Pentecost 10C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Aug. 14, 2022 (Pentecost 10C)

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

Sunday’s gospel shows us a disturbing view of Jesus. In stern, angry-sounding phrases, he envisions the coming of the Kingdom as a destructive fire; a movement that does not bring peace but a division that will even separate family members from one another.

Workers in a vineyard

Workers in a vineyard (1580-1590), oil painting on canvas by Marten van Valckenborch (1535-1612). Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s other lectionary readings help us frame this confusing passage. In the Track One first reading, Isaiah sings a love song to God’s beautiful vineyard; but this lovely image literally turns sour. Although it was thoughtfully planted and carefully tended, the vineyard produced bitter, 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 destruction and exile.

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 One): Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18

Isaiah’s vineyard metaphor finds an echo in the Psalmist’s song: Israel, the beloved vine that God brought out of Egypt, tended and nurtured, once grew so mighty that it filled all the land. But now everything has changed. The vine is ravaged, eaten by animals, burned like rubbish. Calling for God’s protection, the Psalmist asks God to tend the vine again, restoring the people and showing us the light of God’s countenance.

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 humble and the needy, the weak, the orphan, and the poor.

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Building on last Sunday’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, in which the author praised Abraham and his descendants our ancestors in faith, this week’s passage adds a quick series of Hebrew Bible images. We hear praise for the biblical heroes who achieved greatness through their faith, and who now form a cloud of witnesses that surrounds us. These witnesses, we hear, show us the way to “run with perseverance the race that is set before us” as we follow Jesus, who endured the shame of crucifixion and now sits at the right hand of God.

Gospel: Luke 12:49-56

During this season after Pentecost we have been following the Evangelist Luke’s account of Jesus having set his face toward Jerusalem, where he will confront the temple and civil authorities in conflicts that will take him to the cross. Repeatedly in lectures and parables he have heard him warn the apostles that it will not be easy to follow in his way. Perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised, after all, to hear the “Prince of Peace” warn that he came not to bring peace but fire and division (or, in Matthew’s version of this passage, a sword). Bursting with passion for his journey, perhaps Jesus wants his followers to understand that walking this hard journey with him may divide us even from friends and family.

Pentecost 9C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Aug. 7, 2022 (Pentecost 9C)

First Reading (Track One): Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

In recent weeks we have heard from the Prophets Amos and Hosea, who prophesied to the Northern Kingdom of Israel as it fell to the Assyrians.

Parable of the Wise Virgins who had their lamps ready and the Foolish Virgins Who Did Not

Parable of the Wise Virgins who had their lamps ready and the Foolish Virgins Who Did Not (c.1616), oil painting on canvas by Hieronymous Francken II (1578-1623). Hermitage Museum , St. Petersburg, Russia. (Click image to enlarge.)

Now our Track One first readings come to perhaps the greatest of all the prophets – Isaiah – who prophesied to the Southern Kingdom, Judah, a generation later as it fell under threat from the Babylonians. Isaiah’s message is consistent with the earlier prophets in its anger – for example, it likens the people to the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah – and in its lament: The chosen people are going to lose the promised land and the temple. They will be forced into exile because they have failed to keep the covenant that Moses made with God: to “do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

First Reading (Track Two): Genesis 15:1-6

In recent weeks in our Track Two first readings we’ve heard about Abraham, the patriarch of the chosen people: God promised that Abraham and Sarah would have a son. Abraham bargained with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if only he could find a few honest people there. Now we turn back to an earlier time. We pick up Abram’s story at an earlier point, when God has not yet named Abraham. Abram makes no secret of his frustration that he and his wife, Sarai, are still waiting for the heir that God has repeatedly promised them. Abram asks God for reassurance, and God responds, repeating the promise that their descendants will be as numerous as the stars.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23

In a way, this Psalm expands on the prophecy that we heard in the Isaiah reading. God is not tired and angry about the people’s offerings of thanksgiving and sacrifice, but God expects us to keep our covenant of faith. God calls us to be thankful, to practice righteousness and justice in our lives. God’s expectations of the people are clear and firm: Those who forget God literally risk being torn apart, but those who keep God’s way and remember Israel’s covenant will know salvation.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 33:12-22

Think of how grateful Abram must have been after he heard God’s reassurance that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. In similar feelings of gratitude the Psalmist sings of relief, joy and thankfulness for God’s love and care. As the prophets consistently shout, the nations and people whom God chooses will be happy; God’s eye remains on those who wait for the Lord. Those who trust in the Lord’s name will know God’s loving-kindness.

Second Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

The Letter to the 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 is thought to have been Jewish Christians who were considering a return to Judaism to escape vicious anti-Christian persecution by the Roman authorities. Throughout its text, sometimes using terms that can sound anti-Jewish to modern ears, the author of Hebrews argues that Christianity is the better way. In these verses, though, the author takes care to speak well of the Abrahamic tradition expressed by the prophets, declaring 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 of followers. God’s kingdom is coming. Still, those who heard Jesus speak the next few lines could be excused for being more than a little fearful: Sell your possessions, Jesus tells them. 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, Jesus warns; and who wouldn’t be afraid about that? This is Jesus’s way of telling the apostles to remain 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.”

Pentecost 8C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for July 31, 2022 (Pentecost 8C)

First Reading (Track One): Hosea 11:1-11

“Do not store up treasures for yourselves without being rich toward God.” Hold Jesus’ warning to the rich fool in Sunday’s Gospel in your thoughts as we hear the day’s other Lectionary readings.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

The Parable of the Rich Fool (1627), oil painting on oak wood by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669). The Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our Track One first reading, we return to Hosea, an early prophet who wrote around 750 BCE, probably following soon after Amos, whose dire warnings we heard earlier this month. Hosea, too, warns of the coming destruction of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, if its people don’t return to their covenant with God. In beautiful imagery that contrasts sharply with last week’s reading, Hosea envisions Israel as a child, with God as a loving but perhaps exasperated parent. The parent knows that the misbehaving offspring deserves punishment, but won’t give up on them entirely. Eventually they will come home to a happy reunion.

First Reading (Track Two): Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” ​In reflecting on this familiar passage in the mysterious book of Ecclesiastes,​ ​think of “vanity” in the sense of the original Hebrew word: “breath” or “vapor,” something barely visible that veils the light. We spend our lives futilely toiling under the scorching sun in pursuit of something that we can’t grasp, the poet sings: “chasing after wind.” The first-person narrator, “I, the Teacher” (“Qohelet” in Hebrew), is traditionally understood as King Solomon. But the book was almost certainly written centuries after Solomon’s time, long after the people’s return from exile, and some modern scholars see a feminine aspect in Qoholet.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 107:1-9, 43

The Israelites returning from exile might have sung a hymn like Psalm 107, which our New Revised Standard Edition titles, “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, take note of the phrase in Verse 9, “the hungry [God] fills with good things”? The Magnificat, the song of Mary, uses those same words as Mary thanks God for choosing her as the mother of Jesus.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 49:1-11

The selected portion of Psalm 49 touches on similar ideas as the parable of the foolish rich man in the Gospel for the day. The Psalmist scorns the wickedness and stupidity of those who trust in their riches. Biblical ideas like this surely formed Jesus and his mother, Mary, who often expressed hope that the hungry would be filled up and the rich sent away empty. “We can never ransom ourselves, or deliver to God the price of our life,” the Psalmist sings, calling out to high and low, to rich and poor alike.

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-11

In the last of our four readings from Colossians this season, the author continues his instruction to the new believers in the ancient church at Colossae, reminding them that once Christ is revealed in our lives, we are called to put away evil ways and clothe ourselves in a new life in Christ. In words resembling Paul’s invitation to the Galatians to put away all differences among humankind, the author reminds us that “there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!”

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

“You can’t take it with you.” Jesus’ parable of the foolish rich man, which we hear only in Luke’s Gospel, shares this simple homespun folk wisdom. The rich man’s land produced such a large crop that he wants to build larger barns to store it in. With all this wealth in hand, he plans to “relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God responds with grim, unexpected news: The man will die that very night, having no use for all the cherished goods. Jesus, whose constant theme centers on bringing good news for the poor, shows little patience with those who think only about their own wealth and comfort.

Pentecost 7C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for July 24, 2022 (Pentecost 7C)

First Reading (Track One): Hosea 1:2-10

“Your Kingdom come.” In Sunday’s Gospel we will hear Luke’s version of Jesus teaching his apostles to pray.

Jesus teaching his disciples

Jesus teaching his disciples (1684), from an Arabic manuscript of the Gospels, copied in Egypt by Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib (likely a Coptic monk). The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. (Click image to enlarge.)

Sunday’s Track One readings begin, though, with a prophecy of the loss and restoration of another kingdom, Israel. Using language as grim as we heard from the prophet Amos in the past two weeks, the prophet Hosea uses the disturbing metaphor of marriage to a prostitute to warn Israel and Judah that they face destruction. Even the names of the children of this marriage, translated from the original Hebrew, hold up startling images: “God Sows,” “Not Pitied,” and “Not My People.” The concluding verses of this passage offer hope for the future, though, as “not my people” becomes “children of the living God.”

First Reading (Track Two): Genesis 18:20-32

The Track Two first reading last week told of Abraham meeting three strangers in the desert and hearing from them that he and his wife, Sarah, will have offspring as plentiful as the stars. By this point Abraham has apparently become comfortable in his relationship with God. He bargains and argues with the Creator in hope of saving Sodom from violent destruction. Why did Sodom deserve this? God’s wrath with the Sodomites did not have to do with sexual sin, but with their selfish failure to be righteous. As the Prophet Ezekiel will later declare, “Sodom 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.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 85

Harmonizing with Hosea’s vision of an angry God, today’s Psalm speaks of a thankful people’s grateful relief. They had feared that their sins would earn God’s fury and wrathful indignation. But now they look forward to the mercy and salvation that they hope to receive from a God who remains faithful regardless of their wrongs. When we listen to God, the Psalmist sings, we hear mercy meeting truth while righteousness and peace join in a kiss.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 138

The relationship of this Psalm to the destruction of Sodom may not seem apparent at first. Listen closely, though, and you may hear a distant echo of Abraham persuading God not to give up on the people but to look to those who remain righteous and who thank God for their many blessings. God responds when we call, the Psalmist sings; we know that God’s right hand will save us; God’s steadfast love endures.

Second Reading: Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19)

The church at Colossae was a community of new believers, looking forward to being raised with Christ through faith in God’s power. But they were a Gentile community, too, still wrestling with the pagan beliefs of their Greek culture. The author of this letter, thought to be a later follower writing in Paul’s name, warns against false teachings, “philosophy and empty deceit … festivals, new moons or sabbaths.” God sets that aside with earthly rules and law. In words reflecting those of Jesus teaching his followers how to pray, the writer of Colossians assures them that God has forgiven our trespasses.

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

Using tropes that would have been familiar to the apostles from Jewish prayers, the prayer that Jesus teaches them speaks of righteousness in terms that the prophets might have used: Honor God’s name, share our food, forgive our debts, do to others as we would have them do to us. Do these things and we help build God’s kingdom, not only in Heaven but right here on Earth. After teaching the apostles this prayer, Jesus went on in the following verses to talk about prayer in language rich in metaphor. Perhaps the demanding friend who won’t give up asking his neighbor for bread at midnight underscores the importance of sharing our bread and loving our neighbors no matter what the circumstances. Just as God opens the door when we knock, so should we do the same for our neighbor.

Pentecost 6C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for July 17, 2022 (Pentecost 6C)

First Reading (Track One): Amos 8:1-12

In last week’s Track One first reading we heard the prophet Amos angrily warn Israel’s king and high priest of the terrible fate that would befall them and their families if they continued to be unjust.

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (c.1618), restored painting by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660). National Gallery, London.

This week, in verses immediately following that passage, we hear Amos recite a horrifying litany of curses that he says will fall upon the land whose rulers “trample the needy and bring to ruin the poor.” Let the land tremble and its people mourn as the sun goes dark and crops fail, the prophet warns. The people will hunger and thirst for God’s words as they do for food and water, but they will not find them.

First Reading (Track Two): Genesis 18:1-10a

In Sunday’s Track Two first reading the story of the chosen people begins. God, speaking through three mysterious strangers, comes to the patriarch Abraham by the oaks of Mamre. He greets these strangers with open hospitality far beyond their simple needs, killing a calf to prepare them a lavish meal. Then they reveal that he and his wife Sarah, despite their advanced age, will have a son. Later we learn that Abraham and Sarah’s offspring, as numerous as the stars, will inherit the Promised Land. Now, take your bible and turn the page. In next week’s reading, immediately following this example of gracious hospitality and its rewards, we’ll hear the story of Sodom’s failure of hospitality and the total destruction that it reaped.

Psalm: (Track One): Psalm 52

Psalm 52 harmonizes well with the prophecy of Amos: It angrily accuses an unnamed tyrant (perhaps, according to tradition, Doeg the Edomite, who conspired with Saul to kill King David) who “trusted in great wealth,” a liar who loved evil more than good. May God demolish the tyrant, the Psalmist shouts; wicked people who steal from the poor will fail, while those who trust in God’s eternal mercy will live in joy.

Psalm: (Track Two): Psalm 15

The Track Two first reading told of the beginning of God’s covenant with the people. Now Psalm 15 lays out the covenant’s fundamental premises: Who may come to the holy hill and reside in God’s tabernacle? We hear a long list of right actions: Do what is right. Don’t slander. Don’t do wrong to your friends or harm the innocent. These are simple commands. Although they may be difficult to live in full, they guide the people toward a life of righteousness.

Second Reading: Colossians 1:15-28

It is not always easy to decipher the sometimes dense prose of Paul and those who wrote letters in his name. It may help to recognize them as direct advice to a congregation – a sermon in letter form – blending both theological reflection and practical advice. After a theological meditation on Christ as image of the invisible God who made peace through his sacrifice, the author tells us that in becoming a servant of the gospel, he became a servant of the church. As a busy servant, he might remind us of Martha in Sunday’s Gospel, fretting and annoyed. But his call to reconcile ourselves to Christ and proclaim Christ’s supremacy might make us think of Mary sitting in awe at the feet of Jesus.

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

In last week’s reading from Luke, we heard the Good Samaritan story and reflected on who our neighbor really is. Today, the familiar story of Mary and Martha invites us to dig deeper into this central question of our faith. Who is the good neighbor here? Martha gets busy, cleaning the house, making dinner, making sure that everything is just right for Jesus’s visit. Mary doesn’t work at all. She chooses instead to sit at Jesus’ feet, listening, learning and loving. Martha’s work is important, but Mary makes time for Jesus. Could both women’s choices represent hospitality in separate ways?

Pentecost 5C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for July 10, 2022 (Pentecost 5C)

First Reading (Track One): Amos 7:7-17

Love God and love our neighbors. We hear echoes of this great commandment in all of Sunday’s readings, leading up to Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan as told by Luke.

Good Samaritan

Good Samaritan (1844), oil painting on canvas by Emil Andersen (1817-1845). Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark. (Click image to enlarge.)

In our Track One first reading, we meet Amos, a cranky prophet who prophesies to Amaziah and Jeroboam, the high priest and king of Israel. Amos warns them that God is going to lay waste to this land that God once protected. These unwilling leaders tell Amos to go back home to Judah and prophecy there, but Amos won’t stop insisting that Israel has failed to be righteous. Just as a priest and a Levite fail to help the injured man on the road to Jericho in this day’s Gospel, the people of Israel in Amos’ time failed to love their neighbors as themselves.

First Reading (Track Two): Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Our Track Two first reading reminds us of the deep history and tradition of the commandment to love God with all our hearts and with all our souls. The selected verses from Deuteronomy reminded Israel that God takes delight in assuring their prosperity because they turn to God “with all your heart and with all your soul.” These are the very words with which the lawyer in this week’s Gospel would respond to Jesus’ invitation to describe the law. Just as Jesus taught the parable of the Good Samaritan, the most basic summary of the law – Torah – is to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 82

In verses that align with the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel, the Psalmist sings of a God who presides over all nations. God reminds us of the law’s basic command: “Save the weak and the orphan; defend the humble and needy. Rescue the weak and the poor; deliver them from the power of the wicked.”

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 25:1-9

In this Psalm we lift up our souls and place our trust in God, asking for protection against our enemies and those who would humiliate us. This may seem far afield from the Good Samaritan’s action, but the Psalm soon turns, recalling God’s everlasting compassion and steadfast love. As God guides the humble and shows the lowly God’s way, so are we called to keep God’s covenant to love our neighbors as the Samaritan did.

Second Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

This week we begin the letter to the Colossians, members of a church community in Colossae in Asia Minor (now Turkey), probably written by a later follower in Paul’s name. In these opening verses, the writer greets the Colossians with hopeful, prayerful words: He prays for them constantly. He is glad that their new faith is bearing fruit. He prays that they will grow in good works and knowledge of God, that they will gain strength, and that they will be prepared to endure whatever comes their way thanks to their love of Christ.

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Imagine the parable of the Good Samaritan from a new perspective: Put yourself in the place of the injured person on the side of the road. You are injured, bleeding, scared. Then someone approaches you … a person you would normally cross the street to avoid. How do you feel? And then they tenderly nurse your wounds and take you for help at their expense. How would you feel? How would this experience change you? That’s Jesus’ point here. Remember the context too: Jesus tells this parable as an answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” When Jesus utters Torah’s command to love our neighbor, he means to move everyone: Not just the friend who looks and thinks and acts like us, but those who are different; even those we consider enemies.

Pentecost 4C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for July 3, 2022 (Pentecost 4C)

First Reading (Track One): 2 Kings 5:1-14

In the time of the Kings, the Arameans and Israel were enemies. So Naaman, an Aramean military leader, must have been wary when his servant suggested that he go to Israel to heal his leprosy.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy Apostles.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy Apostles. Russian Orthodox icon, undated. (Click image to enlarge.)

But leprosy was a terrible disease, disfiguring and contagious; its victims were ritually unclean. So Naaman complied, but then the prophet Elisha wouldn’t even see him, adding insult to injury by sending out a mere servant with advice that sounded too simple to be true. But Naaman’s servants urged him to try Elisha’s proposed sevenfold bath in the Jordan, and just like that, Naaman was cured.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 66:10-14

In the final chapter of Isaiah, the people have returned to Jerusalem from exile, full of joy at their long-awaited homecoming, but facing the hard work of rebuilding the city and a new Temple. It is a time for rejoicing, the prophet declares, and it is a time for healing, too. God will shower prosperity on the city, Isaiah prophesies; and, in beautiful language envisioning God as a loving mother, he assures the people that God will nurse and carry the people as a mother comforts her child.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 30

Can you imagine Naaman praying this beloved Psalm of thanksgiving for recovery from a grave illness? The Psalmist thanks God: ”I cried out to you, and you restored me to health.” Then he urges everyone, all of us who are God’s servants, to give thanks for all God’s gifts; to be thankful for an end to the sadness that often accompanies illness. We thank God for turning the weeping of those long dark hours of night into the celebration that comes at dawn, when our mourning turns to joy.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 66:1-8

The Psalmist’s prayer echoes the trust in God’s protective power that we heard from Isaiah in the Track Two first reading. All Earth’s people are called to be joyful in God and to sing the glory of God’s name. Invoking God’s action to protect the people of Israel by turning the sea into dry land as they fled from Egypt, the Psalmist reminds us to sing in full voice to praise the God who protects us.

Second Reading: Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16

Sunday brings the final verses of our quick visit in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. We have heard Paul declare that Christ’s message is universal for all humankind: Jew and Gentile, man and woman, slave and free. In this bold assertion he was arguing against opponents who called for a more exclusive way as the early church evolved. Now Paul, approaching the conclusion of this loving letter, restates an essential principle of faith: “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Or, as Jesus and Torah alike expressed it, love your neighbor as yourself.

Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Jesus has “set his face to go to Jerusalem,” beginning his journey that we will hear in our Pentecost season Gospel passages from Luke through the end of November. Even after demanding that his followers leave their families and all their possessions behind, Jesus has no apparent difficulty in enlisting a crowd to help him spread the Good News. He calls 70 followers to hurry through the countryside, “like lambs in the midst of wolves,” to tell villagers that the Kingdom of God is drawing near. Those who reject them, like the Samaritan villagers in last Sunday’s Gospel, are rejecting Jesus. Those who welcome them are welcoming Jesus.

Pentecost 3C

Pentecost 3CIlluminations on the Lectionary readings for June 26, 2022 (Pentecost 3C)

First Reading (Track One): 2 Kings 2:1-2,6-14

Because Easter was relatively late this year, we dropped into the middle of the story of the prophet Elijah in the books of Kings.

Stories of life and passion of Christ

Stories of life and passion of Christ (1513), fresco by Gaudenzio Ferrari (c.1475-1546), Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Varallo Sesia, Italy. (Click image to enlarge.)

God chose Elijah to speak truth to King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, and to warn the kings who would follow them that disaster lay ahead. After fleeing the rulers’ anger for fear of his life – we heard about that in last week’s Track One first reading – we now look on as Elijah is taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot while his chosen successor, Elisha, and a crowd of fifty other prophets look on in amazement.

First Reading (Track Two): 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21

The two Lectionary tracks almost converge this week, as Track Two gives us the passage that follows last week’s Track One first reading: The prophet Elijah, who had been chosen by God to speak truth to Israel’s kings and to warn them that disaster lay ahead, was despairing because he feared death at the hands of his foes. But God gave him strength and sent him on with instructions to choose Elisha as his successor. Elisha hesitates – foreshadowing the reluctant followers in Sunday’s Gospel – but then finds the will to come along.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

Stormy metaphors of dark clouds, thunder, lightning and pouring rain fill this Psalm with images of a God whose mighty deeds shout out great power and might. The Psalmist is troubled in the dark of the night. He cries out untiringly. He seeks comfort for his soul but refuses to accept it. But then he finds hope by reflecting on God’s power in the storm, remembering the way that God led the people out of slavery and protected them as they wandered in the desert.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 16

Almost exactly half of the 150 Psalms are attributed by tradition to King David, as is this one, titled “Song of Trust and Security in God” in the New Revised Standard Edition. The speaker, David or a later Psalmist writing in his name, calls out for God’s protection and guidance. Those who follow false gods will only increase their trouble, the poet sings. But by accepting God as his “portion and cup,” his heart will be glad and his spirit will rejoice, knowing that God will not abandon him to the grave.

Second Reading: Galatians 5:1,13-25

Having assured the Galatians in the verses we heard last week that we are all in one with Jesus, no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, Paul urges all of us to stand firm in faith and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to use the freedom that God gives us not to “bite and devour” one another, Paul writes, but to accept the fruit of the Spirit in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Gospel: Luke 9:51-62

From now through the end of the Pentecost season, we will follow Luke’s account of Jesus’ long journey from his home in Galilee toward Jerusalem, his passion, and the cross. As the journey begins, after they group has a quick encounter with an unfriendly Samaritan village, we are shown a side of Jesus that may surprise us with his seeming frustration and impatience. Is his command to come and follow him so urgent that disciples must leave the dead un-buried? Is there really no time for them to bid their families farewell? Once Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem,” it seems, everything now moves toward bringing in the Kingdom of God. Nothing else is more important than that.

Pentecost 2C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for June 19, 2022 (Pentecost 2C)

First Reading (Track One): 1 Kings 19:1-15

The long season after Pentecost with its green vestments and altar colors now begins. In the past six months we have marked the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Now we begin almost six months of following the life and works of Jesus as told by Luke.

Jesus, the Gerasene, and the Unclean Spirits

Jesus, the Gerasene, and the Unclean Spirits (1594), book plate by Luke the Cypriot (active 1583-1625). Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. (Click image to enlarge.)

Our Track One first readings during this season will draw from the prophets of the Hebrew bible. We begin with Elijah, a bold prophet who fought the priests of Baal and spoke truth to King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. In this reading we find Elijah fleeing an angry Jezebel’s revenge, worn down and afraid. Fighting despair, he hides under a broom tree and begs God to take his life. But God has other plans, and sends winds, an earthquake and fire to get Elijah back to God’s work.

First Reading (Track One): Isaiah 65:1-9

We now return to the long season after Pentecost. Although this was once called “ordinary time,” we should not think of it as a less important liturgical season than the Incarnation at Christmas or the Resurrection at Easter: Now the life and works of Jesus come to the fore. In our Track Two first reading we are close to the end of Isaiah’s long book of prophecy. The prophet has called on God to withhold anger, even though the people have broken the covenant and behaved badly. God responds: Those who have been rebellious, who have provoked God’s anger, earned punishment. But that punishment will be just and righteous: “I will do for my servants’ sake, and not destroy them all.” A remnant will remain to inherit Zion, God’s holy hill.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 42 and 43

In two Psalms in sequence we hear poetic language, filled with lamentation but ending in hope and faith. The Psalmist’s soul longs for God as a deer longs for water. His soul thirsts for God. But when faith falters, the Psalmist asks over and over why God has forgotten him. Finally faith wins as he begs God to send out God’s light and truth, and lead him to God’s holy hill.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 22:18-27

In praiseful phrases that sound a distant echo to God’s response to Isaiah’s plea, this passage from Psalm 22 calls on God to stay close to the people, to protect them from danger, from the sword and from wild animals. All the congregation, praise the Lord, the Psalmist prays: Let Israel stand in awe of God and know that God works justice and righteousness for all who seek and praise God, particularly the hungry poor who come seeking protection and food.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-29

In this beautifully worded letter to the predominantly Gentile Christian community of Galatia, near what is now Ankara, Turkey, Paul makes a strong plea: You Gentiles are welcome in this young but growing church. You need not strictly follow the laws of Judaism. You need not keep kosher nor be circumcised. Gentiles are in no way second-class Christians, Paul proclaims, in beautiful, inclusive language that echoes through the ages: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of us are one in Jesus. All are heirs to God’s covenant with Abraham.

Gospel: Luke 8:26-39

This passage from Luke’s Gospel must have made its original audience laugh, with its allusions to the hated Roman army in the name of the demon, “Legion,” residing in a naked man living among tombs with swine, a litany of conditions that they would have considered unclean. When Jesus begins a conversation with the demons, they bargain with him, asking to be cast into the swine, which then charge into the sea and drown. This obviously does not sit well with the herd of swine’s owners, who ask Jesus to go away. And then the now-healed man wants to follow Jesus, but Jesus tells him to go back to his people instead and tell them what God has done. What’s going on in this strange story? Perhaps Luke wants us to see clearly, as Paul did in Galatians, that God’s love is unlimited and available to all.

Trinity Sunday C

Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for June 12, 2022 (Trinity Sunday C)

First Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31

We celebrate Trinity Sunday as the season after Pentecost begins.

Holy Trinity with Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist and Tobias and the Angel

Holy Trinity with Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist and Tobias and the Angel (1491-1494), tempera and oil painting on panel by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). Courtauld Gallery at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London. (Click image to enlarge.)

We hear a distant foreshadowing of a triune God at the moment of creation in Genesis, when God the Creator utters God’s creative Word and breathes a Spirit wind over the waters to separate light from darkness and land from sea. In Sunday’s first reading from the book of Proverbs, we learn that Wisdom was there, too, personified as a woman. In these poetic verses we hear Wisdom’s expression of delight in the newly made world and all that is in it.

Psalm: Psalm 8

In Psalm 8 we lift our voices in joyful appreciation to the God who created this beautiful world and everything that lives on it. God has made humankind only a little lower than the angels, the Psalmist sings. God adorns us with glory and honor. God has given humanity mastery over all creation, and charges us to be dutiful in that husbandry.

Alternate to the Psalm: Canticle 13

Canticle 13, “A Song of Praise” from the Book of Common Prayer, offers a litany of praise and exaltation to God as our Creator and King. This Canticle recalls the three young men who danced and sang in defiance of the flames in King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. With God’s protection, they walked unharmed through the fire, singing a hymn of praise to God and all creation. These verses, a modern addition to the original song in Daniel and the apocryphal book of Azariah, shout resounding praise to the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5

Is Paul offering the dubious wisdom, “No pain, no gain” in his letter to the Christian community in Rome? Hardly. Paul does not say that suffering is good, much less that God makes us suffer. Rather, he urges his audience to rejoice in God’s grace in spite of their suffering. Paul was writing to a mixed congregation of formerly pagan and Jewish Christians who had faced frequent persecution. He tells them that God’s love, poured into us through the Holy Spirit, provides the strength to hold on to hope even in the face of suffering.

Gospel: John 16:12-15

This short passage for today, Trinity Sunday, is the last of several recent readings from John’s account of Jesus’s talk with the disciples at the Last Supper. It concludes that conversation with Jesus’s reminder that there are things about God that we just can’t understand, but also his assurance that the Holy Spirit – “the Spirit of truth” – will come to guide them, bearing the glory of Creator and Son and guiding all toward the truth.