Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 26, 2014

Ancient Russian icon of Jesus giving the Great Commandment.

Here ends the Torah, the first five books of the First Testament, the Law. Moses has led the progeny of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph out of slavery in Egypt, received God’s commandments and made God’s covenant at Mount Sinai. He has wandered 40 years in the desert with a fractious people, and now comes within sight of the Promised Land only to meet God again, on another mountain top, and learn that he may see the land but that he won’t be allowed to cross over to it. Moses sees God’s promise fulfilled, but Moses will not live to enjoy it.

First Reading (Track 2): Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18

The central law that we love our neighbors as ourselves frames today’s readings, beginning with this encounter between God and Moses and returning in Jesus’ words in the Gospel. In a series of instructions that restate the moral code of the commandments, God’s words to Moses in this reading tell us how to be in good relationship with our neighbors. They culminate with the summary conclusion – the first place in the bible where this is explicitly stated as a rule – that we shall love our neighbor as we love ourself.

Psalm: Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

This Psalm, attributed by tradition to Moses, sings praise for God’s eternal ongoing creation in which a thousand years pass like a day. In comparison, our lives are as evanescent as the grass that turns from green to brown overnight. Then the narrative turns to a plea as we ask God to hear our prayers, to turn toward us with loving-kindness and make us glad.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 1

Today’s short Psalm, the first in the book of Psalms, sings of the two paths that we may choose to take through life. In poetic verses that seem to foreshadow Jesus’ parables about the seeds that fall on variously nourishing ground, the Psalmist likens us to trees: The lush, fruitful and well-watered trees of the righteous who follow God’s way; and the weak trees that can’t stand straight, representing the way of the wicked. Which way shall we choose? The Psalm makes our options clear.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

It is interesting to “listen in” as Paul talks about one of his churches in Greece to the people of another neighboring church! The Philippians apparently had some big problems; someone there clearly didn’t treat Paul well. The people of Thessalonika, though, treated him kindly, developing a dear friendship that Paul likens to a nurse caring for her children. (Happily, by the time Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians several years later, all must have been forgiven, as it reflects a cordial relationship too.)

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-46

We may think of Jesus’ words about the greatest commandment as profoundly Christian, deeply reflecting everything we know about Jesus. And this is true. But we should never forget that these words are deeply Jewish too. The “greatest and first” commandment, by Jesus’ own statement, directly quotes the Shema, the most important Jewish prayer; the second comes straight from the Holiness Code in Leviticus. Our spiritual heritage goes back a long way, and as Jesus told us earlier in Matthew, he did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets (that is, the first testament) but to fulfill it.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 19, 2014

A denarius of Tiberius Caesar, similar to the Roman coin that Jesus told the Pharisees to “give to the emperor.”

The people have survived the threat of a forgiving God’s destructive wrath. But now Moses worries that his troublesome flock might stray again. He asks God for assurance that God will continue to lead and guide the people. God agrees, but Moses wants more: He wants to see God in God’s glory. God warns that Moses dare not see God’s face. No human can see such glory and live. But a compromise emerges: Moses may stand in a crack in a rock, protected from danger, then open his eyes for a glimpse from behind after God passes by.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 45:1-7

The people have been in exile in Babylon for 40 years, dreaming of their lost city and temple. Isaiah and the other prophets had warned them that they had no one but themselves to blame for their exile. They had failed to love their neighbor, forgotten to care for the weak and needy, and so broke the covenant with God that had brought them to the Promised Land. But now the Persians have conquered Babylon, led by the wise king that history knows as Cyrus the Great. Cyrus will send them home to Jerusalem. In celebration, the prophet praises the Gentile king as God’s own anointed.

Psalm: Psalm 99

The Psalmist celebrates this Exodus story, praising God for God’s justice and equity, remembering that God led the people in a pillar of cloud, answering the people’s prayers and, while justly punishing them when they strayed, forgave them in the end. Such a mighty God deserves praise and worship!

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 96:1-13

Cyrus may have been a great king, but the Psalm quickly reminds us that God is king among all kings, before whom the whole Earth trembles. God created all things and will judge all things, fairly and with equity. Heaven and earth, thunder and lightning, all the fields and all the forest will rejoice when God comes to judge in righteousness and truth.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Paul praises this small community of former pagans in Thessalonika in Northern Greece, who had been persecuted for giving up the dominant religion. Their faith, Paul said, had inspired many converts, who were now waiting for Jesus to rescue them “from the wrath that is coming.” In this very early letter, written perhaps 20 years after the crucifixion, early Christians still hoped that Jesus would come back soon to judge the world and establish the kingdom of God on Earth.

Gospel: Matthew 22:15-22

This familiar story continues our recent narrative from Matthew: Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and quickly got in trouble, throwing the money changers out of the Temple. Now, in one encounter after another, he fences with the Pharisees who, in Matthew’s account, want to shut this trouble-maker down. They try to trap Jesus with a trick question, but he outwits them again, and in the process reveals that the temple leaders carry Caesar’s graven image on the coins in their purses. “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s? How much do you suppose that might be? What then do we give to God?

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 12, 2014

The guest with no garment at the wedding feast.

The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph have escaped slavery in Egypt. They have crossed the Red Sea, and received manna and water to slake their hunger and thirst. They have received the 10 Commandments at Mount Sinai and made covenant with God. But now things have gone badly wrong. The people, scared by Sinai’s smoke and thunder, are afraid that Moses won’t come back, so they break their brand-new commandments by worshipping a golden calf! God, righteously outraged, threatens to destroy the people and start over. But Moses pleads for the people, and God’s mind is changed. God’s abundant love flows to a people who may not deserve it, but who will be forgiven over and over again.

Psalm: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

The Psalmist looks back at the people’s wickedness in worshipping the golden calf, throwing away the great gift that they had just received. They forgot God, their Savior, who had watched over them in Egypt and brought them safely across the Red Sea and through the desert. They deserved destruction, the Psalmist sings, but Moses stood up for them and turned God’s wrath aside.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 23

And now, in the beloved 23rd Psalm, we sing of that very deep and abundant love, of God’s trusted protection. Our Good Shepherd who is always with us, comforting us and protecting us not only in the green pastures and still waters of good times, but even in those frightening times when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Second Reading: Philippians 4:1-9

Paul now speaks to a specific pastoral issue in the church at Philippi. Two women, Euodia and Syntyche, have been quarreling. Paul doesn’t address their dispute, but simply urges them to “be of the same mind” in Christ, perhaps suggesting that they ask, “What would Jesus do?” He calls the congregation to help restore peace and unity, reminding them that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Jesus.

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

What is Jesus is trying to teach us about the kingdom of heaven? This parable reminds us of the wicked tenants in last week’s Gospel, who defied the person in charge and casually killed his messengers. Here the king, angry at those who didn’t show up for his son’s wedding banquet – some of whom even killed the slaves sent to invite them – brings people off the street instead. Then, when one of them ungratefully refuses to put on a wedding garment, he’s tossed out into the darkness, too. We’re all invited to the kingdom of heaven, it seems. But even as welcomed guests, we’re expected to don the wedding garment by following Jesus’ way.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Oct. 5, 2014

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants.

In recent readings we have followed the story of God’s people through the lives of the biblical patriarchs from Abraham to Joseph; then heard the story of Moses, with God’s help, leading Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Now on Mount Sinai in the desert comes a significant encounter: Establishing their identity and their hope, the people join in covenant with God, accepting the commandments that will guide their lives and ensure their righteousness in relationship with God and others.

First Reading (Track 2): Isaiah 5:1-7

When Jesus blessed bread and wine at the Last Supper, he was honoring a Jewish Passover tradition that goes back to ancient times. It’s no wonder, then, that the bible is full of parables involving wine, the fruit of the vine, and the vineyards from which it comes. Isaiah tells of God planting a vineyard, caring for it with love. But the harvest yielded “wild” grapes – in the original Hebrew, “stinking, worthless, sour” grapes. What happened? The vines represent the people, who disappointed God by failing to be just and righteous, not loving others as themselves.

Psalm: Psalm 19

All the heavens sing of God’s glory. All the skies reveal the work of God’s hand! This triumphant Psalm sings of the beauty of God’s creation. And then the theme turns, and we sing similar praise for the commandments, God’s law. True, just and righteous, God’s teaching stands above all earthly creation; sweeter than honey, more precious than gold.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 80:7-14

This poetic Psalm echoes Isaiah’s parable of the vineyard, but it adds a noteworthy twist: In Isaiah’s vision, God is disappointed by the sour fruit and decides to demolish the vineyard, tearing down its wall and hedge and commanding a drought to make it a waste. Our Psalm, on the other hand, calls on God’s compassion and remembers God’s grace in leading Israel to freedom and making it a nation. With the Psalmist we ask for another chance, calling on God to preserve the bountiful vines that God had planted.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

Paul proclaims his stature as a devout Jew and a Pharisee, observant and righteous, and acknowledges that he once persecuted the infant church. But now. he tells the Philippians, everything has changed because he has faith in Christ. He will give up everything he has gained, in favor of living, suffering and dying with Jesus, in the hope of resurrection and life.

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-46

In today’s reading we find Jesus still arguing with the temple authorities. He tells another parable set in a vineyard. Using language quite similar to the Isaiah reading, Jesus tells of a vineyard whose tenant growers beat up and kill the slaves sent to collect the owner’s produce, and then even kill his own son. What will the owner do? Surely he will kill the evil tenants, the chief priests and Pharisees say. But Jesus brings a deeper message: If we hope to inherit the Kingdom of God, we should help produce its fruit.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 28, 2014

Triumph of the Cross in Basilica San Clemente, Rome.

In last week’s Lectionary (which we replaced with the St Matthew’s Day readings), the people in the desert complained because they were hungry, and God provided quail and manna. Now they are grumbling again because there’s no water. Moses strikes a rock with the rod that he used to part the Red Sea’s waters, and water comes gushing out. Perhaps we can identify with the Israelites, who so soon forget their blessings and complain about what God hasn’t done for them lately.

First Reading (Track Two): Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

We return to the Prophet Ezekiel, whose prophecy we heard two weeks ago, for another lesson. Here again, the prophet brings a stern warning that ends with a glimpse of hope. It’s a simple equation, as the prophet sees it: Fail in righteousness, refuse to be just, and die. But repent, turn away from wickedness, and enjoy life in the grace of God, who takes no pleasure in your death or that of your children. “Turn, then, and live.”

Psalm: Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16

In contrast with the cranky, complaining people in the desert who forgot God’s blessings, the Psalmist recalls that narrative quite well, “declaring the mysteries of ancient times” and promising to tell future generations how God’s power and marvels opened the sea, led the people toward freedom, and yes, gave them water streaming out of the desert’s hard rocks like a river.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 25:1-8

Perhaps we can hear in this Psalm an echo of Ezekiel’s prophecy: We may have sinned in the past and transgressed God’s love and God’s hopes for us; but we trust in the loving God of our salvation to remember us with compassion, protect us and guide us toward right paths in spite of our errors.

Second Reading: Philippians 2:1-13

Paul, in prison in Rome, sends the Philippians a beautiful passage, verses that may have been a popular hymn of the early church. Jesus, we sing in this hymn, took no pride in his position. Rather, he “emptied himself” in utter humility, accepting death by crucifixion; and in so doing became exalted as our anointed Lord and master. Be humble and unselfish with one another, Paul urges us. Place the needs of others before our own ambition, and in doing so, live as Jesus lived.

Gospel: Matthew 21:23-32

The high priests are trying to trap Jesus again, and remember, this encounter came the very next day after Jesus had come into the temple, overturned the money changers’ tables and ran them off! Jesus didn’t run away after that, but came right back to the temple with his friends the next day. The authorities surely wanted to know what he was up to, but Jesus trapped them back with a trick question of his own, then added a parable that makes us think: Is Jesus saying that it’s better to walk the walk than to talk the talk?

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 21, 2014

Laborers in the Vineyard, 11th Century Byzantine.

God has brought Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, protected the children in the first Passover, and led Moses and the people through the Red Sea as they move on toward the Promised Land … and now they complain about the food! “Why didn’t God just kill us in Egypt,” they whine. “That would have been better than starving!” But the message is clear: Even when God’s people grumble and whine, even when we stumble and fall, God loves us all the same, and God provides.

First Reading (Track 2): Jonah 3:10-4:11

Last week we heard Matthew’s Gospel about the parable of the king who forgave a slave’s debt – until that slave declined to forgive his debtor in turn. Now we look back to the First Testament for another insight to God’s desire to forgive: Jonah, having resisted God’s call to go prophesy to Israel’s ancient enemies in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, is now angry because God declined to destroy Nineveh after its people repented. But God stands firm, preferring mercy and forgiveness to revenge.

Psalm: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45

The Psalmist looks back and remembers the joys and trials of Israel in the desert, and places it in the context of God’s covenant with the people at Mount Sinai: God will give the people land and wealth. The people shall respond by following God’s teaching and God’s laws, calling them to be righteous and just. Praise the Lord indeed!

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 145:1-8

Like a great symphony that ends with a mighty coda, the book of Psalms comes to a triumphant close with joyous hymns of praise for God’s great glory. Psalm 145, which serves as a transition to that finale, reinforces the message that we heard in Jonah as the Psalmist exults in God’s righteousness, grace, generous mercy and steadfast love.

Second Reading: Philippians 1:21-30

We now turn to Paul’s letter to the people of Philippi in Macedonia, Northern Greece, a Gentile community largely populated by the descendants of Roman soldiers. It was Paul’s first church in Europe, and his affection is apparent throughout the short letter. He is thought to have written this letter from prison in Rome, where his execution was a real possibility; and this may have inspired his reflections on life and death. If he lives, he says, he will take joy in continuing to spread the Gospel; but he is just as willing to die, for he understands death as being with Christ forever.

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

Like so many of Jesus’ parables, this Gospel forces us to stop and think. If we read it with a modern understanding of fairness, we probably side with the workers who toiled all day. Why should those who came late and worked for only an hour be paid the same as those who worked hard all day? Unfair! But God’s ways, as reflected in the parable, are not our ways: We all earn God’s grace in equal measure, whether we were cradle church-goers or just arrived last week. God’s gifts to others in no way take away from God’s gifts to us; and God’s generosity should give us cause for celebration, not jealous grumbling.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 14, 2014

The Unmerciful Servant, Willem Drost, 1655.

With a mysterious God-driven pillar of cloud and fire protecting their flank, the Israelites flee slavery in Egypt, hotly pursued by Pharaoh’s army. Now, in this familiar story, Moses – with God’s help – parts the waters of the sea so the Israelites may cross on dry ground. When they reach safety, Moses orders the water back, and Pharaoh’s entire army is drowned. This ancient story may seem violent and warlike, as befits the culture and custom of its time. But the message for Israel goes deeper: God promised to bring the people out of Israel with a mighty hand, and now the people’s history moves on toward Sinai, the Jordan and the Promised Land.

First Reading (Track 2): Genesis 50:15-21 (Track 2)

A theme of forgiveness runs through today’s readings. Last month, we saw Joseph’s brothers arrive in Egypt, fleeing famine, but terrified that their now-powerful brother might take revenge for the way they had treated him. Many years later, their father Jacob (Israel) has died, and now they are worried again. Without their father’s guarding hand, will Joseph turn on them? But Joseph, weeping, reassures them that just as God returns good for evil, so will Joseph forgive.

Psalm: Psalm 114

The Psalmist looks back at the events of the Exodus and sings out in praise over God’s powerful actions to save the people and bring them out from slavery to the land. God can make the sea flee and rivers turn back. God makes mountains and hills skip like rams and lambs. The earth trembles indeed at the presence of our God.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 103:1-13

Sunday’s Psalm picks up the theme of Joseph’s response to his brothers: God forgives us, God heals us, God redeems us, God’s love and mercy for us is steadfast. As a mother loves her children even when they misbehave, so God loves us and forgives us, offering us compassion, not the punishment that our bad behavior might seem to deserve.

Second Reading: Romans 14:1-12

Following last week’s assertion that loving our neighbor is the greatest commandment, fulfilling all the rest, Paul now goes on to remind us not to judge one another. Writing in the context of urging Rome’s Gentile and Jewish Christian communities to come together in grace and peace, Paul exhorts the people: Let’s not judge our neighbors if they do things differently than we do. Even if our neighbor makes us angry, we should forgive. Stand together in giving glory to God, and leave the judging to God.

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

Peter has an important question for Jesus: If someone keeps bothering me, just how many times do I have to forgive that person? Not just seven times, but 77 times, Jesus says, and we can be pretty sure that “77” really means “don’t stop forgiving, period.” And then Jesus tells one of those parables that really make us think. Who wouldn’t be outraged at the slave who, forgiven a crushing debt, turns around and cruelly fails to forgive another? The ungrateful slave gets what is coming to him. The lesson for us, perhaps, is best expressed in the words that Jesus taught us to pray: Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sept. 7, 2014

Ezekiel’s Wheel, Fra Angelico, 1455 CE), Basilica of the Holy Cross, Florence.

In highly specific instructions, God ordains a symbolic meal for a people on the run. Having fought hard-hearted Pharaoh through a dozen plagues with God’s help, the people now stand on the brink of escape from slavery in Egypt. This joyous outcome, though, must begin with a horrible, bloody punishment visited not only on the children and animals of Egypt but on their pagan gods, while the chosen people are saved, literally, by the blood of the lamb. This gory sacrifice may belong to a place and time in ancient history, but the underlying grace remains: God has delivered God’s people into freedom.

First Reading (Track 2): Ezekiel 33:7-11

The Prophet Ezekiel, identified in tradition as a priest exiled to Babylon six centuries before Jesus, during the wars that would eventually lead to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, warned the people that God would punish them for their wickedness by taking away the covenant that had given them the promised land. In these verses, the prophet hears God’s warning that God does not desire to punish the people, but wishes that they would save their lives by turning back – repenting – from their evil ways.

Psalm: Psalm 149

Today’s Psalm joyously dances and shakes tambourines to celebrate a God’s gift of victory for the faithful. It is couched in the language of violence, exulting in the swords, fetters and iron chains used to execute vengeance against the people’s enemies. We might wish for a more peaceful view of God, but it is important to recognize the range of emotion in the Psalms, from this warrior shout of victory to the quiet, protective love of the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23.

Psalm (Track 2): Psalm 119:33-40

Psalm 119, the longest Psalm, celebrates God’s Torah as a glorious gift to humankind. The Psalms in English often render “Torah” as “laws,” “statutes” or “ordinances,” but the source of the Psalmist’s affection may be more clear when we understand it as God’s “teaching.” Here’s a curiosity: This entire Psalm is an “alphabetic acrostic.” Every line in each of its 22 eight-verse stanzas begins with a Hebrew letter in alphabetical order. The lines of today’s reading all begin with the Hebrew letter “Hey,” or “H.”

Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14

Seeking to bridge the worlds of Jewish and Gentile Christianity, Paul focuses onthe law. He looks at Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors, and recognizes that this incorporates all the commandments. Love, he says, does no wrong to those around us. If we love our neighbors; we won’t do things that hurt our neighbors. We won’t kill them, we won’t steal from them, we won’t be jealous of what they have. Love fulfills the law.

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

Here is Jesus’ promise that he will be there among us when we gather in his name, in prayer and in the real presence of the Eucharist. But what is this about “gathering two or three” to work out conflicts among members of the church? We might not like it much if the church nowadays followed this formal practice to sort out one another’s sins. But Jesus may be getting at something deeper: When we gather together, in celebration or in conflict, Jesus is with us and shows us the way.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Aug. 31, 2014

Moses and the Burning Bush, Byzantine mosaic at St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai.

The ancestral story of the chosen people hits another high point as Moses encounters God in the burning bush on Mount Horeb (another name for Mount Sinai). When God informs Moses that God intends for him to lead the people out of Egypt to the Promised Land, Moses asks a curious question: What is God’s name? “I am who I am,” God replies, uttering a Hebrew phrase that Jewish tradition considers too holy to write or speak: “Say to the Israelites, ‘I am’ has sent me to you.” Perhaps this tradition adds a nuance to Jesus’ question in last week’s Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?”

Psalm: Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c

Well matched to today’s First Reading, this Psalm of thanksgiving and praise recalls the people’s descent from Abraham and their sojourn as aliens and oppressed slaves in Egypt. When we sing praise for Moses’ service in protecting the people so they might “observe God’s laws,” we celebrate the survival of not just dry legislation but of “Torah,” God’s timeless teaching that guides the way we live.

Second Reading: Romans 12:9-21

We have walked with Paul in his letter to the people of Rome through more than two months of Pentecost, listening and learning as he works out a theology of new life in God’s grace through Christ. Today he concludes the letter with a beautiful, poetic summary of his call to Rome’s Jewish and Gentile Christians to live together in love. “Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another … Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” What was good advice then remains good advice now. Live in harmony. Live peaceably with all. Amen!

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28

Immediately following last week’s Gospel, in which Jesus praised Peter and called him the rock upon which he will build the church, Jesus turns in the next verses and declares Peter “Satan,” ordering him out of his sight. The evangelist – likely reflecting evolving church tradition a generation or two after the crucifixion – shows us a powerful image of Jesus as Messiah, predicting his own death and resurrection as necessary steps toward the universal justice that will come with God’s kingdom.