: This is Mark’s first account of Jesus using parables to unveil the nature of the Kingdom of God. Mark will recount 16 more “Kingdom-is-like” stories before the book’s end. Mark also has another recurring theme: Jesus intentionally disguises his mission through mysterious parables, and he tells his followers to keep his healings secret. Theologians call this “The Messianic Secret,” and wonder why it is so important in Mark’s Gospel. Might the evangelist have feared that Jesus’ call for the Kingdom of God, presuming that it would overthrow Roman rule, is too dangerous to talk about in public?

Pentecost 2B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for June 7, 2015

Adam und Eva, Pavement mosaic, 1163, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata, Otranto.

Adam und Eva, Pavement mosaic, 1163, Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata, Otranto.

First Reading: Genesis 3:8-15

Adam and Eve ate the fruit that God forbade. Then they realized that they were naked, and they probably figured out a lot more, too. Adam and Eve were scared. They covered their bodies, and hid. When God found them, there was plenty of blaming going on, starting with the snake. But what if Eve had simply told the serpent, “No”? Would the bible have ended right there? No. Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and they lost their home in the garden. But God stayed with them, opening up the biblical narrative of free will and belief that leads down through all the prophets to Jesus … and us.

Psalm: Psalm 138

Even in the world outside Eden, a world of work and pain and hunger, we know that God remains with us. Speaking out of that broken world, the Psalmist praises God and thanks God for being with us when we are in trouble, for answering us when we call. In words that surely remind us of the beloved 23rd Psalm, we remember that God keeps us safe even when we walk in the midst of trouble; God’s strong hand protects us from our enemies.

Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

We may feel as if we live a life of affliction and wasting away in our fallen world, but that anguish is only momentary in the greater scheme of things, Paul assures the people of Corinth. Just as God raised Jesus from the dead, God will raise us, too. The pain that we feel now is only temporary; through God’s grace we will live forever in God’s glory beyond all measure.

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35

We return to Mark’s Gospel to find Jesus in his early ministry in Galilee, and he’s in trouble with his neighbors and his family. All this preaching! Touching lepers! Casting out demons! The neighbors think Jesus has gone crazy, or is possessed by a demon. His family comes out to try to calm him down. His responses probably did not make his mother and brothers happy, as he tells them that his followers are his family now, with work that takes him out into a broken world full of serpents and sinners.

Trinity Sunday B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for May 31, 2015

First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8

Russian Orthodox icon depicting the Holy Trinity

Russian Orthodox icon depicting the Holy Trinity, painted around 1410 by Andrei Rublev.

Prophets, it seems, need to be persuaded. Moses argued with God, objecting that he could not speak well. Jeremiah worried that he was too young. Jonah simply ran away. Now we hear Isaiah fearing that his sinfulness – “unclean lips” – disqualifies him for God’s service. But then a mighty angel purifies Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal. Now Isaiah eagerly accepts God’s call: “Here I am! Send me!” When God calls us, will we look for an excuse, or shout, “Send me”?

Canticle 13

Canticles, “little songs,” are scripture passages, other than Psalms, chosen for use in worship in the Book of Common Prayer. Canticle 13 incorporates parts of the “Song of the Three Young Men” who were thrown into the fiery furnace by an angry king. Protected by God, as recorded in Daniel and the apocryphal Song of Azariah, they survived this ordeal, walking unharmed through the fire and singing this hymn of praise to God and all creation.

Second Reading: Romans 8:12-17\

These verses came just before last week’s reading from Romans, in which Paul likened the hope and pain of Christians waiting for salvation to the pain and expectancy of a mother in labor. Here we see Paul building toward that image, telling us of the great gift that we are offered: By accepting life led by the Spirit, we become children of God, just as Jesus is the Son of God. With Jesus we become heirs of God, inspired by the Spirit, knowing that our suffering with Jesus opens us up to being glorified with Jesus.

Gospel: John 3:1-17

Our Gospel reading returns to that familiar verse, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” Today, we hear it in context with the narrative that leads up to it. Using language that bewilders Nicodemus, a leader of the Pharisees, Jesus says we must be “born from above” in order to see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus can’t figure out how that works. How can an adult return to a mother’s womb? But Jesus means something completely different: Through the Son, from the Creator, inspired by the Spirit’s restless wind, we come to the Kingdom through a spiritual rebirth in faith and belief.

Pentecost B

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for May 24, 2015

Pentecost - Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308) Tempera on wood. Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena.

Pentecost – Duccio di Buoninsegna (1308) Tempera on wood. Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena.

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21

It is Pentecost, the fiftieth day after Easter. The apostles have endured Jesus’ death, encountered him in mysterious resurrection appearances, then watched him taken up into the clouds. They must have faced the future with wary uncertainty … and then the Spirit, the Advocate whom Jesus had promised would come, filled the room with noise and wind and fire, and everything changed! Speaking fluently in many languages, they face a startled crowd and, quoting the Prophet Joel, declare the coming of God and our hope for salvation.

Psalm: Psalm 104:25-35,37

This joyous Psalm celebrates the diversity of God’s creation, filling earth and sea with too many amazing creatures to count. Evoking the story of creation in Genesis, the Psalmist reminds us that just as God’s spirit – “breath” or “wind” in Hebrew – was at work in creating the Earth, God’s spirit continues active in renewing creation. The loss of breath ends life; new breath restores it. We must take care not to interpret the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, as expressing the Christian theology of a Triune God. That would come hundreds of years later in a different time and place. Still, we can hear the creative work of God’s Spirit breathing through Creation, the Psalm and Pentecost.

Second Reading: Romans 8:22-27

Paul’s metaphor of all creation groaning like a mother giving birth, and of the Holy Spirit joining in “with sighs too deep for words,” may seem odd at first; but like all striking metaphors, they prompt us to deep reflection that yields insight. Like a mother eager to hold her new infant, we live in hope of the new life that God has in store for us, waiting patiently for something that we desire but cannot yet see.

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

As we near the end of John’s long account of Jesus’ final conversation with his apostles at the Last Supper, Jesus tells of an Advocate – the Holy Spirit – who seems as mysterious as Paul’s sighing spirit in Romans. While the apostles have been with Jesus since his public ministry began, there is much that they don’t understand, much that Jesus has not explained. When the Advocate comes, bearing Jesus’ words, much more will be revealed, and they will understand.

Christ the King A

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 23, 2014

Mosaic of the Last Judgment

Mosaic of the Last Judgment from Ravenna, Italy c. 520CE

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24


The long Pentecost season ends today, a festival day long known as Christ the King. For many of us, the idea of kingship may seem an echo of old times. But today’s readings suggest that Jesus Christ is a different kind of king, not a traditional patriarch but a loving shepherd. Ezekiel’s prophecy spoke to Israel in exile, praying for a new King David in a new Jerusalem where those who have suffered will be restored. For Christians, it’s hard not to look back and see Jesus reflected in these ancient verses, understanding Jesus as the perfect image of God in human form.

Psalm: Psalm 100

This joyous hymn, which Episcopalians may recognize as the Jubilate in Morning Prayer, carries out the image of God’s people as the protected sheep of God’s pasture, joyously singing thanksgiving and praise.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 95:1-7a

This joyous hymn, which Episcopalians may recognize as the Venite in Morning Prayer, carries out the image of God as king and shepherd. We are the protected sheep of God’s hand, joyously singing thanksgiving and praise.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23

After spending a few weeks with 1 Thessalonians, perhaps the earliest of Paul’s letters, we now turn to Ephesians, a later epistle most likely written by a first century Christian a generation after Paul’s death. Perhaps working out the early church’s growing understanding of Christ, the author declares that God the creator has placed the resurrected Jesus at God’s right hand and given him authority over all things in heaven and in the church, his body on earth.

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew now concludes his series of parables on the kingdom of heaven with this familiar reading. Recognizing the face of Jesus in the face of a hungry, thirsty, homeless person, sick and naked and oppressed, isn’t always easy, but Matthew leaves us in no doubt that this is the way to make God’s kingdom happen. Then Matthew turns from loving our hungry neighbor to warning that those who fail to do so will earn eternal punishment. This is a hard teaching. Do you think that Matthew is saying that, once we know what Jesus asks of us, we ignore his call at our peril? But remember, too, that the one who judges us is the one who loves us the most.

Pentecost 23A

Parable of the Talents

Parable of the Talents

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 16, 2014

First Reading: Judges 4:1-7


Our long trek through the ancestral stories of Israel draws near its end in the book of Judges. The people live in the promised land but don’t yet have a king. They have settled in to a cycle of behaving badly – “doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord” – then repenting, turning back, and restoring justice under a judge. Considering the patriarchal culture of the First Testament, it is quite remarkable that one of the most noteworthy judges was Deborah, a prophet and a woman, who with God’s help seems quite confident in ordering her generals into battle.

First Reading (Track 2): Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18

We have two more weeks until Advent, but our readings – reflecting an ancient tradition – don’t wait to turn toward Advent themes. Immediately after All Saints, we begin to hear alarming prophecies and puzzling parables about Judgement Day, waiting for Jesus, and the kingdom of God. The ancient reading from the prophet Zephaniah imagines a horrifying Judgement Day, when those who complacently and without humility ignored their duty to be righteous and just will reap what they sowed.

Psalm: Psalm 123

Subtly but sharply, today’s readings move from the female judge Deborah to a short, powerful Psalm of worship and praise that quite clearly looks to God in male and female imagery as both master and mistress. We can see inspiration for a theology of liberation here, too, in the Psalmist’s call for a preferential option for the poor, over against the contempt shown them by the rich and the proud.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 90:1-12

We are very small. God is very large. A thousand of our years pass in a moment for God, while our lives “pass away quickly and we are gone,” like grass that dries up in a day in the desert heat. The Psalmist – taken by tradition to be Moses, the only Psalm so attributed – petitions God on our behalf, praying that God may help us learn to make good use of the time that we are allotted.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11


In last week’s reading, Paul assured his church in Thessalonika that the Christians who had died before Christ’s return would not lose their opportunity to be with him in the kingdom. Now he urges them to be prepared. Using colorful metaphors – a thief in the night, and a woman’s sudden labor pains – he emphasizes that the day of the Lord may come suddenly and by surprise. Be faithful, he says; be loving; care for one another, and be ready.

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

It’s hard not to feel sorry for the third slave in today’s Gospel. Many of us would probably be just as cautious in safeguarding an angry master’s treasure. But look at what comes next in this series of parables about waiting for Christ’s return: The last judgement, when Christ will look for those who saw the face of Jesus in the hungry, the thirsty, the oppressed, sick persons and prisoners. Jesus hopes that we, like the first two slaves, will take risks and give of ourselves abundantly, that we may enter into the joy of our master.

Pentecost 22A

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 9, 2014

The Wise and Foolish Virgins.

The Wise and Foolish Virgins. Unknown master, Flemish, oil on oak panel, c. 1480. Staatliche Museen, Berlin.

First Reading: Joshua 24:1-3a,14-25


This week’s readings are challenging. They make us work to discern how these selections from Scripture might guide our lives. Here we see the people renewing their covenant with God as they enter the promised land. They recall their path out of slavery in Egypt, and they promise to be faithful to God, placing no other gods before God. But what do you think about the people’s gratitude that God drove out the Amorites who lived in the land to make a home for Israel? Does this troubling verse make you think about our treatment of the American Indians or Israel’s modern relationship with Palestine? How do you suppose God might expect us to interact with the world’s nations in modern times?


First Reading (Track 2): Amos 5:18-24

This week’s readings are challenging. They make us work to discern how these selections from Scripture might guide our lives. The prophet Amos begins with a frightening question: What if God’s judgement does not go well for us? What if God rejects our prayers and turns away? What if we run from a lion only to be eaten by a bear!? But there is hope. As the verses that surround this reading assure us, when we seek good and not evil – when our justice and righteousness flow like mighty waters – then God will be with us.

Psalm: Psalm 78:1-7

We sing only the first seven verses of a very long Psalm today. The Psalm in full goes on to recount the sins and failures of the people, a sorry narrative that ends happily, nevertheless, with the love and skillful guidance of God. Today, however, we hear good news of God’s gifts to humankind, God’s words and teachings that we should pass down to our children and their children’s children.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 70

Today’s Psalm, too, begins on a dark note. The Psalmist is beset by enemies who would not only kill him but enjoy his misfortune and gloat over his losses. The Psalmist wants justice: Let those enemies suffer the shame and disgrace that they seek for him! Can the poor and needy who seek God count on God’s protection? God is great. But please, God, the Psalmist begs: Hurry, God, please. Don’t make us wait!

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Hey! Is this about the Rapture? Well, not exactly. Yes, some Christians do read this passage as a literal prediction of dead and living believers all being lifted up through the clouds to meet Jesus at the last trump. But most bible scholars find a simpler explanation: Early Christians expected that Jesus would come back and establish God’s kingdom very soon, while they still lived. But now it was a generation later, and some people were dying! Would they miss Jesus? No, says Paul. Be encouraged: All will be saved.

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

When Matthew tells us that Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven will be like this,” we can expect the following parable to challenge our expectations. Sure enough, this story is just as unsettling as the other “kingdom” parables we’ve heard recently: the outcast who had no wedding garment; the murderous vineyard workers; and the workers who were all paid the same. Here, the bridesmaids who didn’t plan ahead were locked out of the banquet, dismissed by the bridegroom, even though he was late, himself! Is Jesus telling us that the kingdom of heaven is unfair? No. Rather, the parable offers simple wisdom: Jesus, the bridegroom, is coming: Be ready!