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

First Reading: Amos 6:1a, 4-7

The bible is tough on the rich! Most of the prophets come down very hard on rich people, and of course, so does Jesus … as we see in today’s Gospel. The prophet Amos warns Israel and Judah that the idle rich – with emphasis on the “idle” – will be the first to go into exile when grief and destruction bring an end to their revelry. Amos isn’t just angry because the rich lead lavish lives of luxury, but because they don’t care about “the ruin of Joseph,” the ordinary people of Israel. Their failure is in community: They do not love their neighbor.

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.

First Reading: Amos 8:4-7
It shouldn’t be lost on any of us that the ancient bible prophets often sound angry because they have to bring the same message to the people over and over again, and their message isn’t about table manners or even sex. Amos echoes this stern prophetic chorus: God grows angry when we fail to take care of the poor and the needy, and when we lie, cheat and steal about that. There will be consequences.

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.

First Reading: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
Two weeks ago, we heard the young prophet Jeremiah imagining an anguished God wondering why God’s chosen people had turned away. Today, a few chapters along, Jeremiah shows us a divine eruption into righteous anger. “My people are foolish … they are stupid children … they have no understanding.” Can you feel the frustrated, angry emotions here, that “I’ve had it” moment that misbehaving children can bring even to the most loving parent? Look out, Jeremiah warns the people at the end: God is angry now, and that has consequences.

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.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20
The Israelites have been wandering 40 years in the desert, according to the ancestral stories, and now they have reached the banks of the River Jordan and are preparing to cross into the Promised Land. But first Moses reminds them of the covenant they made at Mount Sinai: Love God and walk in God’s ways, follow God’s laws and you will thrive and prosper. But turn away from God and you will lose the land and God’s blessings. This simple call to follow God’s way lies at the center of Scripture, and it shapes Jesus’s message to us, too.

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. 

First Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-13
Jeremiah, who had resisted God’s call to prophesy because he feared that he was too young for such a responsibility, now assumes the prophet’s mantle and imagines God in an almost anguished reverie, lamenting to God’s self about what could have gone wrong with the chosen people. Did they find some wrong in God that led them to waste their lives on worthless things? More in sorrow than in anger, it seems, God reflects that God’s own people have not only forsaken God’s “living water” but instead built “cracked cisterns” that won’t hold what they need to slake their spiritual thirst.

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.”

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013.

First Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14
Dig deeper into Isaiah and we find that this great book contains the words of three prophets, bible scholars say: One who prophesied the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; one who prophesied from exile in Babylon; and the speaker of today’s verses, who prophesied after the return, when the temple was wreckage and the people were having a hard time settling back in. God will help us, the third Isaiah promises; but we must be just, share with the needy and care for the afflicted. Do all this, and honor the Sabbath, and Judah’s ancient glory will be restored.

Psalm: Psalm 103
Surely the Israelites sang this hymn upon their arrival home from exile, and its message of thanksgiving has made it a favorite of God’s people down through the ages. Remember that God forgives us, heals us and redeems us, the Psalmist exults. We can count on God’s mercy and grace, gentle spirit and abundant love. Thanks be to God!

Second Reading: Hebrews 12:18-29
This is the third of a four-week series of Second Readings from Hebrews, a letter that bible historians believe was originally intended to persuade First Century Christians fearful of Roman persecution from returning to what may have seemed the safer haven of Judaism. While God’s voice shook the earth when Moses received the First Covenant at Sinai, the author assures us that God now gives through Christ a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17
As an observant Jew and charismatic rabbi, Jesus knew well and faithfully followed the law demanding observance of the Sabbath, consistent with Isaiah’s call in the First Reading. But his compassion for a painfully disabled woman compelled him to heal her, right there in the synagogue, while he was preaching! The authorities were outraged, but Jesus reminded them that they wouldn’t hesitate to protect their own property on the Sabbath. Why should a woman in pain for 18 years have to wait another hour? This story, continuing Luke’s ten-chapter narrative of Jesus’s journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and the cross, has a deeper subtext: It shows the growing tension between Jesus and temple and state authorities that would culminate with his passion and death on the cross.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Aug. 18, 2013.

First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7
Isaiah, foreseeing the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple and Judah’s exile in Babylon, frames today’s reading as a love song to God’s beautiful vineyard; but the narrative goes downhill fast. Although it was thoughtfully planted and carefully tended, the vineyard produced sour, unusable grapes. God is outdone with it and will tend it no more. Then Isaiah names names: The vineyard is the house of Israel, the people of Judah. God planted them to reap righteousness and justice, but they’ve failed in this mission, and their harvest will be bloodshed.

Psalm: Psalm 80
The Psalmist sings a song that bears a close resemblance to Isaiah’s lyrics of God’s lost love. Here, too, we sing of Israel as God’s beloved, well-tended vine, one that grew fruitful and mighty. But now it is ravaged, eaten by forest animals, burned and cut down. Please return and tend this vine, the Psalmist prays. Return life to the exiled people and they won’t betray you again.

First Reading (Track Two): Jeremiah 23:23-29
Do you think of God as being “transcendent,” or “wholly other,” distinct from the world? Or is God “immanent,” right here around us and present in our lives? The Prophet Jeremiah, who spoke words of doom and warning before the destruction of the first Jerusalem temple, finds God in both places. Don’t think that God is only far off, Jeremiah warns: God is nearby, too. In words that Christians might see as foreshadowing Jesus’s words in today’s gospel, God has fire and destructive power ready for those who forget God’s word.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 82
The idea of God sitting in a divine council of other gods sounds strange to modern ears accustomed to the [idea of ]monotheism that’s fundamental in Scripture. Bible historians say this council may be an echo of ancient Near Eastern tradition, when early Israelites understood our God as supreme over the lesser gods of enemy nations. But the core of the Psalm is as relevant now as it was in the Psalmist’s time: God insists on justice, and calls us to stand up for the weak, the orphan, the lowly, the destitute and the needy.

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2
Following last week’s reading in which Abraham and his descendants were praised as our ancestors in faith, we continue in Hebrews today with a series of quick snapshots from the Old Testament, praising the bible heroes who achieved greatness through their faith and who now form a “cloud of witnesses” surrounding us. These witnesses, Hebrews says, led the way to Jesus, who to perfect our faith endured the shame of crucifixion and now sits at the right hand of God.

Gospel: Luke 12:49-56
For the past seven Sundays we have been following Jesus through Luke’s account of his journey to Jerusalem, his confrontation with the temple and civil authorities, and the cross. Through lectures and parables he has warned the apostles that following his way is not an easy path. Does it surprise you to hear “the Prince of Peace” warn that he came not to bring peace but fire and division? Bursting with passion for his journey, perhaps he wants us to understand that choosing to walk this hard journey with him may divide us even from friends and family.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013.

First Reading: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
In recent weeks we have heard from the Prophets Amos and Hosea, and now we come to perhaps the greatest of all the prophets, Isaiah, who came a generation later and prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah, while his predecessors had preached to Israel, the Northern Kingdom. His message is consistent, though, in its lament that the people will lose the land and the temple and be forced into exile because they have failed to keep God’s covenant to “do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

First Reading (Track Two): Genesis 15:1-6
We drop into the middle of a story today: “After these things …” Um, after what things? Most of us remember the Old Testament in fragmentary memorable vignettes: God promises Abram and Sarai – later called Abraham and Sarah – that their heirs will inherit the Promised Land. Abraham bargains with God over Sodom and Gomorrah’s fate, and stands ready to sacrifice his son, Isaac, at God’s command. But those stories lie ahead. At this point, Abram has followed God’s call and done battle for the people. But he has been waiting a long time for his promised heir and hopes for God’s reassurance. Know, God responds, that your descendants will be as numerous as the stars.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Today’s Psalm fits right in with Isaiah’s prophecy: God is pleased to have our offerings of thanksgiving, but God expects us to keep our covenant to be faithful, to be thankful and to practice righteousness – justice to others – in our lives. The Psalmist warns Israel that insincere thanksgiving won’t do, and those who forget God risk being “torn apart.” This language is a far cry from the sweet reassurances of Psalms like the 23rd!

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 33:12-22
Imagine how Abram must have felt after receiving God’s reassurance. Relief, joy and gratitude for God’s love and care: These are the themes of Psalms of thanksgiving and praise. God sees us, God protects us, God loves us. Our souls wait for God, our help and shield. Our hearts are glad in God who loves us; we trust in God’s holy name.

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Hebrews holds an unusual place in the New Testament: Probably written late in the first century, perhaps around the same time as Matthew’s Gospel, its intended audience was probably a group of Jewish Christians who, facing severe persecution, were considering a return to Judaism. Hebrews argues that Christianity is the better way. Still, in these verses, the author takes care to speak well of the Abrahamic tradition, and argues that Jews and Christians will inherit the city of God through faith, beautifully described as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

Gospel: Luke 12:32-40
Do not be afraid, Jesus assures his little flock. God’s kingdom is coming. Still, anyone listening to the next few lines might get a little nervous, at least. Sell your possessions, make durable purses, and be ready to go when Jesus calls. We don’t know when a thief might come into our house at night – who wouldn’t be afraid about that? But this is Jesus’s way of telling the apostles to be ready. The Kingdom may come when we least expect it, bringing us “unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013.

First Reading: Hosea 11:1-11Hosea is an early prophet, writing around 750 BCE and likely following soon after Amos (whose dire warnings we heard last month). Hosea, too, warns of the coming destruction of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, if its people don’t return to God’s commandments. In beautiful imagery, he envisions Israel as a child and God as a loving but exasperated parent, who knows that the misbehaving offspring deserve punishment, but won’t give up on them entirely. Eventually they will come home to a happy reunion.

Psalm: Psalm 107
The Israelites returning from exile might have sung a hymn like Psalm 107, subtitled, “God’s compassion despite Israel’s Ingratitude.” Three times in these few verses the people praise God’s “steadfast love,” a poignant Hebrew word – “chesed” – that may also be translated as “compassion,” “faithfulness,” “kindness,” “mercy” or “grace.” Also, did you notice the phrase, “the hungry [God] fills with good things”? If that seemed familiar, you may be remembering the Magnificat, the song of Mary, who used the same words to thank God for choosing her as the mother of Jesus.

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11
Continuing this week in Colossians, a letter perhaps written by a later follower of Paul in his name, we see a variation of Paul’s radically inclusive “Neither Jew nor Greek” phrase in his letter to the Galatians. Once we are “raised” with Jesus and connected with each other in baptism, such earthly differences as race, religion, gender, class and culture no longer matter. Our new life in Christ is one in all.

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
The rich man in Jesus’ parable became wealthy through his work, planning and careful investment. He has an enviable retirement plan, having stored up sufficient property and earnings to ensure him a merry life of ease in retirement. Yet God calls him a fool! What are we missing here? Perhaps Jesus is making two points: We never know when we’ll die, and the man has saved up for a future he’ll never see. Perhaps even more important, he is greedy. He never gave a thought to others. Jesus, who reminded us that what we do for the poor, we do also for him, has little patience with those who think only of themselves.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, July 28, 2013.

First Reading: Genesis 18:20-32
This may come as a surprise: The “grave sin of Sodom” might not be what you think it is. God’s wrath with the Sodomites did not have to do with sex but righteousness: As the Prophet Ezekiel will later cry out, “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.” This covenantal call to righteous action runs through the Bible from Moses through the prophets to Jesus. Even God was willing to bargain with Abraham and save the entire city if only 10 righteous people could be found.

Psalm: Psalm 138
We often pray when we’re in need.  In time of trouble and of fear, we call out in our helplessness and beg God to come to our aid.  But how often do we remember to thank God?  Thanks for a specific blessing, or thanks for our blessings in general: As our mothers taught us, saying “thanks” is the right thing to do. The Psalmist reminds us today that God responds when we call; God loves us and is faithful to us. For this we are truly thankful.

Second Reading: Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)
The author of Colossians, who may have been a later follower of Paul, reminds us to be thankful, too, for the faith and blessings we receive through Christ.  This letter to the people of Colossae, a community of new believers who may have been wrestling with pagan beliefs from their Greek culture, warns of false teachings, “festivals, new moons or sabbaths,” which, he points out, are only a shadow of what is to come through  Christ. 

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13
Abraham spoke up and argued with God. Jesus showed us all how to talk to God when the apostles asked him, “Teach us to pray.”  What did Jesus say? His prayer calls us to be righteous,  just as God told Abraham: Share our food, forgive our debts, do to others as we would have them do to us. Do these things and help open God’s Kingdom, not only in Heaven but right here on Earth. Talk to God. Argue if you must. Ask, and it shall be given to you.